Are you as good as you are going to get?

[JetSpeed79]

3 hours ago, SupSup99 said:

Koran Ferry 

LIV tour rebranded?

[jordan2240]

At 63, more than likely, but then the golf gods allow me to string a few good shots together and I think "maybe not".  I hate those creatures.

[blades_are_life]

No I have the foundation to get down to scratch if I can start playing more regularly and fix a couple lingering physical fitness issues.

[Port and Starboard]

There was a time when I took getting better a little too seriously. As I get older I find myself just enjoying my time being around the guys.  We have a real cast of characters in our association and you never know what's going to happen from one day to the next.  Just cutting up with each other is worth the cost of greens fees.  We have a pretty good time.

 

Yeah, it's still a lot of fun to card a mid to high seventies round, but it's no longer a day to day priority for me

 

 

 

 

[naval2006]

I don't think I'll get any better.  I think my game is little by little going sour.  I feel like the OP.  I was terribly competitive at different levels for almost 30 years but since my ballstriking has been deteriorating in the past 3-4 years I kind of lost some interest in competition.  I still play a lot of tournament golf, but mostly with friends.  I enjoy now playing with my buddies, the 19th hole, the midweek bbq.  

 

I can still card a good score on days I hit well or when my putter is on fire.  But there are many mediocre days, too.  And I'm no longer motivated to practice like I used to, with a purpose and goals.  I'm nearing 50 and I'm coming to terms with this, even though it's not so easy.  I've known a bunch who gave up because they couldn't stand decay.  

 

Anyway no matter what is at stake, I still try my best everytime, the fightdog always prevails.  

[dropkicked]

Nope...

No time to practice. No time to arrive early for a small bucket. Just No time..

 

Still breaking 80 and still enjoying myself so I don't care if I'm not breaking 70.. I love the dam game and getting out with my group.

 

Golf is Golf.

See Ball. Smash Ball. Find Ball -Repeat!

[golfer2022]

I started playing 4 years ago and I'm currently a 23 handicap. My goal is to get down to a 15, be long and consistent off the tee, accurate on approach shots. I don't have the time or money to practice or play multiple times a week and dial in to a single digit handicap or get anywhere near scratch. I love golf and the game brings me so much joy to play, and an opportunity to spend time with my friends and my parents. 

[I'_rather_be_golfing]

I'm in my 40's with a back and shoulders of an 80 year old. My handicap hovers between 10-12. And that's as good as I'm gonna get. Just not willing to put in the time, money, and effort just so my handicap can be lower. Now its all about enjoying the game and being with friends.

[dabohammer]

hell no!

 

i'm a grinder baby

[Stro2014]

Man this thread hits home right now. I've been contemplating the same thing recently. I've hovered around scratch to +2 since college days almost 10 years ago now. Hit the ball just as well now as I did then, but the putter is a little shakier at times. Tournament schedule now consist of a couple local events, a couple states, and then the US Mid AM and 4Ball qualifier. When I don't have a tournament to prep for I'm only on the course maybe two days a week. Three if I'm lucky.

 

Ultimately hoping to catch fire one day at a usga qualifier and get through. Been close a few times in the past, but that window seems to be quickly closing.

 

Here's to trying to enjoy golf more while trying to stay competitive 🍻

[david.c.w]

Probably.  I got down to a 3.8 but only because I had a career round of 73.  Now vacillate between a 4.5 and a 5.5.  

 

Perhaps if I ever took a lesson on how to not flare a wedge out the right from 100 yards I could get below 4.5.  I am also a terrible putter, but have been that way since I started.

[Fuscinator]

20 hours ago, Is Golf Fun or Work said:

For some the question could be, Are you as [good] as you care or are willing to put in the work to get?

Some people get worse with more effort (wrong + effort = wronger). 

You have to do something that works. Even if you're someone for whom one of the orthodox methodologies is optimal, you still have to figure out which approach is most suitable. (If you're an outlier, good luck.)

If your desire for improvement doesn't outweigh your level of frustration, the harder you work, the more despairing you will become. At that point, it's wasted effort.

[DoughBack18]

I was a +1.8 in 2013, ended up breaking my back twice and missed the entire year in 2014. Steadily got it back to just below scratch. Then in 2018 my wife and I had a son and that went up towards the 2 range. He’s now old enough that i’m able to start playing and practicing a little more with the goal of getting back to my peak handicap one more time.

 

I think this question really comes down to motivation and desire. After my injury I had an incredibly strong desire to get back into it. After my son was born I had less of a desire. But as time constraints ease I have that bug again. Physical limitations and age will certainly make the task tougher, but a strong will to me is really what determines that. Amazing what you can accomplish if you put your mind to it.

 

Good luck to all of you and hope you make lots of birdies!!

[bellken]

I would say most of us higher handicaps think/hope/wish that we can get better.  I am still working at it, single digits is a pipe dream, but, getting my handicap into the lower teens is a possibility.

[Haroputt]

Yes  Im in my 50s. 

Accepted that I dont have the length as the young guys

I'm still in good shape and carry my bags and walk the course

I still like competing and playing as long as I can 

[MikeW2]

Yeah I’ve probably peaked but I’m ok with it. Just under an 8 now and that’s up from my low of 5 a couple of years ago. I know that I have maximized what I could get to with what I’m capable of physically and I’m actually pretty proud of that. Injuries and life requirements keep me from playing or practicing a lot but I know my game well enough to scrape it around and that’ll keep my index in the single digits.

[dufferaaron]

On 6/12/2023 at 12:52 PM, ZacR88 said:

They play and practice 7 days a week, then go to Florida over the winter to continue the grind while I hang the clubs up over the winter and at the most go to the sim once a week.

 

 

This is one of the things that I have always thought about golf...I think that there are two things that come into play for most amateurs, with a corollary third: Time and money. If you have enough of those, you can afford the lessons, practice, and rounds that get you the proper repetitions that those of us with a family and/or budget cannot typically have. The corollary third is natural talent - some people can break 80 whenever they pick up golf clubs even if it's been 20 years - that's the exception.

 

I think most "normal" people settle into a range that is sustainable for their means. Swing improvements can lower it periodically, but I think there is only so much you can do given a certain set of conditions.

[Rdailey9108]

Nope my job gives me 3 days off between my 24 hour shifts if I don't get/take overtime. Plus we have a net at work that I film myself working on my technical swing changes. So even if I do get married I'll still be able to put in the time. Now how good can I get. Well right now I'm consistently in the lower 80s. Only broke 80 once so I would like to be in the 70s by next year which I don't think is too lofty of a goal. 

[b.mattay]

On 6/12/2023 at 3:49 PM, MtlJeff said:

 

I have not known anyone better than a +1 in all my years playing golf who wasn't a pro, a college kid, or a teacher who had summers off. It's not impossible i guess but it's very very hard.

I find that surprising. Off the top of my head, in a city of about 70,000 people, I can think of a trades guy who is a +3, a sales guy who is a +5, and a realtor who is a +5. 

[MtlJeff]

6 hours ago, b.mattay said:

I find that surprising. Off the top of my head, in a city of about 70,000 people, I can think of a trades guy who is a +3, a sales guy who is a +5, and a realtor who is a +5. 

 

+5 is insanely good , if you are competitive at that level you'd probably be one of the best mid-ams in the country. I know a couple of guys who were top mid-ams, used to play nationals and won some stuff in Quebec. One of the guys was a 9 time club champion at one of the top clubs in the province, but at his best his index was maybe like +1.5. I know a couple of guys like that, and they had "real" jobs. 

 

I know a guy i guess who is a +2 or +3 right now that is a fisherman but it's seasonal and he has summers off. 

 

There's a famous course designer from Quebec who is one of the top ams in canadian history, at his peak he was probably around there but he's older now. I've played with him a few times but he's not as good as he was like 15 yrs ago. 

 

I've known amateur +5's as mentioned but mostly kids. Or one guy that was a +4 but was a teacher. Quebec isn't a big golf hotbed though either

[againstthegrain]

I'm topped out in my mid-60's, been playing since my mid-40's w a body that was not meant for golf.  My full swing has been devolving over the last few years and I have come to the conclusion that no amount of practice on short game and putting will ever be enough to offset that poor swing.  Managed to get down to an 8 and hovering around 11-12 now, but I "think" I'm ready to move on to another summer sport or activity.  I've played 1 round this season vs 60 last season and sadly or not I don't miss not playing or practicing.

 

[jda]

Anybody can always get better if they need or want to.  Even without the ability constantly practice or train, you can change things in every round to make you better, although your score may suffer in the short term.

 

I spent all last year getting distance back that I lost through aging with fitness, running and some weights, but I mostly reset my swing around more weight since I was strong still, but fast-twitch was leaving.  I also struggled hitting up on the driver, so I got one that does not need to.  I play every fifth or sixth round with irons off of the tee so that I can get better at 3/4/5 iron and try and get them up to 8/9/PW performance.  Sometimes, I play entire nines with only flops (open 60) and no 52 pitches, since I need more work on this.  You can just change up the way that you play to get better - think of runners who train differently every day with long runs, intervals, pyramids, recovery runs, etc.  I hate to practice too much, so I just work on stuff while I am playing 18.

 

I know a lot of +5 on their course, but are barely scratch on any course.  Only college golfers and a few struggling pros were legit + golfers on any course, but we are all older now.  The best handicap at a local club has 10-12 65s all over his last 20, but also plenty of 78s - he smashes it, fires at every pin and can go really low... and really high, but the handicap system says +6.1, or something, but he cannot even finish on the top half of any regional or state tournamenets.  There are all different kind of plus golfers.

 

I will say that there is some Zen to knowing who you are, who you want to be and going for enjoyment.  After all, isn't that what a game is all about?

[dsmil]

No, I don’t think I’m at my peak yet. I was stuck at a 10-11 handicap for years as I really didn’t play enough to improve. I did go to the range quite a bit (on mats), but didn’t have enough rounds. I’m now at a point where I rarely practice but I’m able to get 9 holes in about once per week, and I’ve quickly gone from a 10 to a 7, and likely to a 5-6 by the end of the season. I can contribute some of the improvement to some of Monte’s videos as well. I’m in my 30’s, healthy, and I should get in more and more rounds in my future, so I’m hoping to wind up in the 0-4 range long term.

[Kuuuch]

Good topic. I feel like I'm definitely getting close and I'm okay with it because I've figured out how to maintain what I have without a crazy practice schedule. I'd rather be a +3 who can maintain his game with just 30-45 mins of practice a day than a +4/+5 who needs 2-3 hours of practice a day at this point in my life. 

 

One thing that intrigues me is opting for a little more distance via speed training. Only 31 and stronger than 99% of golfers, I'm interested how much distance I could gain. 

[gregnol]

Golf is funny this way.  I played as a scratch in my teens and won some small junior tournaments.  Barely played for three years and when I started again I was around a 6 handicap.  In trying to get better I got much worse to the point that I was going to give it up. 

The last two seasons I've sort of "found" it again and got back to a 5 but I'm at the point where I will either need to practice/get some lessons to get better or just be happy with playing 12-15 good holes and 3-6 bad holes each round.

The challenging part is feeling so close and hitting some amazing golf shots and yet feeling so far and hitting terrible ones. 

At least it keeps it interesting not knowing what will happen standing over any golf shot.  

 

[Dan Drake]

Turning 45 years old here in about a week.  There is absolutely no way, barring a life changing injury/event, that I've peaked.  And just to give some perspective as to how deep my delusions run, I'm probably a 2 hcp right now (lifetime best of 0.0) and I am convinced that I will play in the PGA Professional's (or Senior) Championship at some point in the next 10 years.  And if I'm playing in that, there's no reason to believe that I wouldn't have a serious shot to get to the PGA/Senior PGA Championship.  

 

Yes, I genuinely believe that I can go from a 2.x to Michael Block over the next 5-10 years.  

[phizzy30]

You're at the skill level where improvement in marginal.  Nonetheless, you being a plus cap is nothing short of amazing considering you're an am.  For me personally, it's as good as it's gonna get being a 4 cap being 42 years old.  I run my own personal training business so I don't have time to practice and play as much as I used to compared to when I was on my college team as a 2 cap.    I play 18 twice a week and go to the range once a week.  During the holidays, I have a little more wiggle room and family comes into town so I play 3x a week and practice a bit more.  I don't have kids though or I would probably only get to play once a week tops.  I'd like to get to scratch but I know with my limited free time, it's probably not gonna happen. 

Edited June 14, 2023 by phizzy30

[jda]

Another point... to be good, you have to really pay attention to a lot of details.  To be great, you have to know what details not to pay attention to.  Just aging, being more mature, experience, etc. can make you better just by showing up.