What do you think is your golf handicap ceiling?
- Thread starter Joff
- Start date
Curls
Journeyman Pro
Ha ha, didn't think you were! Thought it was a very valid comment. And besides, not my thinking really, Patrick Cohn is the man, hoping his gems will help me along.
That and a fair bit of practice
MadAdey
Money List Winner
Ha ha, didn't think you were! Thought it was a very valid comment. And besides, not my thinking really, Patrick Cohn is the man, hoping his gems will help me along.
That and a fair bit of practice
Hey better course management will always help you to knock shots off your score and lower your handicap, so it must be worth a go at.
Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
Whilst I kind of agree its very rare that anyone will ever achieve their maximum potential. Maybe only elite performers who literally dedicate their lives to their chosen field. Natural ability will allow to practice less then someone else for instance but that doesn't mean the person practices 4/5 times a week is anywhere near their maximum potential.
Mungoscorner
Journeyman Pro
MadAdey
Money List Winner
I thought that was the point that I made? But surely if someone is putting in GOOD practice 4/5 times a week then they have probably maxed out to what their current potential is, becasue what else can they do to get better?
I am sure there are people on this site that play off the same handicaps, one practices and the other has a couple of games a week. I know which one I think has the greater potential to improve.
I would love to do just one thing and that is win the lottery, employ a full time coach, go to a fancy fitting centre and get set up with clubs at no expense spared. Then I would find out for real what my potential is as I could dedicate every day to improving and lowering my handicap. I would also like to take one of the higher handicap players on here and do the same to him and see how fast his handicap can drop.
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Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
It depends on the type of practice they are doing and the coaching they are receiving. I could practice every day but if its not the right sort of practice for me it won't make any difference. That's not the same as reaching my maximum potential. Take Justin Rose for example, he is a much better player now then he was even 2 years ago. I highly doubt he has changed the amount of practice he does but he has changed the type and focus of his practice etc etc. Very few people have the time/resources/dedication to ever achieve their maximum potential in a particular field.
MadAdey
Money List Winner
Obviously we are talking about good practice, not just 100 balls on the range seeing how far we can knock a driver. Regarding Rose we are now talking a different ball game. But was he not close to his maximum potential? Is that not the point I was making? With good practice on a regular basis you can get close to your potential, then maybe a little tweak in the way you practice may give you a little bit more but not a lot.
To someone like Rose though it can make a big difference regarding tournament play. Changing the way you practice may give him 1 shot a round, but to him it is 4 shots lower during a tournament, that is the difference between him winning and loosing. But wasn't 2007 the best year Rose has had all round?
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Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
That's the whole point. Someone like Rose who had played golf his whole life to a now very high level getting the best coaching and fitness regime etc etc is STILL improving. Your average Joe who has a full time job and a family and plays once or twice a week and practices 4 times a week is never going to realise his MAXIMUM potential.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
Obviously I haven't thought it through
Lol. Yeah you have a point, at our course if there's a strong wind its predictable enough, prevailing even! Guess I'll have a little book of calm and a little book of wind.
It's a thought. Have a game plan sorted out for every hole in advance of starting - and stick to it regardless. Doing this would certainly be one way of getting over 'mess ups'. Would help you say 'what's done is done - can't be sorted - move on - next hole' And as you already have a plan for the next hole you just might be able to put out of your mind what may just have happened - as you have already decided what you are going to do.
Problem though, I see myself standing on 12th tee having just had a disaster on 11th. Two mega OOB slices off the tee and I run up a 10. So my plan for 12th is to put it down the RHS and draw it in away from the OOB. Courage SiLH!! courage and fortitude. Stick to plan - ooo-errr!!
MadAdey
Money List Winner
Still do not get where you are coming from. Comparing a tour player who knocking 1 shot off a round will see a major improvement to his overall results compared to club golfer, it will not really make that much difference. We have already gone over hte point of having good practice and how if you want to reach your potential level then you need all of that in place.
I think the difference between your potential level and the best level you can realistically achieve are 2 totally different things. If you do not have the time or finances then I think you will never reach your potential, you can only achieve what is realistic in line with your present circumstances.
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
Realistically I could get to 2 or 3 but I'd need to put in a lot of regular practice to get there - and to be honest I don't have the time or the inclination to do it.
My lowest was 4.8 - it wouldn't surprise me if that's as low as I'll ever go. That's OK because I play for fun, it's not my job. It would be nice to go lower but playing off 5 is hard enough work most days - shave a couple of shots off that and there's no margin for error.
BIggest problem when you get to Cat1 is the 0.1 decrease per shot under CSS, especially if CSS falls. It's 69 from the Whites at mine and CSS often dives to 68. So if I shoot 72 gross nett 67 I get a 0,1 cut - for shooting 2 over par gross.....Some serious under-par rounds are needed to get very low.
My lowest was 4.8 - it wouldn't surprise me if that's as low as I'll ever go. That's OK because I play for fun, it's not my job. It would be nice to go lower but playing off 5 is hard enough work most days - shave a couple of shots off that and there's no margin for error.
BIggest problem when you get to Cat1 is the 0.1 decrease per shot under CSS, especially if CSS falls. It's 69 from the Whites at mine and CSS often dives to 68. So if I shoot 72 gross nett 67 I get a 0,1 cut - for shooting 2 over par gross.....Some serious under-par rounds are needed to get very low.
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
probably 4 - but whether I get there before age becomes a drag (I'm a senior already...) is the question.
Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
My point was that the people will reach a ceiling point if they only ever continue doing what they were already doing but that doesn't mean they can't get any better. It's not enough to just say you don't have the natural ability to get any better when it may just be that a change in coaching technique could make an improvement.
If I always try to get up and down using a lob wedge and throwing the ball up in the air I might get up and down 50% of the time no matter how much I practice. But if I change my technique/shot then with practice I might get up down 70% of the time which makes me a better player.
I guess my point is that yes I agree that people have a maximum potential or ceiling but very few people ever reach it.
kev_off_the_tee
Journeyman Pro
I'd like to think that given my limited golfing diary and lack of time to practice I could still manage 18, a whole 10 shots off.
Following last year of trying not to get frustrated with my game and not keeping scores (simply getting round 18 holes), this year I'm ready to take things more seriously. I'll be entering more club comps and am part of the forums northeast golf society so with a little patience I should manage my target of 22-24 by the end of the summer
Following last year of trying not to get frustrated with my game and not keeping scores (simply getting round 18 holes), this year I'm ready to take things more seriously. I'll be entering more club comps and am part of the forums northeast golf society so with a little patience I should manage my target of 22-24 by the end of the summer
MadAdey
Money List Winner
I think what is confusing me mate is you come across as talking about 2 things at the same time. As I have said already I think there are 2 levels you can achieve in golf as a club golfer, maximum potential and realistic potential.
There is maximum potential that for all the love in the world you can't get better than. ie a top tour player that no matter how often he changes his coach, as some of them do, they just do not really show any real improvement. That to me is someone who has hit his maximum potential.
Then there is realistic potential and that is what us club golfers have to accept. The reason we have to accept this is we might not have enough time to get plenty of good practice to improve our game. Maybe it is finances and you can't afford constant lessons or to go to a fancy fitting centre and get set up, money no object. So for like I say for what ever reason us club golfers some times have to accept a level that we maybe feel is short of our abilities. But because of outside influences in our lives we just have to accept it.
Curls
Journeyman Pro
It's a thought. Have a game plan sorted out for every hole in advance of starting - and stick to it regardless. Doing this would certainly be one way of getting over 'mess ups'. Would help you say 'what's done is done - can't be sorted - move on - next hole' And as you already have a plan for the next hole you just might be able to put out of your mind what may just have happened - as you have already decided what you are going to do.
Problem though, I see myself standing on 12th tee having just had a disaster on 11th. Two mega OOB slices off the tee and I run up a 10. So my plan for 12th is to put it down the RHS and draw it in away from the OOB. Courage SiLH!! courage and fortitude. Stick to plan - ooo-errr!!
Yeah, don't expect it'll be easy, whether its going badly or well, ill let you know how I get on with it!
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
I agree with your approach, but would suggest that in practical terms the 2 levels are maximum potential and the lowest you actually achieve
the gap between the 2 reflecting time & effort (appllication), coaching and probably opportunity is in there somewhere (money etc)
Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
Ah ok guess we are both saying the same thing then. I thought you were saying that your average club golfer "couldn't" improve beyond a certain level regardless of what they did but you were saying based on certain limiting factors they can only get so far. I was being a bit more theoretical/hypothetical and saying that the vast majority of people will never find out what their ceiling level is because of the other limiting factors of life in general. Apologies for the confusion.
Essex_Stu
Tour Rookie
I think I could get down to 5/6 if I put some practice in and lost some weight. Im regularly shooting mid 80's now and finally doing it in comps as well so the handicap should come down to the 15 mark quite easily. Average putts per round is 38 so theres another 6 potentially to come off that. I dont practice so if I get stuck at a certain handicap its my own fault. I think if I make 9 by the time Im 30 Ill be a very happy man.
