How long did it take you to play to your handicap??

clouter

Hey, just recently taken up golf and joined a club last month. Handed in 3 cards with average of 117. Got a handicap of 18. Now I know I wont get anywhere near to playing to that handicap for a long time. Got 10pts playing off 18 on Saturday.

Just curious as to how long it took most players to actually get close to playing to their handicap, ie getting 32-36pts??

Would be delighted to be scoring 25+ by end of the year, not even sure thats realistic at the moment.

dar_cool

That was a harsh handicap to give you when you were averaging 117! clubs sometimes give a maximum handicap to newcomers because they are afraid of someone being a shark and winning everything

newport2

clouter wrote: »

Hey, just recently taken up golf and joined a club last month. Handed in 3 cards with average of 117. Got a handicap of 18. Now I know I wont get anywhere near to playing to that handicap for a long time. Got 10pts playing off 18 on Saturday.

Just curious as to how long it took most players to actually get close to playing to their handicap, ie getting 32-36pts??

Would be delighted to be scoring 25+ by end of the year, not even sure thats realistic at the moment.

If I was in your position now, I would benchmark myself off 28 and concentrate on getting into the 30 points zone from there (obviously mark your official cards off 18). You'll be surprised how quickly you can improve from where you are, particularly by working on your short game. Good luck and enjoy!

Hacker111

a young, capable guy joined Hollywood lakes..got 28 off the bat!! he has cleaned up in our society since...joke....

re OP, all depends on you... how much you play and practice.... I remember not breaking 90 for ages off 18.... then I was breaking 80..... just takes work.... only advice I'd give you is to fall in love with the short game... if you can learn to chip and putt your strokes will tumble

PARlance

Welcome to golf Clouter, if you're just starting out then you'll probably see a good improvement in you scoring after a month or so.
You're going from zero to regular golf so I would be surprised if you don't start hitting 105-110 once you get a bit of course work and practice in.

Everyone is different but from what I've seen there is an initial burst of improvement, followed by a plateau where you may be scratching your head wondering why you're not continuing to improve and then another burst of improvement etc etc.

Try to keep at it anyway, don't let low (point) scores demoralise you. Personally I think it's ridiculous of the club to be giving you that HC as you would be doing extremely well to go from shooting 117 to ~90 (playing to 18) in one year but you seem to be able to see the bigger/longer term picture which is great.

denishurley

Got my handicap in August 2010, had gone up to 22 by September of last year without a single cut but off 17 now

dan_ep82

Seems very low for the average scores handed in. I handed in averages just over 100 and got a HC of 23. I started playing late September, got my handicap about a month ago and have only played to it twice, both out of qualifying.

I'm usually under 100 but going for the handicap put extra pressure on and definitely raised the scores, could be like me once the pressure is off you start getting the scores down.

For me, the difference between 110 and under 100 gross was putting and chipping but mainly cutting out a lot of (but not all) fat and top shots.

mafc

At the end of the day everyone has different capabilities and looking at your average score a handicap of 18 is most unfair. Just go out and shoot the best score you can and keep working on it. Make sure not to try shots that might work out... Play smart & try to get bogey's or double bogey's. You will improve !
Remember it's all about the short game, best of luck.

clouter

Thanks for the words of encouragement, I'm in it for the long haul, already addicted just a bit annoyed at the handicap. Its not like I was even thinking I'd ever be in contention for prizes, just feel like I'll be Johnny Last for the whole year.

Anyway out for 9 holes tomorrow evening-one day at a time!!!

ForeRight

clouter wrote: »

Thanks for the words of encouragement, I'm in it for the long haul, already addicted just a bit annoyed at the handicap. Its not like I was even thinking I'd ever be in contention for prizes, just feel like I'll be Johnny Last for the whole year.

Anyway out for 9 holes tomorrow evening-one day at a time!!!

After a couple of months of playing maybe approach your handicap secretary and ask for a review of your handicap.

Especially if you are coming in with 10 points. That's just plain silly and very disheartening for you.

PARlance

ForeRight wrote: »

After a couple of months of playing maybe approach your handicap secretary and ask for a review of your handicap.

Especially if you are coming in with 10 points. That's just plain silly and very disheartening for you.

Make sure you do that Clouter, just don't win your next comp after it

In the times we're in, clubs are shooting themselves in the foot by almost certainly ensuring a newbie will spend a year fairly disheartened.

If clubs want to smack someone with 18 then they should be taking note and reviewing proactively once or twice during that first year... For their own bloody sake and in terms of next years membership.
It's (handicap review request) a ballsy enough thing to do for a newbie that is just figuring out how a club works etc.

sydneybound

After a good few years away from golf I got a handicap again and started off on 16. Couldn't play near it for 5 rounds, went up to 17 then got a big enough cut. Think I finished the year on 11.4 then the following year went to 8 and have been stuck there ever since.

I bet you'll be cut from 18 by the end of the summer with a car boot load of prizes. Bear in mind things get a little easier in the summer with better weather and dryer ground, the ball flys further. Just remember to keep enjoying it.

PARlance

sydneybound wrote: »

After a good few years away from golf I got a handicap again and started off on 16. Couldn't play near it for 5 rounds, went up to 17 then got a big enough cut. Think I finished the year on 11.4 then the following year went to 8 and have been stuck there ever since.

I bet you'll be cut from 18 by the end of the summer with a car boot load of prizes. Bear in mind things get a little easier in the summer with better weather and dryer ground, the ball flys further. Just remember to keep enjoying it.

A big difference in most cases between returning to the game and just starting out SB.
It would prob take the OP to shoot an 83,84 (for 42,43 points) to win his first comp.
And he would have to be shooting in the high 70's by the end of the summer to have a boot load of prizes.... Eg 79 getting him 42 points if he had gotten down to say 13.
That's some leap for a newbie, 38 or so shots a round better than he is at present.

Ciaranra

I got my first handicap 5 years ago 17.
I was getting between 20-25 points got back 2 18 and then won the last medle of the year.
I practiced every day

ryaner777

Hi coulter,

Heres a thread I started when I got my 3 cards just before christmas. It may help answer some questions you have.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057093805

I got a HC of 21 starting off, first five rounds were in the 24-28 pts range. So I went out to 22 but got a cut last friday of 0.4 after hitting 37 pts. So I'm back to 21.1 now.

Lessons and reading golf is not a game of perfect by bob rotella has help me alot.

Best of luck for 2014.

The Clam

That seems like a very low handicap to give someone after handing in those 3 cards, sounds a lot like the club has been stung before with handing out higher handicaps and new guys winning things left, right and centre (which would obviously make a lot of the old guard very unhappy).

Like Dan_ep82 said, I handed in cards around the 100 mark and got a handicap of 23. Soon enough, got used to the course (worked a lot on short game) and now 3 years later am playing off 15 and playing to it.

As others have said, don't get too dis-heartened by the stableford scores you are putting in, every golfer knows when they come off the course (regardless of the score as with stableford, 2 or 3 holes can ruin a card/score) whether they played well or not..

Best of luck on the golf career...its a rollercoaster

yettie1701

mafc wrote: »

At the end of the day everyone has different capabilities and looking at your average score a handicap of 18 is most unfair. Just go out and shoot the best score you can and keep working on it. Make sure not to try shots that might work out... Play smart & try to get bogey's or double bogey's. You will improve !
Remember it's all about the short game, best of luck.

I think this is the best bit of advice I've seen on here. A lot of higher handicappers loose shots by not taking what's on. By this I mean if you are in trouble chip out and take your oil rather than trying a seve shot to the green. But on the other side if a birdie or par is on by all means go for it too. Try keep scratches off your card and you will see your handicap tumbling down. Welcome to hell by the way and enjoy the good scores every time.

timmo2000

i remember these days as it was only a year and a half ago got a starting handicap of 18 after 3 cards of over 140 a round started out playing crack handed but with some lessons and loads of practice i am only starting to get my handicap down now as last year i was playing off 22 but am down to 16 and counting now so just stick with it and it will come round

razorblunt

Well I'm the opposite hit a purple patch in July and August last year and handed in 3 cards, was given 16. Playing more to an early twenties standard at the moment.

Aiming for that standard in the summer again.

clouter

With all the words of encouragement ringing in my ears went out this evening for 9 holes. Played the best 9 holes I've ever played and ended up shooting 50 for 13pts.

The best I've ever played and yet was more annoyed walking off 9th today than I was on Sat after scoring only 9 because one of my little targets for the year was to score under 50 for 9 and missed a 2ft putt on 8 for par that would have got me my 49!!!!

Like someone said earlier- golf really is a rollercoaster- had hit 61 for 9holes on Tuesday and couldnt hit a barn door. Wont get too carried away as I know I could very easily hit worse than that next time out- but for tonight anyway I feel good!!!

Thanks for all the support and tips.

PARlance

Clouter = Bitten.

There's no going back now, that's the post of a lifer

The Parish King

Not sure if this is the right thread to be asking this but I played a bit of golf when I was younger but stopped around the age of sixteen when my handicap was 24. I've played occasionally and socially since, and am no longer a member of a club but feel that I actually strike the ball sweeter than when I played regularly (I'm currently twenty). If I go back to a club, would I resume playing off 24, hand in three scorecards or a choice of either?

Btw I'm trying to have the lowest handicap possible, not swindle some loot :P

dar_cool

Youd have to hand in 3 cards, but make sure you let the new club you join you were off 24 before