Reached my handicap goal. Feeling a bit lost.

[jhills89]

Need to forget about the handicap.

My first handicap I was given a 10!!! 4 tournaments later it was 10.4 as I was thinking to much about it. I new next 1 don't matter ill now be an 11. Next 3 tournaments after that I hit the 10 each time before a very unlucky round that go tme the last 0.1 to go to 10.5 (11)

When I forgout about my handicap and just new it was going up I just played my normal game which is capeable of being a 10 clearly, However when I start thinking about saving them 10 shots it all goes wrong.

 

[Senseicads]

Hijacking the thread a little so accept my apologies. I am a 23 handicapper. I am usually hitting around 100. 98-104 normally. I have it 93 twice not in comps. in one glorious round in September last year I hit 85. I have no idea how. I was just playing. I started taking it a bit more serious when I realised on the front 9 I was on for a 43. I then came in with a 42 back 9. My lowest ever for 9 holes. I am now striving to get back to this level and I just don't know how I am supposed to do it! weekend just gone I hit 2 birdies(First for me too in one round) but still scored 101. Problem I have is that I now know without a doubt I can get to that level. I just don't know how to get back there! Mostly because I can't analyse that 85 round to work out what I did. Can anyone help me with some advice to get back to that level? Because at the moment I feel I am so far away from it!

 

[Orikoru]

Hijacking the thread a little so accept my apologies. I am a 23 handicapper. I am usually hitting around 100. 98-104 normally. I have it 93 twice not in comps. in one glorious round in September last year I hit 85. I have no idea how. I was just playing. I started taking it a bit more serious when I realised on the front 9 I was on for a 43. I then came in with a 42 back 9. My lowest ever for 9 holes. I am now striving to get back to this level and I just don't know how I am supposed to do it! weekend just gone I hit 2 birdies(First for me too in one round) but still scored 101. Problem I have is that I now know without a doubt I can get to that level. I just don't know how to get back there! Mostly because I can't analyse that 85 round to work out what I did. Can anyone help me with some advice to get back to that level? Because at the moment I feel I am so far away from it!

You sound a lot like me, except I've never hit an 85, haha (did once hit a 4 over par 40 on a 9 hole course though). The best I ever did on my course was hit 93 - perhaps unfortunately, that was one of the three cards I handed in for my handicap assessment. Even though the other two cards were 100+ rounds, they still gave me a 24 handicap based off the 93 round. Since then I don't think I've ever shot under 98 there, hence my handicap is creeping up (24.3 now). Knowing I have to basically match the best golf I ever played just to maintain my handicap, much less improve upon it, is pretty tough. I know the golf is there, but every time it'll only take two or three duffed holes to bring me up to 100 score, or 30 points rather than 34, and it's another 0.1.

 

[patricks148]

Hijacking the thread a little so accept my apologies. I am a 23 handicapper. I am usually hitting around 100. 98-104 normally. I have it 93 twice not in comps. in one glorious round in September last year I hit 85. I have no idea how. I was just playing. I started taking it a bit more serious when I realised on the front 9 I was on for a 43. I then came in with a 42 back 9. My lowest ever for 9 holes. I am now striving to get back to this level and I just don't know how I am supposed to do it! weekend just gone I hit 2 birdies(First for me too in one round) but still scored 101. Problem I have is that I now know without a doubt I can get to that level. I just don't know how to get back there! Mostly because I can't analyse that 85 round to work out what I did. Can anyone help me with some advice to get back to that level? Because at the moment I feel I am so far away from it!

i'm of the thinking ignorance is bliss when it comes to getting your handicap down.

I had never played before taking it up and had no friends at the time that played apart from one mate who promptly gave up after i beat him a few times.

Just go out play, enjoy don't worry about handicaps or scoring, it worked for me started on 24 which i was over the moon with at the time. within 3 months i was down to 12, without really knowing anything about handicaps, scoring or rules.

 

[dufferman]

Hijacking the thread a little so accept my apologies. I am a 23 handicapper. I am usually hitting around 100. 98-104 normally. I have it 93 twice not in comps. in one glorious round in September last year I hit 85. I have no idea how. I was just playing. I started taking it a bit more serious when I realised on the front 9 I was on for a 43. I then came in with a 42 back 9. My lowest ever for 9 holes. I am now striving to get back to this level and I just don't know how I am supposed to do it! weekend just gone I hit 2 birdies(First for me too in one round) but still scored 101. Problem I have is that I now know without a doubt I can get to that level. I just don't know how to get back there! Mostly because I can't analyse that 85 round to work out what I did. Can anyone help me with some advice to get back to that level? Because at the moment I feel I am so far away from it!

To get to where I am now, I focussed on my short game. Me and my mates were obsessed (and still are a little bit) with hitting 300 yard drives. I started to focus on chipping and putting, and the scores have come right down! I also lopped an inch off my driver. Now, although I am the shortest hitter out of the regular boys I play with, I am a lot closer to the fairway with bad shots.

However, I found a putter that works for me and I've improved my chipping greatly, and here I am scared of my 12 handicap!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Simple, if you can shoot 6 over, then your handicap is already to high

 

[Foxholer]

Simple, if you can shoot 6 over, then your handicap is already to high

I disagree!

But that round does show that there's still 'scope for improvement'!

Don't be surprised that you feel daunted for a few rounds after a big drop. It's purely a reflection of the reality of the new expectation! Try to capture the magic of the round that caused the big drop - but don't be too disappointed when it doesn't happen! Your practice regime seems to be working so keep that up!

 

[louise_a]

Well played, you may have been cut to 12 but you played to 6, so in theory you still have 6 shots to play with.

I found it tough initially when I only had 2 shots buffer to play with, but you soon get used to it and then your sights will be set on single figures.

 

[patricks148]

Well played, you may have been cut to 12 but you played to 6, so in theory you still have 6 shots to play with.

I found it tough initially when I only had 2 shots buffer to play with, but you soon get used to it and then your sights will be set on single figures.

how did you work out he played to 6???

its the same as me saying i shot one under gross so played to +1, if i did it would be buffer not a cut

 

[Green Man]

Sort of had the same issue the last two weeks. Played well two comps in a row and got cut from 8 to 6.
Played the first Comp of 6 tonight. I was thinking on the 1st tee how little room I had for mistakes. Promptly doubled the 1st, a third of my strokes gone and proceeded to play rubbish. The two shot difference feels huge to me at the minute.
I think I need to concentrate on holding onto this handicap. I will be delighted if I'm still off 6 at the end of the season.

 

[tsped83]

Wow. Get out more, that's what I say. Stop taking it so seriously.