Want to reduce your handicap?

[Deleted Member 1156]

How many bad decisions do you make in a round?

How many 'hero' shots do you take on?

How often do you follow one bad shot with another?

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5?

Do you play to your strengths?

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do.

 

[chrisd]

How many bad decisions do you make in a round?

How many 'hero' shots do you take on?

How often do you follow one bad shot with another?

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5?

Do you play to your strengths?

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do.

You've seen me play ............ havn't you!

 

[dotty001]

you missed , how many times do you 3 putt :sbox:

 

[Birchy]

Go on then I will play.

How many bad decisions do you make in a round? IMO usually 2 or 3 which cost at least the same in shots if not more

How many 'hero' shots do you take on? Possibly linked to point 1, too many! Partly down to too much expectation imo

How often do you follow one bad shot with another? Possibly linked to 1 and 2, can sometimes go for the hero shot after a bad one

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5? Yes but this is my strength, see next point

Do you play to your strengths? Yes I do on the whole I think

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do. (rubbish! you still need to hit the ball )

 

[London mike 61]

you missed , how many times do you 3 putt :sbox:

Ha, ha! :thup:

 

[FairwayDodger]

How many bad decisions do you make in a round?

How many 'hero' shots do you take on?

How often do you follow one bad shot with another?

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5?

Do you play to your strengths?

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do.

What if driving is your strength?

All true though. My worst hole in comps last year was the 7th - I average 5.5 on that par 4. Mainly because I always go for the green with the second shot even after a poor tee shot. New strategy for this year - if I need to hit more than a five iron at it or if I've got a bad lie I'm going to lay up and try to chip and putt for par. Hope to keep double off my card at that hole all season, should be worth about a shot off the handicap alone!

 

[Jack_bfc]

How many bad decisions do you make in a round? probably only a couple. But generally cost me more shots.

How many 'hero' shots do you take on? Not too bad with that. One on the 18th last week cost me big time though... Hopefully more focused from next week in comps.

How often do you follow one bad shot with another? Not often, my ability to forget and focus on next shot is OK

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5? No, but mostly, as my driving is fairly accurate, if not very long...

Do you play to your strengths? Not sure what they are, so probably not.

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do.

I need to chip and put better to reduce my HC.. Just thinking about it wont help, its all about poor execution at the moment...

 

[CMAC]

course management- what a novel idea:smirk:

 

[One Planer]

How many bad decisions do you make in a round?

Surprisingly, not many. I always air on the side of caution, although, I guess you could say that is a bad decision in certain circumstances :mmm:

How many 'hero' shots do you take on?

This, for me, has so many definitions. For me it not only applies to a hook/slice around a tree, fairway wood to a green over water, flop over high trees etc. Sometimes the hero shots come greenside when trying to play high spin chips and pitches that either don't spin, or grab straight away . To answer the question probably 3 that cost me the same in shots.

How often do you follow one bad shot with another?

To often . I put that down more to my mental focus than ability. Still thinking about the previous bad shot when setting up to the next. Let's face it it's never going to work.

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5?

NO!!!! :whoo: I only usually pull driver around 5/6 times a round. With my track being very tight, even on some short par 4's it's better to take an iron, albeit a long one, and find the short stuff as opposed to trees or worse.

Do you play to your strengths?

Always. Greenside is what the yanks call my "Wheel house". Rarely leave a chip outside of 4ft and since a few changes to my putting set-up, it's currently red hot. If I cant reach a green in regulation, I'll leave it in a good spot greenside.

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do.

100% agree :thup:

 

[standrew]

For me a lot of my saved shots are down to using the time between walking to shots to think about as much as you can, so i dont feel i am holding up play and rushing things. Secondly negative thoughts which i try to avoid when heading for bunker madness. Thirdly being full of energy, as generally ill start to slip about the 11th hole or so.

Things like if i have an awful lie in a fairway bunker, ill often just ensure i get it out regardless of the distance. If putts are to die into the hole or be hit firm depends on the slope and break. Also i will generally hit 85% of my maximum force with long game, to get better consistency and ensure that i am not exhausted or injured.

 

[G1BB0]

How many bad decisions do you make in a round?
shed loads

How many 'hero' shots do you take on?
actually not too many unless I am swinging well

How often do you follow one bad shot with another?
too often

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5?
yup and at the mo its my worst club

Do you play to your strengths?
I would if I had any

 

[USER1999]

My thought process is fine, planning excellent, strategy is awesome, putting is sound, chipping too, mental strength can be iffy for the first two holes, and then I rely on really p. Poor execution to mess it all up.

 

[Alex1975]

How many bad decisions do you make in a round?

How many 'hero' shots do you take on?

How often do you follow one bad shot with another?

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5?

Do you play to your strengths?

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do.

Worth thinking about where you might miss too or even picking a good place to miss. If its safe long for example take more club than less.


"Control the controllables"

 

[Deleted member 17920]

How many bad decisions do you make in a round? Way too many!

How many 'hero' shots do you take on? Again way to many!

How often do you follow one bad shot with another? Yep again way to many!

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5? Only because its the law!

Do you play to your strengths? Hmmmmm never!

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do. If only it was that simple

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

For me it's simple - self and course management.

Gross 97 on Saturday followed by a gross 79 on the Sunday. I changed very little about my game from Sat to Sun. On Sun I took every shot and every hole one at a time; I decided what I wanted to do; pictured the shot; then focussed on executing it. I completely blocked from my mind the horrors of Saturday and only considered what I wanted to happen rather than what might happen - and indeed what DID happen on Saturday.

I played with the same guy both days. His view was that on Saturday I couldn't do anything right - whereas on Sunday I didn't do anything wrong. In fact on Sunday all I did was remove fear from my game - and for me that is not the same thing as playing fearlessly.

 

[Alex1975]

For me it's simple - self and course management.

Gross 97 on Saturday followed by a gross 79 on the Sunday. I changed very little about my game from Sat to Sun. On Sun I took every shot and every hole one at a time; I decided what I wanted to do; pictured the shot; then focussed on executing it. I completely blocked from my mind the horrors of Saturday and only considered what I wanted to happen rather than what might happen - and indeed what DID happen on Saturday.

I played with the same guy both days. His view was that on Saturday I couldn't do anything right - whereas on Sunday I didn't do anything wrong. In fact on Sunday all I did was remove fear from my game - and for me that is not the same thing as playing fearlessly.

Jack Nicklaus advice in something he was commentating on last year was simple.... "dont do dumb stuff"

On the face of it a little glib but if you actually think about it is crazy good advice... have a little control over yourself.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Tommy Armour put it this way

Play the shot that you have the best chance of executing well
Play the shot that will give you the easiest next shot

 

[tsped83]

How many bad decisions do you make in a round?
Several.

How many 'hero' shots do you take on?
One or two.

How often do you follow one bad shot with another?
Frequently.

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5?
No.

Do you play to your strengths?
Not sure what they are. They vary from round to round.

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do.
How? This seems a bit vague to me. 'Woolly'

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do.
How? This seems a bit vague to me. 'Woolly'

Please don't take this the wrong way because I'm not trying to patronise you (or anyone else) but the fact that you have to ask this question says a lot about why you play off 18.

You obviously can hit the ball well to play to that handicap and are clearly capable of making par on any given hole but you don't do so on a regular basis, hence your handicap.

So my question to you is....... Do you stand over every shot and just see the landing area of where you can hit the ball to based on your best shots? Or do you look to see where the 'safe' place is to miss? Do you smack your 2nd shot on a par 5 as hard as you can or do you think about your best wedge distance for your 3rd shot? Do you play away from bunkers and other hazards or do you just look as far down the fairway as you can drive the ball? On a 380 yard par 4 with bunkers at 240, do you think driver/wedge or 3 wood short of the bunkers then 8 iron?

Golf is a bit like snooker in many ways, the best players stand over the ball thinking 'where do I want to play my NEXT shot from?'

Like I said, don't take my response the wrong way, it is a genuine attempt to get people to think a bit more which will save them shots. Quicker, easier and cheaper than a lesson!*


*Doesn't mean anyone should stop taking lessons though.

 

[Snelly]

How many bad decisions do you make in a round? A few, invariably at the halfway hut with a Bovril, Vodka, Tabasco combo.

How many 'hero' shots do you take on? As many as possible.

How often do you follow one bad shot with another? Never.

Do you automatically reach for your driver on every par 4/5? Whenever possible.

Do you play to your strengths? Probably.

You can reduce your handicap just by thinking about what you do. True, but you lose a sense of fun along the way. E.g. 345 yard par 4, downhill with a dogleg left at 200 yards. A 4 iron then a 9 iron and two putts is fine in a medal but slightly dull with mates. It has to be a driver over the corner and a chance of an eagle putt!


Flippancy aside, I think you make a very good series of points here D4S.