My Paper Tiger journey / 1 year full time golfer job starts Monday 7-1-19

[rich_s2]

> @grantc79 said:

> Another subtle change that I have made and this I think it's just me learning how to play

>

> Around the green I'm putting the hole completely out of my mind

>

> I'm using the hole to teach me where to land the ball and for reading putts but after that I'm no longer looking at the hole at all I'm now focused completely on where I want my ball to land on chips and I'm completely focused on the outermost breakpoint of putz and my aiming point for pots as opposed to the hole itself

 

Good stuff, I have learned the same thing about the hole

 

[grantc79]

Handicap went from 7.9 to 8.4 now down to 5.7 a month and a half in.

 

5.7 to go ?

 

[malarijm]

Grant - is there any specific area of improvement to which you would attribute the hc decrease so far? It's impressive with all of the new instruction and stuff you are working on - those changes and tweaks are usually a one step back before two steps forward for me.

[MelloYello]

> @grantc79 said:

> Handicap went from 7.9 to 8.4 now down to 5.7 a month and a half in.

>

> 5.7 to go ?

>

 

I've got a simple request--and this would help people like me who aren't following this thread in detail. Would you please put a running total of the number of holes you've played along with the number of days that have elapsed from the beginning down in your signature or something like that?

 

My theory is that most of us who are 5- or 10- handicaps would get better simply by playing more often. If I were going on some journey like yours trying to get down to scratch I would be wary of changing my mechanics very much.

 

I like the advice the guy gave some time back...just bury yourself in putting practice. I know that for me as a 7-handicap I'm a pretty lousy putter. I average 34 putts per round. I generally don't make anything outside of 3-ft. And what's worse, I usually manage to miss 1 or 2 short ones during any given round, too. So I imagine that if somehow I put in the work and became a "good" putter inside 10-ft I'd lose as many as maybe 5 strokes on my better rounds and thus my handicap would drop dramatically.

 

I just think far too many decent golfers overlook the reality that putting is really where it's at. I don't think there's hope of getting under a 5-handicap if you aren't a really good putter. I've never heard of a scratch player who isn't an excellent putter.

[grantc79]

> @malarijm said:

> Grant - is there any specific area of improvement to which you would attribute the hc decrease so far? It's impressive with all of the new instruction and stuff you are working on - those changes and tweaks are usually a one step back before two steps forward for me.

 

Without going into detail and I've made a swing change that now I reliably produce a cut unless I try to do otherwise

 

I have eliminated three putts to a huge degree and started making a few putts nothing crazy just some

 

I started focusing on hitting better chips and leaving my chips in better spots

 

In order to improve now I really have to eliminate the penalty strokes and make a couple more putts

[grantc79]

> @MelloYello said:

> > @grantc79 said:

> > Handicap went from 7.9 to 8.4 now down to 5.7 a month and a half in.

> >

> > 5.7 to go ?

> >

>

> I've got a simple request--and this would help people like me who aren't following this thread in detail. Would you please put a running total of the number of holes you've played along with the number of days that have elapsed from the beginning down in your signature or something like that?

>

> My theory is that most of us who are 5- or 10- handicaps would get better simply by playing more often. If I were going on some journey like yours trying to get down to scratch I would be wary of changing my mechanics very much.

>

> I like the advice the guy gave some time back...just bury yourself in putting practice. I know that for me as a 7-handicap I'm a pretty lousy putter. I average 34 putts per round. I generally don't make anything outside of 3-ft. And what's worse, I usually manage to miss 1 or 2 short ones during any given round, too. So I imagine that if somehow I put in the work and became a "good" putter inside 10-ft I'd lose as many as maybe 5 strokes on my better rounds and thus my handicap would drop dramatically.

>

> I just think far too many decent golfers overlook the reality that putting is really where it's at. I don't think there's hope of getting under a 5-handicap if you aren't a really good putter. I've never heard of a scratch player who isn't an excellent putter.

 

I basically started July 1st

 

if you go back and look at the train wreck that is this thread you'll see that initially I was starting but trying to perfect the golf swing and not focusing on the low-hanging fruit

 

I started playing a lot more golf but I started practicing a lot more short game stuff basically I went after the low-hanging fruit

 

I think for most of us they can hit the ball well enough if you get to the point where you're:

1: not three putting

2: you're getting up and down most of the time with the easy shots around the green

3: youre not making bone head club/swing choices

 

just by doing those things I've basically gotten to where my bad round is now 80 or 81 and my great round would probably be around Par

 

Realistically in order to drop another two or three strokes I've got to eliminate the penalty shots more and start making another putt or two

 

I really don't think I'm getting down to hey 3 handicap or so is going to be hard that's going to be more mental than anything

 

Going from a 3 to a scratch that's what's going to take a lot of work especially short game and wedges

[HitEmTrue]

I think you’ll have to hit more greens to get to scratch. Can’t do it with short game alone.

[grantc79]

> @HitEmTrue said:

> I think you’ll have to hit more greens to get to scratch. Can’t do it with short game alone.

 

I agree

[MelloYello]

> @grantc79 said:

> > @MelloYello said:

> > > @grantc79 said:

> > > Handicap went from 7.9 to 8.4 now down to 5.7 a month and a half in.

> > >

> > > 5.7 to go ?

> > >

> >

> > I've got a simple request--and this would help people like me who aren't following this thread in detail. Would you please put a running total of the number of holes you've played along with the number of days that have elapsed from the beginning down in your signature or something like that?

> >

> > My theory is that most of us who are 5- or 10- handicaps would get better simply by playing more often. If I were going on some journey like yours trying to get down to scratch I would be wary of changing my mechanics very much.

> >

> > I like the advice the guy gave some time back...just bury yourself in putting practice. I know that for me as a 7-handicap I'm a pretty lousy putter. I average 34 putts per round. I generally don't make anything outside of 3-ft. And what's worse, I usually manage to miss 1 or 2 short ones during any given round, too. So I imagine that if somehow I put in the work and became a "good" putter inside 10-ft I'd lose as many as maybe 5 strokes on my better rounds and thus my handicap would drop dramatically.

> >

> > I just think far too many decent golfers overlook the reality that putting is really where it's at. I don't think there's hope of getting under a 5-handicap if you aren't a really good putter. I've never heard of a scratch player who isn't an excellent putter.

>

> I basically started July 1st

>

> if you go back and look at the train wreck that is this thread you'll see that initially I was starting but trying to perfect the golf swing and not focusing on the low-hanging fruit

>

> I started playing a lot more golf but I started practicing a lot more short game stuff basically I went after the low-hanging fruit

>

> I think for most of us they can hit the ball well enough if you get to the point where you're:

> 1: not three putting

> 2: you're getting up and down most of the time with the easy shots around the green

> 3: youre not making bone head club/swing choices

>

> just by doing those things I've basically gotten to where my bad round is now 80 or 81 and my great round would probably be around Par

>

> Realistically in order to drop another two or three strokes I've got to eliminate the penalty shots more and start making another putt or two

>

> I really don't think I'm getting down to hey 3 handicap or so is going to be hard that's going to be more mental than anything

>

> Going from a 3 to a scratch that's what's going to take a lot of work especially short game and wedges

 

Again, my theory is that all of us who are single digit handicaps basically know what to do (for our own games). We simply don't always do it because we don't play everyday and we can't keep our swings and putting strokes timed up adequately for 18 holes in a row.

 

For example, I mostly play on the weekends and while I'll have stretches of say, 9 holes wherein I'll shoot par, I'll inevitably have some stretch of 2-3 holes where I'm +4 or something terrible. If I played everyday, I doubt that'd happen. That kind of inconsistency can't be fixed by a teacher, either. It's simply a product of not being able to play everyday.

 

That's what makes me think that at some point a person is "good enough" to be scratch and just needs to play more. I would wager that for a relatively strong player with reasonably good technique that would come at about the 5-handicap level.

 

Anyhow, I'm not going back 15+ pages to count up the number of rounds you've played. I suspect you have that information in a spreadsheet? I'd just like to know so I could get a sense of how much you're improving relative to how much you're playing.

 

 

[llewol007]

By what you named off as being thing you need to improve on and being a single handicap already, you stand a great chance at reaching your goal. The biggest hurdle in becoming a great player is the difference in the short game. You named off putting and the short game as your weakest points. If you focus on that for about half the year, you can get to probably a 2 handicap or even scratch. Now if your game is transferable meaning it is a solid handicap no matter where you play, then that is where the added input from course management comes into play and that is something I would work on during the entire year. Those things added with your starting point can get you to scratch in my opinion.

[oikos1]

> @MelloYello said:

> > @grantc79 said:

> > Handicap went from 7.9 to 8.4 now down to 5.7 a month and a half in.

> >

> > 5.7 to go ?

> >

>

> I've got a simple request--and this would help people like me who aren't following this thread in detail. Would you please put a running total of the number of holes you've played along with the number of days that have elapsed from the beginning down in your signature or something like that?

>

> My theory is that most of us who are 5- or 10- handicaps would get better simply by playing more often. If I were going on some journey like yours trying to get down to scratch I would be wary of changing my mechanics very much.

>

> I like the advice the guy gave some time back...just bury yourself in putting practice. I know that for me as a 7-handicap I'm a pretty lousy putter. I average 34 putts per round. I generally don't make anything outside of 3-ft. And what's worse, I usually manage to miss 1 or 2 short ones during any given round, too. So I imagine that if somehow I put in the work and became a "good" putter inside 10-ft I'd lose as many as maybe 5 strokes on my better rounds and thus my handicap would drop dramatically.

>

> I just think far too many decent golfers overlook the reality that putting is really where it's at. I don't think there's hope of getting under a 5-handicap if you aren't a really good putter. I've never heard of a scratch player who isn't an excellent putter.

 

Haha! Haven't you heard? He's supposed to spend the majority of his practice time on 2, 3, and 4 irons from 200-250 yards.

[grantc79]

> @MelloYello said:

> > @grantc79 said:

> > > @MelloYello said:

> > > > @grantc79 said:

> > > > Handicap went from 7.9 to 8.4 now down to 5.7 a month and a half in.

> > > >

> > > > 5.7 to go ?

> > > >

> > >

> > > I've got a simple request--and this would help people like me who aren't following this thread in detail. Would you please put a running total of the number of holes you've played along with the number of days that have elapsed from the beginning down in your signature or something like that?

> > >

> > > My theory is that most of us who are 5- or 10- handicaps would get better simply by playing more often. If I were going on some journey like yours trying to get down to scratch I would be wary of changing my mechanics very much.

> > >

> > > I like the advice the guy gave some time back...just bury yourself in putting practice. I know that for me as a 7-handicap I'm a pretty lousy putter. I average 34 putts per round. I generally don't make anything outside of 3-ft. And what's worse, I usually manage to miss 1 or 2 short ones during any given round, too. So I imagine that if somehow I put in the work and became a "good" putter inside 10-ft I'd lose as many as maybe 5 strokes on my better rounds and thus my handicap would drop dramatically.

> > >

> > > I just think far too many decent golfers overlook the reality that putting is really where it's at. I don't think there's hope of getting under a 5-handicap if you aren't a really good putter. I've never heard of a scratch player who isn't an excellent putter.

> >

> > I basically started July 1st

> >

> > if you go back and look at the train wreck that is this thread you'll see that initially I was starting but trying to perfect the golf swing and not focusing on the low-hanging fruit

> >

> > I started playing a lot more golf but I started practicing a lot more short game stuff basically I went after the low-hanging fruit

> >

> > I think for most of us they can hit the ball well enough if you get to the point where you're:

> > 1: not three putting

> > 2: you're getting up and down most of the time with the easy shots around the green

> > 3: youre not making bone head club/swing choices

> >

> > just by doing those things I've basically gotten to where my bad round is now 80 or 81 and my great round would probably be around Par

> >

> > Realistically in order to drop another two or three strokes I've got to eliminate the penalty shots more and start making another putt or two

> >

> > I really don't think I'm getting down to hey 3 handicap or so is going to be hard that's going to be more mental than anything

> >

> > Going from a 3 to a scratch that's what's going to take a lot of work especially short game and wedges

>

> Again, my theory is that all of us who are single digit handicaps basically know what to do (for our own games). We simply don't always do it because we don't play everyday and we can't keep our swings and putting strokes timed up adequately for 18 holes in a row.

>

> For example, I mostly play on the weekends and while I'll have stretches of say, 9 holes wherein I'll shoot par, I'll inevitably have some stretch of 2-3 holes where I'm +4 or something terrible. If I played everyday, I doubt that'd happen. That kind of inconsistency can't be fixed by a teacher, either. It's simply a product of not being able to play everyday.

>

> That's what makes me think that at some point a person is "good enough" to be scratch and just needs to play more. I would wager that for a relatively strong player with reasonably good technique that would come at about the 5-handicap level.

>

> Anyhow, I'm not going back 15+ pages to count up the number of rounds you've played. I suspect you have that information in a spreadsheet? I'd just like to know so I could get a sense of how much you're improving relative to how much you're playing.

>

>

 

 

[grantc79]

I'm definitely playing a lot of golf I think most of my gains came from better planning and mindset and some of it just came from more experience and playing more golf for sure.

 

Real question is how much can someone improve just by making better decisions thought process and course management.

 

For a guy like me it's quite a bit.

[MountainGoat]

For people who like graphs:

 

[grantc79]

Basically here's what I've done in a nutshell:

 

1: went from draw swing with 2 way miss to a cut swing. Now hard to draw it much but easy to hit a very reliable cut. This has been huge off the tee box I can now be very aggressive off the tee safely.

 

2: fit for new putter now no longer shutting putter face a lot at impact. About 20 hours of putting practice.

 

3: taking more time on chips and picking landing spots on chips as opposed to trying to hole out everything and leaving myself long putts. About 3 hours of chipping practice.

 

4: more thought going into all shots and playing more golf in general.

 

 

I don't feel like I've had to grind putting chipping and swing changes yet. I think that's going to come when I try to get down below 2 or so.

[TheMagicStinger]

You mentioned you worked on your chipping. What did you struggle with and how did you improve. I'm losing six to eight strokes a round because chipping...

[Yrrdead]

> @TheMagicStinger said:

> You mentioned you worked on your chipping. What did you struggle with and how did you improve. I'm losing six to eight strokes a round because chipping...

 

Or you need to hit more greens? Losing 6-8 strokes chipping is a whole bunch. How are you arriving on that number?

[chadly643]

Here’s something I do in the evenings at my club when I want to practice but don’t feel like hitting balls:

 

I play 2 ball worse ball and keep score. Think of a one person scramble but instead of playing from the best of two drives/approaches, you choose the worst. If you want to play from the fairway, you’ve got to hit it twice. If you make a 6 footer to save par it doesn’t count unless you pour another over the top. This game is great for course management training as well. You’d be amazed at the shots you decide on when you know you have to pull them off twice in a row for it to count.

[TheMagicStinger]

Poorly placed chips (if im off the green and fifty feet away I might leave myself 25 feet)... Chips that I catch thin (big issue).

 

Hitting greens is improving slowly... Chipping is not.

 

> @Yrrdead said:

> > @TheMagicStinger said:

> > You mentioned you worked on your chipping. What did you struggle with and how did you improve. I'm losing six to eight strokes a round because chipping...

>

> Or you need to hit more greens? Losing 6-8 strokes chipping is a whole bunch. How are you arriving on that number?

 

 

[grantc79]

> @TheMagicStinger said:

> You mentioned you worked on your chipping. What did you struggle with and how did you improve. I'm losing six to eight strokes a round because chipping...

 

Read your chips like you would read a putt.

 

Pick a landing spot for your ball and then focus completely on landing your ball on that spot, after you pick that spot forget the hole.

 

 

[milesgiles]

I’m struggling to see how a 5.7 handicap can shoot 86 and a 90?? Your average is well over 80? Is 130 slope a lot? Sorry confused

[fore_life]

> @milesgiles said:

> I’m struggling to see how a 5.7 handicap can shoot 86 and a 90?? Your average is well over 80? Is 130 slope a lot? Sorry confused

 

Here’s some recent scores from a 2.1 cap amidst a harrowing decline in their game

 

[grantc79]

> @milesgiles said:

> I’m struggling to see how a 5.7 handicap can shoot 86 and a 90?? Your average is well over 80? Is 130 slope a lot? Sorry confused

 

Pros are generally plus 5 or better and any given day can shoot 61 to 80

 

As a 5.7 I think my very best in the zone golf is around 71 and my absolute worst is around 90

 

Especially on a very narrow course like mine where virtually every hole is OB on two sides

 

[grantc79]

 

[badboggs]

Very nice. What did you do well?

[grantc79]

> @badboggs said:

> Very nice. What did you do well?

Hit a couple of extra greens did not three-putt and kept it in a good position off the tee box

 

 

[ebrasmus21]

Do you hit your 3w 300 yards? If so take driver out of the bag.

[Shades234]

> @ebrasmus21 said:

> Do you hit your 3w 300 yards? If so take driver out of the bag.

 

Driver isn't necessary unless the par 4 is longer than 440 or so. Although it is fun to rip it as often as possible.

[ebrasmus21]

> @Shades234 said:

> > @ebrasmus21 said:

> > Do you hit your 3w 300 yards? If so take driver out of the bag.

>

> Driver isn't necessary unless the par 4 is longer than 440 or so. Although it is fun to rip it as often as possible.

 

Ripping driver is fun. “Driver?”

 

“Send it.”

[b.helts]

> @ebrasmus21 said:

> > @Shades234 said:

> > > @ebrasmus21 said:

> > > Do you hit your 3w 300 yards? If so take driver out of the bag.

> >

> > Driver isn't necessary unless the par 4 is longer than 440 or so. Although it is fun to rip it as often as possible.

>

> Ripping driver is fun. “Driver?”

>

> “Send it.”

“What do you like off this tee?”

“Give me Chief”