Tips to get to Category 1

[jamielaing]

HELP NEEDED!

I started the season off 8.3 and had two great medals to get me close to my target of playing off 5.0 or less by the end of the year. I was sitting pretty at 5.9 with the whole season ahead of me. 10 0.1s later and I've got my form back and am sat at 6.7. The last three medals I have played well and feel like, barring a little bit of luck and a mistake here or there I would be going round in level par. I keep shooting buffer though.

Anyone that has made the move to category 1 do you have any tips that can help me get there. I had a couple of 3 putts which obviously makes a big difference and I am working on that but anything else would be greatly appreciated.

I thought this would be easier for me than it is!

 

[patricks148]

TBH I'm a no better ball striker now than when i was off 9/10... but i am a way better putter.

easy thing to work on you can do a bit every day, prob saves a couple of shots per round..

 

[MendieGK]

HELP NEEDED!

I started the season off 8.3 and had two great medals to get me close to my target of playing off 5.0 or less by the end of the year. I was sitting pretty at 5.9 with the whole season ahead of me. 10 0.1s later and I've got my form back and am sat at 6.7. The last three medals I have played well and feel like, barring a little bit of luck and a mistake here or there I would be going round in level par. I keep shooting buffer though.

Anyone that has made the move to category 1 do you have any tips that can help me get there. I had a couple of 3 putts which obviously makes a big difference and I am working on that but anything else would be greatly appreciated.

I thought this would be easier for me than it is!

Accepting that it takes time. The difference between playing off 8 and staying at 5 is huge.

you say 'a mistake here and there', that's the exact reason you can't get there.

If I didn't make a silly mistakes, I'd be a scratch golfer. I hit the ball better than most of them.

Don't lose faith in the process, just accept it and keep battling. Your handicap will always go up mainly before falling in it chunks. Just think those 10 .1s will be gone with one or a couple of 3/4over rounds

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Ensure the ball stays in play from the tee

Reduce the amount of three putts

Smart course management

Remember a bogey is something you can recover from so try and reduce the doubles

 

[jamielaing]

TBH I'm a no better ball striker now than when i was off 9/10... but i am a way better putter.

easy thing to work on you can do a bit every day, prob saves a couple of shots per round..

Putting is major for me. I'm trying to work on it (even had a lesson!). Much better inside 20 foot and thinking I can make them when lining up. It's the long ones I am struggling with. 4 3putts last night has cost me 0.8 though.

 

[jamielaing]

Accepting that it takes time. The difference between playing off 8 and staying at 5 is huge.

you say 'a mistake here and there', that's the exact reason you can't get there.

If I didn't make a silly mistakes, I'd be a scratch golfer. I hit the ball better than most of them.

Don't lose faith in the process, just accept it and keep battling. Your handicap will always go up mainly before falling in it chunks. Just think those 10 .1s will be gone with one or a couple of 3/4over rounds

I see myself as similar. I am a much better ball striker than most I come across (especially guys off my handicap). It's the stupid double that's killing me. Sometimes I think it's course management but I feel like I am generally good in that department.

Mistakes come, I don't mind bogeys as they will happen, it's doubles. Last night a lost ball cost me 0.4. Add that to the mentioned 0.8 and there's a huge potential cut. (While being realistic that I can't expect to get all of them!)

 

[jamielaing]

Ensure the ball stays in play from the tee

Reduce the amount of three putts

Smart course management

Remember a bogey is something you can recover from so try and reduce the doubles

All correct Phil. Mentally I struggle with the mistakes. Are there any good putting drills out there for the long lag putts?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

All correct Phil. Mentally I struggle with the mistakes. Are there any good putting drills out there for the long lag putts?

Mental aspect is a big thing - how you react to a mistake is key and how you react whilst in a bad situation is even bigger. It's finding a way to forget the previous hole or just look for a way to reduce the amount of shots you drop to one. Mistakes don't seem to bother me much because I expect they will happen - if you know they will happen when they do they don't shock you so much so can then just concentrate on recovery. At times I sometimes throw a ball in thick rough or deep trees and then look to see what the safe shot is

As for putting - try this

http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/videos/putting-tips/louis-oosthuizen-putting-basics

 

[Hobbit]

Your aim, in my opinion, is to play better golf, not aim to get the handicap down. If you concentrate on the golf shot, not some abstract number, you'll play better. If you put pressure on yourself to hit a particular score you'll start chasing scores mid round instead of 'chasing' shots.

Imagine you're 4 over after 12 holes. Do you think about the end score or the shot you're about to play? Is it, "I mustn't drop another shot?" Its a cliché but play the shot, not the hole. The score for the hole and, subsequently, the round will look after itself. And if you hit good shots, the end score will be good.

Getting ahead of yourself in golf, writing the winner's speech or projecting a score, is the quickest way to screw up.

 

[Crow]

Your aim, in my opinion, is to play better golf, not aim to get the handicap down. If you concentrate on the golf shot, not some abstract number, you'll play better. If you put pressure on yourself to hit a particular score you'll start chasing scores mid round instead of 'chasing' shots.

Imagine you're 4 over after 12 holes. Do you think about the end score or the shot you're about to play? Is it, "I mustn't drop another shot?" Its a cliché but play the shot, not the hole. The score for the hole and, subsequently, the round will look after itself. And if you hit good shots, the end score will be good.

Getting ahead of yourself in golf, writing the winner's speech or projecting a score, is the quickest way to screw up.

Spot on, wish I could do it myself.

 

[ger147]

All correct Phil. Mentally I struggle with the mistakes. Are there any good putting drills out there for the long lag putts?

If you find yourself with long lag putts a lot, maybe it's your approach play you need to look at?

It's impossible to eliminate 3 putting completely, especially if you find yourself with a first putt from 30-40 feet 3 or 4 times a round.

 

[bobmac]

You've got to keep it in play.
Just keep telling yourself fairways and greens and play boring golf.
Pop it down the middle, get it on the green or there abouts and chalk up another par.
And if you have any tough holes, (460yds into the wind) play for the easy 5 because a bogey or 5 wont kill you.
Putting
Were your 3 putts caused by poor distance or direction?

 

[TonyN]

All correct Phil. Mentally I struggle with the mistakes. Are there any good putting drills out there for the long lag putts?

Get on the putting green, line your long putt up and hit it whilst looking at the hole. I'd bet my last pound you'll be hitting the ball past the hole to begin with and within 5 minutes, have the length nailed.

Dont hit a 2nd from same place. Just use one ball and move on. Dont try work on stroke, just pace, do that seperately.

I have had NO 3 putts in last 3 rounds since I started doing this drill.

 

[Tiger man]

Your aim, in my opinion, is to play better golf, not aim to get the handicap down. If you concentrate on the golf shot, not some abstract number, you'll play better. If you put pressure on yourself to hit a particular score you'll start chasing scores mid round instead of 'chasing' shots.

Imagine you're 4 over after 12 holes. Do you think about the end score or the shot you're about to play? Is it, "I mustn't drop another shot?" Its a cliché but play the shot, not the hole. The score for the hole and, subsequently, the round will look after itself. And if you hit good shots, the end score will be good.

Getting ahead of yourself in golf, writing the winner's speech or projecting a score, is the quickest way to screw up.

Great post this.

 

[jamielaing]

Your aim, in my opinion, is to play better golf, not aim to get the handicap down. If you concentrate on the golf shot, not some abstract number, you'll play better. If you put pressure on yourself to hit a particular score you'll start chasing scores mid round instead of 'chasing' shots.

Imagine you're 4 over after 12 holes. Do you think about the end score or the shot you're about to play? Is it, "I mustn't drop another shot?" Its a cliché but play the shot, not the hole. The score for the hole and, subsequently, the round will look after itself. And if you hit good shots, the end score will be good.

Getting ahead of yourself in golf, writing the winner's speech or projecting a score, is the quickest way to screw up.

I do try to not count my score as I go to try to play shot by shot. I can't help fast forwarding though!

 

[jamielaing]

You've got to keep it in play.
Just keep telling yourself fairways and greens and play boring golf.
Pop it down the middle, get it on the green or there abouts and chalk up another par.
And if you have any tough holes, (460yds into the wind) play for the easy 5 because a bogey or 5 wont kill you.
Putting
Were your 3 putts caused by poor distance or direction?

Bob, my lag putting is suffering due to distance control. Either 6 foot short or 6 foot long. Direction is normal there or thereabouts. I am also struggling with downhill breakers, just not committing to them.

 

[jamielaing]

Get on the putting green, line your long putt up and hit it whilst looking at the hole. I'd bet my last pound you'll be hitting the ball past the hole to begin with and within 5 minutes, have the length nailed.

Dont hit a 2nd from same place. Just use one ball and move on. Dont try work on stroke, just pace, do that seperately.

I have had NO 3 putts in last 3 rounds since I started doing this drill.

Interesting Tony. My practice putts are done while looking at the hole. May be worth trying.

 

[jamielaing]

If you find yourself with long lag putts a lot, maybe it's your approach play you need to look at?

It's impossible to eliminate 3 putting completely, especially if you find yourself with a first putt from 30-40 feet 3 or 4 times a round.

Wouldn't say it's approach play that's the problem. 3 putts last night were 2 long ones having reached the green in two (par 5) where my 4 iron checked when I expected some run and a 3 wood which I played perfectly. One misjudged 8 iron into the wind and one left to right downhill breaker from 15 foot that I didn't commit to.

 

[bobmac]

Bob, my lag putting is suffering due to distance control. Either 6 foot short or 6 foot long. Direction is normal there or thereabouts. I am also struggling with downhill breakers, just not committing to them.

Do you vary the length of your backswing to control the distance?

 

[Foxholer]

Putting is major for me. I'm trying to work on it (even had a lesson!). Much better inside 20 foot and thinking I can make them when lining up. It's the long ones I am struggling with. 4 3putts last night has cost me 0.8 though.

Were they from '3-putt country' though?! I had 3 last round, but 2 of them were from 'miles' away, so relatively acceptable! The other was only from about 20 feet (2nd putt was from about 7 feet on same side of hole!), so definitely 'unacceptable'!!

Could be that not getting close enough with your approach shots is the 'real' issue!