Single figures golf and how to get there.

[wjemather]

But handicaps take into account course length. Our course is 6000 yds and there are three par fours at over 400 yds and a couple in the upper 300's . How many scratch golfers do you know who drive it 200 yds or less?

It's true that length in the dominant variable for course and slope rating (as mentioned earlier, it is the easiest variable to measure accurately and consistently), but it is less significant when it comes to real world scoring where accuracy and short game/putting often matter more.

I've come across half a dozen playing locally; one of them played the majority of their golf at Burnham, and the others were members at sub-6000 yard courses.

 

[garyinderry]

Why run before you can walk. I have plenty of friends who play off handicaps ranging between 10 and 20. Most have been playing 5 years plus.
The better ones have the odd day where they break 80. They just cant do it often enough to get down to single figs.

Enjoy the challenge of getting a shot or two chopped off your handicap as you progress.

 

[jim8flog]

I know back when I was a consistent 6 handicap if took more than 30 putts in a round it was a bad day with the putter or wedges.

Getting up and down in 2 shots from about 50 yards in most times and most importantly anywhere around the green is a must for a low single figure player.

I used to hit 1000+ balls a week just in short game game practice.

Where I play we are relatively short at about 6000 yards and if you can drive around 240 it is more than enough distance , here it is accuracy that is much more of a premium.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I started playing again last August after a 10 year break. I put in a few cards and got 18.6 for my HI.

I went to my pro and have a lesson each month. My handicap hasn’t changed but I unusually score somewhere in the mid 80’s. My aim initially was to regularly shoot 85 which I’m somewhere near. I’m thinking of a target for this year. I’d like to get Dow to single figures, perhaps 12 if it’s a struggle.

Im not terrible at anything now, but not outstanding at anything either. I can drive about 190-210 carry usually, it some fairways and miss some. From 150 yards and in I’ve a chance of hitting the green but again miss some too. If I’m a long way off the pin I might 3 putt. My pitching chipping isn’t bad but from 30 yards it’s probably not that often I get down in 2.

Any tips for getting to single figures. I think my way of practising is pretty rubbish. It usually consists of craship 50 or 100 balls at the range and I hardly practise short game & putting at all!

How much golf do you play?

I’m regularly low to mid 80s, a terrible round would be 90, but I just don’t play enough to get my handicap down into single figures.

I’d say to get down to single figures you need to play quite a lot and then focus your practice on the bits of your game costing you shots. If it’s not obvious what that is, practice tee shots and short game.

 

[Foxholer]

But handicaps take into account course length. Our course is 6000 yds and there are three par fours at over 400 yds and a couple in the upper 300's . How many scratch golfers do you know who drive it 200 yds or less?

Well, this thread seems to have morphed from Single Figures bring the target, to Scratch being the target!

Back to the original question...(High) Single Figures (9/8) is really quite simple for anyone with good hand-eye coordination - I'm an example, (also competent at Cricket, Tennis, Squash, Badminton and Hockey (particularly)) getting there quite quickly though with a few lessons, bit of reading and a serious amount of practice - that work allowed/promoted.

Getting down further, however, takes quite a bit more, or did for me (7 was my lowest) and needs something a bit special in at least one, and perhaps more, of the four key areas of the game....Driving, Iron play, Pitch/Chipping and Putting. Bunker and other recovery play isn't an essential imo, but can help.

I've never been seriously long off the tee, but playing a seriously tree-lined course made me straight. A peculiarity of traffic between home and work (via M25 to Croydon) allowed me to practice for 3/4 of an hour or more and still get to work 'on time' (less than 10 mins later than if I had gone directly there!), so there was a lot of mainly short-game or putting practice - that didn't feel a drag.

That was pretty much the limit of my golfing talent. On a subsequent contract, where I was able to play every day..that's exactly what I did - and my handicap crept back up to a consistent 9. So focused practice is what helped me in at least 2 of those 4 areas.

 

[Crow]

I'll offer another slant.

A single figure handicap is for many golfers the holy grail of golf, so much so that it becomes the be all and end all of their golf progress.
Much of the talk above is related to distance; hitting your driver far enough so that you can approach greens with a short iron or wedge etc.

But if we obsess too much on the distance aspect we might lose the enjoyment of other elements of the game.
I've been a single figure player in the past but when I got there it didn't change how much I enjoyed the game and women didn't start throwing themselves at my feet.

I'm currently 10.9 index and don't really care if I get back to single figures or not.
My drives are typically 200 to 240 including roll-out, but I see that as a good thing as it means I get to use all the clubs in my bag, fairway woods are needed on some par fours, long irons are needed on many of them and because of that I don't fear using them but actually enjoy the challenge of it. During a round I'll normally use every club in the bag at least once.

There's more to golf than achieving a target handicap, learn to enjoy playing every type of shot and situation and your handicap becomes irrelevant.

 

[Foxholer]

Note to the OP..
Believe me, single figures is not all it's cracked up to be when you play as badly as I did today....you have no shots to play with and it makes you look daft..
Stick to 11-12.....

That's a (not unreasonable) problem of attitude, not of ability!

 

[Backache]

I've been a single figure player in the past but when I got there it didn't change how much I enjoyed the game and women didn't start throwing themselves at my feet.
.

What handicap does this start at then so I can have a target?
(I'm currently 15 WHI and a short hitter so suspect I may have my work cut out)

 

[Crow]

What handicap does this start at then so I can have a target?
(I'm currently 15 WHI and a short hitter so suspect I may have my work cut out)

Developing good extension during the stroke is more important than your index.

 

[Captainron]

Slow it down a bit. I managed to get down to 7.6 in lockdown from 12.8. Slowed my swing down to a Louis Oosthuizen tempo. Struck it lovely and my misses were much less severe.

 

[Springveldt]

.
Not true. There are many scratch golfers who only hit their driver about 200 yards. Distance is the easiest metric to measure and compare but on it's own, it is not a good indicator of handicap or handicap potential.

I really, really disagree with this. Distance (while keeping it in play) off the tee has a direct relationship to handicap. The further you hit it while keeping it in play, the easier the game gets. I'd say nearly every guy I've played with that is 2 or lower carries the ball at least 250, most further. Sure, there are guys out there that are shorter and low handicaps but they are the outlier imho.

As for the original question, I got down to single figures a couple of season ago. Current index is 5.4 and I don't practice at all during the week, I just don't have time. I haven't been on a driving range since before covid and usually get 10 minutes warm up if I'm lucky before teeing off. Last season I did manage to play twice a week for about 3 months of the season but the couple of seasons before it was just a Saturday.

I play regularly with 2 guys that are just over single figures, 10.x index for both of them. The main differences I would say is

- I keep my drives in play more often than them. I usually only get into trouble once per round off the tee while they can be three, four or five.
- My pitching from 50 yards and in is better, I put the ball closer to hole far more often than them.

Other than that, there isn't much difference really. Both of them are probably better putters than me and both of them hit good irons off the tee into the par 3's. The main difference is I'm about 10-15 yards longer off the tee and I keep it play more.

 

[Region3]

The only thing I’ve got going for me is distance is ok, I have half decent hand eye coordination and an ok short game.

I hit about a 35% fairways on average, maybe 45% greens, have a 2 way miss and don’t always make solid contact with the ball. It’s a myth that all single figures hit the ball nice all the same, and straight.

The key imo is keeping silly doubles off the card. If I drop a shot chipping out from a bad drive and then miss the green and 2 putt it’s a double, but I can live with it because I didn’t do anything stupid. What you can’t do is make double because you made another mistake on top of the first one ie going for a silly gap through trees and leaving yourself in trouble.

As long as you get somewhere near the green in regulation, 33% up and down shoots +12 even hitting 0 greens. Hit a few greens, maybe make a birdie or 2 and breaking 80 isn’t out of the question if you play sensibly and you don’t hit a lot of total duffs.

All imo of course.

 

[Springveldt]

For insight, the average driving distance for 6 - 12 handicappers, from the usga distance insight report. 215 yards....

Arccos Golf driving distances by handicap 2021

Shotscope Golf driving distance by handicap 2021

Think the usga one might be slightly on the low side going by the other 2.

 

[Neeko1988]

If I compare my game with my mates who off handicaps in the teens, the differences are:

- I generally hit it quite a bit further
- I hit it a bit straighter (certainly fewer disasters)
- I miss hit shots less often
- I duff fewer chips & pitches
- I'm a bit better at putting than some (but not all)

I play off 3 and the above mirrors what I would say..

 

[Neeko1988]

I know back when I was a consistent 6 handicap if took more than 30 putts in a round it was a bad day with the putter or wedges.

Getting up and down in 2 shots from about 50 yards in most times and most importantly anywhere around the green is a must for a low single figure player.

I used to hit 1000+ balls a week just in short game game practice.

Where I play we are relatively short at about 6000 yards and if you can drive around 240 it is more than enough distance , here it is accuracy that is much more of a premium.

I’m a 3 handicap and I don’t achieve this very often…

 

[HeftyHacker]

The FiL is still off scratch at 58 and he isn't the longest hitter by any means (although still hits it 230ish). However, his short game is phenomenal and his misses are always well thought out so he's never short sided or having an awkward shot when he needs to get up and down.

If he's within 40 yards he's getting up and down probably 85% of the time.

I'm on a similar quest to the OP whereby I'm currently at around 12 and looking to get to single figures. I'm getting there but I would say the biggest thing I need to work on is my short game - my driving is decent and my irons are alright but I do still struggle around the greens. I've been putting some practice in and seeing the results in the past couple of rounds. After that I think it'll be mental for me as I do still have a tendency to throw in couple of silly doubles or a triple.

 

[Region3]

If I compare my game with my mates who off handicaps in the teens, the differences are:

- I generally hit it quite a bit further
- I hit it a bit straighter (certainly fewer disasters)
- I miss hit shots less often
- I duff fewer chips & pitches
- I'm a bit better at putting than some (but not all)

Same except they all hit it straighter than me ?

The other thing is when I miss a green I don’t very often miss it in a bunker or really tough up and down spot, and am often pin high. It’s shocking how often my mates all miss short.

 

[Region3]

Slow it down a bit. I managed to get down to 7.6 in lockdown from 12.8. Slowed my swing down to a Louis Oosthuizen tempo. Struck it lovely and my misses were much less severe.

But a 240yd 4 iron into a headwind is very entertaining to watch!

 

[Backsticks]

I really, really disagree with this. Distance (while keeping it in play) off the tee has a direct relationship to handicap. The further you hit it while keeping it in play, the easier the game gets.

And I think there is a further advantage. Distance versus handicap has a very strong correlation, that goes beyond the simple benefits of a longer drive leading to a shorter second, or a longer hitter being able to take a lower iron. It also indicates better and more precise ball striking, and timing of the strike. Long hitters are also those who can put spin on short shots for example. A high handicapper doesnt have the right swing timing to pull the ball to a halt or spin it backwards on a green. Not because he cannot hit it 80 yards, but because he cannot hit it 80 yards in the manner that the 250 drive player can hit the 80 yard shot. The longer hitter's skill also benefits his short game even though distance isnt the goal or as obvious as his advantage with driver in hand.

 

[Bobthesock]

I'm off single figures and carry the ball 200-220. Depending on the conditions my drives finish up 200-250. Very rarely is there a par 4 I can't reach in 2 and thats when it's into the wind in winter.
Would love to hit it further, and I think to get much below 6 I would have to.
To play off 8 or 9 200 yards is enough imho