Scratches Grrr...

Mr. Larson

I know it's early season but I can't seem to keep these buggers off my card and I can't help but feel they are one of the main things I need to see some improvement in. I know you can't perhaps target 'scratches' in particular (where would you start?) but the bottom line is in 15 rounds so far this year, I have had 30 scratches and I'm averaging 2 scratches per round.

Now my home course is short but tricky, so perhaps this is the reason, but
I'm interested to hear what level of scratching other people at different levels are doing and whether or not what I am doing at my level (off 15) is about normal?

Despite my scratch woes, my stableford average is around 35 points as I get a lot of pars and the odd Birdie to compensate (Average is about 6 pars and just under 1 birdie per round) but I would rather be on a more even keel than I am currently, which is from the sublime to the ridiculous. I've only managed to go scratch free 2 times.

Perhaps this is more of a rant than anything but would be interested in what the better or even more consistent golfers could offer in the way of advice or feedback. Maybe it's about right?

Trampas

Most scratches I think are down to bad course management.

Not taking the right club at the right time.

I would nearly say 90%+ of players use driver after every tee bar par 3's

Where a 3 wood, rescue or long iron would be more accurate.

Going for the hero shot instead of the safe area of the green.

At the end of the round think back to how the scratch was caused and where you went wrong.

example Tried to hit a long iron out of rough 170 yards hoping to reach the green instead of a wedge to knock it back into play and hope to get up and down for 100 yards for par or more realistic get a bogey.

stockdam

How often do you play? When I played 2 or 3 times a week then I'd rarely scratch a hole. Now I only play once every two to three weeks and I am nowhere near as consistent.

I used to go through rounds where I only used my driver a couple of times and the emphasis was on always finding the fairway.

I would also try and hit the ball about 80% of full effort and would be much more deliberate in setting up and picking my target. I would slow my swing down and use a slightly shorter more compact swing.

So where are you loosing shots......off the tee, around the greens or just randomly?

L.O.F.T

My consistency has improved a great deal recently and is in part due to playing and watching how better players I play with at my home course play and how they apply course management . What I mean is the advice I have been given, as I play off 12, is to play the percentage shot that I know I can hit and not a shot I once hit at the range one evening …it may come off but rarely does. The centre of the green if possible is the best option and until your/my ball striking improves leave aiming for the pin alone until your ability/ ball striking improves. Other aspects which have helped me remove some of the scratches from my card have been practice of the short irons, up and downs and putting. All the short game practice makes a massive difference to me and has given me a better understanding of my ability and what the percentage shot is. The above has helped me realise some basics on scoring and also opened my eyes to my massive misconception which was that the better players at my course who won weekly shot at pins, blistered drives and sunk all the puts. Yes they hit fairways but their ability to get it done from the fairways is what I have noticed makes the difference. Sorry for the bit of a ramble but just some thoughts I have. Good luck

Codofwar

I know you asked for the better golfers advice but myself ,when I scratch a hole, i find its down to something stupid I did resulting in a bad shot, not concentrating enough on a particular shot and making a mess of it.
My chipping is fairly consistintly good but only on monday, two holes in a row i fluffed my first chip only to leave the recovery chip to a few feet which I normally would which cost me a shot on each of the two holes.
Like Trampas said too, course management has a lot to do with it, When im in trouble I used to try take on a ridicolous shot to try save taking an shot but now I pitch out to safety and play on my usual game from there, losing only one shot rather than two or more from being stupid.
Hope that ramble of mine might help in some small way.

Mr. Larson

Thanks for the replies lads, some interesting points you all raise.

Looking at the holes I have been scratching, there are 9 holes I have scratched at least once on my home course and 9 holes I have never scratched. I've decided [just now this minute] I am going to try a different tack on these holes for my next round. There are a couple of holes I got sick of scratching last year and I go with 4 iron off the tee now. My scoring has greatly improved now despite the fact that I'm hitting in hybrid or 5 iron in now where it would be 9 or 8 with driver (assuming I was in play). Just need to have the sense to take iron or hybrid now where there is trouble. Hard to bring myself to doing this on an opening hole Par 5 though!

On reflection I would say most of the scratches come from either off the tee (OOB), or going for the green with the second shot from a crap position (related to off the tee) when I should be taking my medicine. For some reason I seem to be always shooting for Par when Bogey will mostly give me 2 points. Might be a case of looking to get 40 points the whole time where a bit of savvy - maybe just playing for Nett Pars the whole time might ironically help me score better. It's borne out of a desperation to get cut and get down to 10-12. I should add it's not around the greens where I am losing shots... I can get down in 3 99% of the time and down in 2 about 15-20% of the time.

I seem to go for the pin almost 100% of the time and rarely have it in my head about the best side to be putting from. Bringing it up has been in some way cathartic... I'm all gung ho about being conservative now so need to try this out next time around.

Kimbot

Jabberwocky wrote: »

Thanks for the replies lads, some interesting points you all raise.

Looking at the holes I have been scratching, there are 9 holes I have scratched at least once on my home course and 9 holes I have never scratched. I've decided [just now this minute] I am going to try a different tack on these holes for my next round. There are a couple of holes I got sick of scratching last year and I go with 4 iron off the tee now. My scoring has greatly improved now despite the fact that I'm hitting in hybrid or 5 iron in now where it would be 9 or 8 with driver (assuming I was in play). Just need to have the sense to take iron or hybrid now where there is trouble. Hard to bring myself to doing this on an opening hole Par 5 though!

On reflection I would say most of the scratches come from either off the tee (OOB), or going for the green with the second shot from a crap position (related to off the tee) when I should be taking my medicine. For some reason I seem to be always shooting for Par when Bogey will mostly give me 2 points. Might be a case of looking to get 40 points the whole time where a bit of savvy - maybe just playing for Nett Pars the whole time might ironically help me score better. It's borne out of a desperation to get cut and get down to 10-12. I should add it's not around the greens where I am losing shots... I can get down in 3 99% of the time and down in 2 about 15-20% of the time.

I seem to go for the pin almost 100% of the time and rarely have it in my head about the best side to be putting from. Bringing it up has been in some way cathartic... I'm all gung ho about being conservative now so need to try this out next time around.

In the past 2 months I have cleared scratches from my game with the following tactics:

1: When taking a driver off the Tee, forget about hitting it far. Hit it easy letting the club do the work.
2: Always look for a lay-up instead of being aggressive 100% of the time when going for a green.
3: Always take an extra club and swing with a little less power than normal when unsure of the distance of a shot.

I have not scratched a hole in months and my overall game has improved greatly.

Mr. Larson

jonny24ie wrote: »

I have not scratched a hole in months and my overall game has improved greatly.

Thanks Jonny - sound advice - sounds like the biggest hex I ever heard in my life though