Frequency of play and practice

Aesop

Trying to figure out how much time I would need to devote to improve/maintain a handicap I would be happy with (<12). I hardly play at all at the moment and play to about an 18 handicap.

Could you say
1) How many round of golf would you play on average per month/week
2) How often do you practice (putting, chipping, driving range)
3) What is your current handicap?

ShriekingSheet

Aesop wrote:

Trying to figure out how much time I would need to devote to improve/maintain a handicap I would be happy with (<12). I hardly play at all at the moment and play to about an 18 handicap.

Could you say
1) How many round of golf would you play on average per month/week
2) How often do you practice (putting, chipping, driving range)
3) What is your current handicap?

It depends on natural your flair for the game. Like, in a golf club you might have 300 men who play the exact same amount of regular golf for years and hit the odd practice ball and their handicaps will range from 7 to 20.

But to give you some kind of answer I'd say,

Winter: one round every weekend which is in some way competitive eg: singles s'ford, society, fourball etc with 30 mins before the round spent on putting and chipping and maybe again after if you have the enthusiasm.

Initially, for say 7 or 8 weeks, make 2 visits to the range mid-week. The first being a lesson, the second (and your round at the weekend) to work on what you've learned in that lesson. 4 lessons over 8 weeks WITH seperate practice to work on the lesson is probably optimum. Then one range visit mid-week plus your round at the weekend should do.

Summer: a round after work mid-week and a comp at the weekend is the minimum. If you play somewhere with decent facilities you won't really need the range but instead, focus your practice time on pitching and putting. The best way for someone to fit this in is by getting to the course early for their rounds.

I always think of winter being the time to improve your technique and summer being the time to let it flow without worrying about the mechanics.

Playing in comps is the key here. It's not the same a social golf. To be honest the above is a minimum to get from a casual 18 to a decent 12. It'd prob take 2 or 3 years but that's an extremely vague ball park.

Your third question, I'm currently 6 but, being in my mid twenties, don't play anymore due to other interests, music, work, football, bird. I played off 3 and 4 from when I was 18 til about 21. I play once every 3 months now. My target is to be a demon Junior Cup player when I'm 30 haha!

Golf Ninja

I would start by getting golf lessons from Barry Power at portmarnock driving range. Ask him for his advice on what you should do.
I play off 5 handicap and Barry has me going to the range twice a week and playing say once or twice a week.
Dont make the mistake we all make of trying it on your own your only wasting time.
My advice go see barry i am due to get a lesson from him tonight.

Check out his website http://www.bpga.ie

Here is a good link for you its the video file that explains what you get from the lesson http://www.bpga.ie/iopen24/defaultarticle.php?cArticlePath=74_79
If you want i can ask him what he thinks you should do.

Aesop

That's a pretty heavy handed sell of Barry Power's services. Do you have a connection with him or his business? Why would you assume that I live anywhere near Portmarnock?

My question is more around how often people practice/get lessons/play to improve or maintain a handicap.

ShriekingSheet

Golf Ninja wrote:

I would start by getting golf lessons from Barry Power at portmarnock driving range. Ask him for his advice on what you should do.
I play off 5 handicap and Barry has me going to the range twice a week and playing say once or twice a week.
Dont make the mistake we all make of trying it on your own your only wasting time.
My advice go see barry i am due to get a lesson from him tonight.

Check out his website http://www.bpga.ie

Here is a good link for you its the video file that explains what you get from the lesson http://www.bpga.ie/iopen24/defaultarticle.php?cArticlePath=74_79
If you want i can ask him what he thinks you should do.

hahahahahahaahaha

He looks like he'd be pretty good.
Certainly good at marketing himself.
Posts like the above probably hinder more than help though

copacetic

Golf Ninja wrote:

I would start by getting golf lessons from Barry Power at portmarnock driving range. Ask him for his advice on what you should do.
I play off 5 handicap and Barry has me going to the range twice a week and playing say once or twice a week.
Dont make the mistake we all make of trying it on your own your only wasting time.
My advice go see barry i am due to get a lesson from him tonight.

Check out his website http://www.bpga.ie

Here is a good link for you its the video file that explains what you get from the lesson http://www.bpga.ie/iopen24/defaultarticle.php?cArticlePath=74_79
If you want i can ask him what he thinks you should do.

take it easy golf ninja, no harm posting that you think someone is good but you are overdoing it a little bit and have done so on a number of threads.

One Cold Hand

Goddammittt!!! I had a really long post typed an I lost it somehow!!
Sorry Aesop, but I don't have time to type it all out again. I'll give you the gist of it.

I play off 9, and play max once a week, often less (I'm not improving, or disimproving). I got down to 8 (from complete beginner) quite quickly between ages of 13 and 16. But I was playing about 5 times a weeks before I discovered beer and women!
I reckon you need to play twice a week to see a gradual (as opposed to spectacular!) improvement. 3 times a week and your improvement will be more rapid (obviously!)
As SS said get a series of lessons,1 every 2 week for a while sounds good.

If you have time to get in 3 sessions I'd do the following:
Session 1. Short game. Really important thing to work, often overlooked and higher handicappers often struggle from 100yds out.
Session 2. A session on the range. I'd try and avoid driving ranges. Important here to make your session constructive. Don't stand there and bat 500 balls in a monotonous row. Will get you nowhere. Try and work on consistency, and anything you may learn in your lesson with Barry.
Session 3. Competition!!

If you can't fit in 3 sessions, try and get the first 2 sessions squashed into one. It really is the second session that will help you.

Hope this helps.

Golf Ninja

copacetic wrote:

take it easy golf ninja, no harm posting that you think someone is good but you are overdoing it a little bit and have done so on a number of threads.

Sorry copacetic dont mean to over do it just trying to help.

We have all been in the situation where we are trying to develope a new plan to get our handicap down only to find that after a year of practice we have got no further.
There is no point in making bad habits worse, that was really the point i was getting across.

copacetic

Golf Ninja wrote:

Sorry copacetic dont mean to over do it just trying to help.

We have all been in the situation where we are trying to develope a new plan to get our handicap down only to find that after a year of practice we have got no further.
There is no point in making bad habits worse, that was really the point i was getting across.

absolutely and your posts are still there untouched!

Maybe just make them a little more neutral in future with recommendations to get lessons rather than specificly mentioning only with the one guy. You can of course mention him if you like as someone you have found good, it is really just the level of it thats all. Your input has been great on the forum in the last while so no problems here..

Golf Ninja

Aesop wrote:

That's a pretty heavy handed sell of Barry Power's services. Do you have a connection with him or his business? Why would you assume that I live anywhere near Portmarnock?

My question is more around how often people practice/get lessons/play to improve or maintain a handicap.

Not trying to upset you Aesop the point i was trying to make is that very often we come up with a plan of loads of golf and practice only to find 6 months later that we have made things worse the pro you choose is up to you i am just long enough playing the game to know that you should have someone key an eye on your golf swing.

I mentioned Barry because the guy for me has a genuine interest in improving my game and has made a big difference to me. He has a website thats full of free video golf tips that i found really helpful to me and i play off 5.
He is the only pro that has given me a dvd with each of my lessons to take home which i think puts the guy in a different class.

So sorry if i seem a little preacher like so good luck with it.

Golf Ninja

copacetic wrote:

absolutely and your posts are still there untouched!

Maybe just make them a little more neutral in future with recommendations to get lessons rather than specificly mentioning only with the one guy. You can of course mention him if you like as someone you have found good, it is really just the level of it thats all. Your input has been great on the forum in the last while so no problems here..

How is your game anyway?

copacetic

Golf Ninja wrote:

How is your game anyway?

shite!

Could do with some lessons myself but on this side of the city.

Aesop

Not upset. I take your point that regular golf lessons from a qualified instructor are important. You didn't come across as a "preacher".

What you did come across as, is someone who wanted to spam a messageboard (and you are still singing his praises). What is particularly suspicious is that

1) It was unsolicited. I didn't ask for a recommendation for a pro
2) I didn't give a location, yet you advertise a service that is very location specific.

Do you have a personal interest or involvement in Barry Power's business. If not then I am happy to leave it at that.

Aesop

Dear God, will someone please make this stop. I wasn't looking for a pro recommendation. I just wanted to know how much time I would need to devote to the game to improve or at the very least stay at a level I am happy with. Why Barry Power? Is it Barry Power day? Did the Dail go into secret deliberation last week and make this whole week Barry Power week. Has Barry single handed discovered the cure for cancer, ended the killing in Iraq, reversed global warming and with a wave of his much vaunted hands removed the duffed drive from the world of golf. I am sure he is a very competent pro who has helped many many people but do you know what I live no where near portmarnock. Why, why, why does this guy keep coming up.

Want your car serviced? Barry Power's your man. Can't make an omelette without it sticking to the bottom of the pan, call Barry. Having marital problems or want your boss to start calling you sir, then look no further...than Mr Power.

If I never hit another golf ball again. If all golf courses around the world are dug up by some fairway hating alien and the only way for me to return this wonderful game to humanity was to go see Barry Power, you know what I'd probably just stay at home and read the paper.

Seriously I am going to start a new thread with the title "Looking for a pro in portmarnock who hands out DVD's and USB sticks" and can all the Barry-ette's skoot on over to it and leave me with my musings on how to raise a family and keep the lawn cut and find some time to play a game that makes life just that little bit more fun.

Seriously Copacetic can you delete every message in this thread that has the following two words "Barry" and "Power" including this one...

Oriel

Sorry Aesop, I deleted my post, I'm not getting involved.

Aesop

Oriel wrote:

Sorry Aesop, I deleted my post, I'm not getting involved.

No worries, I don't blame you. At this stage I am sorry I'm involved

dak

ASEOP.............I too have deleted my post as I realise its not relevant to your original question.

To reply to your original post

1) 3 rounds per month
2) Range once or twice a week
3 18

Aesop

thanks dak

copacetic

Aesop wrote:

Dear God, will someone please make this stop. I wasn't looking for a pro recommendation. I just wanted to know how much time I would need to devote to the game to improve or at the very least stay at a level I am happy with. Why Barry Power? Is it Barry Power day? Did the Dail go into secret deliberation last week and make this whole week Barry Power week. Has Barry single handed discovered the cure for cancer, ended the killing in Iraq, reversed global warming and with a wave of his much vaunted hands removed the duffed drive from the world of golf. I am sure he is a very competent pro who has helped many many people but do you know what I live no where near portmarnock. Why, why, why does this guy keep coming up.

Want your car serviced? Barry Power's your man. Can't make an omelette without it sticking to the bottom of the pan, call Barry. Having marital problems or want your boss to start calling you sir, then look no further...than Mr Power.

If I never hit another golf ball again. If all golf courses around the world are dug up by some fairway hating alien and the only way for me to return this wonderful game to humanity was to go see Barry Power, you know what I'd probably just stay at home and read the paper.

Seriously I am going to start a new thread with the title "Looking for a pro in portmarnock who hands out DVD's and USB sticks" and can all the Barry-ette's skoot on over to it and leave me with my musings on how to raise a family and keep the lawn cut and find some time to play a game that makes life just that little bit more fun.

Seriously Copacetic can you delete every message in this thread that has the following two words "Barry" and "Power" including this one...

Ok. Knock it off. I clearly warned GolfNinja on thread, why you felt he need to ask for assurances from him so you would 'leave it at that' I don't really know. You have no more power here than any other user. If a thread needs modding I will do it without your advice. He was clearly out of order, but thats the end of it.

I can see all daks and golf ninjas posts on the golf forum (including deleted ones) and they are helpful users (as are you Aesop) who have used a certain pro and like to let people know. There is no harm in that as long as it doesn't go too far. First hand experiences of clubs, courses and pros are a lot of what the golf forum is about.

Now, back on topic. The next person who replies on thread off topic is looking at a holiday from the forum. Feel free to contact me by PM if you still have issues.

ShriekingSheet

Barry P.....! just kidding!

So Aesop, from what you've read, do you think you want/are going to play that regularly and get to around 12? Or does it seem like a lot of work?

One thing to take into account, if people start telling you (no one here has btw) that they play of a decent h'cap just by playing every odd week the full story is most likely that they put time in to get down to x h'cap and then eased off but just maintained where they were at. It's not hard to do around 8+, but not likely at around senior cup standard... unless your Jody Fanniagn!

One Cold Hand

ShriekingSheet wrote:

One thing to take into account, if people start telling you (no one here has btw) that they play of a decent h'cap just by playing every odd week the full story is most likely that they put time in to get down to x h'cap and then eased off but just maintained where they were at. It's not hard to do around 8+, but not likely at around senior cup standard... unless your Jody Fanniagn!

Thats what I was trying to get accross, I got down to 9 but as a kid play 5 days, since then I've only maintained that, not improved it.

Aesop

I guess at the root of the problem is that I wouldn't be happy to play once a week and stay stuck at an 18 handicap. It sounds though if I gave it once a week with a practice session the handicap should improve if I have any ability for the game (which I think I do). I might go the lesson route over the winter months and take a run at it next year when the weather starts to improve (Sept maybe ).

As for the single digit handicap...well a man can dream can't he???

Golf Ninja

I think the best way to improve your scoring is to go out for 4 or 5 holes find a quite spot beside a well hidden green and practice the short game.
At the weekend most courses are quite so you can get away with it.

It is very easy to almost forget about the short game so i would go to a range maybe once or twice a week and practice the short game on a saturday evening basically the last 45 minutes of day light.

One Cold Hand

Aesop wrote:

As for the single digit handicap...well a man can dream can't he???

I honestly think it's entirely possible for anyone off 18 to make it down to 9 or so. But you do have to put in an effort. Like you said, 2/3 sessions a week and a series of lessions. And you should be prepared for it to take 2 to 3 years. It won't happen over night. You could do this for a year with not much visible improvement and the in a month you could loose 3 shots. Everyone is different. But now is the time to start into it, in the winter, get a good bit of practice in now and by the time summer comes around you should be ready!

madds

I received a piece of advice off a 70-year-old 7 h'capper last year:

Play once a week - your game will get worse
Play twice a week - your game will stay static
Play thrice a week - your game will improve

Bit of a generalisation but it's something I've tried to keep in mind. The rule above would apply only to anyone off single figures IMO. For you Aesop, I would imagine that would see an improvement in your game if you played only once a week, but with the following caveat - ensure you devote some time to the mental side.

We've all seen the high h'capper trying to knock the logo off the ball in an effort to keep up with the single figure guys on a particular day. Those guys are low for a reason, they've put the time in and 8 times out of 10 they hit the ball flush, no matter the club. A higher h'capper needs to have a strategy in place before they get to the course - "I'm going to hit a 5-iron off the index 1 par 4" or "I'm going to lay up on that that nasty par-5 which has water in front, no matter what my playing partners do".

When you make a mistake, forget about it. It's done, it's over. Learn from it and move on. When Tiger hits a bad shot, he picks out an imaginary line int he fairway a few yard ahead of him. He thinks about the bad shot, why it happened, and how he can prevent it happening again in the time it takes him to walk to that point, and once he crosses the line he starts to think about the next shot.

So, my advice would be that putting in the hours up the driving range banging balls will not in itself bring your handicap down. You also need to think about what you are trying to achieve each time you go out on the course, and not to beat yourself up if something goes wrong.

Good luck.