Pro lessons

[Orikoru]

No that’s a rubbish idea. It should be no shots for me and I play off the whites he plays off the ladies and I will only play with a putter,7iron and a driver and I’ll even play with a eye patch just for fun. I bet a lot on here would like it stacked like that.

The guy who wants a game had one sole reason by his comment and that was to try and embarrass me and I don’t know how. I should not be beating a scratch golfer with 10 shots the now so its only him that could get shown up if I had an amazing game and he had a bad one.
If he was a decent guy he would of said look your phone has you at 12 I’ll give u 12 shots and let’s see how u get on and not even mentioned the tees but he obviously wants every little advantage on his side possible and would love nothing more to beat me and run on the forum and shout I’ve beat a 24 handicap and he will never get to scratch ? but funny thing is people that act like this. Just show themselves up for who they really are. Negative people are so unhappy in life.

3 different people on this forum have pm me recently to all basically say this forum is bad with jealous people who hunt in packs and that I’m not liked on this forum because I’m young to most, retired play golf everyday and buy clubs when I want and join multiple clubs. Are they all wrong ? I think not and I hope they speak up but I understand some don’t like confrontation.

I’ll be watching the thread now without replying but know each sarcastic reply with the jealousy bursting out of you lot gives me great pleasure ?

Haha. There is some truth in that probably, but at the same time, you have made a lot of outlandish, bold or just plain daft statements in your short time on here, which is why you're always going to get a mixed reaction. Still, I'm all for it. It takes all sorts of characters to make a forum go round. Or something.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

No wrong I don’t have the ability to play to scratch but it’s a goal I want to work to over a long period. I would just be interested to see how close I can get to him. I played with a guy he knows who’s +2 he would give me 12 shots and sometimes I could give hit a run, never actually beat him but I could stay close to him sometimes and that was 6 months ago. So I am interested to see how close I could get with 10 shots but I’ve never played off the whites down there

I am sure it will have been mentioned but how good I am at matchplay is no great indicator of my stroke play/medal ability.

I am good at matchplay...and can compete well against players with much lower hi. They generally have much better all round game and hence their hi. But on a hole by hole basis I can compete and often the nature of matchplay and the game will drive my gross for the round right down.

I recently played a scratch match off back tees against a low sf guy...I lost 2-1, but after we played out the round my opponent noted that he had only dropped 2, I checked back and I'd dropped 3...miles under my handicap (my PH on the day was 11). And only putts not holed were v short gimmes. I have NEVER knocked it round in 3 over in a medal or even casually. But matchplay is not strokeplay. I am nowhere near a 3 handicapper.

But knowing what I know I can just aim to improve my all round game; my game and course management, and my consistency. Meanwhile I enjoy what I can do in matchplay but do little in the way of readacross to my stroke play/medal.

 

[sweaty sock]

I used to love a 'get to scratch in a year' jaunt. Mostly because in the congu system it variably highlighted the protagonists total lack or research and understanding of what they had taken on.

G1Z1 maybe the first of these I've seen in the WHS. And to be honest, as all it now takes is 8 rounds on or near par, I think its totally achievable. Under congu it was an absolute slog of literal years of scratch golf waiting for your handicap to catch up. Now players at my club slide between +2 and 2 on a near monthly basis. And those that used to be 3 handicappers have all touched scratch at some point. It used to be probably 2 years of proper effort to get from 3 to scratch!

 

[Springveldt]

I used to love a 'get to scratch in a year' jaunt. Mostly because in the congu system it variably highlighted the protagonists total lack or research and understanding of what they had taken on.

G1Z1 maybe the first of these I've seen in the WHS. And to be honest, as all it now takes is 8 rounds on or near par, I think its totally achievable. Under congu it was an absolute slog of literal years of scratch golf waiting for your handicap to catch up. Now players at my club slide between +2 and 2 on a near monthly basis. And those that used to be 3 handicappers have all touched scratch at some point. It used to be probably 2 years of proper effort to get from 3 to scratch!

I'd agree that the WHS makes the journey to scratch much easier. Most low handicappers I know lost at least 1 shot when it came in. Even one of my playing partner's who is +2 says he's never a +2 golfer and scratch is his level. He was usually scratch under congu with the odd run at +1 for a while.

Even then, with it being easier, in the grand scheme of things not many will make it to scratch and stay at that level. It's just such a small percentage of golfers that make it there. The ones that say it is easy are also the ones that have a lot of natural ability for the game.

 

[sweaty sock]

I'd agree that the WHS makes the journey to scratch much easier. Most low handicappers I know lost at least 1 shot when it came in. Even one of my playing partner's who is +2 says he's never a +2 golfer and scratch is his level. He was usually scratch under congu with the odd run at +1 for a while.

Even then, with it being easier, in the grand scheme of things not many will make it to scratch and stay at that level. It's just such a small percentage of golfers that make it there. The ones that say it is easy are also the ones that have a lot of natural ability for the game.

Ok its still the top 1% or something daft, but trust me, the WHS way is an absolute trifle compared to the Congu way. For G1Z1s circumstances, he can continue to get lessons for two years, not enter any cards, his scores drop off. Go round in 2 over a couple times off the yellows and bam, hes a scratch handicapper.

In old congu world G1z1 could have shot 3 under everyday for the next 2 weeks and he'd be lucky to get below 5. When he did get below 5.5 he'd have to wait for the official weekly comp or two to come along, off the notorious competition tees - then it would take him (in a simple example jumping on the fact Ive used 3 under) another 9 consecutive rounds at 3 under, with no rounds higher than 3 under to get to a playing handicap of 0, 10 consecutive rounds to be off an index of 0.0. And no general play rounds allowed. The congu prospect is a much more worthy challenge of a true scratch player, and its loss is a loss to golf.

 

[Springveldt]

Ok its still the top 1% or something daft, but trust me, the WHS way is an absolute trifle compared to the Congu way. For G1Z1s circumstances, he can continue to get lessons for two years, not enter any cards, his scores drop off. Go round in 2 over a couple times off the yellows and bam, hes a scratch handicapper.

In old congu world G1z1 could have shot 3 under everyday for the next 2 weeks and he'd be lucky to get below 5. When he did get below 5.5 he'd have to wait for the official weekly comp or two to come along, off the notorious competition tees - then it would take him (in a simple example jumping on the fact Ive used 3 under) another 9 consecutive rounds at 3 under, with no rounds higher than 3 under to get to a playing handicap of 0, 10 consecutive rounds to be off an index of 0.0. And no general play rounds allowed. The congu prospect is a much more worthy challenge of a true scratch player, and its loss is a loss to golf.

Oh I'm fully aware of how hard the old Congu system was. 0.1 per shot under handicap from 5.4 downwards with no exceptional score adjustments and "only" 2 comps per week.

I was just saying although WHS is easier to get to scratch the vast majority of the golfing public will never sniff it.

 

[SteveW86]

 

[Dando]

View attachment 42915

so what happens when you've been playing for 30 years?

 

[bobmac]

so what happens when you've been playing for 50 years?

People who have been playing 5 minutes come along and tell you you're wrong and are stealing a living.

 

[Oddsocks]

People who have been playing 5 minutes come along and tell you you're wrong and are stealing a living.

can I nominate this for post of the year?

If not I’m calling the police and reporting a fraud case.

 

[Bdill93]

I love this thread

 

[LCW]

This thread is a bit mental but if the lad wants to truly go for scratch go for it. People are giving good honest advice, take it.

My 2p. I am easily the worst player in my little group playing off 7. Most are around scratch and one off +3.

The one thing I will say, based on the OP’s comments about the playing the longer course is this is exactly where those golfers differ and are ahead of me and on topic defiantly you. Allow me to explain.

The guy I play the most golf with is off 0.1 atm. He is no more “consistent” than me, he’d argue I am the better ball striker. I have seen him scrap it round in 85 and pure it for a 69. He by no means goes round making 18 pars all the time to be off scratch.

The 2 maybe 3 big big differences which allow him to be off scratch vs me are the ability to get it up and down from mostly anywhere and also removes the big doubles which are card wreckers.

The biggest point and I think unless you have it, you have no real chance at making scratch it sheer distance and speed. He hits it 10-15 yards off the tee more than me and I am not short. Over rounds and rounds those 15 yards each hole add up. This scales through the bag as well, so as an example he bombs it 10 past me but he can also hit his 8 iron 6 yards more than me. So sometimes this can lead to hitting 2 less clubs into a green. This is absolutely massive advantage and bears fruit over a whole season. Consequently his birdie makes per round are significantly higher than mine. He can have the round hitting 80-85 (yes even off scratch) one week but knows that the next week if he is sort of at it will get a look at birdie on all the par 5s at least. He may make a few bogies but will absolutely make the birdies. That’s what I am finding is stopping me going lower. I know I can’t stop the odd bogey but don’t make enough birdies. So I am on a speed training regime and it’s paying off so far trying to be more aggressive.

All I can say is take yourself out the comfort zone to know how far atm you can be pushed technically swing wise and also mentally. What happens to both things mentioned above if your doing okay with a card in hand but on the 11th you drop a double or worse?

Also track your stats with a strokes gained app (shotscope etc.). Don’t guess know absolutes about your game. Then you can plan your journey and see what handicap you can get to. If you carve your drives 220 off the tee your never going to be a scratch golfer imo. Hit 260+ then it’s all in front of you as an example.