Whats keeping you from a lower handicap?

[Hallsy]

I have 3 issues that i feel i need to work on to start scoring lower. Firstly distance.I know that distance isnt everything but this part of my game then leads me onto the main reason im not shooting lower. Im not a big hitter so when i come up against a 430 yd plus par 4 i know its a 3 shotter to the green. This is where my major failing occurs which of course is the mental/mindset part of the game.Rather than thinking if i take 3 simple shots i still go for the big bomb off the tee. Although im getting better at hitting more fairways when i swing easy, on the longer holes i try too hard and inturn sometimes trouble off the tee. My last 5 comps ive gone up .1 on the first 2 comps and the last 3 ive hit buffer, so its in the right direction just not down yet.The third is putting. Although that again is getting better it could still be stronger. So whats holding you back?

 

[shewy]

Pretty much the same, lack of distance coupled with poor long game, my short game and putting is as good as anyone's I've played with (single figure players)

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Ability

 

[Rooter]

Ability

x2 added with time to play/practice.

 

[MattM]

Not being able to play regularly

 

[bluewolf]

Based on yesterdays round where I shot a 10 over with a seriously stone cold putter then I'll go for "short game".. Having gone back through the round I reckon I lost 10 shots on or around the green. Still, having hardly played since May I was happy with it..

Now I just need a shiny new putter.....

 

[garyinderry]

My grip :mmm: my hatchet swing.

 

[CMAC]

Driving - not consistently on the fairway- the new Titleist Driver will sort that:whoo:

Putting - the new Odyssey will sort that

Wedges - dumping Vokey and sticking with 2 wedges has sorted that:thup:



This time next year Rodney.............

 

[Slab]

Consistency:
I know I can play to a lower handicap for a series of holes but getting to 18 without something failing is the tough part

Committing to the shot:
Too often I'll ease back from the swing/shot I'd play at the range, by as much as a club difference

Weight transfer:
I know I should do it but often I have way too much weight remaining on right foot when the balls in the air

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Driving - Not consistent enough and when it goes wrong it goes out of bounds wrong. 3 off the tee is never good for your card and it happens too often.

Putting - I am not a bad putter but I don't threaten the hole enough with my first putt, therefore not a good one either. I rarely 3 putt but equally I rarely 1 putt.

Following the post above, thanks Slab - Committing to a shot. I bottle too many long shots. I need to hit freely more often. That is my task over the winter.

 

[garyinderry]

Halsey, how may holes can you not reach easily. There was 3 at my old club id would happily play as a 3 shot hole if I didn't get a good drive away.

I dont see this as a good excuse as to why you can't improve. you can easily move into singles before worrying about having to par these longer holes.

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Nothing at all. Fortunate to have nice kit, know roughly what to do with it and can hit shots. Time will tell. Ok, bunker play is poor...

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Historically I would have said my short game but this is finally getting better as is my holing out. I don't hit enough fairways (49% in 2014) but the biggest bugbear is consistency. I'm playing 15-16 holes well and then chucking two or three nightmares from nowhere. I can hit a poor drive or still find ways of mucking it up even from the fairway. I need to lose these killer holes and I'll be happy

In terms of ball striking, I'm really happy. The swing will never be textbook but I'm delivering it back in a more consistent manner more regularly. I'll spend the winter trying to improve this further but all in all I'm fairly happy and know cuts are gonna come

 

[FairwayDodger]

Consistency, or lack thereof!

 

[Duckster]

Talent.

And practise.

And talent.

 

[Hallsy]

Halsey, how may holes can you not reach easily. There was 3 at my old club id would happily play as a 3 shot hole if I didn't get a good drive away. I dont see this as a good excuse as to why you can't improve. you can easily move into singles before worrying about having to par these longer holes.

3 off them and this is where the mental game comes in. I hit buffer last time out and between the 3 holes i was 6 over, and only 6 over for the remaining 15 !

 

[One Planer]

What's stopping me?

More than likely the fact I love my family more than my hobby.

 

[Birchy]

What's stopping me?

More than likely the fact I love my family more than my hobby.

So you cant love your family and have a low handicap?

 

[Region3]

Driving hurts me 2 or 3 times a round, but the biggest thing is that I don't get up and down often enough from 30-70 yards.

Around the green I think I'm ok, it's just that little bit further out on short 4's or where I've had to lay up/chip out due to a bad drive.

 

[cookelad]

Historically I would have said my short game but this is finally getting better as is my holing out. I don't hit enough fairways (49% in 2014) but the biggest bugbear is consistency. I'm playing 15-16 holes well and then chucking two or three nightmares from nowhere. I can hit a poor drive or still find ways of mucking it up even from the fairway. I need to lose these killer holes and I'll be happy

In terms of ball striking, I'm really happy. The swing will never be textbook but I'm delivering it back in a more consistent manner more regularly. I'll spend the winter trying to improve this further but all in all I'm fairly happy and know cuts are gonna come

Can relate an awful lot to the first paragraph there (though I hit a few more fairways), 15-16 decent-to-good holes with 2 or 3 real shockers in there, one round last month I played 15 holes in something like 2over but signed for an 83! It's amazing how quickly a drive down the fairway can turn into a 7!