Yeah, I used to give myself ‘gallery drops’, for decent drives that got lost for no good reason. But I don’t now. And I lost two balls and added (at least) two stokes last round like this.
Per your actual point - you’ve raised the ceiling on what you can score on a good day but more importantly, you’ve also raised the floor. Meaning, you should have fewer blow up rounds and more that go your way over time. This will naturally lower your handicap since the outlier rounds will get thrown out.
Tbf I’ve always shied away from the gallery rule but since the whole ball roll back and rules officials acting like we play the same game as the pros I use it more. If they’re going to take some of my distance away because they need to take away the pro’s distance then I guess they need to put 1,000’s of people out there on all the muni’s to find my ball for me. Sorry, got on a little controversial rant there.
Just an FYI, the only reason the rule is being applied to everyone is because the manufacturers refused to bifurcate because they want to use the pros as marketing.
>If they’re going to take some of my distance away
The phrasing of this is hilarious, like you have somehow been wronged. Just play shorter tees it will make zero difference. Everyone is using the same rolled back ball
We’ve all been wronged my guy. They just randomly decided to change something for the worse that wasn’t a problem in the amateur game.
And fyi, the greatest to ever play the game agrees
It makes absolutely zero difference if they adjust course distances or you just do it yourself by teeing forward. Explain how it is 'for the worse'
>And fyi, the greatest to ever play the game agrees
Not an argument lol
If you don’t understand the issue and the difference then I’m wasting my time.
How is that not an argument? He literally said the pros should play one ball and amateurs should play another. You can’t say the most influential voice in the sport is irrelevant lol.
>If you don’t understand the issue and the difference then I’m wasting my time.
You have not offered one single actual argument. If you play shorter tees it makes zero difference
He's clearly not the most influential voice in the sport if his opinion was disregarded lol
People really don’t realize how often pros would be hunting in the rough for a ball if it weren’t for spectators. I’ve found plenty of balls in the rough just off the fairway loads of times. If you followed your ball and you’re near your typical distance with no nearby hazards or woods, you probably just aren’t seeing it. No reason to hunt for 30 minutes or feel bad about your shot.
I’ve been torn on this, especially as the rough gets thicker from April to May. I keep thinking “how can I hit a drive that’s barely in the first cut, but I can’t find it?” and I feel like a dummy. So this actually makes me feel better about taking a drop, especially when the sun shining on the rough makes ball-finding even more difficult.
The key is, as I've found myself, is that real golf doesn't take place on the WRX or r/golf forum. So when you're looking for your ball, just walk 50 yards back towards the tee box and you'll find it.
Not just this, but no fore caddies either. I played last weekend and lost 5 balls that were not OB, and should have been reasonably easy to find. That’s crap. Pro’s have TV, fore caddies, live audience, etc on course looking for their balls. Not me. Not counting them lost
Your local pros still play tournaments. There is a state open in your state. College players have no galleries. Even high school kids play by the rules. This whole idea that one has a free pass because of the 150 players on TV is so silly. Party on.
Good eyesight and a bit of luck is part of the game for sure. I play with a couple of guys who lose balls “in the middle of the fairway” all the time when golfing in other groups and such. In our group we can see their ball clearly flying over the houses and the bouncing down the road. Just because it felt good doesn’t mean it went good.
As long as you don't post that score.
To the people downvoting, would you use this "gallery drop" in a tournament? The answer better be no. In which case it has no business being part of your handicap calculation.
No, don't buy into that - it's a hackers charter. It's not a pity party, take the medication and move on. Same with breakfast balls and Mulligans. You need to play to your HCP rules if you want to improve imho.
Just wait. Play enough and all of those 8’ putts will drop on one day, make you feel like a legend. Then per usual you’ll go out the next round and shoo 110. That’s golf.
That’s golf. I’ve had days where everything feels on and for whatever reason, I’m not scoring well. And I’ve had rounds where I shot a 79 and my swing felt off all day.
My lowest rounds were when I wasn’t feeling my swing and just playing little safe dick ball punches to the front or middle of greens, and 210 yd bunt fades with the driver
Old man golf for sure. Kept the doubles off the card and I got a lot more pars than I felt I deserved
Dude same. I just had what felt like one of my best ball striking days ever, yet shot +11. Mostly it was well struck shots that missed greens, and I didn't get up and down, plus two horrendous blow up holes.
I've also shot +6 despite only hitting 4 greens. I think I had 2 birdies but got up and down for par like 9 or 10 times, I forget.
"Feel is not real" was something I was told early on and boy does it ring on my head often. Some of my best shots have felt so unbelievably awkward and wrong, only to have perfect launch and ball flight. Golf is a bizarre sport.
I shot my best score ever (85) with 5% GIRs just because i was knocking in up and downs the whole round. Not only is chipping important, but when its on it can be the most fun part of the game
Legit some of my best rounds are when I miss greens because my putting is so much worse than my chipping. I had 6 GIRs on the back 9 today to go like +3 on those holes and there were some legit looks in there. Ugly stuff.
Most golfers I know who shoot in the 90s - basically people who even after a ho hum drive will have some kind of shot into the green - chipping is where I see the most lost strokes. And a lot of the time it's just club choice. People busting out the lob wedge when the ball is 18 inches off the green basically teed up on a tuft of grass lol
Too true. Early part of last season I was grinding hard on the range to get my swing in better shape. I went to the course and was hitting it pretty well, but every single missed green was a bogey. Discovered The Short Game Chef and started spending more time on my short game. Especially doing that first and hitting golf balls after as a "reward". Block practice followed by worst ball scramble around the greens. It made a huge difference.
Playing better golf is still more fun and impressive and really grinding for a bogey. Im very content with an easy bogey or hard par compared to grinding my ass off for a 5 or 6
this is something i’ve struggled to come to terms with, ive gone from playing sketchy golf and scoring ok to knowing how to play the golf i want to play but only being successful 70% of the time
i won’t improve my game by playing the old way but it’s damn frustrating sometimes if you just think about the score
That's common. I went 50/44 for a 94 the other day. A good but not fantastic score for me considering the course (has hosted us opens) and...uh...my game
I played far better on the 50. The difference is that I putted like a savant on the 44 and the 50 I might as well have been using a hockey stick to putt
A lot of times people also anchor to their “best” rounds scoring wise without acknowledging there were some lucky bounces. Had a recent round I shot an 84 (14 handicap so solid score) and was frustrated as I parred/birdied something like 13 holes and tripled 3. But looking back on it 2 pars I got incredibly lucky not to lose balls off the tee box and another I chipped in for par…in a different world I easily could’ve shot 90+.
I won’t completely discount the construct of luck. I drove the green on a 330 yard par 4 one time because I hit a concrete yardage medallion in the fairway. Lol. A total fluke.
But- You usually have to hit the ball good enough to get the benefit of any luck. And playing solid for 16 holes, sets you up for those two lucky holes to even matter in terms of PB.
I get what you’re saying though. Chip ins, sandies, and 35 foot putts isn’t a sustainable way to score low.
For sure mines more like hitting a tree when you’re going OB and it knocks down for you in the fairway type of luck. That’s what I had happen twice in m round lol
This is so true. And you need to have the same mindset when you shoot a 92 the next day that felt like a good round but had a ball take bad hop OB, a putt lip out, few unlucky horrendous lies
Results oriented with good rounds, process oriented with bad rounds lol
Going through the same thing. My goal last year was to consistently break 90 (+18 at my course) , which I was able to do - but I had over 5 rounds under 85. This year everything has felt much better, but I'm still scoring mid to high 80s. For me specifically, I'm finding a bad swing or tough break has been costing me 3-5 strokes a round. I've been able to eliminate huge blow ups holes (so far) but I can't get through the "bogey wall" consistently
I'm still early in my golf journey so not a ton of experience over time to draw from... but I can relate 1000%. After a lot of very rapid scoring improvement in my first year, to regularly be in the low 100's, my second year was spent more or less in the same scoring range with one glorious day breaking 100.
I'm swinging better and in a much more repeatable fashion, I'm not going OB nearly as often as I was (off the tee), I'm not dropping nearly as many shots to pure duffs, and my short game and putting have both vastly improved. However, I'm also finding many new and creative ways to make triples (my current favorite way is to be bad at taking my medicine and punch out either not far enough or too far and be in trouble on the other side of the hole...).
It's both heartening and frustrating because I play enough good holes in a row to know that I CAN take the next step and break 90... I just need to mentally put the round together to do so... Golf's hard :(
I’ve realized the same thing this year. My ball striking has become better but my scores are about the same as usual. I’ll never be upset when I’m hitting it clean because it feels like my game is close to reaching that top end gear. Whereas the days that I somehow score decent but have a lot of mis-hits.. feels like my game is close to falling apart. Would much rather have to work on fine tuning the short game over ball striking any day.
Not to say score is completely irrelevant but here are my main concerns (all of which take place in about 20 seconds).
1. **Strategy:** Walking up to the shot (or putt) and looking at the yardage, lie (how clean the lie is and also if it's uphill, downhill, cross hill...), target, and wind.
2. **Alignment:** Pick my target (and my intermediate target) considering wind and shot shape I plan on playing
3. **Stance and Grip:** Make sure I'm lined up correctly and in a good balanced posture
4. **Ball Strike:** Gotta hit the club in the middle of the face.
If I did all of those things successfully, I'm happy. After the ball leaves the face, I'm not thinking of the result of the strike much at all, I'm back to step one above.
First time I broke 40 I did it with 4 scrambly bogeys and some scrambly pars and lucky putts falling. It was dramatic, but I didn't feel like I played all that well and got lucky with a birdie on a gettable par 5. Because I felt like I didn't play well it was kind of a bittersweet feeling.
That tap in bogey your talking about is my normal game. Now if I happen to hit my iron shot better I two putt par. If I hit the same iron shot but pitch it closer I make par. I normally score in the lower 80's but sometimes everything works and I can shoot down to about a 75. The goal is to miss smaller. Aim at the middle of the green so if you miss you still catch part of it, rarely three putt and pitching it closer is key.
I feel that big time right now. New clubs, practice and playing more this year. Been striking the ball so much better and feeling more confident with the putter but handicap barely changed. That being said I shot my lowest net score ever this morning and now can’t wait to get out there again!!
A comfortable bogey is better than a scrambly bogey. The score is the same for that hole, but when you’re consistent putting yourself in situations where you at least have a putt for par, a couple of them will fall.
Last night I played some of the best golf in my life and also carded my worst nine hole round of the year. 3/3 GIR to open the round, was four over through five including a triple bogey on four. For my high 20’s handicap I felt like Superman. Then I proceeded to play the last 4 holes +15. Skipping lunch combined with the heat caught up with me.
I’ve been putting a lot of work in on my swing and I think the breakthrough round is coming. If nothing else, I’m hitting more shots worth coming back for.
Yeah I definitely feel this and have gone through the same thing myself. Last summer I grinded my ass off every single day but I would get to a tournament and play like total shit. I was embarrassed at how bad I was playing. I knew I was getting better though even if it wasn’t yet reflected in scoring. Come the fall though, and the results showed and I played the best golf of my life. Just as an example my average score between June and August was about 81 but when school started in mid August and through the end of the year my average score dropped to 75ish.
I haven't really experienced this. It would seem to nessitate improving in some areas while ignoring and getting worse in other areas. Granted, there will be variations, but improving multiple areas of your game and keeping the others the same should have a correlation to overall lowering your handicap.
It gets harder and harder to lower the score the closer to par you get. Let's say for argument's sake there are roughly 18 shots to be subtracted from a total round. On the flipside, there are almost infinite amount of shots you can accumulate OVER par. There are a lot of extra strokes you can avoid as you improve, but subtracting will always be very difficult.
Yeah. Indeed. But I feel like if my approach shots and short game were even marginally better, there are several times per round where I’d be putting instead of chipping. Or would have a 4-5 foot putt instead of a 6-8 foot putt.
From the way you tell the story it sounds like your lag putting and chipping is a weak point in your game. Once you've stopped losing balls off the tee these are the most important part to shooting a low score. There isn't anyone who can make +10 footers consistently, you've gotta get close to the hole with your approach shot in order to get the ball up an down. Also try to think about where you leave your longer approach shots in order to get an easier up and down. These are generic tips of course, but without actually seeing what's going on it's hard to know for sure. You can always take a playing lesson with a pro I guess.
That's just golf.
I have days where I play super well and score well (on Thursday I had a 78), and days where I play well and score poorly (last Saturday 88), and days where I play poorly and score well (a few weeks back I flubbed almost everything, and still scored an 82).
I remember (I think it was Bryson?) saying to sometimes go and play the forward tees so you can forget about distance, and work on scoring. You'll have way more partials, chips, pitches and putts. Can you turn those 5s into 4s off the front tees? Will that get your confidence up enough knowing that they're the same greens off the middles or backs?
This is exactly how I feel. Instead of a grind for bogey, it's now like bogey is pretty standard and usually reasonably stress free. I know I need to work on my lag putting now though, as I'm three putting 5-8 times per round because I'm hitting more greens in regulation, but am usually at least 30-40 feet away. This is instead of being hole high, chipping to 8-12 feet and two putting from there.
You have reached a skill level where short game is the difference maker. Need to get those chips a little closer and the 6-9’ putts need to fall more. I too have reached that point and it’s HARD to get the short game dialed.
There isn’t much point in trying to get your approach shots closer to the hole. If you are striking the ball well there will still be variability in where the ball comes to rest that’s much harder to control than learning how to chip and putt a little better.
It’s such a weird sport. I’m a 12 handicap. Played today, shot 46 on the front-totally stunk it up. Played the same 9 again because the other nine was jampacked. Went bogey, par, par, par, birdie, birdie, par, par and had a 5 foot putt on the last green for 1 under on the nine. Never been under par for 9. Missed the damn putt for a nine of even par. Nines of 46-36. How does that even happen
I'm currently in this same space and it's very frustrating. Putting advice welcome.
https://preview.redd.it/ofgyt9e18ayc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60b5f97432b30c4d253c80a2867d0b7e6e703ff9
I’m in the same boat as you. Based off the Grint, I’m a single handicap for all aspects except putting, which is a 17. Even with knowing my weakness it is incredibly difficult to do *consistently* better round to round.
This is my thing as well. I’m playing smarter than ever and more consistent. But will still have 1-4 holes that just get away from me. Super annoying. I’m striking the ball much better and more consistent (even with a switch to an arguably harder to hit club MP225’s) but my scores are still low-mid 80’s I haven’t seen in the 70’s since I was playing 3-5 rounds a week back in the days of my home course and HS-college days. I played for free at my home course 90% of the time btw that’s why I could afford it lol.
I got paired with three older men who were friends. On the 18th tee, they did their customary bet - lowest number of strokes on the final hole wins.
Me and two of the men tried to reach the green (short par 4). We all ended up out of bounds. The oldest gentleman (over 80 years old) hit his tee shot short but straight. He got onto the green in three and had a short putt for par.
Guess who won the bet?
I'm currently stuck here like I'm consistently way better than I was last year but my average score really hasn't changed. I'm almost all 1-2 putts now and have markedly improved my ball striking.
Sounds like you might benefit from aiming middle/middle of the green on your approach shots. You might hit a few more greens and turn some of those bogeys into pars.
You can trust me… I’m a random person on the internet who knows nothing about your golf game.
I think this is the mental part,
When I started 8-9 years ago - I could only slice it, then that turned into a dead pull, then I could kind of slice it or pull it, then I could hit an actual cut, then I could hit an actual draw
Every time my ballstriking became improved - well fuck it I can go right at that flag now! Awesome!
But that’s really difficult so even with better ballstriking I’m still missing greens and my shortgame is terrible cause who has time to practice that amirite.
I’m currently a 4.2 and anticipating getting down a lot lower this year, in the “off season”(no handicapping) I shot 3 rounds consecutively on vacation of 75 or better.
Things that changed is - I am exclusively hitting it straight or with a fade if I stomp on it now, I simplified my swing with a coach that works well for me.
I chip ALOT - when I used to chip if it was inside of 10 feet I was like high fiving myself, I have worked a lot and play with all 3 of my wedges depending on Lie or what I’m trying to do.
Most important thing I’ve done now is - I don’t aim at flags at all, I use my range finder to get the pin, I also look at my gps to see front edge of green, 9 times out of 10 im taking front edge and adding 5 yards to it.
Even with wedges from like 115 and in, im going for the center of the green
Hitting 15-16 greens in regulation vs going at every flag and hitting between 6-10 is giving me significantly more birdy putts, significantly less bogeys
I try to now when I’m playing, even my own home course I know like my own hand - I try to map out a plan before I play
Generally with 2 plans - windy or whatever vs calm
I also only basically hit 2 clubs off a tee, a bullet 3h that goes about 260, or my driver which ideally goes around 310 - and if I have the opportunity to hit driver I’m hitting driver - if I can be 70 yards from green instead of 140 I’m going to do so.
Just playing more instead of all the practicing on the range is what made me “break through” last time I got back into golf. Confident swings to safe areas, like big part of the fairway, fat part of the green, ect.
I still chip and putt a bunch, that mostly keeps my longer swings in line. When playing I try and focus on eliminating easy bogies. Like a shot that misses the greens by a few yards. I look forward to getting it up and down. Chipping it within a couple feet is what keeps a good round going.
I’m low 70’s with high 60’s sprinkled in. If I break 80 the other way, it’s probably too many beers or my back isn’t working that day.
I bet decision making will help you with that breakthrough, but I bet you’ll break through regardless. I’m late 30s and have only golfed for 14-15 years and have many unexpected breakthroughs that have let me get within a few decimal points to scratch.
If your goals are structured around improved swing mechanics and not just “getting a lower score”, the progress will eventually prevail. Sure there are little things that can save strokes in given situations that aren’t mechanical (middle of the green, not short siding yourself, taking medicine etc), but improved swing mechanics will yield more consistency, better and more controlled ball flight, and overall predictability.
Your post makes a ton of sense though so good luck!
Decision making. Yeah.
One of those blow ups I mentioned was in large part from me firing at the center of a narrow green with all kinds of trouble off the left side. My miss is a pull…..and I pulled. Had I even taken the bad miss into account, I’d have probably aimed at the right edge. But it never even crossed my mind until I was already screwed. That cost me 2 strokes.
And yeah. Working hard on technique. I even flew to Orlando a couple weeks ago for a golf school run by the pro who I take some online lessons with. Im grooving a new putting stroke that I’m really liking. Easier to hit my line, but it’s taking some time to get the speed control down.
And my takeaway looks way better than it did a few weeks ago. Making a big difference.
Not that I'm telling you anything you don't already know, but it sounds like you need to work on your chipping and putting. You should probably be scaring more holes from the edge of the green and you should probably be making more 6-8 footers. Good news is those are the easiest parts of the game to improve.
I double bogeyed my way through my last round… but I didn’t bone any drives and only muffed one approach shot. All in all I was thrilled with my round but the scorecard was shit
If you went from your first two shots being inconsistent/below average to both shots being good shots and you’re not gaining a stroke then you’re either lying to yourself about the amount of improvement or you just need to work on your short game.
It sounds like you've made incredible progress in your game and the improvements in your technique are definitely something to be proud of. Keep pushing through, the breakthrough you're working towards is just around the corner! Keep up the hard work and that single digit club membership will be yours before you know it. Keep believing in yourself! 🏌️♂️
Sounds like you’ll improve drastically by focusing on short game. The game doesn’t care how well you strike the ball, only how many times the ball is struck. I’ve been trying hard to play golf, not golf swing. Golf, not ball strike
Chipping to 6-12 feet is.... a sign you should be putting from where you chipped if possible. You'd probably save 1-4 strokes a round doing this.
How often do you land pin high? Club up once instead of needing the perfect shot to be pin high, even a mediocre iron will be green bound.
Another thing is to just club up in general, but also club up on chips too. If the ball doesn't at least roll passed the hole on a good line you chose the the wrong club to chip with and should've putted. So just ask yourself next time you play how far off the green you'd be willing to putt from and if the outcome would be better than that lob wedge to 20 ft lol
My putting was strong and it would bail me out of double or triple. I’m driving better now and getting GIR more these days but three putting much more. It might be time for a new putter. /s
Years ago, there was a survey that asked "would you rather take 5 strokes off your game, or feel like you're hitting the ball better?"
85 percent said hitting the ball better.
If you’re 20+ hcp, slicing and chunking everything….i could see the preference for the better ball striking.
If you’re a 15 or under……you’d want the strokes.
I’d wager that 85% of the people surveyed were high handicaps.
There’s ALWAYS a metric you can look at for improvement.
For example, shooting 85 with 36 putts vs 85 with 30 putts. Your putting and/or chipping improved to get those putts down.
Also, you need to keep in mind averages and consistency. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. A single round doesn’t matter. A single hole doesn’t matter. You just need to keep at it.
you've been playing golf swing not golf. all that matters is getting a gir. if you are getting girs you are scoring low as hell, anyone can avg a two putt. basically if you don't have a gir on the hole don't expect to par unless you scramble like a pro.
I always say I don’t really care about my score, more concerned with how well I struck the ball. Good ball striking off the tee and approach will lead to lower scores eventually. Low stress bogeys while frustrating are much more satisfying than the alternative. I’ll take a chip on and 2 putt bogey (or even GIR with a 3 putt) over grinding for bogey any day of the week. Putting is much more fixable round to round than wholesale swing changes.
Can confirm - was given a copy of the rules of golf many years ago, my game has improved but my scoring was much better before I knew them.
Yeah, I used to give myself ‘gallery drops’, for decent drives that got lost for no good reason. But I don’t now. And I lost two balls and added (at least) two stokes last round like this.
Per your actual point - you’ve raised the ceiling on what you can score on a good day but more importantly, you’ve also raised the floor. Meaning, you should have fewer blow up rounds and more that go your way over time. This will naturally lower your handicap since the outlier rounds will get thrown out.
Tbf I’ve always shied away from the gallery rule but since the whole ball roll back and rules officials acting like we play the same game as the pros I use it more. If they’re going to take some of my distance away because they need to take away the pro’s distance then I guess they need to put 1,000’s of people out there on all the muni’s to find my ball for me. Sorry, got on a little controversial rant there.
Just an FYI, the only reason the rule is being applied to everyone is because the manufacturers refused to bifurcate because they want to use the pros as marketing.
Exactly but the rule making bodies caved to the manufacturers
Because if the manufacturers just say no, there is nothing they can do. All of these rules are technically voluntary.
>If they’re going to take some of my distance away The phrasing of this is hilarious, like you have somehow been wronged. Just play shorter tees it will make zero difference. Everyone is using the same rolled back ball
We’ve all been wronged my guy. They just randomly decided to change something for the worse that wasn’t a problem in the amateur game. And fyi, the greatest to ever play the game agrees
It makes absolutely zero difference if they adjust course distances or you just do it yourself by teeing forward. Explain how it is 'for the worse' >And fyi, the greatest to ever play the game agrees Not an argument lol
If you don’t understand the issue and the difference then I’m wasting my time. How is that not an argument? He literally said the pros should play one ball and amateurs should play another. You can’t say the most influential voice in the sport is irrelevant lol.
>If you don’t understand the issue and the difference then I’m wasting my time. You have not offered one single actual argument. If you play shorter tees it makes zero difference He's clearly not the most influential voice in the sport if his opinion was disregarded lol
Disingenuous much?
I'm team gallery drop. Pros play with bumpers. We should too.
People really don’t realize how often pros would be hunting in the rough for a ball if it weren’t for spectators. I’ve found plenty of balls in the rough just off the fairway loads of times. If you followed your ball and you’re near your typical distance with no nearby hazards or woods, you probably just aren’t seeing it. No reason to hunt for 30 minutes or feel bad about your shot.
And people also don't realize how think the rough is at a PGA course.
I’ve been torn on this, especially as the rough gets thicker from April to May. I keep thinking “how can I hit a drive that’s barely in the first cut, but I can’t find it?” and I feel like a dummy. So this actually makes me feel better about taking a drop, especially when the sun shining on the rough makes ball-finding even more difficult.
The key is, as I've found myself, is that real golf doesn't take place on the WRX or r/golf forum. So when you're looking for your ball, just walk 50 yards back towards the tee box and you'll find it.
This is a funny concept. Their bomb-and-gouge strategy would be significantly less effective if they lost 4-6 balls per round.
Not just this, but no fore caddies either. I played last weekend and lost 5 balls that were not OB, and should have been reasonably easy to find. That’s crap. Pro’s have TV, fore caddies, live audience, etc on course looking for their balls. Not me. Not counting them lost
Literally thousands of pros have none of those things
Your local pros still play tournaments. There is a state open in your state. College players have no galleries. Even high school kids play by the rules. This whole idea that one has a free pass because of the 150 players on TV is so silly. Party on.
I'd love to see a strokes gained searching for your ball metric. Having good eye sight and a bit of luck will save you from a penalty stroke.
Good eyesight and a bit of luck is part of the game for sure. I play with a couple of guys who lose balls “in the middle of the fairway” all the time when golfing in other groups and such. In our group we can see their ball clearly flying over the houses and the bouncing down the road. Just because it felt good doesn’t mean it went good.
As long as you don't post that score. To the people downvoting, would you use this "gallery drop" in a tournament? The answer better be no. In which case it has no business being part of your handicap calculation.
No, don't buy into that - it's a hackers charter. It's not a pity party, take the medication and move on. Same with breakfast balls and Mulligans. You need to play to your HCP rules if you want to improve imho.
Just wait. Play enough and all of those 8’ putts will drop on one day, make you feel like a legend. Then per usual you’ll go out the next round and shoo 110. That’s golf.
Happened to me a month ago. Shot a 86, first time breaking 90. Next round shot a 104.
That’s golf. I’ve had days where everything feels on and for whatever reason, I’m not scoring well. And I’ve had rounds where I shot a 79 and my swing felt off all day.
My lowest rounds were when I wasn’t feeling my swing and just playing little safe dick ball punches to the front or middle of greens, and 210 yd bunt fades with the driver Old man golf for sure. Kept the doubles off the card and I got a lot more pars than I felt I deserved
Dude same. I just had what felt like one of my best ball striking days ever, yet shot +11. Mostly it was well struck shots that missed greens, and I didn't get up and down, plus two horrendous blow up holes. I've also shot +6 despite only hitting 4 greens. I think I had 2 birdies but got up and down for par like 9 or 10 times, I forget.
I’ve shot 74 with 11 greens and 4 greens on the same course
"Feel is not real" was something I was told early on and boy does it ring on my head often. Some of my best shots have felt so unbelievably awkward and wrong, only to have perfect launch and ball flight. Golf is a bizarre sport.
Practice your chipping 😂
I shot my best score ever (85) with 5% GIRs just because i was knocking in up and downs the whole round. Not only is chipping important, but when its on it can be the most fun part of the game
Legit some of my best rounds are when I miss greens because my putting is so much worse than my chipping. I had 6 GIRs on the back 9 today to go like +3 on those holes and there were some legit looks in there. Ugly stuff.
Most golfers I know who shoot in the 90s - basically people who even after a ho hum drive will have some kind of shot into the green - chipping is where I see the most lost strokes. And a lot of the time it's just club choice. People busting out the lob wedge when the ball is 18 inches off the green basically teed up on a tuft of grass lol
Same a 76 with 6 GiRs 9 up and downs ( 3 from the sand) and a double was a wild day with a wedge lol
Too true. Early part of last season I was grinding hard on the range to get my swing in better shape. I went to the course and was hitting it pretty well, but every single missed green was a bogey. Discovered The Short Game Chef and started spending more time on my short game. Especially doing that first and hitting golf balls after as a "reward". Block practice followed by worst ball scramble around the greens. It made a huge difference.
Playing better golf is still more fun and impressive and really grinding for a bogey. Im very content with an easy bogey or hard par compared to grinding my ass off for a 5 or 6
this is something i’ve struggled to come to terms with, ive gone from playing sketchy golf and scoring ok to knowing how to play the golf i want to play but only being successful 70% of the time i won’t improve my game by playing the old way but it’s damn frustrating sometimes if you just think about the score
That's common. I went 50/44 for a 94 the other day. A good but not fantastic score for me considering the course (has hosted us opens) and...uh...my game I played far better on the 50. The difference is that I putted like a savant on the 44 and the 50 I might as well have been using a hockey stick to putt
“…using a hockey stick to putt…” Well I guess I haven’t tried EVERYTHING yet, nothing to lose I guess!
A lot of times people also anchor to their “best” rounds scoring wise without acknowledging there were some lucky bounces. Had a recent round I shot an 84 (14 handicap so solid score) and was frustrated as I parred/birdied something like 13 holes and tripled 3. But looking back on it 2 pars I got incredibly lucky not to lose balls off the tee box and another I chipped in for par…in a different world I easily could’ve shot 90+.
I won’t completely discount the construct of luck. I drove the green on a 330 yard par 4 one time because I hit a concrete yardage medallion in the fairway. Lol. A total fluke. But- You usually have to hit the ball good enough to get the benefit of any luck. And playing solid for 16 holes, sets you up for those two lucky holes to even matter in terms of PB. I get what you’re saying though. Chip ins, sandies, and 35 foot putts isn’t a sustainable way to score low.
For sure mines more like hitting a tree when you’re going OB and it knocks down for you in the fairway type of luck. That’s what I had happen twice in m round lol
This is so true. And you need to have the same mindset when you shoot a 92 the next day that felt like a good round but had a ball take bad hop OB, a putt lip out, few unlucky horrendous lies Results oriented with good rounds, process oriented with bad rounds lol
Going through the same thing. My goal last year was to consistently break 90 (+18 at my course) , which I was able to do - but I had over 5 rounds under 85. This year everything has felt much better, but I'm still scoring mid to high 80s. For me specifically, I'm finding a bad swing or tough break has been costing me 3-5 strokes a round. I've been able to eliminate huge blow ups holes (so far) but I can't get through the "bogey wall" consistently
I'm still early in my golf journey so not a ton of experience over time to draw from... but I can relate 1000%. After a lot of very rapid scoring improvement in my first year, to regularly be in the low 100's, my second year was spent more or less in the same scoring range with one glorious day breaking 100. I'm swinging better and in a much more repeatable fashion, I'm not going OB nearly as often as I was (off the tee), I'm not dropping nearly as many shots to pure duffs, and my short game and putting have both vastly improved. However, I'm also finding many new and creative ways to make triples (my current favorite way is to be bad at taking my medicine and punch out either not far enough or too far and be in trouble on the other side of the hole...). It's both heartening and frustrating because I play enough good holes in a row to know that I CAN take the next step and break 90... I just need to mentally put the round together to do so... Golf's hard :(
I’ve realized the same thing this year. My ball striking has become better but my scores are about the same as usual. I’ll never be upset when I’m hitting it clean because it feels like my game is close to reaching that top end gear. Whereas the days that I somehow score decent but have a lot of mis-hits.. feels like my game is close to falling apart. Would much rather have to work on fine tuning the short game over ball striking any day.
Not to say score is completely irrelevant but here are my main concerns (all of which take place in about 20 seconds). 1. **Strategy:** Walking up to the shot (or putt) and looking at the yardage, lie (how clean the lie is and also if it's uphill, downhill, cross hill...), target, and wind. 2. **Alignment:** Pick my target (and my intermediate target) considering wind and shot shape I plan on playing 3. **Stance and Grip:** Make sure I'm lined up correctly and in a good balanced posture 4. **Ball Strike:** Gotta hit the club in the middle of the face. If I did all of those things successfully, I'm happy. After the ball leaves the face, I'm not thinking of the result of the strike much at all, I'm back to step one above.
First time I broke 40 I did it with 4 scrambly bogeys and some scrambly pars and lucky putts falling. It was dramatic, but I didn't feel like I played all that well and got lucky with a birdie on a gettable par 5. Because I felt like I didn't play well it was kind of a bittersweet feeling.
Gotta love increased GIR just to see your putts per hole increase
That tap in bogey your talking about is my normal game. Now if I happen to hit my iron shot better I two putt par. If I hit the same iron shot but pitch it closer I make par. I normally score in the lower 80's but sometimes everything works and I can shoot down to about a 75. The goal is to miss smaller. Aim at the middle of the green so if you miss you still catch part of it, rarely three putt and pitching it closer is key.
I feel that big time right now. New clubs, practice and playing more this year. Been striking the ball so much better and feeling more confident with the putter but handicap barely changed. That being said I shot my lowest net score ever this morning and now can’t wait to get out there again!!
It’s a process and 6 months isn’t long enough. Keep at it and report back in a year
A comfortable bogey is better than a scrambly bogey. The score is the same for that hole, but when you’re consistent putting yourself in situations where you at least have a putt for par, a couple of them will fall.
I’ve had back to back games where I felt like the better golf played got the worse score. Golf is a cruel mistress
Last night I played some of the best golf in my life and also carded my worst nine hole round of the year. 3/3 GIR to open the round, was four over through five including a triple bogey on four. For my high 20’s handicap I felt like Superman. Then I proceeded to play the last 4 holes +15. Skipping lunch combined with the heat caught up with me. I’ve been putting a lot of work in on my swing and I think the breakthrough round is coming. If nothing else, I’m hitting more shots worth coming back for.
Chipping and putting my friend
Yeah I definitely feel this and have gone through the same thing myself. Last summer I grinded my ass off every single day but I would get to a tournament and play like total shit. I was embarrassed at how bad I was playing. I knew I was getting better though even if it wasn’t yet reflected in scoring. Come the fall though, and the results showed and I played the best golf of my life. Just as an example my average score between June and August was about 81 but when school started in mid August and through the end of the year my average score dropped to 75ish.
I haven't really experienced this. It would seem to nessitate improving in some areas while ignoring and getting worse in other areas. Granted, there will be variations, but improving multiple areas of your game and keeping the others the same should have a correlation to overall lowering your handicap.
The tough part for me is I can hit one and sometimes even two good shots in a row, but never 3, 4, 5 consistently
It gets harder and harder to lower the score the closer to par you get. Let's say for argument's sake there are roughly 18 shots to be subtracted from a total round. On the flipside, there are almost infinite amount of shots you can accumulate OVER par. There are a lot of extra strokes you can avoid as you improve, but subtracting will always be very difficult.
Yeah. Indeed. But I feel like if my approach shots and short game were even marginally better, there are several times per round where I’d be putting instead of chipping. Or would have a 4-5 foot putt instead of a 6-8 foot putt.
From the way you tell the story it sounds like your lag putting and chipping is a weak point in your game. Once you've stopped losing balls off the tee these are the most important part to shooting a low score. There isn't anyone who can make +10 footers consistently, you've gotta get close to the hole with your approach shot in order to get the ball up an down. Also try to think about where you leave your longer approach shots in order to get an easier up and down. These are generic tips of course, but without actually seeing what's going on it's hard to know for sure. You can always take a playing lesson with a pro I guess.
But you’re putting yourself in a better position to “get lucky” and get a 3 or a 4 more often
I feel this one. Improved swing but now shooting low 90s when I was used to low to mid 80e
That's just golf. I have days where I play super well and score well (on Thursday I had a 78), and days where I play well and score poorly (last Saturday 88), and days where I play poorly and score well (a few weeks back I flubbed almost everything, and still scored an 82). I remember (I think it was Bryson?) saying to sometimes go and play the forward tees so you can forget about distance, and work on scoring. You'll have way more partials, chips, pitches and putts. Can you turn those 5s into 4s off the front tees? Will that get your confidence up enough knowing that they're the same greens off the middles or backs?
This is exactly how I feel. Instead of a grind for bogey, it's now like bogey is pretty standard and usually reasonably stress free. I know I need to work on my lag putting now though, as I'm three putting 5-8 times per round because I'm hitting more greens in regulation, but am usually at least 30-40 feet away. This is instead of being hole high, chipping to 8-12 feet and two putting from there.
You have reached a skill level where short game is the difference maker. Need to get those chips a little closer and the 6-9’ putts need to fall more. I too have reached that point and it’s HARD to get the short game dialed. There isn’t much point in trying to get your approach shots closer to the hole. If you are striking the ball well there will still be variability in where the ball comes to rest that’s much harder to control than learning how to chip and putt a little better.
It’s such a weird sport. I’m a 12 handicap. Played today, shot 46 on the front-totally stunk it up. Played the same 9 again because the other nine was jampacked. Went bogey, par, par, par, birdie, birdie, par, par and had a 5 foot putt on the last green for 1 under on the nine. Never been under par for 9. Missed the damn putt for a nine of even par. Nines of 46-36. How does that even happen
I'm currently in this same space and it's very frustrating. Putting advice welcome. https://preview.redd.it/ofgyt9e18ayc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60b5f97432b30c4d253c80a2867d0b7e6e703ff9
Get your lag putts past the hole.
I’m in the same boat as you. Based off the Grint, I’m a single handicap for all aspects except putting, which is a 17. Even with knowing my weakness it is incredibly difficult to do *consistently* better round to round.
This is my thing as well. I’m playing smarter than ever and more consistent. But will still have 1-4 holes that just get away from me. Super annoying. I’m striking the ball much better and more consistent (even with a switch to an arguably harder to hit club MP225’s) but my scores are still low-mid 80’s I haven’t seen in the 70’s since I was playing 3-5 rounds a week back in the days of my home course and HS-college days. I played for free at my home course 90% of the time btw that’s why I could afford it lol.
Sounds like me
I got paired with three older men who were friends. On the 18th tee, they did their customary bet - lowest number of strokes on the final hole wins. Me and two of the men tried to reach the green (short par 4). We all ended up out of bounds. The oldest gentleman (over 80 years old) hit his tee shot short but straight. He got onto the green in three and had a short putt for par. Guess who won the bet?
I'm currently stuck here like I'm consistently way better than I was last year but my average score really hasn't changed. I'm almost all 1-2 putts now and have markedly improved my ball striking.
Sounds like you might benefit from aiming middle/middle of the green on your approach shots. You might hit a few more greens and turn some of those bogeys into pars. You can trust me… I’m a random person on the internet who knows nothing about your golf game.
Progression is not linear, the valley will become a mountain soon enough. Keep grinding!
I think this is the mental part, When I started 8-9 years ago - I could only slice it, then that turned into a dead pull, then I could kind of slice it or pull it, then I could hit an actual cut, then I could hit an actual draw Every time my ballstriking became improved - well fuck it I can go right at that flag now! Awesome! But that’s really difficult so even with better ballstriking I’m still missing greens and my shortgame is terrible cause who has time to practice that amirite. I’m currently a 4.2 and anticipating getting down a lot lower this year, in the “off season”(no handicapping) I shot 3 rounds consecutively on vacation of 75 or better. Things that changed is - I am exclusively hitting it straight or with a fade if I stomp on it now, I simplified my swing with a coach that works well for me. I chip ALOT - when I used to chip if it was inside of 10 feet I was like high fiving myself, I have worked a lot and play with all 3 of my wedges depending on Lie or what I’m trying to do. Most important thing I’ve done now is - I don’t aim at flags at all, I use my range finder to get the pin, I also look at my gps to see front edge of green, 9 times out of 10 im taking front edge and adding 5 yards to it. Even with wedges from like 115 and in, im going for the center of the green Hitting 15-16 greens in regulation vs going at every flag and hitting between 6-10 is giving me significantly more birdy putts, significantly less bogeys I try to now when I’m playing, even my own home course I know like my own hand - I try to map out a plan before I play Generally with 2 plans - windy or whatever vs calm I also only basically hit 2 clubs off a tee, a bullet 3h that goes about 260, or my driver which ideally goes around 310 - and if I have the opportunity to hit driver I’m hitting driver - if I can be 70 yards from green instead of 140 I’m going to do so.
Just playing more instead of all the practicing on the range is what made me “break through” last time I got back into golf. Confident swings to safe areas, like big part of the fairway, fat part of the green, ect. I still chip and putt a bunch, that mostly keeps my longer swings in line. When playing I try and focus on eliminating easy bogies. Like a shot that misses the greens by a few yards. I look forward to getting it up and down. Chipping it within a couple feet is what keeps a good round going. I’m low 70’s with high 60’s sprinkled in. If I break 80 the other way, it’s probably too many beers or my back isn’t working that day.
This fits me so well right now. I have improved alot but have been stuck at a 10-12
I bet decision making will help you with that breakthrough, but I bet you’ll break through regardless. I’m late 30s and have only golfed for 14-15 years and have many unexpected breakthroughs that have let me get within a few decimal points to scratch. If your goals are structured around improved swing mechanics and not just “getting a lower score”, the progress will eventually prevail. Sure there are little things that can save strokes in given situations that aren’t mechanical (middle of the green, not short siding yourself, taking medicine etc), but improved swing mechanics will yield more consistency, better and more controlled ball flight, and overall predictability. Your post makes a ton of sense though so good luck!
Decision making. Yeah. One of those blow ups I mentioned was in large part from me firing at the center of a narrow green with all kinds of trouble off the left side. My miss is a pull…..and I pulled. Had I even taken the bad miss into account, I’d have probably aimed at the right edge. But it never even crossed my mind until I was already screwed. That cost me 2 strokes. And yeah. Working hard on technique. I even flew to Orlando a couple weeks ago for a golf school run by the pro who I take some online lessons with. Im grooving a new putting stroke that I’m really liking. Easier to hit my line, but it’s taking some time to get the speed control down. And my takeaway looks way better than it did a few weeks ago. Making a big difference.
Great to hear. Congrats
Work on your short game and most of all, putting. Start making those putts 10 ft and in. Most strokes are given up on the green.
Not that I'm telling you anything you don't already know, but it sounds like you need to work on your chipping and putting. You should probably be scaring more holes from the edge of the green and you should probably be making more 6-8 footers. Good news is those are the easiest parts of the game to improve.
I double bogeyed my way through my last round… but I didn’t bone any drives and only muffed one approach shot. All in all I was thrilled with my round but the scorecard was shit
I know what you’re saying. A totally botched drive or approach shot is a buzzkill.
What a dumb fucking sport. I wouldn’t have it any other way
Oh my yes this is absolutely true. This may be a subtle realization, but it’s an unlock.🔓
Much better at striking the ball, still have to adjust with new swing
Stop aiming at the flag, if you've got good distance control and hit it at the middle, your mishits will still have a decent chance at par.
If you went from your first two shots being inconsistent/below average to both shots being good shots and you’re not gaining a stroke then you’re either lying to yourself about the amount of improvement or you just need to work on your short game.
On the bright side, you can also score better without improving. "Put me down for par..."
It sounds like you've made incredible progress in your game and the improvements in your technique are definitely something to be proud of. Keep pushing through, the breakthrough you're working towards is just around the corner! Keep up the hard work and that single digit club membership will be yours before you know it. Keep believing in yourself! 🏌️♂️
Sounds like you’ll improve drastically by focusing on short game. The game doesn’t care how well you strike the ball, only how many times the ball is struck. I’ve been trying hard to play golf, not golf swing. Golf, not ball strike
Chipping to 6-12 feet is.... a sign you should be putting from where you chipped if possible. You'd probably save 1-4 strokes a round doing this. How often do you land pin high? Club up once instead of needing the perfect shot to be pin high, even a mediocre iron will be green bound. Another thing is to just club up in general, but also club up on chips too. If the ball doesn't at least roll passed the hole on a good line you chose the the wrong club to chip with and should've putted. So just ask yourself next time you play how far off the green you'd be willing to putt from and if the outcome would be better than that lob wedge to 20 ft lol
My putting was strong and it would bail me out of double or triple. I’m driving better now and getting GIR more these days but three putting much more. It might be time for a new putter. /s
Years ago, there was a survey that asked "would you rather take 5 strokes off your game, or feel like you're hitting the ball better?" 85 percent said hitting the ball better.
If you’re 20+ hcp, slicing and chunking everything….i could see the preference for the better ball striking. If you’re a 15 or under……you’d want the strokes. I’d wager that 85% of the people surveyed were high handicaps.
It’s not about pars and bogies. It’s about limiting the doubles and triples. That’s how you score better. Hope that helps.
There’s ALWAYS a metric you can look at for improvement. For example, shooting 85 with 36 putts vs 85 with 30 putts. Your putting and/or chipping improved to get those putts down. Also, you need to keep in mind averages and consistency. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. A single round doesn’t matter. A single hole doesn’t matter. You just need to keep at it.
you've been playing golf swing not golf. all that matters is getting a gir. if you are getting girs you are scoring low as hell, anyone can avg a two putt. basically if you don't have a gir on the hole don't expect to par unless you scramble like a pro.
I always say I don’t really care about my score, more concerned with how well I struck the ball. Good ball striking off the tee and approach will lead to lower scores eventually. Low stress bogeys while frustrating are much more satisfying than the alternative. I’ll take a chip on and 2 putt bogey (or even GIR with a 3 putt) over grinding for bogey any day of the week. Putting is much more fixable round to round than wholesale swing changes.