Does your handicap reflect your playing ability ?

[Rockford35]

Maybe I am spending too much time on my short game?

I don't think this is possible, 'Tim.

You're problem is still course management and knowing your game. If you're consistently short, why not grab the 7 instead of the 8 and swing easier? How many times have you airmailed the green this year? Probably never. Try and get some balls behind the flag for a time, you'll dial in much easier that way.

R35

 

[ualtim]

Actually, airmailing greens is one of my problems although not as typical as going left or right of the green. My biggest issue is ending up pin high either left or right and in trouble. If anything, I usually end up with a little more club in my hands than not enough. My greatest flaw is hitting shots a bit too fat every now and again so I error on the long side. My blow up holes usually result from being left or right of the green in the water, bunker, or nasty lies in the rough with not a lot of green to work with. If I end up short, I can usually up and down it for par or chip and 2 putt for a bogey. I am actually leaning towards underclubbing for a while so that I will stay short of trouble around the green. Last week I played a par 3 course with my wife and ended up with 3 water balls on the back 9. All 3 of them were landed on the back side of the green, then a roll down a hill and into the water.

Approach shot lateral accuracy is my problem. It get frustrating ruining good drives time and time again.

 

[MAHALLEDAY]

Good point Rock, course managment is key, something I tried out a bit yesterday. Hitting it to a comfortable yardage is key. The course we play is very short, most par 4's are driveable. Instead of trying to smash a driver onto the green everytime I teed off with a 3 iron and left myself a nice 100 or so to the green, nice easy gap/sand wedge,

Much easier than trying to hit a 1/2 or 3/4 something 50 or 60 yards and flying the green.

 

[Rockford35]

Hmm.

Have you tried learning to hit your PW thru 7 iron with a draw? It's a little bit more predictable in terms of where the ball ends up. Worst case scenario, you end up 5 yards right.

This method seems to work for me for the most part.

R35

 

[MAHALLEDAY]

Hmm.

Have you tried learning to hit your PW thru 7 iron with a draw? It's a little bit more predictable in terms of where the ball ends up. Worst case scenario, you end up 5 yards right.

This method seems to work for me for the most part.

R35

Your forgetting one imprtant factor here Rocke. You have to be able to hit a draw on purpose first.

 

[gwlee7]

Why not take the time to chart a few rounds and determine exactly where the strokes are being lost? Make a note on each hole that you make bogey or worse and write down exactly how it happened. Was it a bad drive, a flubbed approach, or the dreaded following a bad shot with a worse one? The latter is the cardinal sin of golf. If you hit a bad shot, do everything you can to make sure that your next shot puts you back in position. If that means laying up, or chipping out sideways, so what? Your scores will appreciate a more conservative approach to recovery shots.

I too have been shooting dead on my handicap for the majority of rounds here lately. I play to a 6 and can end up 6 over on the number with multiple birdies and a lot of "others" or, I can make 12 pars and 6 bogeys. Like Rockford stated, the majority of strokes I lose are management decisons or hitting a worse shot after a bad shot. I can take my medicine most of the time ,but, once or twice a round I have to try to be the hero and there goes my score.

 

[Bravo]

Dave:

As Mallhalladay said, golfers with handicaps like ours are among the most frustrating to have. I truly believe this...because at times we can really play, and look like a playa...then we just look like a hacker on other holes.

I really agree with Rock about the course management. Managing your round is critical and this is a skill that all touring pros talk about constantly with their coaches. Also, how they react mentally to a brainfart or horrible hole is key. So often with amateurs (including myself) we cave.

My handicap is similar to yours but I don't have a lot of birdies or a lot of blow ups. A few birds and a few blow ups but my most common round now is lots of routine pars and bogies where I made an error on one shot. My short game is not reliable enough to save those pars and this weakness includes my putting (also the main reason why I am not getting the birdies...I have tons of two putts from distances like 15-20 feet away and hardly ever convert from this distance. To get a birdie, I have to stick it in really close).

Its a tough handicap to have mentally...

 

[ualtim]

Hmm.

Have you tried learning to hit your PW thru 7 iron with a draw? It's a little bit more predictable in terms of where the ball ends up. Worst case scenario, you end up 5 yards right.

This method seems to work for me for the most part.

R35

Yup, I have worked on geting my normal shot from a fade to a draw, but I think I just had a light bulb go off above my head. I have be playing for a straight shot. If I am a little off, it could go left or it could go right. That is my problem, I am not consistantly left or right. I play my best rounds when I know my swing for the day is always fadeing or drawing and then I compensate for it. Maybe I should always be playing for a fade or a draw rather than a straight shot so at least I would have some control of where the damn thing is going to end up. If I am a bit off, it will either go straight or a little further in the direction I was intending.

 

[SiberianDVM]

How many here grab the driver on every par 4?

I do! But I'm only hitting the driver about 220 at the moment, so it's not a big deal. Got to get that Exotics reshafted.

 

[CaptnPea]

My 39.4 handicap seems to be a little high to my play as it's been awhile since I've had a double digit hole.

The snowman commeth only 1-2 holes /nine.

Have never scored a birdy...

You guys make me sick

 

[MAHALLEDAY]

You guys make me sick

Trust me when you get down to where we are you'll be saying these exact same things.

Bravo is correct - worst place to be mentaly.

Boys...I say we need to form some kidna supposrt group for all us poor struggleing 10-15 handi-cappers. What do you say?

 

[Bravo]

Boys...I say we need to form some kidna supposrt group for all us poor struggleing 10-15 handi-cappers. What do you say?

Sign me up! You will be President and I will be Carl Spackler.

 

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

You know, I'm probably in this 10-15 range now.

My plan is to blow right on through it. Yeah, that's the plan.

 

[DouginGA]

Dave, Am trying to understand your problem

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.

How long a course you playing? Are you having to hit a wedge (chip or full?) because you misshit the iron and missed the green or mishit the iron as in "go ahead and move the cart up, ill walk to my ball" you might think fairway woods. Guy I play with has a 11 wood and a nine also. Think he gets the 11 wood a little over 150yds I think. Sounds like you have a good game going even with the iron problems. Three out of 4 areas are good.

 

[dave.]

No.My ability is +7,but I play to 2.3.