Low HCP - Questions

[Baxter]

Perhaps the low Handi could post how your time is spent keeping or getting a lower Cap...

Are you are the range alot? Never hit the range? Play more rounds than practice? Practice more than play..How serious are you when your playing a round? No beer?or what ever you may do for a REGULAR round of golf...

Just wondering what you guys do and the answers may help us high cappers or at least give us an idea what it takes to get where you guys are...

Thanks for the help....

Dave

[LobWedge]

Two words. Short game.

Practice all the aspects of the game from 100 yards in. Putting, chipping, wedge shots, sand play, crappy lies, tight lies, uphill, downhill, sidehill, short-side, long-side, full shots, 3/4 shots, 1/2 shots, flop shots, bump-and-run, knockdowns, high and soft...

Be creative in your practice too. There's usually more than one way to execute a shot.

Get the idea?

[smithers40]

I'm on the range more then I play. I'll go to the course in the summer at 730. Hit balls till 9 then hit the putting green for 40-50 mins. Grab a bite to eat. Go out and play. Pick some things that were bothering me during the round and directly after finishing on 18 straight back to the range to correct things. Now im young so I get the advantage of not working but this is how my cap went from a 6 to 1. Then alot of the time after the second range session and some more putting work, maybe even another meal I'll play another nine to see if what I was working on had helped.

[rancherJ]

what's the cut off for mid to low cap label?

[jvincent]

I'm a relatively old fart (42) that at best gets out twice a week to play in the summer and have been hovering in the 7-8 range for a couple years now.

Contrary to the short game, short game, short game mantra that people usually advise what I did was analyse my game and figure out where I was losing the most strokes.

Up until a few years ago, thanks to my adventures with a more upright swing, I was losing too many strokes off the tee so that was what I focused on. By losing strokes I mean wild shots that go OB or into a hazard or topped drives. Each bad swing was at least one and usually a two stroke hit. Multiply by four per round and you get the idea.

Now that I have my driver well under control my next area is with the irons. For somebody that is in the fairway as often as I am, I simply miss too many greens. This is what I was trying to work on last year and will continue this year.

Notwithstanding last year's stupid period, I am generally a good putter and average around 31-32. Realistically the best I am ever going to get is 29-30 per round, which is quite good for most people but would take a ton of work on the greens to get there whereas improving my irons will get me two or more strokes easily.

[hackzaw]

I'm a 9 hcp as of the end of last year. I had set a goal of breaking into the single digit era. I get a membership now, so I play more than I practice. Playing more brought my handicap down. Seems counter-intuitive, but the year previous, when I didn't have a membership, I practiced more..... my handicap didn't budge. Sure, it brings up questions like, was I practicing the right things?

Equipment changes. I build my own clubs. You'll hear people say that technology won't buy you a game, but if you've got the wrong sticks in your hands, you're simply limiting your potential.

I think Jvincent gives an excellent tip.... Determine for YOUR game where improvement is required. For me, I don't hit enough greens in reg. I average 5 greens per round. Astounding I can be a 9 hcp with only hitting 5 greens, but my short game is pretty solid (probably out of necessity). If I could improve my iron play and hit more greens, my hcp would come down. By missing greens, I'm struggling to save par with an up and down. Hitting greeens, I'm more apt to make par or the occasional birdie.

I wonder the same thing... how do I go from a 9 hcp down to maybe a 5? My goal this year is to get my cap down to the 5 and make it into the A flight championship. For advice, I suggest to set goals for yourself. But then you have to set out a plan to achieve those goals. The plan to improve will be based on the area of your game that needs the most focus. Take stats. Let the data tell you where to aim your practice. Don't expect any different results in your game if you don't recognize your shortcomings and figure out a way to improve that area of your game.

[Kilroy]

my short game is pretty solid (probably out of necessity).

You sound like me, although as a 12 I don't qualify as a low 'capper. I miss a lot of greens.

what's the cut off for mid to low cap label?

IMHO:
scratch or better =
single digits = low
10 - 20 = mid
20 + high

[Fallys0820]

I play to about an 8 or 9 handicap and the way that I went from 20-10 most effectively was course management. It's a nice idea to be 240 yrds out on a par 5 and know that you could probably go for it. However, if you personally feel that it's a low percentage shot for you to make the green, don't take that chance.

I have played some of my most successful golf by scaling back and hitting driver - 8 iron - sand wedge/lob wedge into most greens. If you're a high handicapper, this course management will save you far more strokes initially than short game.

Focussing on your short game if you have poor course management is only going to bandage the wound of makin' a double instead of a triple. By properly managing your game, you might have still had a chance at par instead of the double.

I'm not suggesting you should be particular in your game in the sense of "oh, I have to hit the left side of the fairway" or anything like that right now. I'm suggesting moreso that if you do miss the fairway and are in the trees, find a high percentage shot that you can make 99/100 to put yourself in a better position to go at the green. And also go at the green, don't be a pin seeker if you're a high handicapper, especially if there is trouble. You can still make a lot of pars from the center of the green.

When you start to get lower (10-15), then I would think short game is going to save your bacon a tonne and progress you further in lowering your handicap.

Also, play to your strengths.

That's how I did it anyway.

Fallys
aka Scott

[BC MIST]

Play 3.5 rounds per week. 0.9 factor at end of 2007, 62 years old
Hit balls EVERY day, either on the range on playing days, or in my net at home.
75% on full swing
25% on short game

Conservative, reasonably accurate player - fairways (11.40) and greens(13.9)
Mediocre putter and chipper
Reasonable lob and sand player
No strengths, no weaknesses

Play lots of tournaments and tournament scores are comparable to casual rounds.

[jvincent]

Conservative, reasonably accurate player - fairways (11.40) and greens(13.9)
Mediocre putter and chipper
Reasonable lob and sand player
No strengths, no weaknesses

OK, everyone, let's play "Spot the oxymorons" in the above quote.

Considering that #1 on the PGA Tour is 74% for GIR and you are at 77% methinks the "no strengths" comment needs re-visiting.

I thought you had made a big improvement in your putting last year?

[downhillslider]

i am a 12. If I could putt, I would be a single digit. It's a mental thing with me. Can't get the ball to the hole from outside 12'. I am on the range a lot during the season because of all the fittiings I do so that would be my practice time. This could be the year !!???

[byerxa]

Bobby Jones (I think) said it best - "Turn 3 strokes into 2". I am a 12 hence should not be answering here but in my experience the difference between me and say a typical 8 is short game. On a typical day I can hang with the 8 until 20 yards from the green. Then they run me over on up and downs. Mind you, I tend to be the extreme case of bad short game.

[golfisforfun]

I am a 3 and I play around 35 rounds per year. I go to the driving range 2 or 3 times at the start of the season and never again except to hit 20 balls before a round.

They key is keeping the ball in play and playing to your strengths.

I am not a great putter but I rarely 3 putt.

I do not hit it 280 off the tee, but I do hit it 240 in the fairway.

I control my shots, I never hit an iron 100%, I play smart golf.

I normally birdie 3-4 holes per round and throw in a 4-5 bogeys and mabe a double.

They key is, I often hit a hybrid or 3 wood off the tee and then aim for the middle of the green.

Par 5's are serious birdie holes.

My advice is this:

Keep it in play, even if that means hitting it 220 off the tee. It makes the game so much easier.

[BC MIST]

Considering that #1 on the PGA Tour is 74% for GIR and you are at 77% methinks the "no strengths" comment needs re-visiting.

I thought you had made a big improvement in your putting last year?

If you have played Greensmere you know that our greens are quite big and so the GIR is real but a little misleading. When I played Mississippi which has smaller greens I hit 11.7.

My putting did improve and the strokes value went from 50 cents $1.25. Have worked hard on impact point over the winter and am very anxious to see what affect that has on putts made. One quarter to 1 cm towards the toe translated into too many putts missed to the right.

[jeffc]

I'd say the following:

Keep it in play. Take less club to put the ball in play and avoid penalty strokes.
Hit greens. Nuff said.
Short game. Nothing better than chipping it close and tapping it in.
Bunker play. Get up and down or at least give yourself a chance to.
Putting. Learn to 2 putt from a long way away. Also, learn to make everything inside 5-6 feet.

[Riddell]

i play usually 2 full rounds on weekends, but 3-4 9 hole rounds during the week. In the summer, im 6 full rounds a week plus tournaments. Usually spend 30 minutes on the putting green every time im out

[Baxter]

Thank You for all your responses...I'm some will help all us high HC.

Can I ask another to go along with the pratice and playing time...Who much effort is spent on your clubs...Buying the right fit, swapping shafts understanding what different shafts do and other TECH stuff....Does the look of a club matter...to help you feel good....

[jvincent]

Can I ask another to go along with the pratice and playing time...Who much effort is spent on your clubs...Buying the right fit, swapping shafts understanding what different shafts do and other TECH stuff....Does the look of a club matter...to help you feel good....

Two parts to this question.

1. Confidence. For me, if I don't like the way a club looks at setup, I don't trust it, and I rarely if ever play well with it. I just get psyched out. That same club may work just fine for somebody else. This is an entirely personal thing and there's really no right answer to it.

2. Fit. This is very important. There are a LOT of golfers out there playing drivers that either don't have enough loft or have the wrong shaft. In many cases both are true. For the irons it's more about getting the right shaft. I build my own so I've been able to tweak my set to my liking over time. If someone doesn't have the ability to do it themselves they would be well served by getting professionally fit.

[davevandyk]

I am a 3 and I play around 35 rounds per year. I go to the driving range 2 or 3 times at the start of the season and never again except to hit 20 balls before a round.

They key is keeping the ball in play and playing to your strengths.

I am not a great putter but I rarely 3 putt.

I do not hit it 280 off the tee, but I do hit it 240 in the fairway.

I control my shots, I never hit an iron 100%, I play smart golf.

I normally birdie 3-4 holes per round and throw in a 4-5 bogeys and mabe a double.

They key is, I often hit a hybrid or 3 wood off the tee and then aim for the middle of the green.

Par 5's are serious birdie holes.

My advice is this:

Keep it in play, even if that means hitting it 220 off the tee. It makes the game so much easier.

I am damn near the same. I haven't been to the range once this year (my season started in January) and i don't hit balls before the round. Its all about hitting it in play and to the middle of the greens. I haven't even been carrying a driver, just using a strong 3(13*) that keeps it in the fairway about 240 and hit to the middle of the greens when hitting it decent. I will make the occasional putt, rarely 3-putt and attack the par 5's. Sitting on about a 3-4cap right now and know i could be scratch likely with practice, just don't commit enough to the game.