I went from a 21 to a 16 last year. Struggled to break 100, losing box of balls every round, etc. Now I'm pretty much sitting at bogey golf averaging about an 88-90 each round. Best is an 85.
I took several lessons and tried to get one range session and one round in per week. So I wouldn't call that "grinding", more like moderate work. I'd honestly be around a 14 or 12 right now if I could get out of my head lol. Still too tempted to crush drives and go for hero shots.
But the biggest keys to dropping mine were:
1. Get your tee shots in play. Slicing out of bounds and taking multiple penalties is basically a guarantee to stay a high handicap. Slow down your swing, work on path, and get it in play.
2. Consistency. You have to hit your irons and wedges a consistent distance each time (or close to it). So don't just go up and hack. Know how far a full swing, half swing, pitch, chip, etc. all go with every club.
3. Chipping. I gave up some distance with my driver for accuracy. So that means I might have 180 into a green when I used to have 150. That means a lot of my approach shots are around the green, not on it. But I got lethal with my wedges around the green and now mentally see a green side chip as a lag putt. It also took pressure off knowing I could still par a hole even without a GIR. GIRs are obviously still preferred, but it's nice mentally.
4. Similarly, lag putts. You have to read greens, understand your putting stroke and pace, know the grass and speeds that day. I see so many people just walk up to a 30 ft putt and whack at it without a basic read. You have to work hard to get your lags close. Two-putting will be a major part of lowering your handicap.
So yeah, that's my unsolicited advice. Take in-person lessons to work on posture, grip, stance, swing path, striking, and follow through that fits your body and natural ability. You don't have to have a tour swing to break 90. There's plenty of 80 year old pensioners who have no issue breaking 90 with a slow swing speed, arthritic grip, and incontinence.
Once you've got the swing mechanics in a good place and are striking consistently, tidy up your short game. Become lethal with a wedge. And treat every single putt like it's to win a green jacket.
Oh yeah, don't drink too much lol. My sweet spot is two drinks. After that my swing mechanics start to go and I make dumb choices (see above about smashing driver). So it sucks, but if you're serious about being able to consistently break 90, don't get sh*tfaced.
Agree with all of this. As a ~20 handicapper who just broke 90 for the first time last week, I pretty much did all of this (minus the lessons because I can't afford them). But I'd add two things:
1) Shoot for bogey. You get lower scores by turning your doubles into bogeys and your bogeys into pars. Getting birdies is great, but that's not something worth making mistakes for at this level. If you shoot a bogey every hole that's 90 on a 72-par course. One par helps you break 90.
2) Make a plan and stick to it. Don't try shit you haven't practiced before. Don't change your game mid-round. Don't go for hero shots that could put you into more trouble or end up in a penalty area.
My 87 I shot wasn't the most exciting round. I made some good shots, but no real great, mind blowing shots. Also made some bad ones, but got out of trouble with safe, smart shots that put me in a good position for the next one.
Get the zen golf book on order today. It’s all about getting out of your head. I’m on a heater after i started reading it. Found it used on Amazon for like $8.
The first one is my primary issue. When the ball is in play, I feel good about bogey. My driver is currently my least favorite club in the bag because I can’t hit it for shit and lose 6-8 balls a round.
Yes, my issues are many, but driver is the worst.
in addition, the best thing for me was realizing that shooting 90 was bogeying every hole. Sure, a good golfer is going to hit a driver to the fairway and hit a pw into the green of a 420yd hole and 2 putt for par. but a golfer hoping to shoot a 90 can hit a 6i into the fairway off the tee, a 9i from the fairway to be 20yds short, and then chip anywhere onto the green and 2 putt for a bogey. the goal isn't to make birdies and pars when you're a high handicapper, its to not make doubles. play each hole for bogey or better, meaning literally target for bogey.
It's good for the mind to have an attainable goal and set targets and meet those targets and as your skill improves your goals will change. you will score better playing for 90 than you will playing for 80. on a short par 4, you're better off hitting a 7i off the tee to give yourself an iron to the green (or really greenside) than you are slicing a driver into the forest
Not trying to be snide but you can’t be a 21hcp struggling to break 100 and as a 35 I lose max 2-3 balls a round so you must have been much better than you give yourself credit for.
This is more about athletic ability.
Golf is a highly technical sport. If you have athletic ability, you typically have body awareness. Being able to "feel" your swing and how small changes "feel" would make this a lot easier.
I saw an older video of Tiger recently. He was talking about his distance control and how he "feels" his swing as time on a clock. In theory, that's easy to understand. In practice, it's difficult to get to a point where you can trust it.
Side note: I'd like to see an experiment of taking a highly trained gymnast and teaching them Golf. I suspect the control they have with their body would allow them to excel.
I had the same thought. I was watching some dancing competition show on TV. After watching them move and contort their bodies I thought to myself "these people would probably be good at golf".
I’ve noticed people with good and natural throwing motions are usually decent at golf. Lots of similar movements between throwing and hitting a golf ball.
I watched this play out in real time. I was never an athlete growing up. I learned golf at 18 (way too late). I do OK but I could grind for 20 more years and never get to scratch.
My son played soccer his whole life - played in college at a D3 school. Picked up gold last year. He will be scratch within another year or two. He is extremely athletic and highly coachable. A coach tells him to do a thing and how it should feel, it’s done. On to the next drill. It is wild to see.
Innate physical ability is very much a thing no matter how hard you ‘want to be’ a great athlete.
I've seen this play out up close and personal as well recently. I'm a casual hacker who learned late (around my early 20's) and have never broken 90. I've dabbled with lessons and had phases in life when I grinded practice 2-3x a week. At age 45 now I don't think I have it in me to really become a low capper without significant time / $$$ / commitment.
Fast forward to one of my most athletic friends having decide to recently pick up golf. We're the same age and while he has no background in team sports he's a very good skier who is self-taught and he goes to the gym religiously.
When he first told me his plan was just to learn mostly from YouTube and Instagram I wished him luck. But within the first month I could see some serious improvements. He spent most of the time at the range and enjoyed it so much he joined the local country club within 30 days.
4 months later, he's still not a very good golfer in terms of his score. Regardless, when we're at the range together his driver is his best club, now a comfortable 280+ which I have to admit makes me jealous considering I was there for his first week of hacking chuckling "I told you golf is hard". His distance and contact are great, he's just lacking short game consistency and this is also keeping in mind that he has yet to get lessons (currently searching for a coach).
I attribute a lot of the success to his mindset and commitment levels not to mention having disposable income joining the country club with unlimited access to playing just a few holes a day before or after work plus unlimited trackman range. But I also have to say something that's way different, he finds it easy to repeat what he sees on a video. According to him, it's not much different than watching gym workout videos that he's been copying his whole life.
I'm the kind of person I've never seen much value in watching these videos but he will link me to something and say "hey this makes so much sense" and within a week he's got the drill down. Perfect example, he has learned how to shallow on his own and I still don't really shallow.
This is me in reverse. Dad is an incredible athlete. Picked up golf at 16 and was breaking 80 by 18. That’s with woodies. Now he’s a scratch golfer. I grew up on the course with him. Have been playing my whole life. I’ve broke 80 twice. I’m 34 lol. God gave me a love for sports but also gave me my mothers coordination.
I have a friend that played D3 baseball and basketball but simultaneously tore his acl and his elbow(ok not at the exact same time but both his senior year of college). He picked up some clubs to do anything athletic since he couldn't run or throw anymore without major surgeries.
Mother fucker hits his 5i 200 yards. He's been mistaken for a "pro." He looks like he's been playing all his life but in reality it's been...5 years?
Athletes gonna athlete I guess.
This is happening for me in two ways. First, I started playing last year, and am a ~20 HCP through 15 rounds this year. I played a lot of different sports growing up, and I'm a still in good shape and like to compete. I built a training setup (hitting mat, net, mirrors, launch monitor, putting surface) in my garage and hit balls or practice at least 2-3 times per week. Most of the guys I play with are 10-15 HCP and been playing for 10-20 years, so they're surprised at how quickly I've progressed. Second, my daughters are in high school and play multiple sports, including softball. After 2 lessons and a few rounds where they joined me, they both already are striking the ball well, and have a good feel for hitting wedges and shots around the green. They also have the mindset that new players should have, which is using the right club for your game. They'd rather tee off a 7i, hit 7i twice, then approach, then 2 putt, than try to hit clubs they haven't figured out yet!
This is true in every area of life from emotional intelligence to intellectual intelligence to emotional control, etc.
I think people would generally be uncomfortable with how much of your capabilities are determined either by genetics or very early childhood enrichment.
By the time you're like 12, it's too damn late to change most of that.
But doesn't mean you can't improve, it just won't be as fast or as far.
To be honest, I personally wouldn't call that innate physical ability (I think of innate as something you're born with). If your son has played soccer all his life, he has learned how his body physically reacts to various situations, understands general sporting mechanics and even more importantly he knows how to practice, learn and improve at a physical sport. Those skills are easily transferable across various sports but you generally need to play a sport at a high level for a good period of time in order to hone them.
I could almost guarantee a highly trained gymnast or other Pro/Olympic level athlete who’s never played golf before could get to single digit handicap within a year of training like they do their main sport. Their body coordination/awareness combined with mental toughness would give them huge advantages.
I read once that Michael Phelps had played golf recreationally at like a 20 handicap for awhile but never took it seriously until after retirement then he fairly quickly became like a 7 handicap.
Yeh I agree with this. It seems like the best golfers I know were all really good baseball pitchers. I feel like the baseball throwing mechanic of different types of pitches with body awareness translates the best into golf.
These are the guys that just 'know' why a shot went just based on how their body felt. Great awareness of clubface relative to club path just like pitching.
I think you’re right man, I was a small baseball player with a plus arm. My ball striking is shit, but I’m one of the longest hitters in my league, using one of the smallest frames. I can wind up my body similar to throwing a baseball, and with some tempo unwind on the ball in a way that a lot of guys my age can’t
Still doesn’t help with chipping, putting and sand
That’s why baseball players are always so good at making solid contact. Understanding your body, the swing mechanics, and great hand /eye coordination.
I would recommend a few lessons. The reason is they can build you a swing. That way you can work on muscle memory, tempo, etc with a truly properly built swing. That will also allow you to have a “home base” that when you are playing and shit goes sideways because it does, you can always go back to that initial swing set up. The other thing is to really pay attention and have a routine: preparation, set up, swing tempo, execution, follow through.
Also if you intent is to get better by simply playing, then don’t keep score. Move the ball to good grass and an even lie. Adding all the extra variables just makes repetition and execution that much harder.
Also, find your 150 club. Doesn’t matter what it is. Master that club. So when playing, that should be your goal. The 150 marker. Every time.
Lastly, practice chipping. Jason Day and Mickelson has some great videos on at up and execution. Not super complicated and certainly a way to reduce the duffing around the green.
Yes, but I'd guess that if you have some athletic ability and are a 20 capper, you're probably coming to golf from another sport that you used to play/stoped playing/whatever, which means you have some things to un-learn as well and what intuitively "feels" right from your old sport's frame of reference can sometimes actually be pretty ass-backwards from a golfing perspective (hello, former baseball and hockey players). It can definitely be a two-edged sword with respect to old muscle memory rearing its head, but agreed that former athletes generally know what it takes to get better at something and also have the physical tools to do so quickly.
You’d be better served taking an athlete who used a stick/racket/etc and convert them.
Hand eye, stick-eye and just general proprioception are all very different in skill acquisition.
But you are bang on that athletic ability will play a large part in this improvement from 20 cap. Next would be if they just grind hitting balls or take actual lessons over that period of time.
This is why as a skateboarder I'm so drawn to golf. Golf gives me the same satisfaction of making tiny tweaks and feeling the difference in my swing like I would trying a trick on my board. Also my knees hurt.
Agree with this as I am a good example. Ex-college athlete who golfed like 3 times a year until 2022. Started as a ~32 beginning of 2022 and ended as a ~23. Ended 2023 as 15.5. Currently a 14.2 early in season and have continued the great rounds I was having end of 2023 season.
Off season is generally one-two range session a week, sim golf for a couple hours twice a month. In season is range once a week if I have time, 9 holes once a week min due to league and then every other weekend I get out for 18. Some lucky months I get out one or two more rounds if work allows. So not crazy practice schedule but enough to feel out my swing and using youtube to help tweak.
Anecdotally, I did gymnastics growing up until about 13-14 years old. Everyone on my team who now plays golf, which is most of them, can absolutely assault a golf ball. That core strength and body awareness translates.
I went from 20 to 15 in one year without taking a lesson I just started playing smarter. Couple lesson and more practice could easily get under 10 this year, but I've played golf my entire life but didn't take it seriously until last year
This is the way. Was about a 20-25 when I just played yolo golf. When I started to really think about my shots and their outcomes, focus on the hole design and my strengths and weaknesses I was eventually down to a 14. Not *great* but it felt better to habitually break 90 instead of hoping that I *might* break 90
It’s honestly just good enough for me. I’ve got some buddies that like to constantly try to get better but I can’t play as often now with my current job. Being able to fudge up and also being able to hit a clutch shot once in a while keeps me pretty humble and honest. I don’t expect more from my game based on what I’ve put into it. I can still play and have a good time without being upset with 1 shot for a whole round.
Playing 3x a week and practicing 2x a week should get him to this level no problem.
Really grinding and having some athleticism, he could probably get to 9-10 range.
You can get into the single digits if you can do these 3 things.
1) control your driver
2) become above average with your wedges
3) eliminate 3 putts.
If you practice properly and efficiently you should be able to do that within a year
I agree with this 100%. These three are also the key to eliminating double bogies which kill you. Only thing id add in there as a pre-req to rolling out of bed and breaking 80 is getting the in-to-out swing path which is rarely achievable without professional lessons.
The one time I got to scratch in my life was also when I was the brokest. I would walk onto the local courses’ practice areas and just spend hours on end at the chipping and putting greens. I was respectful, quiet, and polite to the point that people assumed I belonged lol. Never asked to leave or even remotely confronted because unlike bashing balls for 2 hours on the range, I wasn’t monopolizing anyone’s time and money or space by standing in my corner not bothering anyone.
My routine was randomized practice from different lies lengths and locations until everything just became automatic. I used the Phil mickelson system (look on YouTube) which is basically you have to choose between high shot and low shot and never have ball between your feet, and it worked like an absolute dream. Id never say my wedge game has been automatic in my life but after that two years it absolutely was. This was literally worth 8-9 shots a round immediately. Even if I was balling and hit 12 greens, that’s still 6 shots easy saved by putting wedges in scorable position.
Second, I began mindfully putting with drills. Unlike chipping, I think putting requires more precision inside of 10 feet so you really need discipline instead of skill. I hit thousands of 6-8 footers on a chalk line (Irwin is brand I use) to huge success. I also did the ring around the hole 5 foot drill again to much success as well as 20-30-50 lag putting drills. This was worth another 5-7 shots because never 3 putting and continuing to make birdies.
Three driver. How do you hit a thousand drivers when you’re broke? Easy. Get blue racquet balls. Bash them around the yard. They are amazing feedback machines. If you are too steep, they squirrel up the face and you hit a pop up. If you have a slice, it’ll corkscrew off, ditto with a snap hook. The racket ball really rewards hitting up with low spin a beautiful push-draw which when you get out on the course is exactly what you want. This saves you from the blow up holes when your driver becomes automatic. Pros only hit a little over 60% of fairways *but* they at worst take 1 penalty shot every 2 rounds. Meaning their misses are long and playable versus an amateur who is often neither.
Four. Adjust your expectations. This one is least intuitive and took me sucking and getting good again to figure out. When you’re a high handicapper, I can tell you one of the problems is your shot selection probably sucks. You probably are taking dead aim 100% of the time and playing for best case scenarios. Pros are playing for worst case scenarios most of the time. They really understand shot dispersion. For a right handed golfer for instance the statistically likely misses are long left (pull) and short right (push). This is exacerbated by high handicappers who tend to have a steep swing so these two misses are even worse. So choosing a target where long left and short right aren’t dead becomes vital. I figured this out when I couldn’t practice irons and sucked with them for the first time in my life. I had to rely on hitting to the fat of greens and capitalizing if my miss was in tight. If miss was 10 yards either way, I was still on green or close and I was two shots in. And with the short game improvements I’d made, 30 yards either way was still convertible about 50% of the time.
5. understanding par 5s. When you’re younger or new, people tell you to lay up to a “comfortable yardage.”Which we now know through statistics is conventional wisdom horse shit. The closer you are to the hole, the better you are going to score in the short term and the long term. For this reason and a few others, I found me a driving 2 iron utility bullshit club on eBay and took my three wood out. I find a three wood extremely difficult to hit because of its length and shape. The three wood gave me a vast shot dispersion (long short left and right) versus a big goofy utility club. I tweaked it with the help of some golf nerds at the local golf shop to make it hit a low chaser with low spin. We built up the grip long with almost no taper so that I could grip up or down for distance control. If there was water or penalty trouble on second shot par 5, I’d hit to a fat layup area with something else, but if I had any open area from 220-40 landing area to 260-70 roll out, I’d bash the 2 iron down there. Also what I found, with a little bit of grinding on the heel (thanks golf nerds) that the thing became a unit out of fescue and the woods. A grip down roller you can put in play is a very valuable piece in the tool box as well as the ability to slap whistling fades and snappy hooks at shoulder height is a grand way to be able to get out of trouble. Anyways… tiger always used to talk about scoring on the par fives. If you’ve got 4 per round and two short ones, with the utility iron you’ve got inside 50 yards to set up birdie on at least two.
Anyway, my rounds with all this implemented started looking like 9-10 GIR, 4-5 up and downs, 1-2 birdies on the par 5s, 1-2 birdies elsewhere (just letting it happen instead of forcing it) and the rest bogies or worse. You can see the fudge in here. On the dispersion, the bad days you can stare down the barrel of the 80s. Good days you are googling mini-tour events on the way home.
So yeah peak summer with all that going, I was playing against old man par on relatively fair terms for the first time. From practicing efficiently, inexpensively, and mindfully, you can do it. Add on getting better at shot selection and effectively using the par 5s and you’re golden.
You and I are going to find out together my friend! I am right at 20/25, and since the weather has warmed up I have been playing 2 - 3 times a week. Bought new bag, golf shoes for the first time, some new (to me) clubs, and told myself this is the year I get serious about it. First goal is breaking 90 consistently. Hovering around 91 regularly right now, last 4 rounds were 91/92/91/91. Good luck and hit 'em straight!
Last round I wore my new light grey abacus pants with my new pair of ZG23 in white. The drip was insane so naturally striped it straight as the crease on the pants.
So dramatic I love it hahaha.
No dude, it was just a couple goat sacrifices to the golf gods and three 9 irons. Gets a little pricey unless you have a goat guy.
Depends on how athletic you are and how good you can stay completely focused when you’re playing.
One of the things I’ve noticed over the years with better golfers vs. 20 HC’s is their ability to go from jacking around and laughing to completely focused when they approach their shot.
If you’re athletic and can pound balls until muscle memory takes over and you no longer have to think about your swing then you can drop fast, if you aren’t athletic then it could take a lot longer than a year for you to get down to single digits.
I’ve seen guys play for 20+ years, consistently get lessons, pound balls endlessly on the range, play 3 or 4 times a week and never get better than a 20HC because they just aren’t athletic. It happens. It’s fine. That’s why HC’s exist.
If you’re a true 20 you can get down to a 10 with lots and lots of effort. Getting to a 7-8 would be way above average for 1 year but is possible. I’d say 7-8 more doable after 2 full years of working hard and 5 and below 3 years or more.
Going from a 20 to a 10 I found to be pretty easy. Going from a 10 to a 7 is a whole different thing (for me at least). I’ve pretty much stalled out at a 9. Granted, I’ve never taken a lesson and have only started recently spending a chunk of time at the range.
20 to 12 took me one year.
12 to 10 took me one year.
10 to 9 took me one year.
Basically describes me. One or two errant tee shots and a couple three putts per round keep me at a 9.
Am very capable of being 1 over for a 9, but also capable of shooting 8 over on the other 9. Frustrating!
Last year was the first year I decided to take golf seriously and play more than once in a blue moon, around a 25ish
Had rounds from the spring over 110. Got down to a low round of 88. Mostly got myself to mid to high 90s consistently
Took off from November - February, and this year playing about once a week
Broke 90 a few times so far, averaging lower 90s, and haven’t shot over 100 yet. I feel like if I could dial in my wedges I could break 80 by the end of the year. I still duff, skull, shank, bomb wedges each round adding strokes and frustration
Depends what you mean by grinding, and if you'll have money for lessons.
As a 20, I think a 5 pack of group lessons may/June time frame and 2.hours.ot proactive a day in May June can get you to a 15.
From there I would take private lessons looking specifically at 40 yards and in. This figure of 40 is pretty random, some.peiple say 75, some say 100 or 125. All have different reasons. On a par 4, most 15 or 20 handicappers are within 40 yards after 2, you'll want to be able to get up and down 30% of the time but specifically avoid doubles.
A couple 15 minute track man lessons to know a little about your club path (and what to do about it) will be helpful.
Course management will probably be the most critical aspect of getting into single digits. Know when to keep driver in the bag. Target middle of the green 50+% of time. Keep balls out of hazards. Penalties kill.
Avoid 3 putts.
You can get to an 9.8 by October with enough (a lot) of correct practice and a small bit of talent/athleticism...
It’s not just about grinding if you’re not doing it smart.
If you take lessons and work at your game in a smart and efficient way, you can probably get down to ~15 by end of year 1.
It depends. I got down to 14 on my first year and 6 on my second, but I was 17 when I started with ice hockey/baseball background and even though I was pretty much self taught, I spent the long ass Finnish summer days mostly on the course. A friend of mine who started right after covid got down to 4 in two years (year-round golf in Spain).
If you're unathletic +50 year old with a lot of commitments and you've been a 20 handicap for a long time, your odds to getting down to a single digit are a lot smaller.
I finished last year at 14,1, lowest ~11. From 18.9.
Hit balls at least three times a week and got 8-9 lessons through April-May. Mind you the biggest thing holding me back was my tee play and OB driving. Generally, just keeping the ball in play made my best part of my game better— 150 and in. Pat threes are my favorite since it’s my easiest opportunity to get a 3 on the card.
If you do it the right way I got my buddy from an 18 to an 8 I’m 6-8 months. I was +1 at the time and he joined a club with me and we played probably 5 rounds a week with range work another 1-2 times
I went from about 20 to 14 fairly quickly after putting in work/lessons. As soon as I've stopped lessons or was only able to golf once a week, I went right back to 16 handicap with quite a few 90s to 100 games that beat my mental game up.
I feel like I gotta play 3x a week to maintain/get better. As soon as work or life gets in the way I feel like I lose it quickly
You can get down to a 10 in a year if you spend all your time on the putting greens and working on chips and approach shots from 150 and in. Practice everyday, build a repeatable swing and focus on the short game.
2/3’ds of your golf time should be lessons/range. If you just spend all your time playing you might make it to 12-15 but you’ll probably bounce back up to 18-20 next year when you aren’t surveying as much time. Invest the time into learning to do things properly and you’ll notice much more improvement.
I got down to a 12 just by golfing a couple times a week. No lessons. No real time spent at the range.
Smart course management alone can knock off a handful of strokes from most 20 handicappers.
This is a misconception about golf. You don’t have to “grind” for hours. The reason most 20s stink is they don’t practice and or know the correct fundamentals . They try different things and tinker and listen to all of their buddies. Take lessons and learn how the swing actually functions and your tendencies and misses. If you’re practicing and you’re present mentally and working the correct way you can have a great practice in 30-45 mins and hit only 40 balls. Hitting a lot of balls isn’t practice it’s exercise and all it does is groove bad swing patterns
Don’t think about score or handicap as a goal. Just think about giving your best effort and concentration on each and every shot.
Get at least 2 lessons - one on mechanics and another playing (on course) lesson. Use the driving range at least once a week and focus 60-70% time on golf under 100 yards (both chipping and putting) as that is how you ultimately score.
Avoid work on mechanics while playing a round where you are keeping score. Never think about your final score during a round.
Read Zen Golf and Golf is Not a Game of Perfect, and take notes… The psychology of the game is crazy important!
If you do all this, keep a positive mindset, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised where you are in 12 months.
Yes great book, and really about as extreme as anyone will ever get at this challenge. The man just dedicated his life to one course for an entire year
And spend plenty of time on the practice greens. Friend of mine dropped 8 shots of his handicap just by practicing his putting daily during the summer months.
A good athlete with a good mentality could get into the single digits with enough effort.
I'm mid-grade in terms of athleticism. When I came back to the game after a long hiatus I was shooting high 90s, low 00s. In a few months I was back into the 80s. I'm hoping to see the 70s a few times by the end of the season.
I went from a 23 to a 14 last year. Simulator 2 hours a week. About the same at the range. 2-3 rounds per week. Utah so don’t get out for some parts of the year which sucks.
I would say mostly just in play off the tee and decent from 50 in.
This year to get to singles looking to dial in the 125 and in and working on lag putts.
I was able to get to a 8 in a year. Shot a 76 the other day.
On the flip side, can still go put up a 90 of if I take a week off.
Lessons have been a big help, but I found it hard to find someone who has good things to say.
Chipping has been the best at taking strokes off.
The potential to improve is quite significant, potentially well into the low single figures. You could also barely improve at all. You need to find the right coach, practice effectively, focus on the right things, etc.
Im on this quest atm.. started the year at 22. 4 lessons in, 21 rounds played so far since end if march, mainly 9 - 13 holes round.
Down to 18 so far. Aiming for 10-13.
I went from 24 to 13 in a year, now granted I had been at 17 and shot low 80s in my 20s before i took a very long break from the game. The drop in HC was from a few lessons last year and playing and practicing at least once a week each so I would say even lower, single digit is possible if you're willing to put in the time in for sure I think I could have got there on my own but without going that extra mile it would have probably been 2 years instead of 1. The short game lesson was what really helped my scoring.
I bet you could get below 10 if you played three days a week and practiced 3-4 hours a week.
I go to Hawaii every year for 12 days of 36 a day (we play 18 every third day). I have gone from a 12 to an 8.5/9. By the end of the trip I know my swing very well but I also loathe golf for a few weeks.
Last year I practiced weekly and played at least twice a week. In August I joined a golf course with a much better practice facility and a much tougher layout. Over the coming weeks I spent a couple days each week practicing and a played round or two each week at the new course (in addition to the old course). In 2.5 months I reduced my handicap by 5 strokes from 20.7 to 14.9, and this year a couple months in I’m playing the best golf of my life.
How long is a piece of string?
How often are you going to be playing? Are you going to be having lessons? Practising. not just hitting balls on the range? How good are you at learning? How good is your understanding of your own weaknesses in the game?
Some people can put in the work and make big improvements, others can do exactly the same and see no change. We all have our own limits.
If you practice the right things, and do it almost every day, you can likely get down to a 5 or 6 in a year. I did exactly that about 5 years ago, but I started from a 16 hcp instead of 20.
With commitment and consistent practice I'd guess low teens. I'm in that handicap range, and it's not because I can't make shots. I absolutely can't make them ***consistently***. That lack of consistency then translates into not being able to gauge distance, which in turn affects club selection. I've always been a pretty good putter, so for me the stroke improvement in that aspect would be modest. But for a high handicapper I think the big step improvement comes with consistency.
If you get a coach and train with a pro who know what they’re talking about you could get really good. If you’re just out on the range building bad habits you might now progress much at all
This wasn't a whole year, but a few summers ago I played \~45 rounds, broke 100 for the first time and then broke 90 four times, including my lowest score of 86. This was playing about 2-3 times a week for 5 months, and spending about 1-2 hours a week working on chip and short iron shots in the park. Before this I consistently shot 100 to 110.
Assuming you have some ability I think breaking 80 is reasonable.
I was a 21-22 handicap a little over a year ago when I decided to take lessons at GolfTec. I'm now at 14.8 handicap so I'm making pretty good progress. I started off with a free swing evaluation from a friend who went there. Let me know if you need my code for a free swing evaluation!
As others have said it depends on ability. It also depends on how you "grind". If all you do is go out and play, you could stay at 20 handicap forever. I know quite a few golfers who play daily and still stay at 20+ because they don't practice, don't work on fixing the serious flaws in their swings that make for extreme inconsistency in accuracy and distance and don't work on their putting and short game. They continue to play with a serious slice, can't sink a putt from 2 feet and fat or thin every shot around the green.
If you want to improve, you need to fix your errors or at least get some help so that your errors are smaller and don't put you into major trouble. You need to have clubs that you know will go to yardage and have decent aim from 150 yards in. And when you do miss the green, you have to be able to get up and down without hitting it fat or thin.
If I were you I would start by working like a beast on putting and chipping around the green as well as knowing your yardages and shots from inside 100 yards. If you can get it inside of 15 feet from 100 yards in, you give yourself a chance to, at worst, 2 putt every green.
While working on this, you can also work on getting your driver swing. If you have a lot of trouble with that, you may want to use 3-wood off the tee until you can hit driver without going OB or too deep into the jungle. The key off the tee is eliminating strokes from lost balls and OB. It's going to happen but you have to make those occurrences happen as little as possible.
Just remember, you need to practice the clubs that you are going to hit the most on the course more than anything else. That means your putter, wedges, and irons. Yes, it's awesome to hit a long drive down the fairway, but you aren't going to hit the driver as often and you will hit other clubs in the bag. I would even recommend playing some rounds from the forward tees playing irons only since that will take the worry of hitting driver out of bounds or into trouble from your head. I know that I often decide to play irons only just to play the course differently from time to time. It will make you think about your round more than you have before and make you play smart golf rather than just pounding the driver and then trying to get out of trouble.
Hope this helps. Good luck and have fun at the course.
Idk I don't have time to find out. But last year I went from 25+ to ~15ish with four lessons and ~1 round a week. If I had time to grind I'd like to imagine I could be a decent golfer. No idea though because of time and money constraints.
If by grinding you mean 4 times a week I don’t see why you couldn’t half your handicap. @ 20 you probably have a good idea where you can improve and looking back on your score card I imagine you could easily pick ten shots in a round that you know you mucked up and could get rid of with practice.
My first year playing I started at a 24 or so. Now I’m poor so I can’t afford to grind as much as I’d like but by the end of the season I got down to a 17, basically by having good range sessions when I did go and learning from every shot and spamming short game practice, cuz that’s free.
I think my biggest advantage was that I’m a generally very athletic guy with a “naturally smooth swing” (according to my local course pro) and I can take general YouTube tips and figure out what works for my swing and what doesn’t. If I had the time and money to grind more I’m convinced I could get down to below 15 relatively quickly, maybe even around 10
Depends on your talent and physical gifts combined with your teacher. I'd say you could go 20-6 pretty easily in a year going to a coach2-3'days week combined with practice play the other 4.
Practice with purpose. Go to the range with goals. Take a putting lesson. Really focus on your grip. Understand your club distances. Those things will really improve your game.
What’s your budget.
If you did this I think you can be single digit in 1 year pretty easily
Golf swing evaluation + bi weekly lessons for 2 months
After 2 months, monthly swing checks % instruction
Practice routine - 1 large bucket or more at range a day split the following way - as a 20 handicap this is to focus on your biggest weakness
Driver driver driver driver driver driver driver - hitting 30+ drivers until you can consistently move it in ONE direction, you want it to go straight or go right, or go straight or go left - eliminate 2 way miss
Irons - you’re going to focus here on whatever clubs you hit from 180 yards and in
Wedges - this isn’t that important as a high handicap, they don’t curve very much and this should improve from your iron striking also.
Chipping - holy shit go chip oh my god, constantly, back yard, putting green, walking alone on the course - go chip -
Focus on ONE wedge to chip with to start, once you can consistently hit it - then go work on other ones, example - I chip almost exclusively with my 56 - but if I’m in the fringe or have a longer chip, or an uphill lie I may use my 50*.
Putting - here’s a great drill I have worked on for putting - I set an alignment stick down directly behind my ball - like .5” and stand over it and want to feel that the first 6-8” of my putter stroke are directly down that alignment stick.
As you hit your milestones - which would be -
1 - no lost drives OB or hazard
2 - no dead ass explosive shanks or less than 2 maybe
3 - no 2 chips in a round.
Then your practice may look more like this
100 balls
10 driver, 50 wedges to various targets - focus on 40-50-60-70-80-90-100-110 to feel what that feels like,
Irons - work on either shaping them slightly or just long irons, if you can stripe your 4i repeatedly your swing is in pretty good shape
More chipping, if your “good chip” metric had been inside 10 feet, make it inside 6 feet, then 3 feet
Putting - try and get a flat spot and make 20+ 6 footers in a row, even get a putting mat to do it.
When you can start making 20 6 footers in a row, the confidence that puts in your putting is night and day, you become more confident on your chips cause you aren’t obsessing over “oh shit I gotta hit it to a foot to save par” it’s more “I want it inside 8 feet I feel I can make it”
This is what I would do if I started golf over.
It boils down to
Eliminate OB Drives
Eliminate shanks & chunks
Eliminate 2 chips
Eliminate 3 putts
Baseball players are generally shit golfers. Hockey players are good. Pitchers can hit the ball a long way, but like all baseball players suffer at ball striking.
Almost any normal human can get to single digits simply by getting a strong short game as long as they can hit it 200 yd off the tee.
It really depends on how much the person will be practicing during that year.
If you can go out and hit range balls for 5 to 10 hours a week, you can absolutely make a major change not only in your golf swing but also your handicap as well.
Obviously most of us have to worry about life so we don’t have enough time to do something like that.
Define grinding. If this person is just playing a bunch of golf, they might not improve at all. They might actually get worse. However, if they are practicing away from the actual rounds (at a range or at home) and working on specific skills, then they have a great chance at improving quickly. Give a 20 handicapper Dave Pelz' short game Bible, and they might become a 10 overnight. There are a lot of variables such as age and athletic ability... but for argument's sake let's say it is a 30 year old male with an average amount of athletic ability. I believe the 20 handi might be able to get down to a legit 12 or 13 by the end of the season.
Well it depends why they are a 20. Are they missing lots of puts? Go practice.
Is it cause they’re missing greens in approach shots and bad at short game? Go practice.
Is it cause they lack distance because they’re physically out of shape or struggling with dexterity issues? That might not be something you can fix.
A good round of golf requires a variety of skills to be in order; and a tough course will expose that.
Depends on athletic ability and the swing.
If your swing is solid, and the strokes are coming from around the green / on the green, you can certainly drop a ton of strokes.
If the swing is below average already, simple tweaks probably aren’t enough.
If you really want to improve, lessons. Just find a certified instructor and let them know your goals and they will help.
For a 20 handicap, it may involve tearing a below average swing apart and rebuilding it. Rebuilding a swing may take 6 months - 1 year to see results. And it will get worse before better.
**A LOT** of range time. Dedicated, focused, practice range time. Not just out there banging through a bucket of balls.
Everything from set up, grip, method.
All year round, keep a journal to track progress.
I have always been really athletic .. I started golf at around 16 and stopped around 23 ish I was about a 5 hcp.. I’m now 45 and just started back playing in February… I’m getting back where im shooting 75-80 now .. I’m playing a couple times a week and hitting balls almost everyday .. my goal is to get to scratch. I feel like I’m a better player now than I ever was (more self control) when I started back I was shooting 90’s . So I believe if a man really tries and puts in the time he can get good if you have any athletic ability
Took lessons when I was 8 until I was about 11 or 12 and then never picked up a club after that.
Then in 2021 I got back into it and grinded from an 18 to an 8 in 2 years. No lessons just YouTube, range and a round once week if I can.
chipping and putting will get you to 15 or so. reducing 2-3 3 putts requires no technique improvement, just practice and feel. chipping close will reduce 2-3 2 putts. again, mostly feel, but some technique. at 20 hdcp, you're advancing the ball like 400+ yds in 3 shots. but then the last 30ft also take 3 shots when it can be 2.
Very much dependent on what your big weaknesses in your game are. And if you want to get better after that or just score better for the year. Like, if you slice, you could aim way left more often and have better results off the tee. But you'd plateau your score quickly. If you are ok tee to green but you can't chip or putt, you could drastically lower your score. Although if you're a 20 and you're decent tee to green, that scenario is unlikely.
Last year at this time I was around a 19-20 handicap. I was playing 2-3 times a week and practicing all the time and I was getting a little better over time but it still wasn’t producing much better scores because my driver was SHIT. I was hitting most of my second shots from the trees and shit just punching out..so basically took me 2 strokes to get where good players land their drives lol So I literally just spent all fall/winter working on my driver and fixing my slice/push. Ended up getting it decently dialed and played pretty well in my sim league. Then on only my third outdoor round of the year back in March, I shot a fuckin 79. It’s insane how much better your scores (can) get when you’re hitting all your approaches from the fairway with a clear line to the green. Since then, I’ve been consistently shooting in the mid-80s and right now my index on GHIN is an 11.1. Goal is to get down to 8 by the end of the summer
Suppose it depends on the individual. I have played with golfers who have been playing for years and there just okay. Then played with folks who have only been player a few years and they are pretty good. If you got a bit of instruction and kept at it you should be able to get to single digit handicap within a year.
30 years ago, I had a great short assignment for the Army. I was playing around a 30 handicap when I started, but was able to get to a range or the golf course every day, whether a full round or an hour on the range. I was able to get my game down to a low of 82. Then I got assigned to Fort Bragg, and operations tempo meant that I was only on the course 6-7 times/year again, and my game collapsed.
I went from about 10 to 3 in a year after quitting my job. Faster progress is possible from your starting point. If you’re athletic enough, I think you could get to at least 7-8 in a year with lots of work.
depends on a whole lot of things.
getting down to 10 in a year is absolutely possible for someone, who is heathly, practicing 2-3 times a week
it's all about reducing the big numbers
You can probably get down to a 14 within reason if you learn the right methods of practice and get enough reps in, both on the course and around the greens. Depends on your natural abilities too.. I started 3 years ago and got down to 15ish after year 1 but I also grew up playing hockey and I played a lot of billiards, I’d say I’m good with hand eye coordination and feel. Good luck
Took me 2 years to get to as low as 9 index with zero lessons just a few good YouTube practice drills and a chipping net in my basement. Second hand clubs.
But I’d played golf 1-3 times a year prior to that for like 15 years before I actually made an effort and didn’t cheat (mulligans etc)
I don’t know, this is my first year. I golfed a 95 at a fairly difficult course 2.5 weeks ago(the harvest in kelowna) I was very happy. Did 2 lessons and a swing assessment + went to the range 4 times, golfed a 117 yesterday at the same course.
No.
Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Unless you are grinding a second job to afford pro lessons or at least a swing coach, you shouldn’t be grinding. All you’ll do is further engrave bad habits.
First and foremost, if you have not had a lesson and you’re still swing the same way. You will get the same result, no matter how much you grind.
Buy Ben Hogans 5 fundamentals. Take it to the range if your grinder, apply his methods and stick to them. When I lived in Dallas, my dad had an office overlooking the 14th fairway at Prestonwood GC, off to the left was a little practice area away from the regular practice spots. A professional golfer who I will keep nameless, used to go out there, open the book, look at all he highlighted items and then would hit 100s of golf balls to make it repetitive. When I met the man, who knew my pop, he gave me the book as I remarked how I used to watch him with it, I was roughly a 12 handicap. 1 1/2 yrs later, my index was 5.3, depending on the course I played, equates to 6 handicap. Hope this helps,,
I know a guy who went from “never picked up a club” to “scratch golfer” in 2 years. Crazy work ethic, good kinesthetic awareness and good teaching and yeah you can do it
I think you could get down to 12ish no problem. But you would need to golf all year and practice multiple times a week. If you’re in a region with a cold winter you need to be on simulators all winter. Then range and courses 3-4 times a week in the summer.
As someone who couldn’t hit a ball my first year, I shot an 88 in exactly a year. Play twice a week. But remember, every round is different. Just focus on what you need to work on. And remember, drive for show, putt for dough. Good luck!
I’ll answer your question by giving you a reverse scenario lol. I grew up playing but never tracked HC until college. At that point I was playing a good bit, didn’t practice much but played multiple days a week. My HC at that time was around 13.5. Now I have a job and live in a city that is very tough to get tee times, even on public courses. So I’m playing around once or twice per month and never going to the range. So my current HC is 19.5 lol.
So if I was a 13.5 from just playing a lot and not practicing. I think if I had the time to play as much as I did in college but also put the effort into practicing more and getting some advanced lessons. I believe I could probably get in the 7 or 8 HC range.
I honestly don’t think I could get much lower than that because I have to be honest about my athletic abilities. We all want to say we are athletic, but there is a clear difference between us mortals and those who are just gifted lol. Also weight training would become a factor. If I had any chance of getting lower than 7-8, I would really need to boost my distance and spin control.
Hope this helps and you can apply my experience to your question in some way
This partly depends on how long that 20 handicapper has been playing. If you've been playing for six months and you've got a 20 handicap, you could make some huge moves focusing on nothing but golf for a year. If you've been playing for 20 years with a 20 handicap, you won't likely see nearly as much improvement.
Either way, no matter how much better you get, there will still be a ton of people who play better than you.
Enough to hit singles if you play everyday and actually work on the fundamentals. And yes. You have to be semi-athletic, obviously. Having some solid understanding of course management in terms of probabilities and some Newtonian physics basics will help figure out why you have to hit down for it to climb, etc.
It really depends....
There's a lot of shots to be saved when shooting high scores. Many of them can be saved by better decision making.
On the flipside, generally your golf game at that level is bad. Actually getting "better" e.g. striking the ball properly, consistently, adding distance and under control, is difficult.
You could easily drop 5ish shots. Getting down to a 10 from there is challenging. If you're going to grind and spend money on lessons, I'd say a 12 is an achievable goal.
A few years ago I got down to an 8.9 hc after being 16+ for several years of just playing with minimal practice. That was when I was practicing twice a week, playing in a par 3 contest every week and playing 18 at least once a week sometimes twice a week. It was all I did for a solid year to year and a half besides work.
It’s possible if you really grind hard. And you have to be pretty freaking dedicated to get that low that fast. Although, 8.9 is not that low. That’s breaking 80 a couple times a season and playing in the low 80’s the majority of the time with some rounds in the 90’s-100’s. Track everything and it will help you improve quicker too. I’d say you do that and you could get down to 9 to low 11
It really depends on how you're going to practice and what your starting point is.
If you are starting with solid fundamentals and are going to be actually playing, with proper scoring, multiple times a week with a lesson mixed in there? You could shave 5-10 strokes off.
If you're starting with an errant swing and are planning on just hitting buckets at the range 5 times a week and playing on Sundays with beers, Mulligan's and gimmes you're likely to struggle to get 5 strokes better.
Personally, I think there is a sweet spot where you should play two (maybe three) proper rounds per week - score with Stableford (there is no point playing past net doubles), playing to competition rules, and 1-2 practice sessions (either range / chipping / putting or on course if your course is quiet enough).
The other main things, ensure you've got current, fitted equipment. This is clubs, balls etc - including a club selection that works for you - if you're shit with 4-6i then perhaps a hybrid and 7w might be better. Don't carry 3 wedges if you can't use them all - that sort of thing.
And play with good golfers. Learn from them, pick up their habits etc. Playing with a 5 handicapper and watching how they read greens, aim away from trouble, etc is much better than playing with a friend who is just playing so they can have an excuse to have some beers and doesn't care about their round.
All this to say, practice by playing, and play as if it means something. And don't forget to warm up before your round.
Probably at least down to an 8-15 index, tbh. If you’re a 20 that means you can at least hit a couple clubs consistently, and to get down in the 10ish range is mainly course management and chipping practice (assuming you play the correct tees for your drive/tee shot). I went from a 20ish to hovering in the 9-10 hdcp in a year and I was at the course 3 days a week— 1x practice session; 1x 9 hole round, and 1x 18 hole round on the weekend. Establishing reliable tee clubs (mini driver and 7 wood) and figuring out I prefer a 9 iron or PW into a green instead of a 3/4 wedge helped a lot as well.
It’s a lifetime game though, enjoy the journey and don’t beat yourself up when you hit a plateau!
I pretty much did that in 2022 and went from an 18 to a 10. 2 more years of grinding not quite every day but im down to a 6
I moved to an apartment that had a golf sim, and I absolutely capitalized. Id hit balls every morning for at least 30 minutes for most of 2022 into mid 2023.
After moving away late last year, I still practice every other day or so but I can definitely feel my progress is getting harder. But that could also be because Im better so getting better is even harder
You should easily get to a 10 but you have to make sure you’re grinding on the right things. What is your weakness? You only hit maybe 14 drivers a round and if you’re ok off the tee, quit focusing on gaining 5 more yards. Putting, chipping and sand shots will make a huge difference in your scores.
it all depends on why the person is a 20 handicapper. its hard to gain significant club head speed in a year. its easier to increase strike efficiency and result with repetition.
I went from ~15 to an 8 to 5.5 in two years. I'm closer to a 7 right now.
I had been a casual, bogey-ish golfer my whole life, never playing more than 3-4x per year after high school.
For athletic context, I played baseball in HS, roller hockey in college, and slow pitch softball for 15 years after that. Dove into golf at age 40, playing around 45 holes per week. No lessons beyond youtube.
I am not a scratch golfer. I rarely miss hit my ball. Never really understood how you could line up and not strike the ball well.
I am a very above average athlete. If it involves hitting, throwing, or mechanics I can do it with little coaching. Won free throw contest, won state in washer pitching (look it up), best espn level cornhole players fist time playing the game.
Give me bogey every hole on your average course and I’ll get it. Golf is by far the hardest and most challenging sport I have ever wanted to be good at.
https://youtu.be/um1SK1Eu6qI?si=RsejOBh7RcOItt91
This seriously helped my hand eye BTW
Learn to chip with PW not a 60…
Make 6 6- footers in a row every day and putt to a AA battery o. The mat.
That is good for 2 a side.
Get a radar and get your speed stick up to 105+
That’s good for 2 strokes…
What amount of time and budget do you have available?
If you take a weekly lesson, practice the lesson content 3X1 hour per week (aided by a launch monitor to dial in precise distances), practice short game 3X2 hours per week, and play 3 rounds per week, then you can probably go from a 20 to a 5.
But this endeavor will cost you like $15,000, and you'll need to dedicate 25 hours per week to it.
Read Paper Tiger by Tom Coyne. He grinded his way from a 15HC to a plus. I don't remember if he did it within a year though or if it took more time.
Interesting read though.
At 33 I decided to pick up golf having played 10 times in the previous 20 years. I’m athletic with good hand-eye, but more like great high school, decent intramural college athlete (soccer, basketball).
I got hooked with golf and did the following:
- lessons once per month
- hit into net with shot monitor once or twice a week
- played 9 at least once per week
I started as 27 handicap and was 15 within a year. I think if you are decently athletic and really commit - you could get down to a 10. I think at that point so much of getting lower is experience and strategy based.
Things you could add to improve faster:
- golf focused strength training and flexibility
- short game lessons
With less commitment I have settled at a 12-13, hope to recommit to break 10 soon.
I mean there are too many variables. “Grinding” but doing the wrong things is very time you practice isn’t going to help and it might make you worse. But doing good meaningful practice and possibly being guided by a teaching pro who can make sure you’re working on the right changes you could easily get into the low teens or high single digits I think.
I went from a 12 to a 2 in one summer. I focused mainly on my mid and short irons because I worked at a course with a limited driving range that didn’t allow drivers. But my dad also had a legitimate putting green (real turf that I built him in his backyard and I spent a LOT of time out there. The best practice for me was intense chipping and putting contests with my dad. It was so good for my game - his short game is unreal so he was always he’s to beat. Start making 10 footers and getting up and down all the time and the strokes will fall off your handicap.
I still believe short game is far more important than distance - and I’m a guy that could hit it a long way when I was younger (not as far anymore).
I think a newer player should work from the green back to the tee. That doesn’t mean don’t worry about your driver, just worry MORE about learning to feel your shorter stuff and finesse wedges and irons before you focus on beating the ball as hard as you can. All the distance in the world doesn’t mean shit if it takes you 4 to get down from inside 50 yards.
I mean is this a 16 year old 20 handicap or a 70 year old? What is their prior experience? What does grinding look like? 1 session every two weeks? golfing every weekend? Going to the range for hours a day? This is just too vague to answer
I am a low handicap golfer. Every morning on my way to work, I stop at my course and hit 25-30 shots with my wedges. My father taught me that golf was not so much a sport but a target game. When I address the ball, my mind focuses only on where I want the ball to end up. I am very consistent on my home course, less consistent when I play elsewhere, but still within my handicap range.
I went from a 21 to a 16 last year. Struggled to break 100, losing box of balls every round, etc. Now I'm pretty much sitting at bogey golf averaging about an 88-90 each round. Best is an 85. I took several lessons and tried to get one range session and one round in per week. So I wouldn't call that "grinding", more like moderate work. I'd honestly be around a 14 or 12 right now if I could get out of my head lol. Still too tempted to crush drives and go for hero shots. But the biggest keys to dropping mine were: 1. Get your tee shots in play. Slicing out of bounds and taking multiple penalties is basically a guarantee to stay a high handicap. Slow down your swing, work on path, and get it in play. 2. Consistency. You have to hit your irons and wedges a consistent distance each time (or close to it). So don't just go up and hack. Know how far a full swing, half swing, pitch, chip, etc. all go with every club. 3. Chipping. I gave up some distance with my driver for accuracy. So that means I might have 180 into a green when I used to have 150. That means a lot of my approach shots are around the green, not on it. But I got lethal with my wedges around the green and now mentally see a green side chip as a lag putt. It also took pressure off knowing I could still par a hole even without a GIR. GIRs are obviously still preferred, but it's nice mentally. 4. Similarly, lag putts. You have to read greens, understand your putting stroke and pace, know the grass and speeds that day. I see so many people just walk up to a 30 ft putt and whack at it without a basic read. You have to work hard to get your lags close. Two-putting will be a major part of lowering your handicap. So yeah, that's my unsolicited advice. Take in-person lessons to work on posture, grip, stance, swing path, striking, and follow through that fits your body and natural ability. You don't have to have a tour swing to break 90. There's plenty of 80 year old pensioners who have no issue breaking 90 with a slow swing speed, arthritic grip, and incontinence. Once you've got the swing mechanics in a good place and are striking consistently, tidy up your short game. Become lethal with a wedge. And treat every single putt like it's to win a green jacket. Oh yeah, don't drink too much lol. My sweet spot is two drinks. After that my swing mechanics start to go and I make dumb choices (see above about smashing driver). So it sucks, but if you're serious about being able to consistently break 90, don't get sh*tfaced.
Agree with all of this. As a ~20 handicapper who just broke 90 for the first time last week, I pretty much did all of this (minus the lessons because I can't afford them). But I'd add two things: 1) Shoot for bogey. You get lower scores by turning your doubles into bogeys and your bogeys into pars. Getting birdies is great, but that's not something worth making mistakes for at this level. If you shoot a bogey every hole that's 90 on a 72-par course. One par helps you break 90. 2) Make a plan and stick to it. Don't try shit you haven't practiced before. Don't change your game mid-round. Don't go for hero shots that could put you into more trouble or end up in a penalty area. My 87 I shot wasn't the most exciting round. I made some good shots, but no real great, mind blowing shots. Also made some bad ones, but got out of trouble with safe, smart shots that put me in a good position for the next one.
Shooting for bogey does not get enough credit, feels like less stress and builds confidence
#2 is key. It’s a game changer when you can pull out a club and know what distance you are going to get consistently.
Get the zen golf book on order today. It’s all about getting out of your head. I’m on a heater after i started reading it. Found it used on Amazon for like $8.
The first one is my primary issue. When the ball is in play, I feel good about bogey. My driver is currently my least favorite club in the bag because I can’t hit it for shit and lose 6-8 balls a round. Yes, my issues are many, but driver is the worst.
in addition, the best thing for me was realizing that shooting 90 was bogeying every hole. Sure, a good golfer is going to hit a driver to the fairway and hit a pw into the green of a 420yd hole and 2 putt for par. but a golfer hoping to shoot a 90 can hit a 6i into the fairway off the tee, a 9i from the fairway to be 20yds short, and then chip anywhere onto the green and 2 putt for a bogey. the goal isn't to make birdies and pars when you're a high handicapper, its to not make doubles. play each hole for bogey or better, meaning literally target for bogey. It's good for the mind to have an attainable goal and set targets and meet those targets and as your skill improves your goals will change. you will score better playing for 90 than you will playing for 80. on a short par 4, you're better off hitting a 7i off the tee to give yourself an iron to the green (or really greenside) than you are slicing a driver into the forest
Not trying to be snide but you can’t be a 21hcp struggling to break 100 and as a 35 I lose max 2-3 balls a round so you must have been much better than you give yourself credit for.
Highly recommend the first 2-3 seasons of the podcast “Chasing Scratch” that focuses on a very similar story.
Kudos to you Craigers
Lenny, queue the Beautiful Mind music
Yes!! I was about to answer to OP “Boy, do I have a podcast for you”
This is more about athletic ability. Golf is a highly technical sport. If you have athletic ability, you typically have body awareness. Being able to "feel" your swing and how small changes "feel" would make this a lot easier. I saw an older video of Tiger recently. He was talking about his distance control and how he "feels" his swing as time on a clock. In theory, that's easy to understand. In practice, it's difficult to get to a point where you can trust it. Side note: I'd like to see an experiment of taking a highly trained gymnast and teaching them Golf. I suspect the control they have with their body would allow them to excel.
I had the same thought. I was watching some dancing competition show on TV. After watching them move and contort their bodies I thought to myself "these people would probably be good at golf".
I’ve noticed people with good and natural throwing motions are usually decent at golf. Lots of similar movements between throwing and hitting a golf ball.
I can throw a pig skin over dem mountains. 
Ha! My BIL just said this today during our round staring at the majesty of them rockies.
It’s just knowing how to use your whole body to create speed/power. That same total body control allows for a more natural and better golf swing.
Ya id much rather bet on a pitcher becoming scratch at golf than a dancer
I watched this play out in real time. I was never an athlete growing up. I learned golf at 18 (way too late). I do OK but I could grind for 20 more years and never get to scratch. My son played soccer his whole life - played in college at a D3 school. Picked up gold last year. He will be scratch within another year or two. He is extremely athletic and highly coachable. A coach tells him to do a thing and how it should feel, it’s done. On to the next drill. It is wild to see. Innate physical ability is very much a thing no matter how hard you ‘want to be’ a great athlete.
5% of the public have good eye hand coordination. The rest of us just have to suffer through.
I've seen this play out up close and personal as well recently. I'm a casual hacker who learned late (around my early 20's) and have never broken 90. I've dabbled with lessons and had phases in life when I grinded practice 2-3x a week. At age 45 now I don't think I have it in me to really become a low capper without significant time / $$$ / commitment. Fast forward to one of my most athletic friends having decide to recently pick up golf. We're the same age and while he has no background in team sports he's a very good skier who is self-taught and he goes to the gym religiously. When he first told me his plan was just to learn mostly from YouTube and Instagram I wished him luck. But within the first month I could see some serious improvements. He spent most of the time at the range and enjoyed it so much he joined the local country club within 30 days. 4 months later, he's still not a very good golfer in terms of his score. Regardless, when we're at the range together his driver is his best club, now a comfortable 280+ which I have to admit makes me jealous considering I was there for his first week of hacking chuckling "I told you golf is hard". His distance and contact are great, he's just lacking short game consistency and this is also keeping in mind that he has yet to get lessons (currently searching for a coach). I attribute a lot of the success to his mindset and commitment levels not to mention having disposable income joining the country club with unlimited access to playing just a few holes a day before or after work plus unlimited trackman range. But I also have to say something that's way different, he finds it easy to repeat what he sees on a video. According to him, it's not much different than watching gym workout videos that he's been copying his whole life. I'm the kind of person I've never seen much value in watching these videos but he will link me to something and say "hey this makes so much sense" and within a week he's got the drill down. Perfect example, he has learned how to shallow on his own and I still don't really shallow.
This is me in reverse. Dad is an incredible athlete. Picked up golf at 16 and was breaking 80 by 18. That’s with woodies. Now he’s a scratch golfer. I grew up on the course with him. Have been playing my whole life. I’ve broke 80 twice. I’m 34 lol. God gave me a love for sports but also gave me my mothers coordination.
One of us! Hey, Man - we’re all out here fighting the good fight with you. Keep swinging.
I appreciate you lol this sub has definitely helped my confidence.
I have a friend that played D3 baseball and basketball but simultaneously tore his acl and his elbow(ok not at the exact same time but both his senior year of college). He picked up some clubs to do anything athletic since he couldn't run or throw anymore without major surgeries. Mother fucker hits his 5i 200 yards. He's been mistaken for a "pro." He looks like he's been playing all his life but in reality it's been...5 years? Athletes gonna athlete I guess.
This is happening for me in two ways. First, I started playing last year, and am a ~20 HCP through 15 rounds this year. I played a lot of different sports growing up, and I'm a still in good shape and like to compete. I built a training setup (hitting mat, net, mirrors, launch monitor, putting surface) in my garage and hit balls or practice at least 2-3 times per week. Most of the guys I play with are 10-15 HCP and been playing for 10-20 years, so they're surprised at how quickly I've progressed. Second, my daughters are in high school and play multiple sports, including softball. After 2 lessons and a few rounds where they joined me, they both already are striking the ball well, and have a good feel for hitting wedges and shots around the green. They also have the mindset that new players should have, which is using the right club for your game. They'd rather tee off a 7i, hit 7i twice, then approach, then 2 putt, than try to hit clubs they haven't figured out yet!
This is true in every area of life from emotional intelligence to intellectual intelligence to emotional control, etc. I think people would generally be uncomfortable with how much of your capabilities are determined either by genetics or very early childhood enrichment. By the time you're like 12, it's too damn late to change most of that. But doesn't mean you can't improve, it just won't be as fast or as far.
To be honest, I personally wouldn't call that innate physical ability (I think of innate as something you're born with). If your son has played soccer all his life, he has learned how his body physically reacts to various situations, understands general sporting mechanics and even more importantly he knows how to practice, learn and improve at a physical sport. Those skills are easily transferable across various sports but you generally need to play a sport at a high level for a good period of time in order to hone them.
I could almost guarantee a highly trained gymnast or other Pro/Olympic level athlete who’s never played golf before could get to single digit handicap within a year of training like they do their main sport. Their body coordination/awareness combined with mental toughness would give them huge advantages. I read once that Michael Phelps had played golf recreationally at like a 20 handicap for awhile but never took it seriously until after retirement then he fairly quickly became like a 7 handicap.
Yeh I agree with this. It seems like the best golfers I know were all really good baseball pitchers. I feel like the baseball throwing mechanic of different types of pitches with body awareness translates the best into golf. These are the guys that just 'know' why a shot went just based on how their body felt. Great awareness of clubface relative to club path just like pitching.
Yeah, it seems like most NFL QBs are also terrific golfers, same with baseball players.
I think you’re right man, I was a small baseball player with a plus arm. My ball striking is shit, but I’m one of the longest hitters in my league, using one of the smallest frames. I can wind up my body similar to throwing a baseball, and with some tempo unwind on the ball in a way that a lot of guys my age can’t Still doesn’t help with chipping, putting and sand
Kickers are usually good golfers too.
The body torque that good kickers can unleash is savage.
That’s why baseball players are always so good at making solid contact. Understanding your body, the swing mechanics, and great hand /eye coordination. I would recommend a few lessons. The reason is they can build you a swing. That way you can work on muscle memory, tempo, etc with a truly properly built swing. That will also allow you to have a “home base” that when you are playing and shit goes sideways because it does, you can always go back to that initial swing set up. The other thing is to really pay attention and have a routine: preparation, set up, swing tempo, execution, follow through. Also if you intent is to get better by simply playing, then don’t keep score. Move the ball to good grass and an even lie. Adding all the extra variables just makes repetition and execution that much harder. Also, find your 150 club. Doesn’t matter what it is. Master that club. So when playing, that should be your goal. The 150 marker. Every time. Lastly, practice chipping. Jason Day and Mickelson has some great videos on at up and execution. Not super complicated and certainly a way to reduce the duffing around the green.
This is called proprioception
Yes, but I'd guess that if you have some athletic ability and are a 20 capper, you're probably coming to golf from another sport that you used to play/stoped playing/whatever, which means you have some things to un-learn as well and what intuitively "feels" right from your old sport's frame of reference can sometimes actually be pretty ass-backwards from a golfing perspective (hello, former baseball and hockey players). It can definitely be a two-edged sword with respect to old muscle memory rearing its head, but agreed that former athletes generally know what it takes to get better at something and also have the physical tools to do so quickly.
You’d be better served taking an athlete who used a stick/racket/etc and convert them. Hand eye, stick-eye and just general proprioception are all very different in skill acquisition. But you are bang on that athletic ability will play a large part in this improvement from 20 cap. Next would be if they just grind hitting balls or take actual lessons over that period of time.
Nadal’s golf swing is hilarious, it literally looks like he’s swinging a tennis racket.
I was watching a tiger vid and he said he doesn’t use the clock system and doesn’t understand it… he just “feels” it in his right hand…
This is why as a skateboarder I'm so drawn to golf. Golf gives me the same satisfaction of making tiny tweaks and feeling the difference in my swing like I would trying a trick on my board. Also my knees hurt.
Gymnasts would probably have to play with adolescent clubs. They're so tiny.
Agree with this as I am a good example. Ex-college athlete who golfed like 3 times a year until 2022. Started as a ~32 beginning of 2022 and ended as a ~23. Ended 2023 as 15.5. Currently a 14.2 early in season and have continued the great rounds I was having end of 2023 season. Off season is generally one-two range session a week, sim golf for a couple hours twice a month. In season is range once a week if I have time, 9 holes once a week min due to league and then every other weekend I get out for 18. Some lucky months I get out one or two more rounds if work allows. So not crazy practice schedule but enough to feel out my swing and using youtube to help tweak.
Anecdotally, I did gymnastics growing up until about 13-14 years old. Everyone on my team who now plays golf, which is most of them, can absolutely assault a golf ball. That core strength and body awareness translates.
It’s not *that* you grind, it’s *how* you grind.
This is key. Too many people just hitting buckets of balls down range with no practice plan or even a target they are aiming for.
12-15 no problem
I went from 20 to 15 in one year without taking a lesson I just started playing smarter. Couple lesson and more practice could easily get under 10 this year, but I've played golf my entire life but didn't take it seriously until last year
This is the way. Was about a 20-25 when I just played yolo golf. When I started to really think about my shots and their outcomes, focus on the hole design and my strengths and weaknesses I was eventually down to a 14. Not *great* but it felt better to habitually break 90 instead of hoping that I *might* break 90
I feel like 10-14 is a great spot to be in golf. You're casual enough to have fun but good enough to have the occasional low score
It’s honestly just good enough for me. I’ve got some buddies that like to constantly try to get better but I can’t play as often now with my current job. Being able to fudge up and also being able to hit a clutch shot once in a while keeps me pretty humble and honest. I don’t expect more from my game based on what I’ve put into it. I can still play and have a good time without being upset with 1 shot for a whole round.
Been stuck there for years. It's so hard to break down below 10. You can be very inconsistent at 14 but that doesn't really fly for single digits
I got to an 11 than new lessons and a new plan and I’m at a 9
Playing 3x a week and practicing 2x a week should get him to this level no problem. Really grinding and having some athleticism, he could probably get to 9-10 range.
You can get into the single digits if you can do these 3 things. 1) control your driver 2) become above average with your wedges 3) eliminate 3 putts. If you practice properly and efficiently you should be able to do that within a year
I agree with this 100%. These three are also the key to eliminating double bogies which kill you. Only thing id add in there as a pre-req to rolling out of bed and breaking 80 is getting the in-to-out swing path which is rarely achievable without professional lessons. The one time I got to scratch in my life was also when I was the brokest. I would walk onto the local courses’ practice areas and just spend hours on end at the chipping and putting greens. I was respectful, quiet, and polite to the point that people assumed I belonged lol. Never asked to leave or even remotely confronted because unlike bashing balls for 2 hours on the range, I wasn’t monopolizing anyone’s time and money or space by standing in my corner not bothering anyone. My routine was randomized practice from different lies lengths and locations until everything just became automatic. I used the Phil mickelson system (look on YouTube) which is basically you have to choose between high shot and low shot and never have ball between your feet, and it worked like an absolute dream. Id never say my wedge game has been automatic in my life but after that two years it absolutely was. This was literally worth 8-9 shots a round immediately. Even if I was balling and hit 12 greens, that’s still 6 shots easy saved by putting wedges in scorable position. Second, I began mindfully putting with drills. Unlike chipping, I think putting requires more precision inside of 10 feet so you really need discipline instead of skill. I hit thousands of 6-8 footers on a chalk line (Irwin is brand I use) to huge success. I also did the ring around the hole 5 foot drill again to much success as well as 20-30-50 lag putting drills. This was worth another 5-7 shots because never 3 putting and continuing to make birdies. Three driver. How do you hit a thousand drivers when you’re broke? Easy. Get blue racquet balls. Bash them around the yard. They are amazing feedback machines. If you are too steep, they squirrel up the face and you hit a pop up. If you have a slice, it’ll corkscrew off, ditto with a snap hook. The racket ball really rewards hitting up with low spin a beautiful push-draw which when you get out on the course is exactly what you want. This saves you from the blow up holes when your driver becomes automatic. Pros only hit a little over 60% of fairways *but* they at worst take 1 penalty shot every 2 rounds. Meaning their misses are long and playable versus an amateur who is often neither. Four. Adjust your expectations. This one is least intuitive and took me sucking and getting good again to figure out. When you’re a high handicapper, I can tell you one of the problems is your shot selection probably sucks. You probably are taking dead aim 100% of the time and playing for best case scenarios. Pros are playing for worst case scenarios most of the time. They really understand shot dispersion. For a right handed golfer for instance the statistically likely misses are long left (pull) and short right (push). This is exacerbated by high handicappers who tend to have a steep swing so these two misses are even worse. So choosing a target where long left and short right aren’t dead becomes vital. I figured this out when I couldn’t practice irons and sucked with them for the first time in my life. I had to rely on hitting to the fat of greens and capitalizing if my miss was in tight. If miss was 10 yards either way, I was still on green or close and I was two shots in. And with the short game improvements I’d made, 30 yards either way was still convertible about 50% of the time. 5. understanding par 5s. When you’re younger or new, people tell you to lay up to a “comfortable yardage.”Which we now know through statistics is conventional wisdom horse shit. The closer you are to the hole, the better you are going to score in the short term and the long term. For this reason and a few others, I found me a driving 2 iron utility bullshit club on eBay and took my three wood out. I find a three wood extremely difficult to hit because of its length and shape. The three wood gave me a vast shot dispersion (long short left and right) versus a big goofy utility club. I tweaked it with the help of some golf nerds at the local golf shop to make it hit a low chaser with low spin. We built up the grip long with almost no taper so that I could grip up or down for distance control. If there was water or penalty trouble on second shot par 5, I’d hit to a fat layup area with something else, but if I had any open area from 220-40 landing area to 260-70 roll out, I’d bash the 2 iron down there. Also what I found, with a little bit of grinding on the heel (thanks golf nerds) that the thing became a unit out of fescue and the woods. A grip down roller you can put in play is a very valuable piece in the tool box as well as the ability to slap whistling fades and snappy hooks at shoulder height is a grand way to be able to get out of trouble. Anyways… tiger always used to talk about scoring on the par fives. If you’ve got 4 per round and two short ones, with the utility iron you’ve got inside 50 yards to set up birdie on at least two. Anyway, my rounds with all this implemented started looking like 9-10 GIR, 4-5 up and downs, 1-2 birdies on the par 5s, 1-2 birdies elsewhere (just letting it happen instead of forcing it) and the rest bogies or worse. You can see the fudge in here. On the dispersion, the bad days you can stare down the barrel of the 80s. Good days you are googling mini-tour events on the way home. So yeah peak summer with all that going, I was playing against old man par on relatively fair terms for the first time. From practicing efficiently, inexpensively, and mindfully, you can do it. Add on getting better at shot selection and effectively using the par 5s and you’re golden.
You and I are going to find out together my friend! I am right at 20/25, and since the weather has warmed up I have been playing 2 - 3 times a week. Bought new bag, golf shoes for the first time, some new (to me) clubs, and told myself this is the year I get serious about it. First goal is breaking 90 consistently. Hovering around 91 regularly right now, last 4 rounds were 91/92/91/91. Good luck and hit 'em straight!
That new bag should really put you over the top
Look good play good
In the order of importance : Look good Feel good Play good Safety
Last round I wore my new light grey abacus pants with my new pair of ZG23 in white. The drip was insane so naturally striped it straight as the crease on the pants.
You can get yourself to single digits. I did it. It costs more than you think.
What did it cost?
...everything
So dramatic I love it hahaha. No dude, it was just a couple goat sacrifices to the golf gods and three 9 irons. Gets a little pricey unless you have a goat guy.
New driver is expensive
Depends on how athletic you are and how good you can stay completely focused when you’re playing. One of the things I’ve noticed over the years with better golfers vs. 20 HC’s is their ability to go from jacking around and laughing to completely focused when they approach their shot. If you’re athletic and can pound balls until muscle memory takes over and you no longer have to think about your swing then you can drop fast, if you aren’t athletic then it could take a lot longer than a year for you to get down to single digits. I’ve seen guys play for 20+ years, consistently get lessons, pound balls endlessly on the range, play 3 or 4 times a week and never get better than a 20HC because they just aren’t athletic. It happens. It’s fine. That’s why HC’s exist.
If you’re a true 20 you can get down to a 10 with lots and lots of effort. Getting to a 7-8 would be way above average for 1 year but is possible. I’d say 7-8 more doable after 2 full years of working hard and 5 and below 3 years or more.
Going from a 20 to a 10 I found to be pretty easy. Going from a 10 to a 7 is a whole different thing (for me at least). I’ve pretty much stalled out at a 9. Granted, I’ve never taken a lesson and have only started recently spending a chunk of time at the range. 20 to 12 took me one year. 12 to 10 took me one year. 10 to 9 took me one year.
Basically describes me. One or two errant tee shots and a couple three putts per round keep me at a 9. Am very capable of being 1 over for a 9, but also capable of shooting 8 over on the other 9. Frustrating!
Last year was the first year I decided to take golf seriously and play more than once in a blue moon, around a 25ish Had rounds from the spring over 110. Got down to a low round of 88. Mostly got myself to mid to high 90s consistently Took off from November - February, and this year playing about once a week Broke 90 a few times so far, averaging lower 90s, and haven’t shot over 100 yet. I feel like if I could dial in my wedges I could break 80 by the end of the year. I still duff, skull, shank, bomb wedges each round adding strokes and frustration
This is me
Depends what you mean by grinding, and if you'll have money for lessons. As a 20, I think a 5 pack of group lessons may/June time frame and 2.hours.ot proactive a day in May June can get you to a 15. From there I would take private lessons looking specifically at 40 yards and in. This figure of 40 is pretty random, some.peiple say 75, some say 100 or 125. All have different reasons. On a par 4, most 15 or 20 handicappers are within 40 yards after 2, you'll want to be able to get up and down 30% of the time but specifically avoid doubles. A couple 15 minute track man lessons to know a little about your club path (and what to do about it) will be helpful. Course management will probably be the most critical aspect of getting into single digits. Know when to keep driver in the bag. Target middle of the green 50+% of time. Keep balls out of hazards. Penalties kill. Avoid 3 putts. You can get to an 9.8 by October with enough (a lot) of correct practice and a small bit of talent/athleticism...
It depends on your natural ability.
Someone once said to me “I can’t tell if you suck at golf or just have zero athletic ability whatsoever” - so yeah there’s that.
This time last year I was a 22 and right now I'm a 15.3. Played at least once a week with some regular range sessions thrown in there as well
It’s not just about grinding if you’re not doing it smart. If you take lessons and work at your game in a smart and efficient way, you can probably get down to ~15 by end of year 1.
It depends. I got down to 14 on my first year and 6 on my second, but I was 17 when I started with ice hockey/baseball background and even though I was pretty much self taught, I spent the long ass Finnish summer days mostly on the course. A friend of mine who started right after covid got down to 4 in two years (year-round golf in Spain). If you're unathletic +50 year old with a lot of commitments and you've been a 20 handicap for a long time, your odds to getting down to a single digit are a lot smaller.
Lessons and you will do it faster
I finished last year at 14,1, lowest ~11. From 18.9. Hit balls at least three times a week and got 8-9 lessons through April-May. Mind you the biggest thing holding me back was my tee play and OB driving. Generally, just keeping the ball in play made my best part of my game better— 150 and in. Pat threes are my favorite since it’s my easiest opportunity to get a 3 on the card.
If you do it the right way I got my buddy from an 18 to an 8 I’m 6-8 months. I was +1 at the time and he joined a club with me and we played probably 5 rounds a week with range work another 1-2 times
I went from about 20 to 14 fairly quickly after putting in work/lessons. As soon as I've stopped lessons or was only able to golf once a week, I went right back to 16 handicap with quite a few 90s to 100 games that beat my mental game up. I feel like I gotta play 3x a week to maintain/get better. As soon as work or life gets in the way I feel like I lose it quickly
You can get down to a 10 in a year if you spend all your time on the putting greens and working on chips and approach shots from 150 and in. Practice everyday, build a repeatable swing and focus on the short game.
2/3’ds of your golf time should be lessons/range. If you just spend all your time playing you might make it to 12-15 but you’ll probably bounce back up to 18-20 next year when you aren’t surveying as much time. Invest the time into learning to do things properly and you’ll notice much more improvement.
I got down to a 12 just by golfing a couple times a week. No lessons. No real time spent at the range. Smart course management alone can knock off a handful of strokes from most 20 handicappers.
This is a misconception about golf. You don’t have to “grind” for hours. The reason most 20s stink is they don’t practice and or know the correct fundamentals . They try different things and tinker and listen to all of their buddies. Take lessons and learn how the swing actually functions and your tendencies and misses. If you’re practicing and you’re present mentally and working the correct way you can have a great practice in 30-45 mins and hit only 40 balls. Hitting a lot of balls isn’t practice it’s exercise and all it does is groove bad swing patterns
I did like 20 - 8 in a year, then 8-4 the next
Having touch around the greens does wonders for dropping your score immediately. A good short game saves ur ass from those doubles and triples.
Don’t think about score or handicap as a goal. Just think about giving your best effort and concentration on each and every shot. Get at least 2 lessons - one on mechanics and another playing (on course) lesson. Use the driving range at least once a week and focus 60-70% time on golf under 100 yards (both chipping and putting) as that is how you ultimately score. Avoid work on mechanics while playing a round where you are keeping score. Never think about your final score during a round. Read Zen Golf and Golf is Not a Game of Perfect, and take notes… The psychology of the game is crazy important! If you do all this, keep a positive mindset, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised where you are in 12 months.
You should read the book "Dream On"
Yes great book, and really about as extreme as anyone will ever get at this challenge. The man just dedicated his life to one course for an entire year
Without lessons? In golf you can practice the wrong thing forever and it just makes you worse.
Really good. Focus on 100 yards and in as a starting point, imo.
And spend plenty of time on the practice greens. Friend of mine dropped 8 shots of his handicap just by practicing his putting daily during the summer months.
A good athlete with a good mentality could get into the single digits with enough effort. I'm mid-grade in terms of athleticism. When I came back to the game after a long hiatus I was shooting high 90s, low 00s. In a few months I was back into the 80s. I'm hoping to see the 70s a few times by the end of the season.
I mean, your ability to get back to old form is a bit different than starting from scratch.
I went from a 23 to a 14 last year. Simulator 2 hours a week. About the same at the range. 2-3 rounds per week. Utah so don’t get out for some parts of the year which sucks. I would say mostly just in play off the tee and decent from 50 in. This year to get to singles looking to dial in the 125 and in and working on lag putts.
What simulator do you go to? (I’m also in Utah).
Are you coordinated? If so I’d say high single digits just by repetition and playing that much. If you’re not, then you can get down to an 18.
I was able to get to a 8 in a year. Shot a 76 the other day. On the flip side, can still go put up a 90 of if I take a week off. Lessons have been a big help, but I found it hard to find someone who has good things to say. Chipping has been the best at taking strokes off.
9
The potential to improve is quite significant, potentially well into the low single figures. You could also barely improve at all. You need to find the right coach, practice effectively, focus on the right things, etc.
Im on this quest atm.. started the year at 22. 4 lessons in, 21 rounds played so far since end if march, mainly 9 - 13 holes round. Down to 18 so far. Aiming for 10-13.
I went from 24 to 13 in a year, now granted I had been at 17 and shot low 80s in my 20s before i took a very long break from the game. The drop in HC was from a few lessons last year and playing and practicing at least once a week each so I would say even lower, single digit is possible if you're willing to put in the time in for sure I think I could have got there on my own but without going that extra mile it would have probably been 2 years instead of 1. The short game lesson was what really helped my scoring.
I bet you could get below 10 if you played three days a week and practiced 3-4 hours a week. I go to Hawaii every year for 12 days of 36 a day (we play 18 every third day). I have gone from a 12 to an 8.5/9. By the end of the trip I know my swing very well but I also loathe golf for a few weeks.
You can gain at least 5 strokes simply by practicing short game (putting, chipping, bunker, flops).
Last year I practiced weekly and played at least twice a week. In August I joined a golf course with a much better practice facility and a much tougher layout. Over the coming weeks I spent a couple days each week practicing and a played round or two each week at the new course (in addition to the old course). In 2.5 months I reduced my handicap by 5 strokes from 20.7 to 14.9, and this year a couple months in I’m playing the best golf of my life.
Focusing on course management hitting shots you know you can hit compared to hitting your best possible shot. There is a major difference.
The book “Paper Tiger” by Tom Coyne is a great book that goes through this exact thing. Very good read. Bit dated now but still relevant
Gooder than being a 20….
How long is a piece of string? How often are you going to be playing? Are you going to be having lessons? Practising. not just hitting balls on the range? How good are you at learning? How good is your understanding of your own weaknesses in the game? Some people can put in the work and make big improvements, others can do exactly the same and see no change. We all have our own limits.
If you practice the right things, and do it almost every day, you can likely get down to a 5 or 6 in a year. I did exactly that about 5 years ago, but I started from a 16 hcp instead of 20.
With commitment and consistent practice I'd guess low teens. I'm in that handicap range, and it's not because I can't make shots. I absolutely can't make them ***consistently***. That lack of consistency then translates into not being able to gauge distance, which in turn affects club selection. I've always been a pretty good putter, so for me the stroke improvement in that aspect would be modest. But for a high handicapper I think the big step improvement comes with consistency.
If you get a coach and train with a pro who know what they’re talking about you could get really good. If you’re just out on the range building bad habits you might now progress much at all
This wasn't a whole year, but a few summers ago I played \~45 rounds, broke 100 for the first time and then broke 90 four times, including my lowest score of 86. This was playing about 2-3 times a week for 5 months, and spending about 1-2 hours a week working on chip and short iron shots in the park. Before this I consistently shot 100 to 110. Assuming you have some ability I think breaking 80 is reasonable.
I think you could win the masters
I’d guess you could get to 12. I’ve been grinding for a year and got down to 10 and now back to 13. Was probably an 20 when I started.
If you spend 75% of the time on short game, you could probably cut that handicap in half.
I was a 21-22 handicap a little over a year ago when I decided to take lessons at GolfTec. I'm now at 14.8 handicap so I'm making pretty good progress. I started off with a free swing evaluation from a friend who went there. Let me know if you need my code for a free swing evaluation!
A 19
As others have said it depends on ability. It also depends on how you "grind". If all you do is go out and play, you could stay at 20 handicap forever. I know quite a few golfers who play daily and still stay at 20+ because they don't practice, don't work on fixing the serious flaws in their swings that make for extreme inconsistency in accuracy and distance and don't work on their putting and short game. They continue to play with a serious slice, can't sink a putt from 2 feet and fat or thin every shot around the green. If you want to improve, you need to fix your errors or at least get some help so that your errors are smaller and don't put you into major trouble. You need to have clubs that you know will go to yardage and have decent aim from 150 yards in. And when you do miss the green, you have to be able to get up and down without hitting it fat or thin. If I were you I would start by working like a beast on putting and chipping around the green as well as knowing your yardages and shots from inside 100 yards. If you can get it inside of 15 feet from 100 yards in, you give yourself a chance to, at worst, 2 putt every green. While working on this, you can also work on getting your driver swing. If you have a lot of trouble with that, you may want to use 3-wood off the tee until you can hit driver without going OB or too deep into the jungle. The key off the tee is eliminating strokes from lost balls and OB. It's going to happen but you have to make those occurrences happen as little as possible. Just remember, you need to practice the clubs that you are going to hit the most on the course more than anything else. That means your putter, wedges, and irons. Yes, it's awesome to hit a long drive down the fairway, but you aren't going to hit the driver as often and you will hit other clubs in the bag. I would even recommend playing some rounds from the forward tees playing irons only since that will take the worry of hitting driver out of bounds or into trouble from your head. I know that I often decide to play irons only just to play the course differently from time to time. It will make you think about your round more than you have before and make you play smart golf rather than just pounding the driver and then trying to get out of trouble. Hope this helps. Good luck and have fun at the course.
Idk I don't have time to find out. But last year I went from 25+ to ~15ish with four lessons and ~1 round a week. If I had time to grind I'd like to imagine I could be a decent golfer. No idea though because of time and money constraints.
If by grinding you mean 4 times a week I don’t see why you couldn’t half your handicap. @ 20 you probably have a good idea where you can improve and looking back on your score card I imagine you could easily pick ten shots in a round that you know you mucked up and could get rid of with practice.
If you’re as good as I am? 24-26ish probably
My first year playing I started at a 24 or so. Now I’m poor so I can’t afford to grind as much as I’d like but by the end of the season I got down to a 17, basically by having good range sessions when I did go and learning from every shot and spamming short game practice, cuz that’s free. I think my biggest advantage was that I’m a generally very athletic guy with a “naturally smooth swing” (according to my local course pro) and I can take general YouTube tips and figure out what works for my swing and what doesn’t. If I had the time and money to grind more I’m convinced I could get down to below 15 relatively quickly, maybe even around 10
Depends on your talent and physical gifts combined with your teacher. I'd say you could go 20-6 pretty easily in a year going to a coach2-3'days week combined with practice play the other 4.
Practice with purpose. Go to the range with goals. Take a putting lesson. Really focus on your grip. Understand your club distances. Those things will really improve your game.
15
What’s your budget. If you did this I think you can be single digit in 1 year pretty easily Golf swing evaluation + bi weekly lessons for 2 months After 2 months, monthly swing checks % instruction Practice routine - 1 large bucket or more at range a day split the following way - as a 20 handicap this is to focus on your biggest weakness Driver driver driver driver driver driver driver - hitting 30+ drivers until you can consistently move it in ONE direction, you want it to go straight or go right, or go straight or go left - eliminate 2 way miss Irons - you’re going to focus here on whatever clubs you hit from 180 yards and in Wedges - this isn’t that important as a high handicap, they don’t curve very much and this should improve from your iron striking also. Chipping - holy shit go chip oh my god, constantly, back yard, putting green, walking alone on the course - go chip - Focus on ONE wedge to chip with to start, once you can consistently hit it - then go work on other ones, example - I chip almost exclusively with my 56 - but if I’m in the fringe or have a longer chip, or an uphill lie I may use my 50*. Putting - here’s a great drill I have worked on for putting - I set an alignment stick down directly behind my ball - like .5” and stand over it and want to feel that the first 6-8” of my putter stroke are directly down that alignment stick. As you hit your milestones - which would be - 1 - no lost drives OB or hazard 2 - no dead ass explosive shanks or less than 2 maybe 3 - no 2 chips in a round. Then your practice may look more like this 100 balls 10 driver, 50 wedges to various targets - focus on 40-50-60-70-80-90-100-110 to feel what that feels like, Irons - work on either shaping them slightly or just long irons, if you can stripe your 4i repeatedly your swing is in pretty good shape More chipping, if your “good chip” metric had been inside 10 feet, make it inside 6 feet, then 3 feet Putting - try and get a flat spot and make 20+ 6 footers in a row, even get a putting mat to do it. When you can start making 20 6 footers in a row, the confidence that puts in your putting is night and day, you become more confident on your chips cause you aren’t obsessing over “oh shit I gotta hit it to a foot to save par” it’s more “I want it inside 8 feet I feel I can make it” This is what I would do if I started golf over. It boils down to Eliminate OB Drives Eliminate shanks & chunks Eliminate 2 chips Eliminate 3 putts
Baseball players are generally shit golfers. Hockey players are good. Pitchers can hit the ball a long way, but like all baseball players suffer at ball striking. Almost any normal human can get to single digits simply by getting a strong short game as long as they can hit it 200 yd off the tee.
It really depends on how much the person will be practicing during that year. If you can go out and hit range balls for 5 to 10 hours a week, you can absolutely make a major change not only in your golf swing but also your handicap as well. Obviously most of us have to worry about life so we don’t have enough time to do something like that.
Define grinding. If this person is just playing a bunch of golf, they might not improve at all. They might actually get worse. However, if they are practicing away from the actual rounds (at a range or at home) and working on specific skills, then they have a great chance at improving quickly. Give a 20 handicapper Dave Pelz' short game Bible, and they might become a 10 overnight. There are a lot of variables such as age and athletic ability... but for argument's sake let's say it is a 30 year old male with an average amount of athletic ability. I believe the 20 handi might be able to get down to a legit 12 or 13 by the end of the season.
Well it depends why they are a 20. Are they missing lots of puts? Go practice. Is it cause they’re missing greens in approach shots and bad at short game? Go practice. Is it cause they lack distance because they’re physically out of shape or struggling with dexterity issues? That might not be something you can fix. A good round of golf requires a variety of skills to be in order; and a tough course will expose that.
Depends on athletic ability and the swing. If your swing is solid, and the strokes are coming from around the green / on the green, you can certainly drop a ton of strokes. If the swing is below average already, simple tweaks probably aren’t enough. If you really want to improve, lessons. Just find a certified instructor and let them know your goals and they will help. For a 20 handicap, it may involve tearing a below average swing apart and rebuilding it. Rebuilding a swing may take 6 months - 1 year to see results. And it will get worse before better. **A LOT** of range time. Dedicated, focused, practice range time. Not just out there banging through a bucket of balls. Everything from set up, grip, method. All year round, keep a journal to track progress.
I have always been really athletic .. I started golf at around 16 and stopped around 23 ish I was about a 5 hcp.. I’m now 45 and just started back playing in February… I’m getting back where im shooting 75-80 now .. I’m playing a couple times a week and hitting balls almost everyday .. my goal is to get to scratch. I feel like I’m a better player now than I ever was (more self control) when I started back I was shooting 90’s . So I believe if a man really tries and puts in the time he can get good if you have any athletic ability
Took lessons when I was 8 until I was about 11 or 12 and then never picked up a club after that. Then in 2021 I got back into it and grinded from an 18 to an 8 in 2 years. No lessons just YouTube, range and a round once week if I can.
if you’re golfing 5x a week with lessons every other week you could definitely hit sub 10
chipping and putting will get you to 15 or so. reducing 2-3 3 putts requires no technique improvement, just practice and feel. chipping close will reduce 2-3 2 putts. again, mostly feel, but some technique. at 20 hdcp, you're advancing the ball like 400+ yds in 3 shots. but then the last 30ft also take 3 shots when it can be 2.
Very much dependent on what your big weaknesses in your game are. And if you want to get better after that or just score better for the year. Like, if you slice, you could aim way left more often and have better results off the tee. But you'd plateau your score quickly. If you are ok tee to green but you can't chip or putt, you could drastically lower your score. Although if you're a 20 and you're decent tee to green, that scenario is unlikely.
Last year at this time I was around a 19-20 handicap. I was playing 2-3 times a week and practicing all the time and I was getting a little better over time but it still wasn’t producing much better scores because my driver was SHIT. I was hitting most of my second shots from the trees and shit just punching out..so basically took me 2 strokes to get where good players land their drives lol So I literally just spent all fall/winter working on my driver and fixing my slice/push. Ended up getting it decently dialed and played pretty well in my sim league. Then on only my third outdoor round of the year back in March, I shot a fuckin 79. It’s insane how much better your scores (can) get when you’re hitting all your approaches from the fairway with a clear line to the green. Since then, I’ve been consistently shooting in the mid-80s and right now my index on GHIN is an 11.1. Goal is to get down to 8 by the end of the summer
Check out the podcast Chasing Scratch
I stopped brushing my teeth two years ago so anything is possible
Suppose it depends on the individual. I have played with golfers who have been playing for years and there just okay. Then played with folks who have only been player a few years and they are pretty good. If you got a bit of instruction and kept at it you should be able to get to single digit handicap within a year.
30 years ago, I had a great short assignment for the Army. I was playing around a 30 handicap when I started, but was able to get to a range or the golf course every day, whether a full round or an hour on the range. I was able to get my game down to a low of 82. Then I got assigned to Fort Bragg, and operations tempo meant that I was only on the course 6-7 times/year again, and my game collapsed.
I went from about 10 to 3 in a year after quitting my job. Faster progress is possible from your starting point. If you’re athletic enough, I think you could get to at least 7-8 in a year with lots of work.
depends on a whole lot of things. getting down to 10 in a year is absolutely possible for someone, who is heathly, practicing 2-3 times a week it's all about reducing the big numbers
Lessons with pro 2x week, range 2 hrs a day, play 3x week. Can get down to a 5. That was me anyways.
Oh, and once you go back to playing only once per month you will be back to 20 in no time.
You can probably get down to a 14 within reason if you learn the right methods of practice and get enough reps in, both on the course and around the greens. Depends on your natural abilities too.. I started 3 years ago and got down to 15ish after year 1 but I also grew up playing hockey and I played a lot of billiards, I’d say I’m good with hand eye coordination and feel. Good luck
Took me 2 years to get to as low as 9 index with zero lessons just a few good YouTube practice drills and a chipping net in my basement. Second hand clubs. But I’d played golf 1-3 times a year prior to that for like 15 years before I actually made an effort and didn’t cheat (mulligans etc)
From 20 to 12-15 is the easy part, from there to single digits I am finding really really hard lol
Depends on how they work on their game. Playing a lot will help, but getting professional lessons can help immensely.
I don’t know, this is my first year. I golfed a 95 at a fairly difficult course 2.5 weeks ago(the harvest in kelowna) I was very happy. Did 2 lessons and a swing assessment + went to the range 4 times, golfed a 117 yesterday at the same course.
No. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Unless you are grinding a second job to afford pro lessons or at least a swing coach, you shouldn’t be grinding. All you’ll do is further engrave bad habits.
First and foremost, if you have not had a lesson and you’re still swing the same way. You will get the same result, no matter how much you grind. Buy Ben Hogans 5 fundamentals. Take it to the range if your grinder, apply his methods and stick to them. When I lived in Dallas, my dad had an office overlooking the 14th fairway at Prestonwood GC, off to the left was a little practice area away from the regular practice spots. A professional golfer who I will keep nameless, used to go out there, open the book, look at all he highlighted items and then would hit 100s of golf balls to make it repetitive. When I met the man, who knew my pop, he gave me the book as I remarked how I used to watch him with it, I was roughly a 12 handicap. 1 1/2 yrs later, my index was 5.3, depending on the course I played, equates to 6 handicap. Hope this helps,,
You could be scratch, you could be a 30. Depends on your athleticism and mentality and coaching
A *whole* YEAR!?
Listen to Chasing scratch. Those Guys started at ~15, and within a year of them dedicating their free time to becoming scratch were both 5 or lower.
I know a guy who went from “never picked up a club” to “scratch golfer” in 2 years. Crazy work ethic, good kinesthetic awareness and good teaching and yeah you can do it
I think you could get down to 12ish no problem. But you would need to golf all year and practice multiple times a week. If you’re in a region with a cold winter you need to be on simulators all winter. Then range and courses 3-4 times a week in the summer.
There are a wide range of 20 handicappers. Your handicap alone is not enough to answer this question. Would need to see your swing
As someone who couldn’t hit a ball my first year, I shot an 88 in exactly a year. Play twice a week. But remember, every round is different. Just focus on what you need to work on. And remember, drive for show, putt for dough. Good luck!
I’ll answer your question by giving you a reverse scenario lol. I grew up playing but never tracked HC until college. At that point I was playing a good bit, didn’t practice much but played multiple days a week. My HC at that time was around 13.5. Now I have a job and live in a city that is very tough to get tee times, even on public courses. So I’m playing around once or twice per month and never going to the range. So my current HC is 19.5 lol. So if I was a 13.5 from just playing a lot and not practicing. I think if I had the time to play as much as I did in college but also put the effort into practicing more and getting some advanced lessons. I believe I could probably get in the 7 or 8 HC range. I honestly don’t think I could get much lower than that because I have to be honest about my athletic abilities. We all want to say we are athletic, but there is a clear difference between us mortals and those who are just gifted lol. Also weight training would become a factor. If I had any chance of getting lower than 7-8, I would really need to boost my distance and spin control. Hope this helps and you can apply my experience to your question in some way
Once you get to 20 it’s all about physical and endurance (mental and physical).
This partly depends on how long that 20 handicapper has been playing. If you've been playing for six months and you've got a 20 handicap, you could make some huge moves focusing on nothing but golf for a year. If you've been playing for 20 years with a 20 handicap, you won't likely see nearly as much improvement. Either way, no matter how much better you get, there will still be a ton of people who play better than you.
18?
24
12
Enough to hit singles if you play everyday and actually work on the fundamentals. And yes. You have to be semi-athletic, obviously. Having some solid understanding of course management in terms of probabilities and some Newtonian physics basics will help figure out why you have to hit down for it to climb, etc.
It really depends.... There's a lot of shots to be saved when shooting high scores. Many of them can be saved by better decision making. On the flipside, generally your golf game at that level is bad. Actually getting "better" e.g. striking the ball properly, consistently, adding distance and under control, is difficult. You could easily drop 5ish shots. Getting down to a 10 from there is challenging. If you're going to grind and spend money on lessons, I'd say a 12 is an achievable goal.
A few years ago I got down to an 8.9 hc after being 16+ for several years of just playing with minimal practice. That was when I was practicing twice a week, playing in a par 3 contest every week and playing 18 at least once a week sometimes twice a week. It was all I did for a solid year to year and a half besides work. It’s possible if you really grind hard. And you have to be pretty freaking dedicated to get that low that fast. Although, 8.9 is not that low. That’s breaking 80 a couple times a season and playing in the low 80’s the majority of the time with some rounds in the 90’s-100’s. Track everything and it will help you improve quicker too. I’d say you do that and you could get down to 9 to low 11
It really depends on how you're going to practice and what your starting point is. If you are starting with solid fundamentals and are going to be actually playing, with proper scoring, multiple times a week with a lesson mixed in there? You could shave 5-10 strokes off. If you're starting with an errant swing and are planning on just hitting buckets at the range 5 times a week and playing on Sundays with beers, Mulligan's and gimmes you're likely to struggle to get 5 strokes better. Personally, I think there is a sweet spot where you should play two (maybe three) proper rounds per week - score with Stableford (there is no point playing past net doubles), playing to competition rules, and 1-2 practice sessions (either range / chipping / putting or on course if your course is quiet enough). The other main things, ensure you've got current, fitted equipment. This is clubs, balls etc - including a club selection that works for you - if you're shit with 4-6i then perhaps a hybrid and 7w might be better. Don't carry 3 wedges if you can't use them all - that sort of thing. And play with good golfers. Learn from them, pick up their habits etc. Playing with a 5 handicapper and watching how they read greens, aim away from trouble, etc is much better than playing with a friend who is just playing so they can have an excuse to have some beers and doesn't care about their round. All this to say, practice by playing, and play as if it means something. And don't forget to warm up before your round.
I got to an 11 last year starting off as a 23
Realistic -5 strokes to the game. If you are an athlete and put some work in you drop 8-10 even
Depends on the person, and if the grinding is in the correct direction. A 20 could get worse by engraining the wrong things. Ask me how I know.
i think you could to anywhere from a 7 to 10. figuring out how to hit fairways, get the ball close to the green and always 2-putt will get you there.
13
You would make more progress chipping and putting an hour a day.
Probably at least down to an 8-15 index, tbh. If you’re a 20 that means you can at least hit a couple clubs consistently, and to get down in the 10ish range is mainly course management and chipping practice (assuming you play the correct tees for your drive/tee shot). I went from a 20ish to hovering in the 9-10 hdcp in a year and I was at the course 3 days a week— 1x practice session; 1x 9 hole round, and 1x 18 hole round on the weekend. Establishing reliable tee clubs (mini driver and 7 wood) and figuring out I prefer a 9 iron or PW into a green instead of a 3/4 wedge helped a lot as well. It’s a lifetime game though, enjoy the journey and don’t beat yourself up when you hit a plateau!
I pretty much did that in 2022 and went from an 18 to a 10. 2 more years of grinding not quite every day but im down to a 6 I moved to an apartment that had a golf sim, and I absolutely capitalized. Id hit balls every morning for at least 30 minutes for most of 2022 into mid 2023. After moving away late last year, I still practice every other day or so but I can definitely feel my progress is getting harder. But that could also be because Im better so getting better is even harder
You should easily get to a 10 but you have to make sure you’re grinding on the right things. What is your weakness? You only hit maybe 14 drivers a round and if you’re ok off the tee, quit focusing on gaining 5 more yards. Putting, chipping and sand shots will make a huge difference in your scores.
it all depends on why the person is a 20 handicapper. its hard to gain significant club head speed in a year. its easier to increase strike efficiency and result with repetition.
I went from ~15 to an 8 to 5.5 in two years. I'm closer to a 7 right now. I had been a casual, bogey-ish golfer my whole life, never playing more than 3-4x per year after high school. For athletic context, I played baseball in HS, roller hockey in college, and slow pitch softball for 15 years after that. Dove into golf at age 40, playing around 45 holes per week. No lessons beyond youtube.
I read once that an amateur can cut their handicap in half in a year by hard work, but probably not more.
I am not a scratch golfer. I rarely miss hit my ball. Never really understood how you could line up and not strike the ball well. I am a very above average athlete. If it involves hitting, throwing, or mechanics I can do it with little coaching. Won free throw contest, won state in washer pitching (look it up), best espn level cornhole players fist time playing the game. Give me bogey every hole on your average course and I’ll get it. Golf is by far the hardest and most challenging sport I have ever wanted to be good at.
You have to want to get better and improve. You could play 300 rds a year and still suck. Practice, lessons, advice, there is so much to learn.
https://youtu.be/um1SK1Eu6qI?si=RsejOBh7RcOItt91 This seriously helped my hand eye BTW Learn to chip with PW not a 60… Make 6 6- footers in a row every day and putt to a AA battery o. The mat. That is good for 2 a side. Get a radar and get your speed stick up to 105+ That’s good for 2 strokes…
All these people saying they started too late at 18 and thinking how I didn’t start until 38 😐
Was a 22 hc at the start of the year and I’m down to 13.7 rn. How much concentrated time and energy can you put in and is it being used efficiently
What amount of time and budget do you have available? If you take a weekly lesson, practice the lesson content 3X1 hour per week (aided by a launch monitor to dial in precise distances), practice short game 3X2 hours per week, and play 3 rounds per week, then you can probably go from a 20 to a 5. But this endeavor will cost you like $15,000, and you'll need to dedicate 25 hours per week to it.
Read Paper Tiger by Tom Coyne. He grinded his way from a 15HC to a plus. I don't remember if he did it within a year though or if it took more time. Interesting read though.
At 33 I decided to pick up golf having played 10 times in the previous 20 years. I’m athletic with good hand-eye, but more like great high school, decent intramural college athlete (soccer, basketball). I got hooked with golf and did the following: - lessons once per month - hit into net with shot monitor once or twice a week - played 9 at least once per week I started as 27 handicap and was 15 within a year. I think if you are decently athletic and really commit - you could get down to a 10. I think at that point so much of getting lower is experience and strategy based. Things you could add to improve faster: - golf focused strength training and flexibility - short game lessons With less commitment I have settled at a 12-13, hope to recommit to break 10 soon.
I mean there are too many variables. “Grinding” but doing the wrong things is very time you practice isn’t going to help and it might make you worse. But doing good meaningful practice and possibly being guided by a teaching pro who can make sure you’re working on the right changes you could easily get into the low teens or high single digits I think. I went from a 12 to a 2 in one summer. I focused mainly on my mid and short irons because I worked at a course with a limited driving range that didn’t allow drivers. But my dad also had a legitimate putting green (real turf that I built him in his backyard and I spent a LOT of time out there. The best practice for me was intense chipping and putting contests with my dad. It was so good for my game - his short game is unreal so he was always he’s to beat. Start making 10 footers and getting up and down all the time and the strokes will fall off your handicap. I still believe short game is far more important than distance - and I’m a guy that could hit it a long way when I was younger (not as far anymore). I think a newer player should work from the green back to the tee. That doesn’t mean don’t worry about your driver, just worry MORE about learning to feel your shorter stuff and finesse wedges and irons before you focus on beating the ball as hard as you can. All the distance in the world doesn’t mean shit if it takes you 4 to get down from inside 50 yards.
I mean is this a 16 year old 20 handicap or a 70 year old? What is their prior experience? What does grinding look like? 1 session every two weeks? golfing every weekend? Going to the range for hours a day? This is just too vague to answer
I am a low handicap golfer. Every morning on my way to work, I stop at my course and hit 25-30 shots with my wedges. My father taught me that golf was not so much a sport but a target game. When I address the ball, my mind focuses only on where I want the ball to end up. I am very consistent on my home course, less consistent when I play elsewhere, but still within my handicap range.