Could you become a scratch golfer using only the practice range?

[skraly]

More likely to get to scratch by playing and never hitting the range than by hitting the range and never playing.  At the range you’re playing golf swing, not golf game.  Believe it or not, the two are not necessarily connected.  I’ve played with more than one scratch player who’s swing looked like it might embarrass a 15 handicapper, but when the round is totaled they’re always around par or better.

[getitdaily]

13 hours ago, Krt22 said:

Nope. Scratch golf swing and scratch golfer are two different things. Even the best ball strikers on the planet are averaging 12-13 GIRs per round. Learning to get up and down from various lies, learning green speed of the day, grinding out the 4-8 footers, avoiding 3 putts etc can't really be replicated anywhere but on the course

Great point about up and downs from various lies. It can be hard to replicate every lie you can get on course. A lot of practice areas are lush. Then we practice and tend to put the ball in perfect lie situations. Then you get on course and miss a green in an area where the grass is dying and thin or the opposite and really thick. 

 

It can also be difficult to find side hill and downhill lies around practice greens. 

[Krt22]

2 hours ago, nvr3putt said:

 

I think it's possible at the amateur level, if you have the talent and play on relatively easy courses and play from forward-to-mid tees.

I would say the opposite, easy course from forward tees means you need to routinely be breaking par just to get 0 differentials. Longer/tougher track means you can shoot 73/74 and be pretty close

[BigManSlim]

I'm more positive about this then the others. If you are already a legit 3, I think via practice you can shave 3 shots off your game over time just via practice. Could you just hit balls and practice and show up on the first tee XX months later as a scratch?  No probably not. But if you played a few times after the practice regimen I think you could get there in fairly short order.  BTW I think there is an equal or perhaps greater chance you don't get to scratch...but there is some chance it could work.

 

TBH a 3 or even a scratch player isn't really all that good in the grand scheme of things. Yes against the general populace they are relatively good but in reality a 3 isn't a very good player. 

[MattyO1984]

1 hour ago, scott_Donald said:

 

from the looks of the pics lately; it will be in great shape! I am so used to hitting driver all the time here, started to practice my 2 iron again!

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPur7qPNgpb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

I just hope I don't have to quarantine! I have been fully vaccinated for 3 months but its certainly not looking likely right now!  

 

Looks great! Hoping to get through for a game with some of the guys from our Aberdeen Office soon. My friend arrives back from Birmingham, AL today and is back to his folks to isolate before getting up and running.

[ChipNRun]

17 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

You forgot about recovery shots, bad lies, uneven terrain, playing one shot at a time, the walk, the thoughts during the walk, etc.

 

Reality check, RCGA. You will never mentally get into the golf zone without going out on course to play. 

[scott_Donald]

1 hour ago, MattyO1984 said:

 

Looks great! Hoping to get through for a game with some of the guys from our Aberdeen Office soon. My friend arrives back from Birmingham, AL today and is back to his folks to isolate before getting up and running.

 

Well I can always have you up. The course is booked up with the Scottish Senior Open and some other stuff so its going to be frustrating!

[Bunker2Bunker]

I think you would be better off finding a par 3 course or just playing 9 when possible. 

 

You will never be able to imagine the weird shots that show up on a course and derail really good rounds unless you are playing.

 

[Barfolomew]

18 hours ago, scooterhd2 said:

I think its possible. I know a few coaches that only play 3 rounds a year but are + caps. 

 

Completely different scenario......  They did the hard work to get there in the past and are just maintaining it now, plus they are coaches that are around golf everyday and think golf.

 

OP means for a guy that was never scratch.... totally different!

 

 

 

Cause I ponder that as I'm a par golfer that gets injured a lot.... how little can one practice and maintain or even get better?

[Pepperturbo]

Overlooking the establishing of Index, I'd say NOT likely, but anything's possible.

 

There are millions of range rats with great swings but maybe 98% do not even get close to hitting 10k+ balls.  Plus, not until a person gets extended time on the golf course to develop game judgment and course management, will he be able to purposely overcome his weak decisions that cause bogies with birdies.

 

I took up the game late in life, self-taught, reached high-single digit under 5yrs, and 2 a few years later, while running a company.  I was hitting over 1100 balls per week, do the math, plus playing 18 holes 1 or 2 times a week.  Today, I hover around 3-4 index. 

[ezpz]

Not in a million years barring some complete ballstriking savant. I'd putt more money on seeing some1 get to scratch by only playing on the course and never practicing on the range. The only thing more important than your swing is know wtf your doing on the course and that is something only learned by playing. There will always be people who claim to be good on the range and suck on the course. In my experience most of those players don't work on establishing a pattern with all clubs and their only criteria for a succesful range session is the quality of their contact, which is very important but if your hitting random ballflights with 50yd iron dispersion that won't get you anywhere on the course (this is also not including people practicing off mats and thinking they hit an ok shot while in reality it was fat).

[aenemated]

No way.

 

I can even speak from personal experience. I spent most of 2020 on the range because it was so freakin hard to get tee times in LA when courses opened back up. I was playing some great golf at the end of 2019 and had high hopes for getting scratch or better through the year - but it went from playing at least twice a week to maybe twice a month. 

 

So I spent A LOT of time at the range - and tried my best to make it productive. But after a while, I just got good at doing the same thing over and over. And when I actually did get to play I was not playing well at all. Short game was trash, my formerly solid putting was atrocious and I just wasn't controlling my distances well.  

 

Now after moving back to Vegas and joining my club, I can play 9 or 18 pretty much anytime I want - so I've been getting in 9 after work a couple times a week and at least 18 on Saturday or Sunday and if we have no plans either day, I'll play both days. 

 

Finally getting back to where I was. 

[juststeve]

Anything is possible but what you suggest is the hard way.

 

Steve

[bvmagic]

I don't think so.  I have a friend who has a good swing that is constantly on the range and almost never plays.  He is obsessed with the perfect swing and feels he needs to get it just right for the course.  Most that would watch us side by side on the range would assume he is the better golfer, however since he doesn't play he never works on short game or on course situations.  His score was never close to where I thought he could be.  It would show in his game on the course, especially when paired with strangers.  

[TLUBulldogGolf]

4 hours ago, BigManSlim said:

I'm more positive about this then the others. If you are already a legit 3, I think via practice you can shave 3 shots off your game over time just via practice. Could you just hit balls and practice and show up on the first tee XX months later as a scratch?  No probably not. But if you played a few times after the practice regimen I think you could get there in fairly short order.  BTW I think there is an equal or perhaps greater chance you don't get to scratch...but there is some chance it could work.

 

TBH a 3 or even a scratch player isn't really all that good in the grand scheme of things. Yes against the general populace they are relatively good but in reality a 3 isn't a very good player. 

 

This is an exaggeration but there is some truth, but I would also add that a 3 is a lot different than a scratch. 

[Zitlow]

When I was a kid we belonged to a Caddie Shack type country club (Jacksonville Country Club on the coast in NC north of Myrtle Beach) with low dues, the men were pretty heavy drinkers and everyone gambled, even the women and children. The nice thing is everyone was easy going and fun. You could get away with anything short of killing someone. 

 

They had a practice area but it was small and you had to bring your own balls and pick them up yourself. That wasn't my cup of tea, I spent a lot of time chipping and putting on the practice green. Not bragging but to this day I have a knack for turning 3 shots into 2 shots which I attribute to those days chipping and putting on the practice green.

 

 

[Ty_Webb]

I think this might be possible. Someone who is a talented ball sports player, who sticks to very focused practice. By that I mean picking specific goals and sticking to them. Basically recreating the stresses that you'll experience on the course. Practising three foot putts is one thing, but if you're not doing it when it matters then it's not going to help. Ideally you'd have two of you with the same goal and timing. Then you can play for money. 18 holes on the putting green alternating who picks where to go and then play for 50c a hole. Rinse and repeat. Then on the range, pick a target with a sensible width (maybe 5% either side of the target) and hit 20 balls with a club and whoever hits more inside the 5% window wins the pot. Work on improving those numbers as much as you can and then learn DECADE. 

 

Practice hitting hooks, slices, high, low, straight etc. Play games with it. Start it right of that flag and have it finish on this flag etc. If you do that and have a decent amount of talent then I think you could get to the point where you can shoot 0 differentials. Have to do it regularly and throw in a few minuses along the way. 

 

I would add that while this may be possible, if you have the talent to do it, then there will be more effective and efficient ways to get there. Namely a more balanced approach with getting out on the course more.

[wagolfer7]

Sure it's possible.  But it's not very likely.  

 

It's the same as shooting a basketball in an empty gym, by yourself.  No defense, no pressure.  You can shoot 75%+ from 3 point land. 

 

You can try to recreate course scenarios on the range, but it's still not going to translate.  

 

Golf is a game of 18 holes, to make it in the cup, in as few as shots as possible.  It's not, hit it straight and consistent on a practice range.  It's playing in a 4 hour block where maybe only 15 minutes of the time your actively swinging and playing.  It's understanding misses, making recoveries, staying confident even when your off, playing shots that give you the best chance of succeeding, it's hitting it high, low, left, right and straight.  To practice golf, you must play the game of golf.  On the range and practice green - you are practicing shots.  Not the game of golf.        

  

[Obee]

Absolutely, no.

 

It extraordinarily difficult to even go from "decent single digit" to scratch with lots of practice and play.

 

The only way I could see this coming even close is if that person was a beginner who got to single digits within a year or two -- which absolutely does happen.

[MK7Golf21]

practice range doesn't have all the lies, rough, elevations etc. you run into while playing. Doesn't have the angles you see off the tee or the pressure of hazards for a shot and on the range you can just hit ball after ball with the same club. 

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

On 6/23/2021 at 2:18 PM, RCGA said:

Let's say you have a decent single digit handicapper who wants to become a scratch golfer. 

 

But because of life situations (new born, work, etc.), they no longer have time to play rounds of golf, but can practice 3-4 times per week for an hour each. The practice facility has everything you'd need (grass range, unlimited balls, bunker, putting green, chipping area, etc.). 

 

Could you become a scratch golfer using only the practice range? 

 

Obviously you'd need to play several rounds to establish a handicap. So if it is possible, how much time do you think it would take before you're ready? 6 months? 1 year? Longer?

 

Similarly, could you become a scratch golfer on a real course using only an indoor simulator for practice and simulated rounds?

Interesting concept. If you get good enough to start hitting pins on a driving range, and adding some less time consuming executive or par 3 rounds?

[tthomasgolfer605]

6 hours ago, Zitlow said:

When I was a kid we belonged to a Caddie Shack type country club (Jacksonville Country Club on the coast in NC north of Myrtle Beach) with low dues, the men were pretty heavy drinkers and everyone gambled, even the women and children. The nice thing is everyone was easy going and fun. You could get away with anything short of killing someone. 

 

They had a practice area but it was small and you had to bring your own balls and pick them up yourself. That wasn't my cup of tea, I spent a lot of time chipping and putting on the practice green. Not bragging but to this day I have a knack for turning 3 shots into 2 shots which I attribute to those days chipping and putting on the practice green.

 

 

$50 says he eats it.

[Forged4ever]

Just to get to a number?

 

Sure

 

To go out and compete against legit scratches and Plusses at Oakmont, Isleworth or Pine???

 

Seriously?????

 

GTFOH😂😂😂😂

 

a 4~ stands a better chance of breaking 46 at Torrey under Open conditions😜🤪

 

Cheers🍻

RP
 

 

Edited June 25, 2021 by Forged4ever

[golfarb1]

Yes, with some caveats.

Don’t expect to be able to compete on a state level, since these competitions are populated with  + plus handicaps. 

 

At least 30% of your practice time must be devoted to shots from around the green and from traps Just hitting short wedge shots on the range won’t hack it. 
 

Everyone of us has issues with their swing. A small % can diagnose  and correct their own problems ; most of us need the watchful eye of a  competent instructor . Ideally you should have a couple of lessons a week; not 1/2 hour or hour lessons , more like 2 minute lessons to make  sure that you are progressing. 
 

Don’t just bang balls when are practicing. Place an alignment rod on the ground . On each shot step back and line up your shot  to a specific target from behind the ball. Then setup making sure that you are in balance .Be methodical . 

Be the golfer who hits the fewest balls in an hour rather than the fastest. 
Forget about trying to work the ball. Many pros can not consistently do so. Your goal is  consistency and avoiding a two way miss.

[2Bad4u]

I don't believe it can be done... you would be lucky to maintain for original handicap IMO.

[RCGA]

45 minutes ago, 2Bad4u said:

I don't believe it can be done... you would be lucky to maintain for original handicap IMO.

 

I don't understand this thinking at all.

 

In Canada, we go 5-6 months without hitting a ball. Sure, the first few rounds back are rusty, but you get your game back quickly. Even when I was a junior we wouldn't really start playing until school finished in mid-June and we'd stop playing in September. 

 

Couldn't imagine how 6 months of focused practice at a full-fledged practice facility makes you worse.

[DShepley]

28 minutes ago, RCGA said:

 

I don't understand this thinking at all.

 

In Canada, we go 5-6 months without hitting a ball. Sure, the first few rounds back are rusty, but you get your game back quickly. Even when I was a junior we wouldn't really start playing until school finished in mid-June and we'd stop playing in September. 

 

Couldn't imagine how 6 months of focused practice at a full-fledged practice facility makes you worse.

Sure, but 'getting the game back quickly' in Canada comes from playing on the course, not by hitting balls on the range and practice area.  It's not reps on the range, it's reps on the course because that is where you post a score.  You need the bad lies, uncomfortable angles, short sided chips, and the pressure of finishing off a good round to improve your handicap.  Practice certainly helps improvement but in my experience of spending a short time as a plus handicap, it came from confidence on the course and plenty of playing, (like 5-6 times a week).  I have always spent lots of time on the practice green and range, but got to my best when I was on the course most days...also, getting from a low single to scratch is a lot more about confidence and course management than skill, (in my opinion).  As a scratch, plus golfer, I didn't have any more shots in my bag than when I was a 2-4 handicap but what I did have was a pile of confidence from breaking through scoring barriers and you CAN'T gain that on the range.  To be a scratch, you need to get comfortable shooting better than your course rating and that is the biggest mental barrier to break through because you almost NEVER back into it, (you rarely birdie the last hole to do it)....Say your rating is 68 and you are 4 under with 3 to play.....You have to finish it off...the first bunch of times you barf all over yourself find a way to shoot 70-72....then eventually you get comfortable and break the barrier and shoot the number....then, once your confidence grows your mindset changes from, 'get it in the house', to let's get two more birdies!  That isn't something you can improve on any practice facility with any amount of full-fledged practice, and that difference in confidence and being comfortable on the course is the difference between a 3 handicap and a country club scratch.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

46 minutes ago, RCGA said:

 

I don't understand this thinking at all.

 

In Canada, we go 5-6 months without hitting a ball. Sure, the first few rounds back are rusty, but you get your game back quickly. Even when I was a junior we wouldn't really start playing until school finished in mid-June and we'd stop playing in September. 

 

Couldn't imagine how 6 months of focused practice at a full-fledged practice facility makes you worse.

Your ball striking is likely better than most who think it’s not possible? It really depends upon how you’re a single digit player?

 

It also helps to have a natural feel around the greens. Lack of practise likely adds a couple to a few strokes?

Edited June 25, 2021 by Lincoln_Arcadia

[DShepley]

2 minutes ago, Lincoln_Arcadia said:

Your ball striking is likely better than most who think it’s not possible? It really depends upon how you’re a single digit player?

 

It also helps to have a natural feel around the greens. Lack of practise likely adds a couple to a few strokes?

It's not possible or at the least...very very improbable.  If you are a 3-4 handicap, you already have ball striking good enough to be a scratch at your home club.  It's the mental barriers associated with scoring thresholds that you need to get past.  It's similar to being a 12 handicap and trying to break 80, (only harder because you have to make fewer mistakes).  You have to learn to break par and be comfortable doing it, or if you play a difficult course, you need to learn to shoot better than your course rating.  You can't replicate the challenge of breaking that scoring threshold on the range....finishing off the round under par when you are 3 under with 3 to play.  Practice helps, but there isn't a scenario on the range that can replicate the pressure of '3 under with 3 to play' for a guy or girl who isn't often in that situation.

[Ty_Webb]

10 minutes ago, DShepley said:

It's not possible or at the least...very very improbable.  If you are a 3-4 handicap, you already have ball striking good enough to be a scratch at your home club.  It's the mental barriers associated with scoring thresholds that you need to get past.  It's similar to being a 12 handicap and trying to break 80, (only harder because you have to make fewer mistakes).  You have to learn to break par and be comfortable doing it, or if you play a difficult course, you need to learn to shoot better than your course rating.  You can't replicate the challenge of breaking that scoring threshold on the range....finishing off the round under par when you are 3 under with 3 to play.  Practice helps, but there isn't a scenario on the range that can replicate the pressure of '3 under with 3 to play' for a guy or girl who isn't often in that situation.

 

Are you saying that there's no difference in ball striking between scratch and 3-4 handicap? Most 3-4 handicappers who get to scratch do it by getting better with their long games. Occasionally there will be some who have top notch striking, but suck around the greens, but not that many and not without good reason. I do agree that there are mental hurdles to overcome on the way. I spent a long time where I'd be 4 or 5 over through 12 and would play the last 6 in level or even 1 under. Then I'd have days where I was level through 12 and I'd play the last six holes in three or four over. Did that for a while. I knew that I could do it because stick the day where I'm level through 12 with the day where I finish level through the last 6 and I'd shoot level. Then one day I did and not long after that I was -3 through 12 and played the last 6 in -1. At the time that was the course record, so I still have the card somewhere. But do you know how I did that? I got better. 

 

Thing is there is variance in your play. The shotgun pattern. Better players have tighter spreads. If you have a relatively wide spread (like a 3-4 handicap) then you can have days where for a few holes the majority of the shots wind up in the middle of the pattern and you score well for those holes, but then the law of averages kicks in and you wind up with a few that land in the wider parts of the spread and you make some bogeys. There is no doubt some tightening up that happens when you have a good round going and that for sure contributes to some of those shots landing in the wider parts, but the easiest way to break through that is to make the pattern smaller. That is something that you absolutely can do on the range. If the range has the space for you to hit shots from some not flat lies and from rough too, then so much the better. I suspect such ranges are few and far between. I saw a video once showing the practice facility at Stanford. I bet you if that was the facility you had access to for an hour four times a week you could reduce your handicap by a few. If you have a good instructor watching you too, then even better.