Why Most Golfers Suck.....

[Forged4ever]

Good Day Gals & Gents, I hope that all

of you are well and gettin to get out and hit the ball through this "unique" season ?

 

I found this article actually fairly accurate as we were sittin around the table talking about this very subject a few weeks ago.

 

#1 & 3 were exactly what I said though #3 was my first choice and for me it was a two-part answer as not only don't mid/high cappers not know their miss, they do not have a "go to" shot that when the air is thin, their breathing short and erratic, and their nerves are a swing away from fracturing, they can "go to" to put the ball in the middle of the fairway/green and prevent disaster or a big number.

 

Thoughts on the topic?

 

https://golf.com/instruction/high-handicappers-mistake-golf/amp/

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friends⛳️

RP

Edited August 21, 2020 by Forged4ever

[SNIPERBBB]

#1 is the main one especially amongst shorter hitters and seniors.

 

I don't think that most don't know their miss, it's that they never plan for it.

[eastriver]

I keep this one bookmarked as well as a personal reminder that I rarely remember

http://www.golfwrx.com/576618/stickney-how-to-avoid-blowup-holes/

[rich_s2]

#2 all the way. That and they always use a ton of loft around the greens. Its crazy to me, chunk after chuck around the greens but they still pull that 60 lol. I would guess that if every high capper used a PW around the green they would drop 5 shots a round. Its crazy

[Ghost of Snead]

#4 describes a lot of the higher caps I have played with - cursing, throwing clubs, walking off the course, skipping holes. 

 

I would add #6 as high cappers playing blades and ProV1x when they go through a half dozen a round. 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Ghost of Snead

[Forged4ever]

As an aside, and not to derail the thread but h*ll, that's what I do plus it's my thread, lol, though this is my first post since new system was put in and as an IT idiot and dinosaur ?, I really like it and especially the options on the heart/like button.

 

That under clubbing is a biggie also, and I can say that that even creeps into Players' games on occasion. I observed a myriad USGA  Champion do it twice in one round a few weeks ago, though he would(and did?) blame the wind for the second however I would've planned on that as while it did pick up when he stepped into the box, he should've either stepped out or taken one more club(an 8i), especially as it was a high iron(high traj) and more susceptible to wind.

 

Thaks for your responses Guys?

 

My Best,

RP

Edited August 21, 2020 by Forged4ever

[Rory4Pres]

Good article.  My added one is high handicappers make the mistake of playing too much club (ie 3 wood, 5 wood, etc) out of the rough with a less than ideal lie.  About 40% of the time, they top it.

[GLF4EVR]

Two that I normally play with.....their #1 issue is not on this list.  Do not really pay attention to what they are even doing.  Both of them have the same problem...cannot keep their head still on the shot.  If not looking up (which is the majority of the time), their heads/shoulders are always moving before making contact with the ball.  Short shots into the greens are sadly comical.  None of us can say anything because it turns into the teach the pig to sing scenario.

 

Now at least one of them always considers a bogey as a par for him.  Now as far as their misses, I could not ever tell you what there are because they are all over the place.  One is left handed & the other right.  Both of them can cover a bunch of real estate in all directions on a single hole. 

 

I am considered one of the A players of the group, but am guilty of #4.  When I hit a bad shot, I do get really mad at myself.  Not to the point of throwing the club, but lets just say those around me know I am not a happy camper.

 

Under clubbing is a constant with these two & this is another one that falls into the teach the pig to sing category.  Both have been to supposed "fitters" & spent a fair amount for it.  Zero improvement on both counts.  At least they both play cheap balls 

 

Otherwise......glad to see ya back Richard!

 

 

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by GLF4EVR

[Sean2]

I agree with the under clubbing and trying the hero shot. They take that one [insert iron number] they nuked and think that is how far they hit it all the time. As far as the hero shot goes, they attempt a shot they have never really tried before or practiced, and one that has a very low percentage of coming off just right. 

[Petethreeput]

I think it is more under clubbing.  For golfers who aren't very good, the control of the club face is expected to be off.

We have a number of 12-14 handicap players in our extended groups, and let's assume they are hitting 4-6 greens a round because they never 3 putt.  I have found the biggest weakness in their games isn't just being short, but simply not knowing how far a 10-80 yard approach is going to go.  90% of the time they miss the green it is short, but there are enough times they fly the green, for me to conclude it isn't just under clubbing, its simply not knowing.

[Qqq123xx]

I used to be #4 all day long. Over time changed that. 

As for #2 I disagree being that high handy's I have seen don't have a miss, usually are spraying it all over.

Rest I would rate 5,1,3. 

 

[dakpery]

4 hours ago, eastriver said:

I keep this one bookmarked as well as a personal reminder that I rarely remember

http://www.golfwrx.com/576618/stickney-how-to-avoid-blowup-holes/

Never knew I needed this article until now. Thank you!

[NCLancer]

I can see a bit of myself in numbers 1 thru 5.  However #4 probably the least.  I don't play any competitions so a poor shot doesn't really make me mad or angry.  I care but it's not that big of a deal.  Find it and hit it again and as they say the most important shot in golf is the next one...

 

Thank you Richard for posting and commenting.

[getair23]

Great quick read!  I am very familiar with both my left and right miss. 

[TourSpoon]

I was really looking for course management to be on the list but I will play with what the OP gave me and pick not knowing your misses and the subsequent hero shots attempts (2 and 5). I see some guys that set up on the left side of the tee box with water right, aim for the middle, and hit that slice in the pond. They would be better off on the right side and aiming across the fairway away from the water and that's not only knowing your miss but knowing what you do 95% of the time off the tee. The miss is more likely to be the straight ball that, in this case, would be up the left side of the fairway. So now they are laying 3 dropping and reach for the 3 wood to try to make up for the penalty.  The certain big number ensues to the bewilderment of the player but not really those of us who see it every weekend. 

 

 

[PorscheFan]

The list is pretty accurate for most sucky golfers, however I also suck and my main reason for high scores is not on the list... It’s that my occasional bad shot is typically horrendous.

 

Example from last night was an iron off the tee on a short dog leg par 4 to leave me 40 yards short of a creek and 105 short of the flag.  That’s my 56 all day, so I take one perfect practice swing and then somehow skim under the ball to semi-flop it into the creek.  I have no answers for what I did to produce such an encredibly odd shot, so I’m not even angry.  Luckily I hit the drop to two feet for a bogey, but it’s those inexplicable and unexpected crazy shots that I don’t see low cappers hit so much.

[The Pearl]

Good thread Richard.

 

A good list that covers most of the obvious problems.  Course management is covered a bit on #5, but in general, any high hdcp'r could probably cut at least 3 shots a round simply by having somebody tell them what shot to play throughout the whole round.  

 

With that said, I think most high hdcp'rs share one universal thing in common in that they have at least one and usually more basic fundamentals so grossly incorrect that it blows the mind.  Aim, stance, posture, grip, etc. so far removed from what a good golfer looks like and does prior to even swinging the club that I have no idea what they are thinking.  It is like they have never watched a golfer on TV or a decent golfer swing a club.

 

One of my best golf buddies has a stance so wide and a grip so poor that it is impossible to hit quality shots with any consistency. Yet, every round, back at it....again, and again, and again.

 

 

 

[LeoLeo99]

I read this article early this morning before my round and went out and shot a career best today.  Tied a career best 9 holes yesterday so it wasn't the article itself but I've incorporated all the items in my game and it's paying huge dividends.  What works for me:

 

0.  Stay down and make solid contact.  

 

1.  The greens I play are typically small.   I usually take enough club to reach the back of the green.  And I aim for the middle of the green more or less and avoid pin hunting on sucker pins.  Par is a good score.  

 

2.  I've made some swing changes to take the left side out.  No hooks.  I do occasionally hit a pull that doesn't cut back.  

 

3.   Fast tempo helps my game and I can either see the putting line or a I can't.  

 

4.  I used to get angry after bad shots and throw clubs.  Now that I'm older, it's a gift just to be on the golf course.  After some people you played with pass on to the next life, it makes you thankful to be playing.

 

5.  No more hero shots for me.  When I get out of position, bogey is the new par.  Have to learn to take my medicine.  It helps my mental outlook.  It seems like a good thing when I make bogey after hitting a poor shot because that was my goal.

[TLUBulldogGolf]

1 and 5 are definitely big ones to me, most bad golfers don't minimize their mistakes well at all. I would add generally poor fundamentals though, it takes fairly decent golf to break 80, and most bad golfers I see have poor setups, bad grips, bad alignment, and poor technique. Not saying things have to be done by the book to be successful but it puts you on the right path to playing better. 

[LeftyMatt24]

I’d say 2 and 5. Practical golf basically shows the difference of a low handicap and high is double bogey avoidance. So playing for bogey when a mistake happens is key to avoid the scores that blow up the card. 

[ChaosTheory]

I play with several guys who shoot in the 90s.  They NEVER hit tee shots from anywhere but the dead middle of the markers.  Once or twice when someone was complaining about looking out at a tight tee shot, I tried to suggest how they could improve the situation by moving over.  They couldn't/wouldn't.  As far as playing for their miss, forget about it.

[touch]

I will add not enough instruction and the correct form of practice. If you want to improve you must squeeze in some time for both. This game is not easy.

Regarding the article which did I like? I vote 1. and 5.

When I first started taking the game seriously in my mid 20's the older accomplished golfing gentlemen that I was hanging with would say,

play for bogey and your pars will come. I does work. 

Good article. 

Edited August 22, 2020 by touch

[doublehans]

Rather than "they never play for bogey" I think id focus on always going for the hero shot. its not always about playing for bogey, its about hitting the shot you know you can hit. picking the easy shot doesnt come easy.

[dlygrisse]

I often see the try to hit 3 wood from a buried lie In The rough just because they are a long way away. 7 iron will put them in better position 90% of the time. Don’t get me started on the short game, it’s the easiest area to improve yet it’s the area most high handicaps are the most clueless. 

[Hawkeye77]

Not enough club registers on a personal note right now.  Got to my lowest index ever earlier this summer and just like that been in a terrible slump for about 3 weeks now.  Back to my basics and actually practicing a bit has helped.  On the course, it's one swing thought for driver and for ball striking, just getting in a good setup with proper aim AND taking one more club and playing for the middle of the green - not because I then swing "easy", but because I'm not over swinging, looked on video not too long ago and it was frightening the positions I was in.  Also, on some approaches taking more club and using a 3/4 swing a little more, so using a nice compact PW from 100 instead of a high, hard 50 - all I can say is, "duh", lol.  Time to admit maybe, just saying maybe, I've lost 1/2 club or more and deal with it.  

 

So that's the biggie for me and I see it a lot with others, especially higher handicappers.  The other is remembering when hitting out of trees, lol, to leave myself in the darn fairway (driver needed some straightening out) and then just get on the green with any kind of putt. So I guess that goes into playing for bogey and avoiding compounding mistakes.

 

I do not agree with the post several above that basically says if people are high handicappers ("duffers" - come on now, not necessary) simply hit the ball better and the rest doesn't matter.  No.  Of course, you will lower your handicap by improving ball striking and I agree with the post just above, short game is a big deal and it's trendy to kind of suggest it isn't right now.  BUT, lots of high caps aren't looking to practice and don't really have any intent to get better by improving swing, etc.  So these prescriptions will help them play a little better and if they shoot 98 instead of 103, or 89 instead of 95 - yes, to them that is a huge deal.  

 

 

[nlk10010]

Inconsistency, in that they won't pay enough attention to details well under their control; e.g. ball position, stance width, posture. They are different almost every time. They change their swing from hole to hole or even shot to shot, trying to iterate towards a good golf swing. They apply patches on-the-fly to hopefully correct the flaw they think they noticed in their previous shot. 

 

Oh, wait. That's what I do. QED.

[Soloman1]

A lot of people can't remember what it was they did when they hit a good shot. They practice a different movement with good results on the range, then forget how to do it the next day at the course. 

 

They revert to the same swing they've always had and have the same results they've always had.

 

It's the performance penalty for having the attention span less than that of a goldfish. And most people don't have the capacity to change anyway.

Edited August 23, 2020 by Soloman1

[QuigleyDU]

I can tell you why I suck.  Here is a perfect example. I just played 3 rounds of golf over two days. All on courses I had never played. 
 

the first day I played pretty well I was hitting solid shots and could expect a certain outcome. The second to rounds, 36 holes played on the same day but different courses. I had no idea where the ball was going. My swing felt the same but I was not longer making solid contact and I went from hitting draws to fades and big slices. No idea why.. obviously something changed in my swing but I have zero ability to tell you what or why..

[chipa]

What many good golfers apparently don't understand is that amateurs have a swing dependent almost entirely on timing and that with the hands coming off during the backswing and tightening the wrong muscles ensure amateurs not only don't have a go to shot they also can't play for their miss because they can miss it anywhere. 

[miamistomp]

 Many golfers I have played with have no situational awareness or concept of distance

   Before anybody starts zooming around in a cart- they should have been walking and experiencing what distances really look like as opposed to gps or rangefinder numbers or trackman gibberish

 

  If you dont know what 200, 150 and 100 yards look like you will suck

      For me that is 5 wood, 7 iron and wedge

       And truthfully- with a sand wedge and a putter I probably would shoot about the same

 

  numbers, fittings etc help good golfers not hacks--

   But golfers have short memories -  They only remember the good shots-I live next to a nice golf course and am always amazed that people will spend $100 plus to just spray and pray