Tips for lowering Handicap

[ntipping]

Hi Guys,

I play of a handicap of 20 at the moment and really want to come down to at least 18. I like the comfort of having 1 shot a hole. Is it just all about practice?

I struggle for time to practise as I have a pretty hectic job midweek. I only get to play with a couple of mates on the weekend.

 

[Foxholer]

Hi Guys,

I play of a handicap of 20 at the moment and really want to come down to at least 18. I like the comfort of having 1 shot a hole. Is it just all about practice?

Generally...Yes, it's practice that gets you down from 'reasonable' to 'good' (around 12) - then 'serious practice' that gets you lower! Keeping Drives out of trees/long rough, so that a shot isn't 'wasted' recovering. And having Drives long enough that many greens can be reached 'in regulation' will also help. And, of course, avoiding silly 3-putts certainly helps!
Practicing short game - to specific target lengths or to 'up and down' frequently is also something that can knock several shots of h'cap. I play with 3 guys off around 7 (which was as low as I ever got) and they each have different 'strengths'.

 

[bobmac]

If you're off 20, you're not going to improve by making more birdies, you'll need to make less double/triple bogeys.
To do that you need to improve your bad shots.
Now that might be practicing a swing fault OR
Thinking smarter on the course.
Find a way to avoid lost balls/bunkers/ponds whatever is costing you strokes and keep the bad holes down to a minimum.

 

[Ethan]

Hi Guys,

I play of a handicap of 20 at the moment and really want to come down to at least 18. I like the comfort of having 1 shot a hole. Is it just all about practice?

I struggle for time to practise as I have a pretty hectic job midweek. I only get to play with a couple of mates on the weekend.

I am playing off a lower handicap than yours, but all my best scoring rounds are when I don't do much spectacular but I avoid wasteful mistakes. Get it on the fairway, get it somewhere near the green, get it somewhere near the hole. Avoiding double bogeys and worse plays well at your handicap.

Try to get a few reliable shots, a 3 wood off the tee, a 100 yard pitch, a get out of the bunker shot and a lag putt from 30 feet.

 

[jim8flog]

The quickest way to get down is to practice the short game and this does not have to be special session. Just make sure you do it before going out to play and practice with purpose, particularly putting. Only ever take two balls to the putting green - putt once and miss putt the same shot a second time trying to correct error. Move to a different spot on the putting green repeat.

 

[Ethan]

My top tip at your level is don’t compound a mistake. I.e if you get out of position don’t try to pull off a hero shot just to get on the green. Chip out if you need to, layup short of the green. Don’t take on a high risk shot, don’t turn a bogey into a double or worse!

This.

Quite often I play with someone who duffs a drive and then thinks they need to try to hit their 3 wood out of the rough to make up. They would be better hitting a 7 iron out of the rough and taking their medicine.

 

[Curls]

My top tip at your level is don’t compound a mistake. I.e if you get out of position don’t try to pull off a hero shot just to get on the green. Chip out if you need to, layup short of the green. Don’t take on a high risk shot, don’t turn a bogey into a double or worse!

Jekyll and Hyde post @ntipping I hope you're sitting down

Yes I agree with the above sentiment about taking your medicine, but at the same time I sympathise with those who do not.

Now that I am reasonably confident that I'll hit the green (or near enough to have a chip/bunker shot that I might stiff) from ~180, 200 at a push, I have the luxury of chipping out sideways after blocking myself out with a bad drive. Not to mind that drive is probably 200+ down there anyway. I can chip 30 yards sideways and have a pretty decent chance of making bogey, maybe even saving par with a cracker. I can stomach that bogey and cancel it on the next, or later, with a birdie.

When you're off 20 and need to be within say ~150 to be confident of getting it on the green, that play doesn't seem like an option because 1. you aren't 200+ down there when you're blocked out so a sideways chip leaves you 240 out, 2. from there you think you're inviting a double or worse, and 3. you don't presume you will get it back on the next because birdies are like hen's teeth. So like I say, I empthaise having been there when I was off 20.

The OP says he only plays at the weekend and struggles to practice midweek, so strategy is the quickest way to get down to 18. However. He also says he like the comfort of having 1 shot per hole.

NO NO NO NO NO NO.

No. LOL. Mr Hyde at your service.

You are in completely the wrong mindset to get down. When you play matchplay, do you always win the holes you get a shot on? Do you ever win holes you don't get a shot on? Have you ever parred a hole? Then you can beat the course if it gives you a shot on every hole, or less.

Buck up a small bit. Have a word with yourself. Back yourself. I reckon so much about golf at this stage is how you percieve you limits and level. If I caddied for you and called every shot you'd shoot under 18 over no problem, and that means you can do it with the right mindset, which means your handicap should be less than 18 and you the last thing you should fear is not having a shot on a hole, you should want it, achieve it, and stand on S.I 18 saying "its me against the course here". And beat the thing. Handicaps don't come down gradually, they get slashed. At your new number you panic because you're not sure you can play at this level, and probably go up a few 0.1s. Then you break the next barrier, and the cycle starts again. But its about breaking the mental barrier, hard to do but doable.

So my advice to get to 17 and lower is. Back yourself, but be clever with it. Rather than a "take your medicine" approach, think aggresive play/conservative play. Some holes are card wreckers (for everyone) and some give up more easily.

1. Identify the holes you regularly have a mare on. You're playing them wrong. Are you trying to get on a 440 yard par 4 in two? Work from the green back and ask yourself where you need to be to enter the green properly (i.e have a clear shot in with no trouble in front of you). Might be 50 yards back and way right, might be 100 back on a flat bit instead of the downslope you always find yourself on, you get the idea. Now figure out how to get there, maybe it takes 2 shots, so what? Maybe its a 4 iron off the tee and 7 iron to your lay up. Trust me if you hit those two you'll be so made up things are going to plan that you'll stiff your pitch and walk off with a par or bogey on a hole that normally chews you up.

2. Stop trying to make par 5s in 2. Even excellent players lay up and a par is a great result, how many eagles have you made?

3. Troublesome long par 3 costing you 5s and 6s? Why are you going for the green? Forget what your friends are taking, winds me up when someone says "its a 5 iron for me" and everyone else thinks they can't take more. Take a club that leaves you 30 yards short of the front (and the bunkers/trouble etc), chip on, take 3 or 4 and you can laugh at them at the 19th when you're taking their money.

Those are just some examples of how to eliminate the mares. Trust me, I'm a doctor.

 

[Foxholer]

...
Now that might be practicing a swing fault...

Eek!

 

[Bdill93]

I am playing off a lower handicap than yours, but all my best scoring rounds are when I don't do much spectacular but I avoid wasteful mistakes. Get it on the fairway, get it somewhere near the green, get it somewhere near the hole. Avoiding double bogeys and worse plays well at your handicap.

Try to get a few reliable shots, a 3 wood off the tee, a 100 yard pitch, a get out of the bunker shot and a lag putt from 30 feet.

Seconded

I play off 19, any rounds I play close to/ better than handicap are always the ones where I've made very little mistakes.

Get off the tee into play consistantly (150 yards+), ideally a fairway, but at least within a shot or two of the green (par 4). Dont feel bad if you cant make greens in reg, I am always happy to have a putt for par, even if its a long one. And get practicing within 80 yards (distance control first, ball placement second - and 2 putting).

 

[Crow]

Here's a topical vlog that just popped up.
(Take special notice of the sponsored energy drink )

 

[Carpfather1]

Jekyll and Hyde post @ntipping I hope you're sitting down

Yes I agree with the above sentiment about taking your medicine, but at the same time I sympathise with those who do not.

Now that I am reasonably confident that I'll hit the green (or near enough to have a chip/bunker shot that I might stiff) from ~180, 200 at a push, I have the luxury of chipping out sideways after blocking myself out with a bad drive. Not to mind that drive is probably 200+ down there anyway. I can chip 30 yards sideways and have a pretty decent chance of making bogey, maybe even saving par with a cracker. I can stomach that bogey and cancel it on the next, or later, with a birdie.

When you're off 20 and need to be within say ~150 to be confident of getting it on the green, that play doesn't seem like an option because 1. you aren't 200+ down there when you're blocked out so a sideways chip leaves you 240 out, 2. from there you think you're inviting a double or worse, and 3. you don't presume you will get it back on the next because birdies are like hen's teeth. So like I say, I empthaise having been there when I was off 20.

The OP says he only plays at the weekend and struggles to practice midweek, so strategy is the quickest way to get down to 18. However. He also says he like the comfort of having 1 shot per hole.

NO NO NO NO NO NO.

No. LOL. Mr Hyde at your service.

You are in completely the wrong mindset to get down. When you play matchplay, do you always win the holes you get a shot on? Do you ever win holes you don't get a shot on? Have you ever parred a hole? Then you can beat the course if it gives you a shot on every hole, or less.

Buck up a small bit. Have a word with yourself. Back yourself. I reckon so much about golf at this stage is how you percieve you limits and level. If I caddied for you and called every shot you'd shoot under 18 over no problem, and that means you can do it with the right mindset, which means your handicap should be less than 18 and you the last thing you should fear is not having a shot on a hole, you should want it, achieve it, and stand on S.I 18 saying "its me against the course here". And beat the thing. Handicaps don't come down gradually, they get slashed. At your new number you panic because you're not sure you can play at this level, and probably go up a few 0.1s. Then you break the next barrier, and the cycle starts again. But its about breaking the mental barrier, hard to do but doable.

So my advice to get to 17 and lower is. Back yourself, but be clever with it. Rather than a "take your medicine" approach, think aggresive play/conservative play. Some holes are card wreckers (for everyone) and some give up more easily.

1. Identify the holes you regularly have a mare on. You're playing them wrong. Are you trying to get on a 440 yard par 4 in two? Work from the green back and ask yourself where you need to be to enter the green properly (i.e have a clear shot in with no trouble in front of you). Might be 50 yards back and way right, might be 100 back on a flat bit instead of the downslope you always find yourself on, you get the idea. Now figure out how to get there, maybe it takes 2 shots, so what? Maybe its a 4 iron off the tee and 7 iron to your lay up. Trust me if you hit those two you'll be so made up things are going to plan that you'll stiff your pitch and walk off with a par or bogey on a hole that normally chews you up.

2. Stop trying to make par 5s in 2. Even excellent players lay up and a par is a great result, how many eagles have you made?

3. Troublesome long par 3 costing you 5s and 6s? Why are you going for the green? Forget what your friends are taking, winds me up when someone says "its a 5 iron for me" and everyone else thinks they can't take more. Take a club that leaves you 30 yards short of the front (and the bunkers/trouble etc), chip on, take 3 or 4 and you can laugh at them at the 19th when you're taking their money.

Those are just some examples of how to eliminate the mares. Trust me, I'm a doctor.

Some good advice there play smart

 

[ScienceBoy]

Find a way to avoid lost balls/bunkers/ponds whatever is costing you strokes and keep the bad holes down to a minimum.

This is pretty much how I play golf and I can go round off the yellows and score in the mid 80s. It does work but you have to be prepared to dial in your game from 40 to 100 yards if you choose to lay up rather than go for greens in regulation on long par 3s and 4s. The idea is to make bogey at worst and par when you get it right.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Maybe consider some lessons over the winter and work on the areas of the game you are poor in. If courses get closed through snow or waterlogging as happened last winter you could use the time you would be playing to get to the range and work on the changes. Other than that, putting on a mat or carpet is a good way to develop confidence