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How am i doing

Posted by: user544073 | Fri 2nd Aug 2013 21:09 | Last Reply

Hey guys

Just signed up to a local club that has a par of 68. Up until 3 months ago i had never picked up a golf club, had 1 lesson with a pro and a few hours with my father in law that plays off of 4... now the problem im having is with my morale... im constantly getting round between 115 and 125, not sure if this is normal or if im just rubbish? Any overview of someone that knows what they are talking about would help. cheers

re: How am i doing
user40826
Reply : Fri 2nd Aug 2013 22:29

Where are you losing your shots? We need more information. - How many fairways are you hitting in regulation? - How many 3 or 4 putts in a round?

Leave your woods at home. Hit a 7 iron, 7 iron, wedge, putt on most par 4s Practice putting and chipping religiously.

Hope that helps.

re: How am i doing
user16106
Reply : Sat 3rd Aug 2013 10:38

Matthew, When I first started I certainly remember scores arond 115-120 but they start to come down after a short while. Q1 are you getting a few 10,11,12s each round? It can be demoralising to come off a hole with double figures and wont help your next hole. My tip would be play stableford (some will disagree ) until you are getting to the green in no more that 2-3 over regulation. If you cant score a stablford point then pick up and put a blob. You can still drop a ball on the green for a practice putt without slowing the game down. Even if you dont get down to the level you would like ( who does? ) golf is meant to be enjoyed at any handicap. Its that one good shot that keeps pulling you back. The better you get the more good shots you have and the fewer bad ones. Keep plugging away and your scores will tumble. Good luck. Dave CAC handed Geordie.

re: How am i doing
user544073
Reply : Sat 3rd Aug 2013 22:27

cheers for the reply guys! getting a couple of 9s each round dave thats whats knocking my score up... plus my putting is a massive let down... getting to the green around 1 under what ever the par is, then end up 3 or 4 putting! any tips on how to improve the putting?

re: How am i doing
user40826
Reply : Sun 4th Aug 2013 07:14

As I've said, leave the woods at home, hit short irons off every tee and find the fairway. One of the breakthrough moments for me was realising that scoring a 5 on every hole is a round of 90. I went out with the aim of using 5 shots on every hole, even the long par 3's and shot a 94, coming from scores of over 100. Try it, it takes discipline and patience, but well worth it.

Putting is crucial, work on pace, think about a bin lid around the hole. Still expect to hole every putt, but work on your pace. Are you playing at one club or changing courses every week? When warming up before a round, hit 10ft, 15ft, 20ft putts to get the pace of the greens, then a few 2-3ft putts for confidence. I've read the average first putt for amateurs is around 10-12ft. Use the line on the ball to line up your putt, view the putt from behind the hole and pick a tiny spot near the cup - aim small, miss small.

Putting can be an individual game and a game you can excel at. Get a lesson from the club pro, he'll get your grip, stance, alignment all correct. From there its all about pace.

Let me know how you get on.

re: How am i doing
user544073
Reply : Sun 4th Aug 2013 10:22

Cheers chris, yeah just at one club. I will take on board the 5 shots a hole, always try harder on the par 3s thinking ill reach the green in one! had a lesson from the pro for my irons and that helped so think it is best i go back for a putting lesson! i have a round booked in for today so ill use your advice and let you know how i got on! thanks again!

re: How am i doing
user398345
Reply : Sun 4th Aug 2013 17:52

I've followed a similar pattern to you with scores for a good while in the 110 ++ range. Then I adopted a target of trying to hit an average hole score of 6 giving 108. To try a achieve this I left the woods at home, and used a 4 iron for Tee shots and fairway drives, going up through the loft range as the green becomes reachable. So its as good a straight hit as you can manage, as many times as necessary to get you putting.

This worked well for me & as I got more proficient, I started to pick up mainly bogeys with a few pars, so the scores generally came down towards the hundred, where I got stuck for ages with every number from 100 up over & over.

So the next stage was to realise that I needed to hit it further to reduce the number of shots taken to the greens. So now I'm trying to cure my slice with the 3 wood from tee & F/W, but it has allowed me to break the barrier with a couple of 99s, a 98 and a PB 95. So one of these days hopefully, I'll get my handicap reduced, or I'll have a better chance of winning on Society days if I've still got a 28 shot reduction! Good luck, Bob.

re: How am i doing
user118394
Reply : Sun 4th Aug 2013 18:31

my advice would be to take the driver out of the bag practice putting in your hall on the carpet and cannot stress this enough practice 100yds and in religously wish i had had this advice when i first started would have saved me years of misery :] good luck hope it all comes good for you

re: How am i doing
user504404
Reply : Mon 5th Aug 2013 12:21

Agree 100% with Dave regarding practice to playing ratio - especially as you are a newbie to golf.

Do not use the golf course for practising shots, swing etc - do that on the range!!! and your scores will come down pretty quickly.

Also spend at least half your practice time putting and chipping - most amateurs neglect this type of practice.

Drive for show and putt for dough - So apt a statement

re: How am i doing
user451055
Reply : Mon 5th Aug 2013 13:31

Practice practice practice. I have got my handicap down from a complete beginner 3 years ago by spending time on the range and having regular lessons. I play my proper golf comp on Sundays but a good few hours on a Saturday and evenings when I can during the week.

Saturdays on the range and chipping/putting. Evenings on the course but also a few sneaky extra chips/putts around the green when no-one is looking.

The handicap came down in bigish chunks but then stagnated and the thing that made it shift - as everyone else has said - short game.

Practice chipping around the green and putting and from bunkers. It will save you stacks of shots and it will improve your long game too! As the pressure comes off your long game because you know your short game can rescue a dodgy approach shot then your approach shots get better as you are more relaxed!

Handicap down from 36 (with rounds in the 160s at the start!) down to 22.

My aim was to get to 18 by the end of this year but that may be a bit too ambitious but who knows! Dropped 3 shots so far, 4 more to go.

re: How am i doing
user544073
Reply : Mon 5th Aug 2013 18:22

Wow thanks for all the replys guys, had a round yesterday evening managed to hit a 108 and was over the moon. Putting was still abit off but not taking risks really brought my score down. Think what i need to do know is not get over confident when i get a few good holes in. For my putting is it worth buying a putting mat or is it just as good playing on a carpet?

re: How am i doing
user2879
Reply : Tue 6th Aug 2013 22:02

I think the advice to use 7 irons only for a couple of rounds is the best one. I played in a Men vs Ladies match recently at our club and we were only allowed to hit 7 iron or below in the match and that helped me understand layup distances and holes where I don't need to get the driver out. It also helped me get the ball in play so I was able to hit the fairways and that's great for confidence. The next time I played a medal, I shot 5 under my handicap and got cut. Will recommend doing this once or twice a year to improve ball striking

re: How am i doing
user33026 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Sat 7th Sep 2013 13:31

Gilbert

Whilst you are entitled to your opinion, please do not resort to being abusive of other posters (e.g. name calling). Their opinion is as void as yours whether you agree or not. Posts considered abusive are in breach of the AUP and will be removed

re: How am i doing
user99350
Reply : Sat 7th Sep 2013 15:46

Mathew, all good advice above but I'd have to ask do you want to play because you like hitting golf balls or do you want to play just to score well?. If the answer is leaning more to scoring well then I would suggest you do leave the big sticks out of the bag as there's nothing wrong with hitting 7 irons off the tee (you'd be surprised how much less trouble you'll get in and I reckon a decent 7 iron will go further than a begginers poor driver/3 wood) and up to the green. Scoring well when first starting is all about minimising risks and I think that is why the 7 iron has been mentioned. I reckon it is the club that most beginners would hit more consistently (ie distance and accuracy) than any other. Scoring well is also subjective (you will gradually improve so your score) but look at it objectively: after each round, relive the poor shots, are they all in the same area? I do think you're expecting too much too soon so I hope that your motivation for playing is that love of hitting golf balls as that will motivate you to practice each aspect of the game. You can't put a time limit on it. I've been playing since I was six and still don't know if my next drive will be a 300+ or a duck hook.

re: How am i doing
user99350
Reply : Sat 7th Sep 2013 20:00

Gilbert, I was trying to illustrate that golf at our level can still go to extremes no matter how long we have been at it. Give the lad some encouragement. As for my driving: do I know you? I can't remember playing with you so how can you comment on my play? I'm sure it's not uncommon for most golfers to hit a 300+ yd drive.

re: How am i doing
user544073
Reply : Sat 7th Sep 2013 21:48

cheers for still replying guys. alot more consistant at the moment! around 110 on average. got myself a hybrid which is helping out of the rough and im driving straighter with a few tips from father in law. any beginers reading this just check your not gripping too hard "grip it like your using a tube of toothpaste" straight away im hitting it straight... next step putting practice!!

re: How am i doing
user99350
Reply : Sun 8th Sep 2013 11:48

Sorry Gilbert you've lost me there...I did re read it a couple of times but can't tell what the gist of your post is?(I think you're calling me a tosser but I can't be sure). Correct grammar might help and I think you spelt condensation wrong. Just off to play golf now... now the fifth at Moorallerton is 499 yds and if I remember rightly I was on with a drive and 9 iron last Tues. Will report back later this evening...maybe a duck hook and penalty drop is on the cards. Don't talk about me while I'm gone.

re: How am i doing
user99350
Reply : Mon 9th Sep 2013 15:24

Gilbert, I fully understood the word but it seems the subtle 'joke' went over your head. Apologies, I'll try not to be the school teacher but do try and keep the antiquated, uncommon words out as they do become irritating. It might have been seen as the thing back in the day but catch up. I stick by what I say. If you don't agree then don't agree. Why set up another thread? Numpty.

re: How am i doing
user99350
Reply : Mon 9th Sep 2013 20:55

My dearest Gilby, God knows this is hard for me to write. Our time has been short...too short. Oh it was good while it lasted and for a moment I thought you were the one. I thought we had a connection but I always seem to bring out the worst in people. Did I come on too strong? It's not you it's me. Why oh why did I spoil it??? was it the n word? It was meant in an endearing way. When I think of you I'll always see that numpty, harmless, pedantic, not hitting the driver too far but he's my numpty. I'm afraid we'll have to leave it there. Please don't hate me.

re: How am i doing
user80078
Reply : Tue 10th Sep 2013 13:21

Well said Patrick. So enjoyed your final comments on the matter. Gilbert was correct. A clear points win for Patrick me thinks...

re: How am i doing
user106712
Reply : Tue 10th Sep 2013 15:04

I think the score is 3-2 but to whom I'm not sure. However I didn't manage a 300 yard drive today because the wind was in the wrong direction and I shot 83. P.s. Talking of argumentative old codgers has anyone heard from John Pettit lately?

re: How am i doing
user80078
Reply : Tue 10th Sep 2013 18:37

Yes Adrian. JP has been very quiet of late. JP is a purist who knows what he is talking about in debates. Can't quite say the same for Gilbert, who just seems to enjoy tilting at windmills for the sake of it.


Last edit : Tue 10th Sep 2013 18:37
re: How am i doing
user26342
Reply : Wed 11th Sep 2013 06:32

I think JP's health took a turn for the worse so I wish him a speedy recovery.

As for Gilby, I think he has been blocked / blackballed / kicked off other golf forum sites & he has taken residency on golfshake for the time being.

Must be how he gets his kicks?

A quick google search on his name will reveal all you need to know.

re: How am i doing
user26342
Reply : Wed 11th Sep 2013 13:10

I think we're going to need a bigger boat!

re: How am i doing
user80078
Reply : Wed 11th Sep 2013 15:17

Gilbert, I do hope the rain stops and your back improves, allowing you to move on to pastures new. Enjoy your golf...

re: How am i doing
user106712
Reply : Wed 11th Sep 2013 16:20

tilting at windmills is a well known metaphore and Don Quixote is a well known story.

re: How am i doing
user80078
Reply : Wed 11th Sep 2013 16:41

Adrian, clearly another thing Gilbert got wrong!


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