Any tips on reducing your handicap ?

I know it sounds a daft question. The obvious answer is score well in medals but I'm looking for anything else that may help.

I'm off 5 at the moment but I'm hitting the ball brilliantly. I've got a new driver that I love and I'm convinved I can get my handicap down to at least 3 by the end of the season.

However it's easy said than done. We don't have qualiflyers in medals until the middle of May and they finish in October. Last season we only had 10 Medals in that period. So that's 10 chances. Of course poor course conditions( especially Greens!) and weather can hinder good scoring. And there's argumenative playing partners, bad luck and my club always makes the S.S.S at 1 under for some reason.

So as anybody got any idea's ?

I've thought of playing in a few Thursday Medals to increase my chances but that's it.

Here's the universally accepted stock answer:

Work on your short game.

If you can chip and pitch well (by well I mean get it close for a good up and down chance), it really takes pressure off your putting.

Speaking of putting, IMO lag putting should be grouped into the chip and pitch category. Doing all three (chipping, pitching, lag putting) well really makes the short ones easier.

Striking the ball better isn't going to necessarily lower your handicap, nor is being longer off the tee.

In my own personal experience, two years ago I spent the winter on the putting mat almost daily. I was deft with my putter - two putting from anywhere on the green. Last winter I looked at the putting mat. While I'm still a good two putter, my feel and touch were quite rusty, and my confidence wasn't there (because I knew I hadn't put the time in).

As a 5, your game must be pretty tight. I'm assuming that you already hit the ball well and consistently, and that you make good decisions about your shot selection. If you don't, that may be another place to look for your last 5 strokes.

As it's been stated in another thread, sometimes par is a good score.

__________________
True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

Hi David,

I would write down your scores from your last or next five rounds:

Fairways Hit
Putts
GIRs
Bunker saves
Up and downs

Find your weakness, and work on it.

You may find it's putting over 40% of the shots in a round are putts.........!!


Good Luck


Ian.

Hi Ian

I've played 4 rounds this year and my stats are:

Fairways hit - 90%
Greens Hit - 51%
Chipping saves - 65%
Bunkers - 12%
Putting ave - 30.25 a round

The Greens hit is low because with the muddy conditions there is one par 4 I can't reach. There's also a par 3 which needs a driver tee shot so that's tricky to hit.

I scored a gross 75 on Sunday and the holes I didn't par were as follows:

8th hole - Couldn't reach in 2 - Bogey
9th Hole - Par 3, Iron into bunker took 2 to get out - Double Bogey
10th Hole- Underclubbed 2nd shot - Bogey
13th Hole - Underclubbed with 2nd shot - Bogey.

Well, here is the difference between a 5 and a 0: The 0 gets up and down from the missed fairways and greens. Also holes a couple of more putts.

I agree with the other posts on short game. I have played with some very good players over the years and the ones that are really good (and a few of them are pros that play on various tours) get the ball into the hole. Almost cannot put them in a place near or around the green that they cannot get up and down from.

IF you have a really top notch short game, it will wear your opponents out far faster than 320 yard drives any day.

Putting: Agree- work on speed. 3 putts happen far more often from poor speed than poor reads. And, work on 5-6 ft and on in until you make them all!

Hi David,

Pretty difficult this time of year for all of us, and the stats are pretty good.

As it has been said you can't over practice the short game, bunker play may save one shot per round, most pro save around 60% in two, not in England this time of year though.

I would say for you David it is simply down to scoring and the confidence to lead you h/capp around the course, everyone under clubs, odd three putt, it the ability to hit back with a birdie. My usual golf partner started last season off scratch and managed to get to +2 by following this attachment about scoring and of course with me helping him around, clubing him of some tees,ie making him hit 2 iron instead of driver.....................although he is probably reading this thread, he knows I'm right.

Have a read David it really does work.


Good Luck


Ian.

__________________
Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

Puttking - glad that driver is working out ok! I too am off 5 although hope to get a lot lower this year. I keep stats too and its a great way to find weaknesses - mine currently is putting, but i am not too bothered at this time of year.

One thing that stands out from your stats is outstanding driving but pretty bad GIR. 9 greens a round means you have to get up and down 9 times! thats a pressure on anyone. Now as you say those stats may be down to conditions (god knows we play in some wind this time of year!) but its something to look at. Your swing is obviously good with the driver but maybe not so good with irons? is it on the flat side?

The other area which i mentioned in another thread (which may no longer be a problem with your new driver) is your distance. At 5 not being able to reach a par 4 suprises me, so i guess you also struggle with reaching par 5s? To shoot par you need to shoot birdies and short par 4's and par 5's are where scores can be made. This winter it may be worth trying to add 10, 20 yards to your drives - 70% of FH is kind of what pros are at and the way the game is these days, distance is far more important off the tee than accuracy.

just my thoughts on look at your stats, I may be completely off course with them!

nick

<<At 5 not being able to reach a par 4 suprises me, so i guess you also struggle with reaching par 5s? >>

Well in summer when the ground is hard I can reach the par 4 hole with a 3 wood. We have 2 par 5's which are 500 and 520 yards but I do struggle to reach them.

Many Thanks to everybody !

Hi Puttking,

Quite envious of your handicap. Great to see you still wanting to thrive. Don't know if this will do you any good but last year during our winter I did 4.1 in 4 rounds after reading an article by Leslie Schon re written by Wesley Atkins. I found it at www.thepsychologyofgolf.com

My coach wants me to record fairways hit, shots within 30 metres of the green and putts. Be interested to see where your chips end up.

I see that your averaging 30.5 putts per round. I went to a golf development day last week for 7 - 14 markers. One of the pro's said that 60 percent of practice should be on short game. Another Pro said that when lining up for long putts 75% of time should be consideration of pace and 25% on the line. For those 6 - 8 feet putts or less 75% on line and 25% on pace.

Hope this helps in some way.

vp

Thanks for your help VP !