Does your handicap reflect your playing ability ?

[Dave Ireland]

This is where I'm at ... at the start of this year's golf season I set myself the goal of a single figure h/c ... hoping for around 8 currently playing off 11. I thought 8 was a realistic target based on my ball striking and reasonably good iron play. The grey area was greenside .. ropey chipping and cold flatstick.

I'm playing 2-3 times a week, making a point of getting 30mins practice on putting/chipping greens before I go out, anyway the heel of the hunt being my scoring hasn't improved a jot. I'm still tracking around on average 80 - 85, but get this ... I'm playing so much better. If I analyse my scorecard now I find that I don't bogey as many holes, I bag 2/3 birds a round... but and the big but .... I'm having 3 or 4 absolute calamities - doubles, triples which usually follow within a hole or a couple of holes of one another..

Point in case was last Sunday's qualifying for President's Day - front nine was so so - turned +6, proceeded to go - bird, par, bird, bird. So now I'm motoring, playing to a standard that I know I'm capable of .... good enough golf to be considered the play of a very low handicapper ....

#14 is a 605 yard par 5 (downhill), 3rd shot was 90 yard lob wedge, which I shanked OB ended with a double. #15 par 5 greenside in two - thinned pitch into bunker, left it in there with next and put another double on the card. # 17 172 yard par3, pulled an 8iron straight OB broke the nib of the pen as I scratched a triple onto the card !! #18 was just a straightforward 3 putt to add insult to injury... the wheels well and truly fell off, I just couldn't stop the bleeding and ended up playing like a 20 odd handicapper (no disresepect)

So to make a long story even longer ... I look at my h/c of 11 and think to myself I'm a much better player than that .... then I look at the calamities and think that they're aren't too many 11 h/c's that would've let that happen .. so all in all there's far more than meets the eye when you judge the ability of someone based on their stated handicap ....

*crash* ........ oooops that's just my broken dreams ...

[chollyred]

Inconsistancy does me in. I'll put together a string of pars and bogeys, and then have a couple of blow up holes. If I were to eliminate the blow ups, I'd be around a 15 or so. As it is, I'm playing to a 21.

[IrishGolfer]

Jeez Dave

You spin a longer yarn than anyone I know in your efforts to look for more shots in our upcoming match. Quit gurning, the "big round" will come and then you will hit 3 or 4 rounds to match and before you know it you will be 8. I promise. Consistency comes with controlled confidence. You are making birds, hitting good shots, now you just need to tune it all in.

Hang in there, enjoy it and be patient. Don't think too far ahead or put unnecessary pressure on your game to achieve.

Case in point. I played last Saturday. Poor front nine, but then I just sat back and relaxed. I was -2 on the back side after 7, but then I made a fatal error, I started thinking about it. I thought "hey if I finish bogey par, I will have a respectable score! I even hit a 2 iron off the 17 playing for it. I finished triple and bogey to undo all the good work. I was playing ahead of myself instead of being in the present.

Just my 2c

[EnglishGolfer]

I drive like a scratch golfer, chip like a pro, hit my irons like 18 handicapper and put like I'm blind so don't talk to me about inconsistency!

[Dave Ireland]

Jeez Dave

You spin a longer yarn than anyone I know in your efforts to look for more shots in our upcoming match. Quit gurning, the "big round" will come and then you will hit 3 or 4 rounds to match and before you know it you will be 8. I promise. Consistency comes with controlled confidence. You are making birds, hitting good shots, now you just need to tune it all in.

Hang in there, enjoy it and be patient. Don't think too far ahead or put unnecessary pressure on your game to achieve.

Case in point. I played last Saturday. Poor front nine, but then I just sat back and relaxed. I was -2 on the back side after 7, but then I made a fatal error, I started thinking about it. I thought "hey if I finish bogey par, I will have a respectable score! I even hit a 2 iron off the 17 playing for it. I finished triple and bogey to undo all the good work. I was playing ahead of myself instead of being in the present.

Just my 2c

Yeah Cheers IG ... there was an element of thinking 2 far ahead, spose it's a natural thing when you step up to 2 par 5's in a row - tho in saying that because it was a strokes qualifier I approached them in a less attacking frame, I was more protecting what I had than going all out for more birds....

Good play yerself to a point eh ? ..... don't tell me about the #17 in yer place ... many a score was abandoned there .... 3rd house on the right still the line ? ..

[P_102]

Does this usually happen late in the round?

If so, better excdrcise or at least some sort of nutrition bar during the round...you may be too worn out.

P_102

[P_102]

Does this usually happen late in the round?

If so, better excdrcise or at least some sort of nutrition bar during the round...you may be too worn out.

P_102

[Dave Ireland]

Does this usually happen late in the round?

If so, better excdrcise or at least some sort of nutrition bar during the round...you may be too worn out.

P_102

Can happen at anytime P, tho it's a point well made .. water,bananas & apples are my fuel for the round

[Davebud]

I am currently averaging 111 strokes on a par 72, that is insane. I can hit the drives a mile and pretty much in the fairway. My Irons are all shafted with rattlesnakes though. Then once I get close enough to hit wedges I am pretty good again. My putting is average, over the last 6 rounds I average 2.1 putts per hole, and in my last couple of rounds I only have two 3 putts, and three 1 putts. So its clearly stupidity and irons that are killing me.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

It's tough when this sort of thing happens, I know I've had some blowups after a good run of holes, and it can suck all the fun out of everything. But you know what? You got to the position. You got to that place of where you were playing better, and you were scoring with playing better. You've already proven to yourself that you can take it to another level.

It's not surprising when the first time we get that glimpse of the next level we find it hard to keep it going. And just one slight mishit can then throw everything off.

But you were there, and you can get back to it again. And it'll be more comfortable the next time, it won't be such a shock.

[DaveE]

So to make a long story even longer ... I look at my h/c of 11 and think to myself I'm a much better player than that .... then I look at the calamities and think that they're aren't too many 11 h/c's that would've let that happen .. so all in all there's far more than meets the eye when you judge the ability of someone based on their stated handicap ....

*crash* ........ oooops that's just my broken dreams ...

Hey Dave, that sounds a bit familiar but with larger numbers for me.

Everytime I start thinking about scores or h/c I play worse. I went through a really bad slump over the winter months and it was only when I started playing to enjoy the game again that it went away. There was a point where I said screw it and figured even if my h/c went to 20 I was going to have fun.

My last three or four rounds have been under my current 16 and I didn't know the score of any of them until we finished and added them up. My new mantra in simply, "trust the swing" and that's the only thought I want in my tiny brain before each shot.

If I started thinking about what my score would be if I only... Well it wouldn't be pretty.

[MAHALLEDAY]

Your handi-cap reflects your playing ability but not necessarily your ball striking ability. I'm in the same postition as you 80-85 range. Bravo and I have bth uttered similiar sediments, those being this range is the worst place to be. When you play well you wonder why you can't fo that all that tiem and when you play bad you wonder where your game went.

Case is point i went ut and played nined holes with my works golf leage, shot a 44 which is what they have down as my average based on my your average scores at that course each week. I struck the ball very well as i typically do, however due to some bad putting and a short game that leaves much to be desired i shot a lot higher than i felt i could have.

I have made it a point to devote pretty much all my practice time to the short game just hitting wedges and short irons at targets at the range. I noticed a differnce in getting up and down all ready.

Unfortunatly golf like life isn't fair so complain all we want, with out a ton of effort lowering your handicap its going to be easy. You sound like to work at it though so you are on the right track.

[NBGolfer]

You have almost the same story as me. I play around a 12 now, and I should be down around a 7-9.
My problem is the same as most, when I start thinking score it falls appart. I have gone out on serveral occasions and shot a 36 on the Front 9, but those same 9 when I know I am playing 18 for score turns into a 40-42 every time.
I know it's just a matter of getting everything together and being consistent but it's a up hill battle lol.
I guess that's why I play the game and come back every time with a smile ....

[Rockford35]

Personally, I think handicap reflects your course management skills. How many here grab the driver on every par 4?

If you see a playa with skills on the range, he's probablt a good ball striker. But even the best ball strikers get into trouble off the tee (Tiger, Vijay, ect). But, when you see a guy grab a 3 wood or a hybrid and put it out there right down the pipe so he's hitting 8 iron instead of wedge, it makes sense that his scores are going to be lower than yours after you slash the big dog into the trees/rough/sand.

Next to putting, course management is the most important aspect of golf. Anyone can learn to hit a driver 270, but learning when to test that driver at 270 is the key.

Take it from me, it took me almost 16 years to come to this conclusion. I now have no trouble playing the irons off the tee (along with some of my playing partners as a result of me doing it) and I'm playing the best golf of my life.

R35

[ualtim]

You make some valid points Rock. Unfortunately my handicap is more of a reflection of poor approach shots. I frequently tee off with a hybrid or iron to keep it out of trouble on narrow or short par 4's, but just can not consistantly find the green in regulation. Driving good, putting good, chipping good, and approach shots not so good. Maybe I am spending too much time on my short game?