How to pair up with better golfer? Where to meet better playing partner?

[salt]

Hi. I have been mid handicapper for a few years now. Even after some work and practice, I believe that my game is at the point of no improvement unless some stimulation by rounding with good golfers more often.

 

All of my playing partners are friends and high handicappers. I often feel tired when they say I am good, because I know I am not and I want to be better. I can't complain about my bad shot in the round because my buddy just lost his ball and only my ball is in the wood in visible sight...

 

My game lacks competitive spirit. I want to play with someone that makes me to be ashamed from my poor shot and my short putt miss.

 

Where can I get the chance to play with better player? I am not really up for chance to get paired with better golfer in tee box, because my home course people don't tend to mingle up rather play as it is. And even much more than half are worse golfers.

 

And somehow I feel shy to play in tourney since I know no one around and my profile is not kind of one that mingle easy. (Young asian)

 

I would be even glad if I can do caddying for lower handicapper in their tourney. Maybe not much for helping with yardage and club selection but carrying bags and talking about the golf.

 

Any suggestion?

[jmvargas]

nice question...

i would try to enter as many tournaments as you can..

if you are a member of a club they may have club events wherein players will play against better players using your handicap.....you may draw a low handicapper but will get strokes based on your individual handicaps..

even public courses may have these type of events..

it's important however that you have an official handicap certified by your club or your local golf association so you can enter such events..

or...try and make friends with lower handicappers..

in the worse scenario by entering many tournaments you will improve your competetiveness and learn to focus more on your game vs just playing social or recreational rounds..

PS:..you may also want to always play for something--ie--bet-- when playing with your regular group to achieve similar results..

it has to be something of value but affordable by everybody to keep everybody honest and must always be played strictly by the rules.

...hope this helps..

[That Bob Guy]

[quote name='salt' timestamp='1397898603' post='9123801']
Hi. I have been mid handicapper for a few years now. Even after some work and practice, I believe that my game is at the point of no improvement unless some stimulation by rounding with good golfers more often.

All of my playing partners are friends and high handicappers. I often feel tired when they say I am good, because I know I am not and I want to be better. I can't complain about my bad shot in the round because my buddy just lost his ball and only my ball is in the wood in visible sight...

My game lacks competitive spirit. I want to play with someone that makes me to be ashamed from my poor shot and my short putt miss.

Where can I get the chance to play with better player? I am not really up for chance to get paired with better golfer in tee box, because my home course people don't tend to mingle up rather play as it is. And even much more than half are worse golfers.

And somehow I feel shy to play in tourney since I know no one around and my profile is not kind of one that mingle easy. (Young asian)

I would be even glad if I can do caddying for lower handicapper in their tourney. Maybe not much for helping with yardage and club selection but carrying bags and talking about the golf.

Any suggestion?
[/quote]
[quote name='salt' timestamp='1397898603' post='9123801']
Hi. I have been mid handicapper for a few years now. Even after some work and practice, I believe that my game is at the point of no improvement unless some stimulation by rounding with good golfers more often.

All of my playing partners are friends and high handicappers. I often feel tired when they say I am good, because I know I am not and I want to be better. I can't complain about my bad shot in the round because my buddy just lost his ball and only my ball is in the wood in visible sight...

My game lacks competitive spirit. I want to play with someone that makes me to be ashamed from my poor shot and my short putt miss.

Where can I get the chance to play with better player? I am not really up for chance to get paired with better golfer in tee box, because my home course people don't tend to mingle up rather play as it is. And even much more than half are worse golfers.

And somehow I feel shy to play in tourney since I know no one around and my profile is not kind of one that mingle easy. (Young asian)

I would be even glad if I can do caddying for lower handicapper in their tourney. Maybe not much for helping with yardage and club selection but carrying bags and talking about the golf.

Any suggestion?
[/quote]
I feel for you brother! There's little worse than a "cliquish" golf club. Have you seen your Pro about getting you together with a single that's got the same problem? There's gotta be someone else in your situation. If not...search for another club. Life's too short for that s***! Good luck brother!

[DavePelz4]

There are tons of players on this site with low handicaps. You might consider reaching out to them and asking if you can join them for a round.

The other suggestion on playing in tournaments is a great one. You'll see better players, feel the rush of competition and see how you respond.

[tommy89]

You can't learn competitive spirit. You have it or you don't. All 'better' players we're mid cappers at one point and i doubt they got better just because they played with better players.

If you want to improve. Keep stats and see where you loose shots. Get a lesson with a PGA pro and see what he would recommend. I don't care who i play with as long as they keep up. Outside influences shouldn't affect how you play they may do slightly but not completely. One guy i play with always says stuff like 'that car made a noise and put me off' or 'that bird flew away on my backswing'. In my opinion that's just mental weakness.

Yesterday i was asked to play in a four ball. the hcps were 21, 15, +3 and me off 8. We had a blast and it was a cracking afternoon

If you want to see how better players play you need to be in comps. I can't imagine not playing in tourneys. That's the only reason i play golf.

If you could carry someones bag it may help see how they attack a course.

Like has been said. Play for something. Moeny isn't always best. Generally people that play for it can afford to loose it. Play for something like the looser has to do 30 press ups afterwards. See how much everyones focus changes


Sorry if that reads a bit strong. I just type a bit blunt lol

[Sean2]

That's a good idea. My friends happen to be very good golfers. Two are +'s, the other is a low single, and a couple others are mid singles. I think it has made me a better golfer. When I do play with higher handicap golfers and they tell me how well I play I thank them but internally say, "You should see the guys I regularly play golf with!"

I met them at the golf facility I am a member of.

[inthefairway]

Golfers do play better when playing with good golfers. It's easier to get into a good tempo when watching someone that does things proper and some of it can rub off on you!!!!! A good idea is to go to the course on your own and ask the starter to join you up with a group.

[RRFireblade]

If your looking for a regular game your going to have to do it the old fashioned way, meet them in person and try to make friends. Try playing in tournies above your skill level and see if you can buddy up with someone from there. Your going to have to make some kind of social effort or there's not going to be reason why a better player will want to play with you.

[Wriggles]

Mr. Salt

I 've learned in my 47 years of golf that to get better, you have to play with better golfers. It's just that simple. To put that into practice can be very difficult. I never could get into "cliques." Can't really say at this point, I'd want to be in the "chosen." The leagues I belonged in my young days, I was always the last pick, always played with management guys everyone (except me) hated. You say you are Asian. I can understand. One work league, I always played with two Japanese fellows. They were really great guys, they were good company and friends. Some guys seemed to shy away from them. (One fellow was a WW2 vet, you'd think he was still fighting the war.) Never could understand that philosophy.

My advice to you is enter tournaments. You will be matched with golfers with similar skills. The more you improve, the better golfers you'll be paired with.

Good Luck!

[Chief Illiniwek]

Hang out at the range of some public courses. My experience is good players (which I'm not, but I'm not a total hack) notice each other and will pair up if they are there as a single.

Last time I was down visiting my in laws I went to the course as a single and headed to the range. Noticed a guy (actually a young Asian guy) hitting quality shots so I set up next to him. I hit a few shots and he asked me about my clubs, I asked about his, then asked if he wanted to play, and boom, without knowing a decent golfer within 500 miles I had found a good partner for the round.

[Pigems]

I have to agree, I would much prefer to play with players better then myself then to play with players I am better then but I always have fun either way.

Just remember, the best part about this game is you always have the best competition, yourself, no matter who you play with. You will always be your own best competitor

[LUMA]

I play my best golf around good players. I recently left a public crap hole of a course and moved my base to the UF course here in Gainesville. TONS on single digit or scratch players, good vibes, good people. I am magically back into the 70's since playing and practicing out there. You are a product of your environment. I was a mess at the other place and all the sudden, I am getting back to my normal mid/low 70's rounds after moving to the UF course. Having a blast and playing good golf again... FINALLY. I noticed the same when I was in Orlando. I moved my base over to the Faldo Institute for practice and Metro West to play. I magically started playing to my abilities under good vibes and proper course conditions.

[1ofTheseKnights]

[quote name='LUMA' timestamp='1397968613' post='9128977']
... I moved my base over to the Faldo Institute...[/quote]

Agree with your premise in general. Only have been to Faldo (forget what it's called now) was definitely impressed by the amount of better than awful swings I saw on the range. It's tough to get beyond inital breakthroughs around people impressed with getting it airborne.

[That Bob Guy]

I'm totally opposite. I always play my best when I'm playing with a hi-capper. If they ask me my cap, I tell 'em I'm a bogey kinda golfer, and that I'll try not to hold them up, and thank them for letting me join in. NO pressure, means no anxiety issues.

[Pigems]

Joining golfwrx is definetly a good start to meeting up with better players

[Hokum]

Join your league at your club. It gives great competitive feeling and motivates you the whole round. My handicap sat at 11-12 for a few years until I joined my team and after a year I dropped to 7-8. The competitive juices get going.

[Hellstorm]

I m in the same position with wanting to find better players. I have joined leagues and asked my local pro who I get lessons from and I am slowly building a group of better players to play with. It takes time when you aren't a member anywhere but its definitely helping my game improve.

[potg]

If you're interested in meeting golfers in your area based on specific preferences like handicap and age, etc there is a new site called WeWillGolf.com that just launched. It looks pretty cool. It seems to mainly have people from Australia at the moment but it only launched at the start of this month so will probably take some time to build up. Keep it in mind since I'm sure there will be some sign ups eventually in your area that you can partner up with, then it will be easy to play with golfers with a lower handicap or whatever you want.

[TKD24]

I agree with the other suggestions about ways for finding better players.

But there are ways to challenge yourself while playing with your buddies. Play for money/drinks/lunch/(whatever they're willing to play for) and give them enough strokes to make it difficult/challenging for you. Don't let them give you any putts and finish it all out, and no mulligans for you no matter what. I guarantee you'll feel some pressure when you need to get up and down for par from the short sided rough to keep things close.

[squishyy]

I was in the same boat as you. Playing in public courses has its ups and downs. To improve, you need to challenge yourself and joining tournaments is the best thing you can do. I was invited to join a local golf league that I never knew existed then by playing with random people on the course.

The league plays a tournament once a month on a weekend and I would play in it every single time no matter what. However, I'd practice the other 3 weekends and recap what I did wrong during the tournament. My game became better eventually I dropped 7 Strokes in one year. Yes, it is a lot but when you consider having proper course management rather than go at it every swing it really helps. I hope to become a single digit by next year with better and consistent game play.

[regular randy]

When I started playing golf about 7 years ago, I immediately started playing in tournaments, not club tournaments nor with my buddies. I started playing in flighted tournaments with people I did not know, paired with 3 other complete strangers. I took my 23 to a 15 in two years and then after another year down to an 11. It has gone back up due to me not playing in tournaments. I think it is mainly the fact that I practiced more, wanting to do well in the tournaments.

Now I play only about 20 tournaments a year and with friends...handicap back to 16...ugh. I am making a change in 2015 to drag it back down if I can get this shoulder healed soon.

[TigerStrong]

Local men's clubs and state run association golf tourneys...