What it took to break into single figures?

[S17er]

Oh and one of the +3 rounds involved no warm up, running to the tee and hitting very poor tee shots on first two holes....

 

[Simbo]

Well if your brain isn’t rattling inside your skull with all the answers here then you’re mental attitude is good!
There’s no real answer IMO, only you and people you play with regularly will know your strengths and weaknesses. You don’t need to be brilliant at any part of the game to reach single figures but you do need to be reasonably good in all of them. You can have 27 putts a round if you want but if your second shot in the hole is a hack out you’re never going to score, same goes the other way around, so on and so forth.

 

[turkish]

Well if your brain isn’t rattling inside your skull with all the answers here then you’re mental attitude is good!
There’s no real answer IMO, only you and people you play with regularly will know your strengths and weaknesses. You don’t need to be brilliant at any part of the game to reach single figures but you do need to be reasonably good in all of them. You can have 27 putts a round if you want but if your second shot in the hole is a hack out you’re never going to score, same goes the other way around, so on and so forth.

I think this is nail on the head more than anything said before- if anything in your game is dreadfully awful you will need to improve on it to have any chance.

 

[bobmac]

The biggest hurdle you have to overcome is your handicap.

Half way through the back 9 you realise you're playing well and you start to protect your score, playing safe, laying up, iron off the tee etc. And what happens? Bogey central.

I know it's difficult to not know your score as you go round but try and play every hole as best you can right up to the last.....then count your score.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I leaned to keep the ball in play (and for me that doesn't mean hitting a fairway - just means keeping out of serious trouble) off the tee and developed a PSR for my putting that I use for all putts over a foot. I don't miss that many 3ft or less.

So I get it safely off the tee - shove it any-old-how towards the green - and get it in the hole pretty efficiently.

 

[Spear-Chucker]

The biggest hurdle you have to overcome is your handicap.

Half way through the back 9 you realise you're playing well and you start to protect your score, playing safe, laying up, iron off the tee etc. And what happens? Bogey central.

I know it's difficult to not know your score as you go round but try and play every hole as best you can right up to the last.....then count your score.

Spot on

 

[the_coach]

for me it was playing a ton as a youngster with a grandpa & dad who were cat 1 players so by the age of 14 I had joined them - playing a ton of competitions to get used to having to play one shot at a time so learned not to overthink marking a card it was just on autopilot without thinking over much about the score until adding it up at the end

would say like others have mentioned you have to be able to get off the tee without doin any major damage - so have to have either with driver or 3metal or similar a fairway finder that's reliable

then have to be able to club yourself properly for all approach shots - the times i play with higher index players find a good ways too many just under-club themselves & try to swing out of their shoes - so there's the double whammy effect even if nailed they are still most often times short - or it's hit fat or some kinda mishit because they trying to max out at 110% so then it's short-short & maybes also leftfield or rightfield

plus see way too many folks misalign at set-up even if they put a decent swing on it the result is a ball off of the target - so either rough off the fairway or missed green in rough or trap - or missed green rough but also a ways short-(see previous para)

have to be able to chip & pitch so there are not the regular 2 stabs to be on the short stuff
have to develop good distance control on the greens to eliminate the 3 stabs

 

[richbeech]

It's not all about putting IMO. There's no point been good at putting if you're always putting for bogey or double bogey. You do need to be decent obviously but there are other things you need to take care of first before you even get to the green. I think this number of 'putts per round' stat can be a bit misleading. In theory you could play shocking tee to green but end up with a 4ft put on every hole because you've had to play a chip from the edge of the green to leave you with a putt for bogey or double bogey. Now you're gross score is going to be high but then your putting stat is going to say 18 putts per round. Could you class that as a good round just because you've only had 18 putts? And conversely you could play really well tee to green, hit every GIR and 2 putt to shoot a level par round but then your putting stat is going to say 36 putts.

There are a lot of CAT 1 golfers at my club and I've had the pleasure of playing with a few of them. I wouldn't say any of them really blew me away with their putting. Things that did impress me was they were very very good with a wedge in their hand. From 120-130 yards and in they were putting it within 6-8ft most of the time and sometimes it was a gimmie. The other thing was off the tee, they rarely missed a fairway and quite frequently were slap bang in the middle of it!! It makes a huge difference playing your 2nd shot from the middle of a fairway been able to go at a green rather than having to chip out sideways from the rough just to get it back in play.

For me I think to get to single figures, which funnily enough is my goal over the next 12-18 months (currently off 14), your all round game needs to be decent. Not amazing just decent.

You need to keep it in play off the tee as much as you can. If that means hitting a 3 wood or hybrid or 2 iron then so be it. Just keep it out of trouble.

Your iron play needs to be relatively solid so that you can then get it close to a green from the fairway. You don't have to hit every GIR but if you can get it close so that at worst you're left with a chip and a putt for par or the odd bogey. Remember you can still drop some shots.

Your wedge play needs to be solid so that from 120 yards and in you're hitting the green and now and again sticking one to close'ish to give you a chance of making a birdie or much easier 2 putt.

And then of course your putting needs to be decent enough so that you're able to two putt regularly from most positions on a green. And good enough so that you sink an odd 15-20 footer now and again for par or birdie but you don't have to be dropping putts from everywhere. I actually remember a chap I played with at a work golf day, he was the best putter I've ever played with, like seriously good. Every putt either went in or stopped within 6 inch of the hole. However the rest of his game wasn't that good and consequently he was only a 13-14 handicapper from memory.

 

[merv79]

then have to be able to club yourself properly for all approach shots - the times i play with higher index players find a good ways too many just under-club themselves & try to swing out of their shoes - so there's the double whammy effect even if nailed they are still most often times short - or it's hit fat or some kinda mishit because they trying to max out at 110% so then it's short-short & maybes also leftfield or rightfield

I think this is a good point and with regards to shots into greens course management is very important. Something I did was buy a GPS device and not worry so much about the yardage to the pin, but instead thinking about hitting greens, for example using clubs that would not go over the back of the green. In the past I would laser a pin perhaps 5 yards from the back edge, pick a club to go at the pin and often end up over the green with a tough up and down rather than hitting a club that cant possibly go over the green. 5-10 yards short in this case is almost always going to be better than 5-10 yards long.

 

[ManinBlack]

We should have a game together sometime

I'll make up the three ball. My mate, an ex assistant pro says I've got a Cat.1 long game & Cat. 4 short game. I agree with him.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Bob makes a very strong point. Several times I've been on 16 and been +5 gross and gone 6, 6, 6 (double, treble, single bogey) and exactly what he said and got defensive. Steered drive OOB on 16 and 17

 

[Deleted member 15717]

I'll make up the three ball. My mate, an ex assistant pro says I've got a Cat.1 long game & Cat. 4 short game. I agree with him.

Sounds like we have our 4ball sorted as i’d said earlier my short game was pony!

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I'll make up the three ball. My mate, an ex assistant pro says I've got a Cat.1 long game & Cat. 4 short game. I agree with him.

Depends what part of the short game we’re talking as well. I’m a really good chipper but putt like a god knows what (and I’ve improved a lot over the years).

 

[Deleted member 1418]

Natural talent. If I played and practiced more I'd be a pro.



😂😂😂😂

 

[Imurg]

Natural talent. If I played and practiced more I'd be a pro.



😂😂😂😂

Just a Pro..?
Surely a Green Jacket wearer at least...:mmm:

 

[Deleted member 1418]

Just a Pro..?
Surely a Green Jacket wearer at least...:mmm:

Of course, and more than just 1. In fact I’d probably be up there with Jack in terms of Majors, but didn’t want to be too boastful and make everyone feel inferior!!!