What type of player are you?

[Roody]

20 hours ago, caeye0710 said:

For me, I'm the worst ball striking 4-5 handicap you've ever seen. My rounds typically consist of hitting 6-8 greens in regulation, but gouging the ball close to the hole with my wedges and somehow making par. I hit a ton of fairways, miss a ton of greens, and chip a ton of balls inside 5 feet (or better) and walk away thanking God. 

 

I'm a 5 cap as well, and I feel like I'm similar to you. According to my stats from the last 11 seasons, I am rather lousy at GIR - only 35% hit overall. However, that GIR% jumps up to 45% on par 5's. It's really par 4's where I am lousy, only 29%. 

Like you, I think I scramble pretty well. I consider myself a pretty good putter too, which helps when you're trying to save pars. But yeah, it would seem that my iron striking on approaches isn't top notch. Which is weird because I've received praise from a buddy of mine in the last few years where he's said "you hit your irons so well!". I kinda wanna say "I'm not so sure about that, the stats certainly don't agree with you." 

[Pepperturbo]

21 hours ago, cardoustie said:

I am the opposite of Pepper

 

Unless it is a big stroke play event I play very aggressively for skins / birdies / eagles.  Making 16 pars and 2 bogies to shoot scratch 74 does not win cash in our club's money games.  4 birdies and and eagle .. go home with up to $250-$300

 

It is very hard for me to lay up on a par 5 under regular conditions

At 70yrs old, I am still aggressive in many ways, but that has nothing to do with me laying up.  Unless a Par 5 is short or there's a 3-4 club wind at my back, I can no longer reach 525+yd holes in 2.  But I never give up trying. 

 

A few weeks back I hit a wonderful drive on a Par 5, middle of fairway, 275yds.  Unfortunately, there's NOTHING in my bag or bones that can cover 270yds into the green.  Boohoo... Later in that same round I hit a great drive 265yds over OB on a shorter Par 5.  That one I may have been able to reach in two, but the fairway narrowed a great deal and OB on both sides and $$$ made it easier to hit a 4i to 30yds short of the green under pin, flip LW to 3' and tap in birdie and win the hole. yippee... Even though I still try, the big ones are no longer in my reach.  Course if I'd quit playing longer tees, it would be easier and scores would be even lower, but that's NOT challenging. 🙂  I hit a couple of short courses with the wife every month, and shoot even Par or a few below.  It is impressive to the wifey and others were with, but it's ho-hum for me.

 

[Fuscinator]

Don Quixote, pretty much. 

[Snowbirdie]

Driver: 15 cap flat

Putting: +3 flat

Sand play: 8 cap dropping

Chipping; 8 cap dropping 

Hybrids and fairways: 10 cap flat

Irons / approaches / pitching ... 5-7 cap dropping

 

Everything on point I could be scratch or better !

 All systems misfiring  ... 95 because I never really $### the bed putting.

 

 

I frequently lag putt from 30- 90 feet to within 2 feet.  I'll drain 10 and 15 footers all day sometimes.  I sometimes putt from the fairway just because I know it's as good as my best chip. 

 

I hit my 3i 230 off the tee.  I'll shoot 8 over with that all day.  Which is why I am playing to a 6.5 now.  

 

IF I was able to hit driver consistently 265-280 I would be scratch.  I play executive courses and may play 2 or 3 over.  The driver would get me back 2 strokes on each par 5.

 

 

 

[LeftDaddy]

Cool thread. 
 

I’m a 10 cap at the moment trending better. 6 months ago I was the worst 13 cap on the planet. 

Anyway, my game is weird. I have days where I can bomb it with the driver and keep it in play. I have days where I can putt. I have days where I have a good short game. And days when my irons are good. But I also have bad days with all of the above. My typical round, I look like a solid golfer on 14 holes, and I look like a complete moron for the other 4. 
 

I’d say on average, that I’m a poor driver of the ball, if for no other reason than the 2 or 3 or 4 holes most rounds where I drive it in trouble.  I’m longer than the average male amateur, though not super long. I’m a streaky putter. My short game and wedges are generally solid. And the big reason I went from a terrible 13 cap to a good 10 cap is that my iron game has gone from a weakness to a strength. I’ve worked HARD on getting better with the irons and that is paying off in a big way. 

[MPAndreassi]

So far this season:
 

~40% of fairways

~50% of greens

~50% scrambling 

 

Pretty boring when I look at the numbers, but can feel like a rollercoaster during the course of a round. Being completely honest, my proximity to the hole stinks. My home course forces you to play defensively a lot and I subconsciously bail out of the middle of the green more than I should. 

[Quasimoto]

When everything is working 72-74

Average though is:

Driver 9 cap

Irons 15 cap

chipping/scrambling +4

Putting 0

So I end up missing a lot of greens but pitch/chip close and putt out.

I have had many rounds where I did not hit a green and shot 73-76.

[Obiwan21]

crappy

[david.c.w]

I am the kind of player that has 3 parts of their game working at the same time.   Rarely are there just 2 working and even more rare all 4.

 

Driving, iron game, chipping, putting

 

Right now the driver is going great, the irons and putting are pretty good, and the chipping is awful.  As soon as the grass grows a little and the chipping is back to pretty good, one of the other 3 will go south. 

[phizzy30]

On 4/7/2021 at 6:38 PM, golfgirlrobin said:

I always keep the ball in play, knock it up around the green and chip and putt you to death.  No doubles, no penalties, no 3-putts.  Scores fall within a very narrow range because I don’t take big chances and I don’t make big mistakes. Probably would bore a lot of people to play this way but I like consistency. 

I'm the exact opposite.  Love taking chances, spray the ball all over the course when my swing is off and hope and pray my short game is in good order which it usually is.  Main strength is distance.  The only thing that matters at the end of the day is score, right? 

[tbsbama]

2hc

Average GIR 11 to 14

Fairways 76%
Average putts 31

Haven’t shot a score over 76 this year. Also haven’t shot a score under par. Cannot putt at all. Don’t 3 putt often, but also cannot make anything outside of 8 feet. Practice my putting quite a bit but just seem to not be able to find the hole. Frustrating but one day it will all come together, I hope!!!!!

[naval2006]

On 4/7/2021 at 3:44 PM, caeye0710 said:

For me, I'm the worst ball striking 4-5 handicap you've ever seen. My rounds typically consist of hitting 6-8 greens in regulation, but gouging the ball close to the hole with my wedges and somehow making par. I hit a ton of fairways, miss a ton of greens, and chip a ton of balls inside 5 feet (or better) and walk away thanking God. 

 

A GREAT day for me is 12 GIR's. The weird thing is, I don't necessarily hit the ball completely off the map very often on approach shots (there are the tendencies to pull one way left or chunk one 40 yards short, I'm not pro obviously), but for the most part I'll fan a short iron to just off the right side, or hit a little tug just off the left. On top of that, depending on the shot itself I'm more comfortable being short-sided then having an extremely long chip where I have to gauge run-out or a landing spot a considerable distance away from me.

 

Now, the bad thing is: if my driving is off, I'm shooting high-80s, and it happens probably 8-10 times a year. 

 

The beautiful thing is, once (MAYBE twice) a year I'll bust out an under par round if I've got it all figured out that day. 

 

What's your game like?

How have you got so many details of my game. You stole my golf ID LOL. 

 

I guess a lot of long time single digits with little practice time must have a similar game. But when you’re frustrated it feels like you’re the worst and only. 

[naval2006]

Here’s a question for you guys that may be placed in the equipment subforum but it’s handy here. Since most of us her have issues with our iron play, what kind of irons do you use?  I’ve   been using game improvement for a number of years now,  Callaway XR and Ping G 410 lately. They’ve helped a lot. 

[caeye0710]

Just now, naval2006 said:

Here’s a question for you guys that may be placed in the equipment subforum but it’s handy here. Since most of us her have issues with our iron play, what kind of irons do you use?  I’ve   been using game improvement for a number of years now,  Callaway XR and Ping G 410 lately. They’ve helped a lot. 

I was a blade player for 10 years up until about 2016, this was back when I was playing 4-5 days a week and practicing a ton. 

I tinker around with equipment, but it’s almost always some type of players CB. 
 

I think GI irons are great, but unfortunately I tend to stay away from clubs with thicker soles, and also try to prevent shots “jumping” off the face. 
 

My dispersion might be off a little, but (and not to sound arrogant), I’d like to think my distance control is a higher caliber, even as a 4 handicap now. GI irons are just harder for me to control distance wise. 

[SNIPERBBB]

Medium-longish driver of the ball 260-270 carry. When I'm swinging well, its fairly consistent with the occasional block which is an issue.

Irons pretty good and straight with the odd pull. Misses are usually thin and pull.

Long approach wedges...where I take advantage of my length. Can make a flurry of birdies at my home course. So far this season they are extremely rusty and my contact, thus distance control, is way off. Favorite distance is 110 yards for my 48* which is a 3/4 wedge

Intermediate/short wedge game I struggle with at times and can be hot or cold.

Chipping is again kinda hit and miss. Biggest thing as I dont always get the contact/reaction I was thinking I was going to get coming off the face.

 

Putting...probably my strongest part of the game. Ever since going to Aimpoint Express I rarely get fooled on a read. Its just a matter if I have the speed dialed in for that day

[acekun]

I think it's funny how many "I'm the worst 4-6 handicap" golfers are on this thread. I fall in that camp. But if we were better ball strikers, we would probably be closer to scratch. It was surprising to me when I realized how bad I could be at golf and still be a mid-single digit handicap. 

[caeye0710]

2 hours ago, acekun said:

I think it's funny how many "I'm the worst 4-6 handicap" golfers are on this thread. I fall in that camp. But if we were better ball strikers, we would probably be closer to scratch. It was surprising to me when I realized how bad I could be at golf and still be a mid-single digit handicap. 

Agreed. 
 

And apparently the difference between a scratch player, and even a lower caliber tour player is astronomical. 

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

On 4/7/2021 at 11:44 AM, caeye0710 said:

For me, I'm the worst ball striking 4-5 handicap you've ever seen. My rounds typically consist of hitting 6-8 greens in regulation, but gouging the ball close to the hole with my wedges and somehow making par. I hit a ton of fairways, miss a ton of greens, and chip a ton of balls inside 5 feet (or better) and walk away thanking God. 

 

A GREAT day for me is 12 GIR's. The weird thing is, I don't necessarily hit the ball completely off the map very often on approach shots (there are the tendencies to pull one way left or chunk one 40 yards short, I'm not pro obviously), but for the most part I'll fan a short iron to just off the right side, or hit a little tug just off the left. On top of that, depending on the shot itself I'm more comfortable being short-sided then having an extremely long chip where I have to gauge run-out or a landing spot a considerable distance away from me.

 

Now, the bad thing is: if my driving is off, I'm shooting high-80s, and it happens probably 8-10 times a year. 

 

The beautiful thing is, once (MAYBE twice) a year I'll bust out an under par round if I've got it all figured out that day. 

 

What's your game like?

Similar. But no sub par rounds. I hit 8-10 greens on some courses and 6-8 on some as well.

 

Usually, one or two birdies offset by doubles, and when lucky to not shoot any doubles, I can shoot my handicap.

 

Not pretty.

[Saltydawg15]

My game has been inconsistent the last few months but when healthy I hit about 75% of fairways and hit 9-12 GIR. I’m a good putters and excellent practice wedge player (on course it’s hit or miss, all mental) 

[Mcgeeno]

0-2 cap. Really strong in matchplay (in my region at least) because I make a ton of pars. 

 

Above average length off the tee and when I had gamegolf tabs on my clubs I drove it like a plus handicap. Below average wedge game. Chipping is mediocre but in my mind I'm the best lag putter on the planet. I think thats a huge strength for me. 

 

I travel quite a bit for golf so my cap is steady all over. Not a home course hero I would say.

 

I take it really low a couple times a year but because my proximity to the hole is so poor I don't get as many real deal birdie puts as I should have. 

[b.mattay]

Driving: weird as heck (avoid penalties well but hit about 40% of fairways). This might be a lack of focus? Par 5's and tough par 4's I generally drive it better.

Approach: decent (70% GIR, can tend to hook longer stuff more than I would like)

Short Game: decent and improving rapidly (playing around with cuts and draws in the short game has been huge for me)

Sand Play: better than anyone I know 

Putting: lag putting has always been a strength. I want to be better in that 6-15 foot range though and am trying sidesaddle this year. 

[Roody]

On 4/16/2021 at 7:49 PM, naval2006 said:

Here’s a question for you guys that may be placed in the equipment subforum but it’s handy here. Since most of us her have issues with our iron play, what kind of irons do you use?  I’ve   been using game improvement for a number of years now,  Callaway XR and Ping G 410 lately. They’ve helped a lot. 

I've got the Callaway Apex's from 2014, which are GI irons. 

[SNIPERBBB]

On 4/16/2021 at 7:49 PM, naval2006 said:

Here’s a question for you guys that may be placed in the equipment subforum but it’s handy here. Since most of us her have issues with our iron play, what kind of irons do you use?  I’ve   been using game improvement for a number of years now,  Callaway XR and Ping G 410 lately. They’ve helped a lot. 

Mizuno JPX 900 hot metals. I've been pretty happy with em. 

[BombinJim]

Driving: Jekyll and Hyde. Most of the time I am fighting a two way miss but as of late it’s beginning to be a one way miss. Distance isn’t a problem it is direction. On good driving days it makes for a bomb and gouge type round.

 

Woods: A strong suit since I am forced to use them for recovery shots off the tee. I do like to “go for it” on par 5’s so the woods are pretty decent off the deck too.

 

Irons: Great distance control just dealing with a one way miss and improper initial aim.

 

Wedge: Good from 135 and in, similar issue of initial aim causing misses.

 

Short game: Chips from Bermuda are hit or miss. Bunkers are ok when sand is dry; when wet or damp bunker play is poor.

 

Putts: Good lag putting on longer putts but have trouble in the 3-10 ft range.

[Barfolomew]

Love to hit driver hard and soft when most play 3 wd, soft little high cut accurate nice and short

Short game and putting is strength

Longer irons need work

Always coming off injury so rebuilding swing a few times a year gets old and kills progress

Play par golf but mail it when get tired at end of round

Play fast, too fast for tourneys... gosh they are slow with everyone being soooo serious

Be fine if golf were only 12 holes...

Always have fun and crack up at bad shots, not interested in playin with cry babies and excuse makers lol

Sometimes you suck its golf welcome to it Mr. Serious

Play in shorts and tee shirts for comfort

[TLUBulldogGolf]

When I'm playing well I tend to the typical modern game. Driver is a weapon for me and I hit it where I can unless there is trouble everywhere, play the par 5s well, hit a lot of greens. Have been really inconsistent with distance control lately, working through some setup and swing changes to try and get more consistent but not getting the birdie looks I'm used to. Short game is pretty solid for the most part and lag putting is probably one of the strongest parts of my game.

 

Been trending towards scratch or higher from a best of +3, hopefully that will start turning around as I keep working through these changes. 

[YouDaHamHider]

I'm off 8.

Driver about 220 carry, rarely miss the fairway. 

Very solid iron play good for about 13 GIR per round minimum.

Good enough scrambler for at least a couple of up and downs per round. 

Atrocious putter. Seriously atrocious. Miss at least 1 gimme length putt per round and 3 putt (or worse!) at least 4 or 5 holes per round. 

 

[Soloman1]

 

[hoselpalooza]

On 4/16/2021 at 5:49 PM, naval2006 said:

Here’s a question for you guys that may be placed in the equipment subforum but it’s handy here. Since most of us her have issues with our iron play, what kind of irons do you use?  I’ve   been using game improvement for a number of years now,  Callaway XR and Ping G 410 lately. They’ve helped a lot. 

 

mizuno mp-5's. iron play might be the strongest/most consistent part of my game. if i had to guess, i would say my iron play is scratch to low plus.

 

i got the mizzies after a long hiatus and they were punishing at first. i could feel everything though, and i honestly think the better feedback helped me improve more quickly. e.g. with GI irons, slight mishits still felt buttery, which i did not like. it's debatable about whether this helps me score better, but i'll leave that for another thread 😉

 

i made the mizzies as low spin as possible, but they still have enough spin to do their thing. they probably don't go as far as a lot of the hotter GI irons, but i'm going for precision and not max distance, so that's not a big deal to me.

[naval2006]

28 minutes ago, hoselpalooza said:

 

mizuno mp-5's. iron play might be the strongest/most consistent part of my game. if i had to guess, i would say my iron play is scratch to low plus.

 

i got the mizzies after a long hiatus and they were punishing at first. i could feel everything though, and i honestly think the better feedback helped me improve more quickly. e.g. with GI irons, slight mishits still felt buttery, which i did not like. it's debatable about whether this helps me score better, but i'll leave that for another thread 😉

 

i made the mizzies as low spin as possible, but they still have enough spin to do their thing. they probably don't go as far as a lot of the hotter GI irons, but i'm going for precision and not max distance, so that's not a big deal to me.

Lemme tell you something, I've realized very easy clubs make you lazy with your swing.  So your going for more demanding irons keeps you sharp.  I'm nearing 50 now and sometimes I got to push myself to this "go finish that swing, buddy" thing.