Starting my Journey from 18 handicap to single figures

Hi Guys

Im new here and must say this place is awesome for all the help and great advice.Im 29 from ireland and returned to golf last summer after a 12 year break. I played off 11 when i was 17 but unfortunately gave up and went away partying playing darts etc.

I have started to get lessons and the coach uses trackman and is a very well known and respected coach. He has told me that I hit the ball like a single figure golfer , i was hitting my 8 iron 158 yards carry with 83 mph swing on trackman and carrying my driver close to 240 yards with a 99mph swing. I was talking to a guy last night that actually caddied out on the european tour for a few years and he told me that i should focus on improving my course management better while i work on getting my handicap down. There are a few tricky par 4s in my home course which look easy being say 330 yards but there is a lot of trouble teeing off, he advised me to take my medicine and hit an iron off the tee and another to short of the green and guarantee myself a 5 everytime. Here is a link to my course if ye want to see it - http://www.lisselan.com/

Henry Ford's people actually came from the estate, its for sale now if any one wants to buy it:):)

I fully recognize it is my chipping from 100 yards that is my achilles heal and chipping from say 30 yards is not the best either.

Im just wondering how have ye guys improved yer short game the most and what drills would ye use??

My course has no warm up practice green but i do plan on going to a corner of the course and working on my short game when the weather gets a bit better and the evenings longer

Any feed back would be great

Good luck bro.

Get Montes short game video, learn a basic motion and practise that. Should allow you to hit greens from <100.

As simple as that sounds, its golden. As you improve your margins will decrease but I would suggest that never missing a green from 100yards in is close to scratch performance.

Gotta confess you lost me at “single figures.”

But I’m a journalism major, I have no other marketable skills, don’t hold it against me.

Best of luck to you! Enjoy the process of “seeing how good you can be” As Dr Rotella says.

Good luck bro.

 

Get Montes short game video, learn a basic motion and practise that. Should allow you to hit greens from <100.

 

As simple as that sounds, its golden. As you improve your margins will decrease but I would suggest that never missing a green from 100yards in is close to scratch performance.

Hey mate where can one see Montes short game video??Thanks for the great advice , I dont know how many times I have messed up a par 5 by hitting a poor chip shot

Will be working hard for 2018

Gotta confess you lost me at "single figures."

 

But I'm a journalism major, I have no other marketable skills, don't hold it against me.

 

Best of luck to you! Enjoy the process of "seeing how good you can be" As Dr Rotella says.

Ha ha here in Ireland we single figures meaning less then 10 handicap lol

Thank you for the nice words , I love the game and plan on working very hard this year to improve my game

Yes but single figures....like single digits....it’s......because if it’s only one number you don’t.....it’s.....the plural.....you know what, never mind I’m going back to bed, this is my own fault.

Yes but single figures....like single digits....it's......because if it's only one number you don't.....it's.....the plural.....you know what, never mind I'm going back to bed, this is my own fault.

ha ha enjoy your nap bud

on a similar journey myself, except not quite as good. Got down to 18 as a junior, but stopped for study, girls, nights out and Cricket! Yes, I had a cricket break. But when realising I was worse at Cricket I came back to golf 3 years ago.

But now down to 16. I don't play that often and I'm determined this year to get my handicap down to 12 (I think a realistic target) this year. Normally I had no target, just reduce handicap and play a few comps. This was done with no practice and only playing 7 comps last year and 5 the year before.

When actually reviewing my golf I had a lot of bad rounds but stuck to my handicap at the time of 18, often with 3-4 three putts a round. Duffed chips from inside 70 yards. So I'm putting more at home while the course is closed with rain snow and Ice in England and having lessons working on my poor posture during the swing.

Anyway good luck on the journey I and I will be following it, to give myself a kick!

Yes but single figures....like single digits....it’s......because if it’s only one number you don’t.....it’s.....the plural.....you know what, never mind I’m going back to bed, this is my own fault.

But there’s more than one single figure, in fact there are ten of them. He wants to get his hcp in that range of single figures. The plural is correct.

on a similar journey myself, except not quite as good. Got down to 18 as a junior, but stopped for study, girls, nights out and Cricket! Yes, I had a cricket break. But when realising I was worse at Cricket I came back to golf 3 years ago.

 

But now down to 16. I don't play that often and I'm determined this year to get my handicap down to 12 (I think a realistic target) this year. Normally I had no target, just reduce handicap and play a few comps. This was done with no practice and only playing 7 comps last year and 5 the year before.

 

When actually reviewing my golf I had a lot of bad rounds but stuck to my handicap at the time of 18, often with 3-4 three putts a round. Duffed chips from inside 70 yards. So I'm putting more at home while the course is closed with rain snow and Ice in England and having lessons working on my poor posture during the swing.

 

Anyway good luck on the journey I and I will be following it, to give myself a kick!

Hye mate sounds great , I actually love cricket myself , my dad is from Nottingham so I used watch it from a young age , I never played it thou.

I feel your pain and know the whole duffing chips , Iv done a good few myself.

My course is know for being an extremely tough 9 hole course ,a lot of people down my way in Ireland dont play there as they would lose so many golf balls:)

I will stick there thou as I find it is a great place to tighten up my game

Well done on getting down to 16

Short game is the best way to drop strokes fast. Learn to chip it closer and make more putts. My suggestion is learn to chip everything within 6 feet of the hole and get really good at putting from six feet. Best short game players I see use a chipping or bump and run style for most shots around the greens.

Short game is the best way to drop strokes fast. Learn to chip it closer and make more putts. My suggestion is learn to chip everything within 6 feet of the hole and get really good at putting from six feet. Best short game players I see use a chipping or bump and run style for most shots around the greens.

Thanks very much my friend , ya i played a competition in my club with a guy playing off 5 , found after he played youth golf for ireland.

His short game around the green was like you just mentioned , he got up and down like the all time and his putting was on point

Least I know where I need to work on!!

thanks

Yes but single figures....like single digits....it’s......because if it’s only one number you don’t.....it’s.....the plural.....you know what, never mind I’m going back to bed, this is my own fault.

 

But there’s more than one single figure, in fact there are ten of them. He wants to get his hcp in that range of single figures. The plural is correct.

I'm aware of that, it was a joke. Lighten up, Francis.

https://www.rebelliongolf.com/

Chipping and putting well works, but again don't beat yourself up - "chipping everything inside 6 feet" is near scratch level. Think about that for a moment, from all and every point around the green at WORST would be 6 feet? That means a fair number of tap ins and 3 footers.

Handicap takes care of its self, work on hitting better shots with the easiest pickings probably everything under 100 yards. That said, don't neglect the driver or long game if its costing you shots by either ending up in awful positions or penalties.

https://www.rebelliongolf.com/

 

Chipping and putting well works, but again don't beat yourself up - "chipping everything inside 6 feet" is near scratch level. Think about that for a moment, from all and every point around the green at WORST would be 6 feet? That means a fair number of tap ins and 3 footers.

 

Handicap takes care of its self, work on hitting better shots with the easiest pickings probably everything under 100 yards. That said, don't neglect the driver or long game if its costing you shots by either ending up in awful positions or penalties.

Hey mate

thanks for nice message , I know by tidying up a small bit i could easily get down to 12 or 13

I will work hard this year

cheers

good luck, work hard, but remember to have fun!

To see how good I can be, I often play alone and hit 2 or even 3 balls at once. Granted this isn't really a true reflection of your game, it gives you insight of to what you could possibly do, it's just that you aren't doing it every single time. The reason you're an 18 is because instead of making a good shot 9/10 times, you do it 3/10 times.

To see how good I can be, I often play alone and hit 2 or even 3 balls at once. Granted this isn't really a true reflection of your game, it gives you insight of to what you could possibly do, it's just that you aren't doing it every single time. The reason you're an 18 is because instead of making a good shot 9/10 times, you do it 3/10 times.

Hey mate thanks for the advice i will try that , I played off 11 when i was 17 but gave up for 12 years only returned last summer:)

good luck, work hard, but remember to have fun!

Thank you

Of course i love playing!!

As a general rule of thumb you should use the lowest loft to where you can land it on the green but stop it at the flag. I see way too many amateurs reach for their 54 or 60 degree wedge when they'd be much better with a 8 or 9 iron and bumping it up there.

Pitch when you can't chip, chip when you can't putt, and putt whenever you can.

As a general rule of thumb you should use the lowest loft to where you can land it on the green but stop it at the flag. I see way too many amateurs reach for their 54 or 60 degree wedge when they'd be much better with a 8 or 9 iron and bumping it up there.

 

Pitch when you can't chip, chip when you can't putt, and putt whenever you can.

Hey mate its funny you say that as another low handicapper told me the exact same advice

He told me to use an 8 or 9 iron and leave the chips roll out to the hole

Would you use an 8 or 9 iron from 50 or 60 yards out??

good luck, work hard, but remember to have fun!

^^This all day long^^ I've been married going on 10 years (second time around), and the best advice I got beforehand was "Don't forget to have fun". We truly enjoy every day, and don't take ourselves too seriously. I used to run marathons, and burned myself out by getting too competitive and trying too hard.

I'm also an 18 cap, and my goal this year is to lower my cap as much as I can, but I'm going to be sure to enjoy every shot on the journey. I'm putting in time with everything tee to green, working on course management and focus, and reminding myself it's all about getting the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible. Best to you Irish.

To answer your question about 8 or 9 iron from 60 yards......it depends....

What's the green like? Lots of run offs and mounds?

Where is the pin in relation to these? Is it middle and safe or on the edge with a run off?

What's is the approach terrain like? Predictable - flat fairway or is it unpredictable - rolling with semi or rough and fairway.

What's the wind doing?

All of these + your skill level will give you an indicator to the percentage shot.

Sometimes some in the air is best, some times along the ground.

All of that said; most of the time , the shot you can ball strike the most consistently will on average yield the best results.

A chunked air shot is the same as a chunked low shot, thins too, though typically the punishment is less on the low shot.

For your skill level, on average learning the low shot will be an easier route to get you around the course safely.

There will come a time though when you need both.....

To answer your question about 8 or 9 iron from 60 yards......it depends....

 

What's the green like? Lots of run offs and mounds?

 

Where is the pin in relation to these? Is it middle and safe or on the edge with a run off?

 

What's is the approach terrain like? Predictable - flat fairway or is it unpredictable - rolling with semi or rough and fairway.

 

What's the wind doing?

 

All of these + your skill level will give you an indicator to the percentage shot.

Sometimes some in the air is best, some times along the ground.

 

All of that said; most of the time , the shot you can ball strike the most consistently will on average yield the best results.

 

A chunked air shot is the same as a chunked low shot, thins too, though typically the punishment is less on the low shot.

 

For your skill level, on average learning the low shot will be an easier route to get you around the course safely.

 

There will come a time though when you need both.....

Just an update I played last saturday with winter rules and shot 46 points playing off 18

I have been working hard with my coach and done a few tpi classes

I was using trackman last night and my speed for my 7 iron was 88mph

I have been working on my short game and putting

The fast track to lower scores is better short game, the fast track to better short game is mastering distance control.

Good work!

As boring as it sounds, get the putting to a level your happy with, then chipping, then pitching , then irons, then driver then rinse and repeat!

There a few levels of rinse and repeat between 18 and 9 and then probably a couple levels for each shot below that!

Good luck and enjoy the journey!

As everyone says, short game. I only hit around 7 greens a round, and I shoot mid to low 80's and play to an 8 handicap. I've broken 80 3 times last year, so I know what it takes. Here's an example:

I shot 1 over 36 for 9 holes hitting only 3 greens in regulation and a birdie on the first hole. I got up and down 4 out of 6 times. Short game is crucial.

Short game is what separates the bad players from the good, or the good from the great. Of course, ball striking is important too, but short game is where you drop strokes. If you hit every green in regulation on a golf course, but 3 putt 6 times, you've shot 6 over. If you hit 9 greens but get up and down 7 out of 9 times, then you've only shot 2 over. There are different ways to get it done, but the short game is still crucial.

The main thing is to stop leaving yourself on the short side. Leave yourself with a shot that leaves you tons of green to work with, then choose a better club. Don't reach for your wedge, reach for an 8 iron or something, but use less loft to roll the ball to the hole.

Practice these shots. Practice with an 8 iron, work on 3 iron chip and runs, and don't forget your wedge, just don't use it all the time. Practicing these parts of the game for a year will do you good.

As everyone says, short game. I only hit around 7 greens a round, and I shoot mid to low 80's and play to an 8 handicap. I've broken 80 3 times last year, so I know what it takes. Here's an example:

 

I shot 1 over 36 for 9 holes hitting only 3 greens in regulation and a birdie on the first hole. I got up and down 4 out of 6 times. Short game is crucial.

 

Short game is what separates the bad players from the good, or the good from the great. Of course, ball striking is important too, but short game is where you drop strokes. If you hit every green in regulation on a golf course, but 3 putt 6 times, you've shot 6 over. If you hit 9 greens but get up and down 7 out of 9 times, then you've only shot 2 over. There are different ways to get it done, but the short game is still crucial.

 

The main thing is to stop leaving yourself on the short side. Leave yourself with a shot that leaves you tons of green to work with, then choose a better club. Don't reach for your wedge, reach for an 8 iron or something, but use less loft to roll the ball to the hole.

 

Practice these shots. Practice with an 8 iron, work on 3 iron chip and runs, and don't forget your wedge, just don't use it all the time. Practicing these parts of the game for a year will do you good.

Hey mate

thanks for the nice comment , your right , I got a lesson last night from a top coach when im from.

Iv been working with him through out the winter and have put on over ten mph club head speed, Im up to 88 mph with my 7 iron.

We did a short game clinic and it was the best lesson iv had.

Just listening to the way he thinks and looks at pitches around the green , I could see an improvement already

Regards

Take the short cut and get lessons. Best money I ever spent.

I banged balls endlessly for 2 years and only went from a 10 to an 8. Found a great instructor who got me to a 3-4 in one season with maybe 5 or 6 lessons.

Although, dont be discouraged if the first or second instructor doesn't work out. I spent a decent chunk of change on failed lessons. It was more than worth it to find my current instructor.

Some people do it on their own but that's a harder road.

Take the short cut and get lessons. Best money I ever spent.

 

I banged balls endlessly for 2 years and only went from a 10 to an 8. Found a great instructor who got me to a 3-4 in one season with maybe 5 or 6 lessons.

 

Although, dont be discouraged if the first or second instructor doesn't work out. I spent a decent chunk of change on failed lessons. It was more than worth it to find my current instructor.

 

Some people do it on their own but that's a harder road.

Hey bro

Im getting them from one of the best coaches in Ireland , my ball striking is superb , it is just my short game needs to improve and with the weather improving now i will be working hard on it!!