Learning to be at peace and accepting improvement has flat lined

[Wormkiller]

Hello all,

 

Over the last year or so, with lessons, playing frequently, practicing frequently, changing my methods of practice, studying the game - both the technical side, mental side and course management side - I've realised by being brutally honest with objective, self-assessment that when it comes to my scores I'm not really improving. Although I definitely enjoy the process of practicing and studying the game, the reality is the same scores keep getting added up on my scorecard - averaging in the high 90's with the occasional score over 100. Over 9 I can occasionally get around the 42/43 mark but most of the time its between 45-50.

 

I'm 38 now and have played a lot of sports, but never have I really excelled. I've always been the "tryer" with a tendency to invest everything I have into a sport and not get particularly far, aside from a couple of good seasons when I was younger playing Australian Rules football and cricket. I used to be absolutely obsessed with tennis - still never got very far. And each time I've got frustrated to the point that I gave up.

 

Now with golf, I think I've reached the limit of my ability. Probably limited by my hand-eye coordination and mental make-up. Maybe if I took it up when I was younger, but then again I might be burnt out and frustrated to the point of giving the game away. I can smash balls on the range then shank them on the fairway the next day. With no real evidence of this tendency going away. I can't even imagine scoring in the 80's on my home course. I've played with others who have and am awed by their skills, knowing they possess something I never will.

 

Is it a normal part of a golfer's progression to realise they've reached a limit to their ability and just accept that they are going to linger about their handicap or slowly decline at a point? Is it wrong to be at peace accepting that I will perennially hover around a 20 handicap and only get worse as I get older and less physically able? Can others relate?

 

I'm envisioning a happy future where I'm retired and rock up to the course playing with my buddies knowing I'll score about the same as I normally do and leave the course at the end of the day just being happy with it, taking the better rounds when I can.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Wormkiller

[Zitlow]

Bowling is fun and you don't have to be good at it to enjoy. 

[Wormkiller]

8 minutes ago, Zitlow said:

Bowling is fun and you don't have to be good at it to enjoy. 

 

So you have to be good at golf to enjoy it?

 

No interest in bowling. 

Edited June 30, 2021 by Wormkiller

[bonvivantva]

I spent about a decade shooting in the high 90s and low 100s.  I think that's a pretty natural place to plateau.  I started practicing 3-4 times a week for about a year, and I broke 90 a couple times, but it was a small and hard earned improvement.  If you're like me, I think lessons and frequent practice are the only way to really break free from stagnation.  I've dropped about 5 points off my handicap in the last year, and I'm in my mid 30s as well.  I bet you could improve.  It just all depends on how much time and money you want to invest in improvement.

 

Independent from my measurable improvement is my general feeling or experience of consistency.  I may still hit the ball a little heavy on occasion, but I've almost totally cut out chunks and tops.  When I started lessons, I told my instructor that was my goal.  I didn't care if I scored better, I just wanted to strike the ball consistency in order to enjoy the game more.  I've really just about achieved that goal.  Not all my shots are good, but it's now very rare that a shot is awful.

[dvq9654]

I really don’t think you should throw in the towel and think you can’t improve. There is no reason any healthy adult can’t be a single digit handicap with lessons, quality practice and time. Even if you don’t have a lot of time, you can shoot in the 80s.

 

I think the key is to identify the biggest issue in your swing with the help of a coach and then attack that in every range session. Once that’s fixed,  on to the next issue. Rinse and repeat. Couple that with short game practice and you can improve quickly

 

Embrace the fact that when you make changes you will get worse or else you will never get better, but know that if you keep trying and have a plan you will break through and become a better golfer longer term 

[aenemated]

Play more, practice less. 

 

I was on the range a TON last year thanks to COVID making it nearly impossible to get decent tee times in LA ... and my actual game suffered for it despite feeling like I was always hitting it well on the range. 

 

Now out of LA and member of a private club, I'm playing 3-4 times a week ... and more if I can. Shot a year low 76 just this past Saturday and I wasn't even making any putts; just hitting most fairways and greens. 

 

Barring any actual physical limitations, I feel like anyone can break 80 with consistency with enough - and the right - work and effort. The latter being the key. 

Edited June 30, 2021 by aenemated

[Wormkiller]

3 hours ago, bonvivantva said:

I spent about a decade shooting in the high 90s and low 100s.  I think that's a pretty natural place to plateau.  I started practicing 3-4 times a week for about a year, and I broke 90 a couple times, but it was a small and hard earned improvement.  If you're like me, I think lessons and frequent practice are the only way to really break free from stagnation.  I've dropped about 5 points off my handicap in the last year, and I'm in my mid 30s as well.  I bet you could improve.  It just all depends on how much time and money you want to invest in improvement.

 

Independent from my measurable improvement is my general feeling or experience of consistency.  I may still hit the ball a little heavy on occasion, but I've almost totally cut out chunks and tops.  When I started lessons, I told my instructor that was my goal.  I didn't care if I scored better, I just wanted to strike the ball consistency in order to enjoy the game more.  I've really just about achieved that goal.  Not all my shots are good, but it's now very rare that a shot is awful.

About 3 years ago I went out and played with some friends for a mate's birthday. There was 8 of us. I shot 150, coming dead last by over 30 strokes. At this point of time I might have played once every couple of years. The very next day I committed to improving to get a level where I could competently play with friends so they invite me out for rounds. This was my primary goal. It was also my goal to make sure I enjoyed myself learning the game.

 

I've reached these goals now, however over time I've lost sight of these simple goals, and have become frustrated with my lack of progress recently. I've come a long way that much is sure. I've had many lessons and I practice hard. I've been frustrated to the point of wanting to give up the game several times. But I think it might be time to appreciate how far I've come and just enjoy playing at my level rather than chasing my tail and seemingly get nowhere. I'll keep practicing cos I love doing it. Ill get lessons when I lose things completely again. Ill invest in new clubs and gimmicks (like shotscope) cos its my hobby and I like doing it. But Im going to lose the expectation that I will get better. Because having these expectations hasn't helped in the last 2 years or so.

 

And the great thing about this game is the handicap system - I can play with anyone and compete on a level playing field. I've won a couple of comps this year - a win is a win regardless of handicap and I've felt good about it.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Wormkiller

[cdfs]

Sounds quite familiar to me... I'm at that plateau for around the last 1,5 years, shooting around 100 most of the time, best round of 85, worst around 140 with 20 lost balls in one round... my main difficulty is with the full swing having a two way miss. After switching from one swing to the next to try to find the holy grail I now stick to one, whatever comes. I know I'm on the right path, hitting longer than ever before and on a good day I can easily outdrive our longhitting single-caps (at least for 3-4 holes before it goes south...). I enjoy the good hits and have gone to try to get my head around the bad ones, what happened. I'm trying to eliminate at least one side of the two way miss... very hard road, success is that I now have very rarely a slice (could slice before 100y right of the target/planet)... downside is, I now have the hook I can't currently manage. But I see that as a good progress! For the better rounds (like the 85 mentioned before) I realized it was all due to good short game and good putting. Both of this is far easier to learn than the full swing. I see this confirmed wen having a good look at our older players, especially the single-caps. These guys are in their 70s, pull out the driver and woods on par3s regularly, barely getting over 150y with that. BUT somewhere around the green it's ALWAYS one chip and a max. of 1 putt for them. It's not to rare that they also chip in. So what I learned for me is: This game is about scoring, no one cares in the end how you get there. I'm now more in the process to dedicate more practice-time to my short game and putting, goal for full swing is not length but keeping it in play, still a long way to get there. On rounds where the score goes sky high, I just try to enjoy my good hits and for the rest, it's mental training... try to just not care, don't overanalyse the last misshit, try to focus on the next shot. I'm pretty sure, if I stick to this, my scores will go down by themselves... I know, I can score much lower than my average and I'm also pretty confident, it can go even way lower, it's just some work and needs some more time... I'm 45.

[milesgiles]

Im 47, played for 30 years, and hit my pb gir last week, and Im near my lowest handicap..

 

Improvement requires two things imo.

 

1. Being humble. Two or three years ago I accepted that I was not an authority on the golf swing and started reading and implementing what I read here, on youtube etc, asking advice along the way. No expert now but I know a lot more than I used to

 

2. If you always do the same thing, you'll always get the same results. Whatever you are doing at the range isnt working because its not translating to the course. So Stop doing it, do something else. For example, I realised I was hopeless from 40-50 yards, So I spent several weeks working on just that. That paid off quickly. Another example, does the range have mats? That can throw you off in the course since they are more forgiving. Go somehwere else. Etc. Etc.

 

Giving up improvement at 38 is bonkers!

[phizzy30]

8 hours ago, Wormkiller said:

 

So you have to be good at golf to enjoy it?

 

No interest in bowling. 

No way.  I have weekend warrior buddies who are usually in the 90's and have never broken 90's in their life and won't but they enjoy golfing.  I used to be a 2 cap at my best, but I still enjoy golf to the max being older now at 40.  Can't play basketball at my age due to age and injuries and baseball is out because gathering a huge group of people to play is nearly impossible.  Golf is the only sport where I can go out and play anytime either by self or join a group.  As far as improvement goes, I'm pretty happy with where I'm at.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to get down to scratch or better, but I don't have the time and even if I did, I have injuries both past and present that prevent me from hitting 500+ balls daily. 

[N0rs3man]

Lol don't change, double down. From the sound of it you can easily be shooting in the 70s. 

 

You sound fairly athletic and have played lots of shorts. 

 

Id day forget all your swing thoughts and just swing without thinking about anything. Get a decent feel and stop going to the range and just start playing. 

 

If you just make decent contact, and have a great 50 yards in, and putting you will shoot low 80s ez 

[anth]

I think anyone that puts in the time and effort and is physically capable could get to low teens / single digits.

 

If you’re hovering around 20 after putting in a lot of time and effort I’d say there is something fundamentally wrong with your technique that you either need to fix outright, or minimise somehow.  
 

I’d also look into some statistical analysis of your game - where do you lose the most strokes and how can you improve in those areas

[milesgiles]

40 minutes ago, anth said:

I think anyone that puts in the time and effort and is physically capable could get to low teens / single digits.

 

If you’re hovering around 20 after putting in a lot of time and effort I’d say there is something fundamentally wrong with your technique that you either need to fix outright, or minimise somehow.  
 

I’d also look into some statistical analysis of your game - where do you lose the most strokes and how can you improve in those areas

 

tend to agree

 

saw op post a similar thread before, dont remember him posting his swing for criticism. Theres just so much good advice on this forum and everywhere, its never been easier to improve, if you want to, and are prepared to work methodically.

 

Ive said to a few mates before, approach golf like you would your job.. listen, take advice, practise, implement, re adjust etc etc.. you dint just turn up to work and hope for the best 

[KMeloney]

OP -- How old are you, and how long have you been playing (practicing/playing "seriously")?

[mcounci2]

Sounds to me like you know you are bad, want to get good, are capable of getting good, but don't know what to work on.  I'd try and do a very close analysis of why you're shooting +25, and figure out what the most efficient way of eliminating strokes is gonna be.  Easier said than done of course- but what are you strengths?  Weaknesses?  Play to your strengths.  Try not to put yourself in a position to play the shots that end up making you write down a 7.  Step one might be to figure out what that shot is.

 

Example- last year I was about a 15. 

Strengths- putting, chipping, short irons/full wedge shots

Weaknesses- Driver, long irons, partial wedge shots

 

My general strategy- Driver sucked, so I hit a lot of fairway woods from the tees to try and "lay up"  in the 100-150 yd range and be in the fairway.  I'm not a pro, so even though I'm reasonably consistent with wedges and short irons, I'm not always hitting the green and two putting.  Even though chipping and putting are strengths of mine, it's not close to guaranteeing lots of par saves.  I'd have a reasonable time on par 5's and short par 4's.  Long par 4's, where I had to take driver, and par 3's over 150yds were killer.  I had tons of chip shots on my scorecard.  I would think the first instinct is to work on short game.  Lots of short shots=I must be bad at them.  This is the approach I'd taken for years, but I now realize I'd been working hard on something I was already good at and just band-aiding the actual bad part of my game (driver, long irons).  Took a new one over the winter, and finally, at long last, learned to hit my driver, and my scores have plummeted, and I'm sitting at a 9.4 now.  Also, 5 is now my longest iron.  3 wood replaced by 4 wood, 3 iron replaced by "6 wood,", 4 iron replaced by 4h.  I'm confident in pulling any club now, where last year I'd be just totally worried every time my 4 iron or 3 iron came out of the bag.  This year, "long irons" isn't on my weakness radar anymore because I don't even own any.

 

Another big trap I used to fall into- "115yds is a full pitching wedge- I'm going to play to hit that shot."  I've found that closer to the green=better, not even a question anymore.  I will never ever lay up "to get a full swing" ever again.  I feel like an idiot having waited until age 32 to make this realization. 

 

I'm not saying to do exactly what I did, but maybe the example of my thought processes might help you.

Edited June 30, 2021 by mcounci2

[Follow The Sun]

Interesting ...

 

https://www.golfstorageguide.com/how-many-golfers-break-70-80-90-100/#:~:text=Percentage of Golfers that Break 70%2C 80%2C 90, 55% 1-2 years

[Zitlow]

12 hours ago, Wormkiller said:

Hello all,

 

Over the last year or so, with lessons, playing frequently, practicing frequently, changing my methods of practice, studying the game - both the technical side, mental side and course management side - I've realised by being brutally honest with objective, self-assessment that when it comes to my scores I'm not really improving. Although I definitely enjoy the process of practicing and studying the game, the reality is the same scores keep getting added up on my scorecard - averaging in the high 90's with the occasional score over 100. Over 9 I can occasionally get around the 42/43 mark but most of the time its between 45-50.

 

I'm 38 now and have played a lot of sports, but never have I really excelled. I've always been the "tryer" with a tendency to invest everything I have into a sport and not get particularly far, aside from a couple of good seasons when I was younger playing Australian Rules football and cricket. I used to be absolutely obsessed with tennis - still never got very far. And each time I've got frustrated to the point that I gave up.

 

Now with golf, I think I've reached the limit of my ability. Probably limited by my hand-eye coordination and mental make-up. Maybe if I took it up when I was younger, but then again I might be burnt out and frustrated to the point of giving the game away. I can smash balls on the range then shank them on the fairway the next day. With no real evidence of this tendency going away. I can't even imagine scoring in the 80's on my home course. I've played with others who have and am awed by their skills, knowing they possess something I never will.

 

Is it a normal part of a golfer's progression to realise they've reached a limit to their ability and just accept that they are going to linger about their handicap or slowly decline at a point? Is it wrong to be at peace accepting that I will perennially hover around a 20 handicap and only get worse as I get older and less physically able? Can others relate?

 

I'm envisioning a happy future where I'm retired and rock up to the course playing with my buddies knowing I'll score about the same as I normally do and leave the course at the end of the day just being happy with it, taking the better rounds when I can.

 

You don't have to be good at golf to enjoy it. By the tone of your post you don't sound like you're enjoying it, you sound frustrated and despondent. 

 

I'm not a great dancer but it's something I like to do occasionally. There is a piano bar in the area, the piano player plays lots of Sinatra songs. We like to get dressed up go there and have a romantic evening with some dancing mixed in. 

[Soloman1]

It's just golf. It's not brain surgery.

Some people just can't do some things well.

 

Uh, you're not a surgeon, are you?

[mgoblue83]

It sounds like you are all over the place with swing thoughts and ideas and don't have a clear direction for improvement. Guessing you just kind of hit balls until you hit a good one and then say something like "oh I kept my head down on that one" without really knowing why you hit it good vs. bad?

 

You need targeted and focused practice toward a specific result which over time will improve your entire game and decrease your scores.

 

For example:

Goal: Stay centered and make ball first contact.

Drill: Feet together followed by flamingo with wedges-8irons. 100 yards max shot to an exact flag on the range.

 

I might hit an entire bucket of balls doing these drills with no swing thoughts or anything else.

[N0rs3man]

Ben hogan didn't have a swing instructor. U have more than enough info to make your own swing. The golf swing is all about subconscious body syncing. 

 

If you can throw a ball you can swing a club.

 

What you need to do is bridge the gap between throwing a ball but with your club in your hands.  Also you need intent. Intent gives your body something to do, without it you are all over the place. Intent is usually wack thr ball close to the hole visually in your mind and you can feel it.

Edited June 30, 2021 by N0rs3man

[stingerfade]

You need to find where you’re losing your strokes. Most people if you improve your chipping and putting you can drop 10 strokes easy. You really need to minimize 3 putts (one per round max) and not skulling chips etc getting up and down or at worst one chip and two putts (minimize three putts) is a good goal. 
 

putting is not a physical stroke anyone can improve putting and green reading just most people get bored working on putting. James Sieckmann has a good putting book out and really explains how to read greens well and find your weakness. If you can putt you can beat anyone 

Edited June 30, 2021 by stingerfade

[stingerfade]

1 minute ago, N0rs3man said:

Ben hogan didn't have a swing instructor. U have more than enough info to make your own swing. The golf swing is all about subconscious body syncing. 

 

If you can throw a ball you can swing a club.

 

What you need to do is bridge the gap between throwing a ball but with your club in your hands.  Also you need intent. Intent gives your body something to do, without it you are all over the place. Intent is usually walk thr ball close to the hole visually in your mind and you can feel it.

Ben hogan practiced every single day for 8 hours. Doubtful he (or anyone) has that much time to practice unless you’re a pro already or super rich haha

[MaineMariner]

23 minutes ago, Follow The Sun said:

Interesting ...

 

https://www.golfstorageguide.com/how-many-golfers-break-70-80-90-100/#:~:text=Percentage of Golfers that Break 70%2C 80%2C 90, 55% 1-2 years

 

I think the numbers in this article are wildly optimistic, FWIW. Any sort of discussion that revolves around USGA handicap statistics is going to be a problem, because that sample size is inherently self-selecting. What percentage of golfers even carry an official handicap? Does that sample of golfers represent the golfing population as a whole? I seriously doubt it.

 

The group of (mostly older) guys I golf with the most have been playing regularly on the weekends for decades. None of them have ever broken 80. I can't fathom that most golfers will break 80 in five years of playing.

[TurnDog69]

Wow. I can certainly relate to everything you are saying. I have ballooned from a 10.3 to a 17 this year and have definitely had the thoughts creep in that maybe this just isn't for me. It seems the more I try to get "good", the farther I get from "ok"

 

I think it's important for you to do some reflection on why you play golf and who you want to be. It sounds like you want to be a mid 80s golfer wherever you go. However, you're scared to define it to yourself. (Look at your goal you won't even say what hcp you want, it's just a nebulous "i want to be ok at golf") It's much more comfortable to wallow and live a small life. I know because I do it.

 

I've had a pretty ugly summer of scores- the funny thing is, when I'm on my way to yet another 95, I PREFER to keep making bogeys and double bogeys to just validate that I am who I think I am and I can continue to pity myself. 

 

The secret no one is telling you, is that in order for you to become what you want to become, you have to....already be that thing. 

I tried to break 80 for a full year and never could do it. That's because I was a person who was waiting for evidence that I could break 80 before I believed I was someone who broke 80. This is unfortunately inside out and backwards. I had to f****** KNOW I was a person who broke 80, and then I could do it. If you sit around and wait for evidence in order to believe it, you'll never get there. You'll keep chasing a ghost and convincing yourself you're committed to it, but really you're just committed to the same story you're telling us here. 

 

You are 100% committed to the narrative that you can't improve and some BS about hand eye coordination. Well if it's about hand eye coordination why do you hit pure balls on the range?

 

You get a chance to be reborn here and redefine your path. You are a scratch golfer. You just haven't realized it yourself yet. You have every tool to do so. 

 

Next time you're on the course, i want you to ask yourself if you're committed to grinding all day because you're an 80s golfer, or if you're committed to self pity and negative stories. (The self pity and negative stories feel REALLY REALLY good believe me I know).

 

I have been where you are and I'll be where you are again. But only for short periods of time. Then I will reassess my commitment. 

 

Quantum golf is a good book for you

Edited June 30, 2021 by TurnDog69

[betarhoalphadelta]

9 minutes ago, Follow The Sun said:

Interesting ...

 

https://www.golfstorageguide.com/how-many-golfers-break-70-80-90-100/#:~:text=Percentage of Golfers that Break 70%2C 80%2C 90, 55% 1-2 years

 

To be honest, I'm not sure this is really representative of most WRXers...

 

And that's not a joke about how everyone here can hit their driver 350 into the wind, their pured 2i is their money club, and carry a handicap so far + that they look down on lowly "scratch" golfers...

 

...it's that any group that self-selects to join a golf-specific internet forum is already FAR skewed from the general golfing population. 

 

I think OP is putting far more time and effort in his game than most of those 55% who break 100 in 1-2 years, and more than most of those 26% who break 90 in a 5-year timespan. The question is whether that time is being spent wisely or productively. 

 

@Wormkiller The biggest thing to figure out where you're losing strokes. Truth is for players at our 'caps, the answer is "everywhere", but some things are worse than others. For me it's driver and long irons, coupled with ballstriking in general. I came back to the game last summer and basically wouldn't get on a tee box with anything stronger than a 4i in my hands, regardless of hole par or length--I just didn't trust I could hit the ball squarely much less keep it in play. I bought a more modern driver which immediately was SO much easier to hit than my old driver--I now consistently find the face at least. I'm making the switch this week to single-length irons which take a lot of the trouble of long irons out of the equation, and simplifies ballstriking by having a single setup and swing. The fitting was done with 5i, and I've never hit so many great 5i shots in a row in my life; playing it at my current 9i length makes contact SO much easier. I took a lesson with Monte to address what I considered my biggest swing issue (stall/flip), and although it's slow going (3 months of practice so far just based on one lesson and one swing change), the practice on that is really starting to pay off in ballstriking as my tops/shanks/etc have reduced. 

 

To me it sounds like you're having trouble taking the range swing to the course... I'd say you should significantly reduce your range time and increase your course time, if that's the case. Clearly if you can hit balls well on the range, your brain knows how to make your body hit balls well. But on the course it's different; there's pressure because you're trying to hit to a target and achieve a score. You need to learn to make your brain adjust to that. The other advantage is that it's VERY hard to mentally simulate on-course chipping/putting when you're on the practice area / putting green, and so much of that is just learning feel and experience over time. 

 

And beyond that--stop worrying about it. Pros hit bad shots, pros hit shanks, I've even see pros top a ball, and we're a LONG way from their skill level. My last round [ended up being the best round of my life] I was mostly striking the ball well, and then on the 13th hole I topped two balls in a row. I could have gotten angry with myself because my round was going so well and suddenly I hit two bad shots... But for me I know those shots are going to happen. Can't let it get me down, and after those two I hit a wedge onto the green (it was a short par 4) and two-putted for bogey. It wasn't the end of the world even with the two topped shots.

 

You'll get there. Plateaus are normal, just gotta ride through it. But I'm fairly certain that your talent plateau isn't at a mid-20s cap. ESPECIALLY if you hit the ball well at the range but not on the course. That's mental. 

[dubbelbogey]

I'm pretty heavily involved in both golf and skiing. I have this pet theory about both sports - particularly as done by those in the US. There is a huge segment of their participants that is irrationally averse to getting coaching.

 

I'm just a recreational golfer myself, but I have taught and coached skiing. In my travels where I've been lucky enough to visit other parts of the world to ski, where there is a stronger culture of seeking and working with coaches and instructors (even as the skiers become quite advanced themselves) the overall ability level of the skiing population is notably higher. It's actually quite obvious looking around at the skiers from the lift.

 

But, of course, it's not just getting instruction. It's putting in the time to practice, too.

 

Yeah - I've heard all the stories about how such and such instructor absolutely destroyed so and so's golf swing and it was never the same. So what. I heard that in skiing, too, and it's not the norm.

 

YouTube, magazine "tips" and swing advice from random nobodies on a golf forum are a pretty poor way to improve one's game.

Edited June 30, 2021 by dubbelbogey

[Superbrit]

So this year i had a bit of a breakthrough, ive always been an 11 - 14 HC, good scores were low to mid 80's, break 80 like 3 times a year, really bad day high 90's

 

At that "stage" of my golfing life i would play roughly once a week but practice 4 - 5 times a week at the range

 

Come to this year when we came out of lockdown i had 1 swing thought, mainly because i hadnt been the range for 6 months, so didnt practice for 6 months, my highest score was 84 (it is a tough par 73) and my lowest score was 74, my GIR is off the scale, but actual rounds im playing 2 to 3 times a week

 

I found at the range if i hit 1 bad shot i would try and change something, 1 bad round and i would completely change my swing, it just cant work doing that

 

so my rules are now 1 swing thought, and stick with it bad day or not! and try and play more than practice, apart from my putting i actually dont really practice, im now playing off 7, if my putting was better it would be lower

 

 

[N0rs3man]

32 minutes ago, stingerfade said:

Ben hogan practiced every single day for 8 hours. Doubtful he (or anyone) has that much time to practice unless you’re a pro already or super rich haha

Thats not the point. The point is that you can't get past a plateau by doing it someone else's way. If you are mechanical and can't feel (subconscious) you will never get to where you want. Sure finding the feel, the automatic body sync all directed to hitting the ball to the flag, takes some time. But you don't need 8h per day. All you need is a steady thorough search to what feels right. It may be 30 mins per day, but its also hard to find on a range, unless you are extremely focused on a specific target.

[DallasDan]

From age 25-40 I shot high 90's. When I moved from Dallas to Seattle I met a short overweight guy and he whipped me 97-82. I am 6' tall and 180 lbs. I played basketball all my life and I'm fairly athletic. That was the day I changed my mentality. If a short/overweight guy can do it then I should be able to as well. I have all the physical tools. So I started studying the swing and shoring up a bunch of power leaks. Eliminated unnecessary penalty shots by using better course management. Practiced 3x per week and played at least once per week. I'm now 48 and my low hdc was 6.3 (up to an 8 currently). You can be better than a high 90's player. Anyone can but it takes a major shift in mentality and belief. Even a pro that shoots 65 has a handful of bad shots during his round. You have to be able to accept and move on from a bad shot and not let it snowball. A great round is usually not determined by how many good shots you hit but by how you recover from the bad ones. 

[dvq9654]

1 hour ago, Follow The Sun said:

Interesting ...

 

https://www.golfstorageguide.com/how-many-golfers-break-70-80-90-100/#:~:text=Percentage of Golfers that Break 70%2C 80%2C 90, 55% 1-2 years

 

It's been mentioned above, but zero % chance this is right. If this were true, 1/20 people you were paired would have broken 70. I can confidently say I've likely been paired with someone at this level 1 / 1000 times I've played golf, and I play solo in groups of 4 every weekend. It could be that good golfers all play at country clubs I'm not a member of, but even then I am highly skeptical. 

Edited June 30, 2021 by dvq9654