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The "Epic" lowering your handicap "mega" thread

m r c

There has been enough talk about high handicaps on this forum so this thread is for people to discuss ways, tips and ideas as to cut out mistakes at all levels of h/c.

I'll start, I'm off 24.1 ATM just lost .4 the last time I played, my strategy was as follows.
I put priority on hitting the fairway off the tee, and if I missed I wanted my miss to be as near as possible. I managed to hit 9 fairways and finished with the ball I started with.
My current thinking about missed greens is to go for the fat part of the green regardless of pin position to again attempt to take the big numbers off the card and this puts more pressure on the putter which is where it should be. Any time I manage this plan it gives me a putt at par which is never a bad thing. I've noticed that I've had a lot more of them now than before.

It'd be great if any views to the contrary were put forward in a positive manner I'm fed up with bickering and they could be really useful to all if helpful

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Gin77

Had a great game plan to score 42pts.
A low handicapper in our group hit his drive, no practice swing, chating during his back swing stuck the ball exactly where I wanted to go.
So I thought I'm going to out drive this guy. I had 11 on the front 9. I relaxed on the back and managed 20. Was that a mental error or an ego error? I'm guessing the latter, but its interesting how your partners can affect your play.

m r c

m r c wrote: »

This guy is referring to it as the stable release.

http://youtu.be/xMjTOVv6e2A

Only two days in but this works, it seems better from the mid irons up to driver which seems to be down to longer swings leaving longer to shut the face and turn through. Might just need more time with the wedges two days is a little early to be praising it yet

)

m r c

Gin77 wrote: »

Had a great game plan to score 42pts.
A low handicapper in our group hit his drive, no practice swing, chating during his back swing stuck the ball exactly where I wanted to go.
So I thought I'm going to out drive this guy. I had 11 on the front 9. I relaxed on the back and managed 20. Was that a mental error or an ego error? I'm guessing the latter, but its interesting how your partners can affect your play.

Funny that, I saw a video earlier with Sam Snead saying he never watched hogans swing because hogan had a faster tempo and it ruined Snead's tempo watching him. He'd just watch for the ball. Might have been a factor??

dwd

m r c wrote: »

dwd wrote: »

This bit in particular is massive, I've even noticed my concentration go at the range when I'd be working on something in particular which is mad. I've been beginning the swing changes I mentioned above and hit 200 balls today and yesterday and feck me if I didn't hit some really bad ones out of pure lack of application to what I was at.

200 balls, that a lot of balls to hit in one go, especially considering you only hit around 50 strokes in a full round. I'm trying to work on pre-routine and practice going through that before hitting each shot on the range, which means it usually take me about an hour to hit about 60 balls but I definitely think it help to keep the concentration keyed in and helps ingrain the habit so I remember to do it on the course too. I know a lot of good player who say that they use this as a trigger to turn there focus off and on during a round with does sound alot easier that trying to concentrate for 4 hours straight. I haven't got this working yet :rolleyes: but i'll keep pluging away.

Horrid Henry

It might sound ridiculously simple, but I think that playing three times a week is the best way to get down.

dwd

Horrid Henry wrote: »

It might sound ridiculously simple, but I think that playing three times a week is the best way to get down.

true, but I work 40+ hrs a week, have family, house etc, so practically it's just not possible for me to get out more than once a week, and I would say, it's the same for a lot of the lads on here, we just have to make the most of the time we have to spare,and hope to improve as much as is possible within those bounds,

spacecoyote

Horrid Henry wrote: »

It might sound ridiculously simple, but I think that playing three times a week is the best way to get down.

Did play recently with a guy playing off 5 who said as much.

His opinion was 1 a week go backwards, 2 a week stay static, 3 a week to get down.

He was talking about getting down at cat 1/low 2 levels, I don't think cat 3 & 4 need to necessarily be playing that much to get down though

GreeBo

Unless you are hitting 200 balls over the space of 4 hours then you arent doing anything for your swing.
You will go into subconscious mode and are just improving your hand eye coordination and timing *for that session*.

m r c

GreeBo wrote: »

Unless you are hitting 200 balls over the space of 4 hours then you arent doing anything for your swing.
You will go into subconscious mode and are just improving your hand eye coordination and timing *for that session*.

More or less that's all I'm working on tbh. Just getting used to the feeling of rolling the left wrist into a bowed position before and through impact. Very different to my previous method. Took me 2.5 hours. Just drill drill drill.

denishurley

My scoring since the start of June:

A general improvement thanks to regular lessons, keeping the ball in play off the tee probably the main area followed by far more consistency with my irons

alxmorgan

denishurley wrote: »

My scoring since the start of June:

A general improvement thanks to regular lessons, keeping the ball in play off the tee probably the main improvement followed by far more consistency with my irons

Some cut and 45 pts. Congrats !!

What did you change to start keeping ball in play ?

denishurley

Cheers! Basically I started getting lessons again at the start of May, grip and hip shift were the two big alterations as well as slowing down the backswing

Took a while to groove the new swing but far more confident over the ball now. I had gone from 18 in about August 2010 to 22 by September of last year

m r c

Well done Denis great to see results from the hard work and hopefully wherever you are you can compete for a good few more weeks to stay on top of your form.

When you mentioned hitting more fairways did you do it generally with the driver or by taking less club?

denishurley

m r c wrote: »

Well done Denis great to see results from the hard work and hopefully wherever you are you can compete for a good few more weeks to stay on top of your form.

When you mentioned hitting more fairways did you do it generally with the driver or by taking less club?

Thanks, it was mainly with the driver but there were still some holes that had the hex on me. I bought a 3-wood last Monday and used it five times off the tee on Thursday, which may partly explain the spike in my score

P_1

I don't actually have a handicap but switching from the wedges to the 7-9 irons just off the green has saved me a massive number of shots over the last few months, so perhaps avoiding the attempts at the 'glory' chips from off the green could be of some benefit?

m r c

Ok I've been working my butt off at this to be honest.

Range 5 days a week, 2-3 times per day minimum of 40 balls a go.
This has vastly improved my iron play. Combined with a major grip change.

I bought 5 lessons online and it took 12-13 days to come. Have it 5-6 days now and have gone to Mr Hogans grip for good or bad. The book was originally intended to be read one lesson at a time so I haven't read on to chapter 2 as of yet. I've spent this week drilling hard the grip on the couch watching the TV. Then hitting the range during the day.

His grip feels arkward at first but even after a week it feels totally solid.
The hands really are working as one unit now much better than before and I'm loving the feeling of the middle fingers on the right hand clamping down the left thumb. Without gripping to hard its a real feeling of control.

The other feelings I'm working on are the sensation of the weight been more on my heels at address and my hips bumped a tad left. Those two feelings combine to leave it feeling like its impossible to hit it fat or shank it which has added enormously to my ball striking.

I've only managed one competitive round (in a storm) last Friday where I placed 2nd with 27 points. No cut :-( but tbh they were very tough conditions wind wise and I really only let it go putting. I find it very tough to putt in big wind so 27 was more like 38/39 on the day.

I have also decided not to go too mad in the comps while I'm making these big changes.

Wombatman

I'm also working like crazy. Obsession bordering on a compulsion.

-Driving range 5 time a week. 25-60 balls per session. Sometimes two sessions a day. Reckon I'm spending €40 Euro a week on range balls!
-Swing a 7 iron at home in front of mirror.
-Chipping balls onto the couch off a rug during ads in the golf.
-Putting across the carpet into a shoe box with a hole cut in the side.
-Watching loads of Your Tube lessons and slow motion swings - Fook off John Richardson ads!
-Bought a second hand TaylorMade 2007 Burner 460 Driver and two new 56 and 52 milled face wedges in Sept. Love them already.

Eating, sleeping and drinking golf.

Working on:
-Maintaining lag. Practicing a few swings without releasing really helping me.
-Stopping casting and coming over the top. Correct grip and open face a top of backswing helping here, along with allowing the arms to roll in release.
-Staying down. Not hopping up or lifting head.
-Turning the shoulders down not around.

This is my goal swing for better or worse as it is closest to the swing I have now.

Last three outings
36, 34 and 31 for 15 holes off 18. Irons and wedges are starting to become really sweet. Getting there.

bustercherry

Wombatman wrote: »

I'm also working like crazy. Obsession bordering on a compulsion.

-Driving range 5 time a week. 25-60 balls per session. Sometimes two sessions a day. Reckon I'm spending €40 Euro a week on range balls!
-Swing a 7 iron at home in front of mirror.
-Chipping balls onto the couch off a rug during ads in the golf.
-Putting across the carpet into a shoe box with a hole cut in the side.
-Watching loads of Your Tube lessons and slow motion swings - Fook off John Richardson ads!
-Bought a second hand TaylorMade 2007 Burner 460 Driver and two new 56 and 52 milled face wedges in Sept. Love them already.

Eating, sleeping and drinking golf.

Working on:
-Maintaining lag. Practicing a few swings without releasing really helping me.
-Stopping casting and coming over the top. Correct grip and open face a top of backswing helping here, along with allowing the arms to roll in release.
-Staying down. Not hopping up or lifting head.
-Turning the shoulders down not around.

This is my goal swing for better or worse as it is closest to the swing I have now.

Last three outings
36, 34 and 31 for 15 holes off 18. Irons and wedges are starting to become really sweet. Getting there.

I don't know how you turn you shoulders down, the shoulders can only rotate around your spine

It's the angle created by the bend in your hips that give the impression the shoulders are rotating down despite the fact the are actually rotating around your spine.

dan_ep82

Have to work more on my short irons in between rounds,it lapsed really badly since last week.

Same goes with putting, couldn't get a feel for the travel of the ball at all.

willabur

Corkblowin wrote: »

I see a lot of talk about drivers and wonder why we're all so obsessed. I've gone from hitting 14 drivers a round down to 9/10. A 3 wood is easier to hit straight, the poor shots are not as wide, and the difference in length often isn't worth talking about. Especially with the new ones where lofts can be tweaked.

I'd suggest in the next casual game that the driver is left in the boot and see the difference it makes to FIR and consequently scoring.

I have the opposite story to tell. When I was playing of 17~18 I never had a driver in my bag, anytime I took it out I was just so wild that I played with a 3 wood off the tee. The trouble is that I was so short on long holes that I was struggling to make bogey. So I bought myself a BBplus and took on a quote I read of Jack Nicklaus, learn to hit the ball as far as you can then worry about straightening it up.

Now I am still wild with my Driver from time to time but my handicap is down to 12 and I put at least a couple of those shots down to hitting my driver a good 60 yards further down the track (direction variable

)

slingerz

willabur wrote: »

I have the opposite story to tell. When I was playing of 17~18 I never had a driver in my bag, anytime I took it out I was just so wild that I played with a 3 wood off the tee. The trouble is that I was so short on long holes that I was struggling to make bogey. So I bought myself a BBplus and took on a quote I read of Jack Nicklaus, learn to hit the ball as far as you can then worry about straightening it up.

Now I am still wild with my Driver from time to time but my handicap is down to 12 and I put at least a couple of those shots down to hitting my driver a good 60 yards further down the track (direction variable )

I've done what the OP suggested and have gone from hitting 15 drivers to 6.

tee off now with my 5i more often than not and still have a chance of par on most holes possibly barring index 1 which is fair enough with me as I'm currently off 18, exact of 18.4 so it may creep to 19!

alxmorgan

m r c wrote: »

Ok I've been working my butt off at this to be honest.

Range 5 days a week, 2-3 times per day minimum of 40 balls a go.
This has vastly improved my iron play. Combined with a major grip change.

wombatman wrote:

I'm also working like crazy. Obsession bordering on a compulsion.

-Driving range 5 time a week. 25-60 balls per session. Sometimes two sessions a day. Reckon I'm spending €40 Euro a week on range balls!
-Swing a 7 iron at home in front of mirror.
-Chipping balls onto the couch off a rug during ads in the golf.
-Putting across the carpet into a shoe box with a hole cut in the side.
-Watching loads of Your Tube lessons and slow motion swings - Fook off John Richardson ads!
-Bought a second hand TaylorMade 2007 Burner 460 Driver and two new 56 and 52 milled face wedges in Sept. Love them already.

Eating, sleeping and drinking golf.

Fair fecks lads that is some amount of work. No doubt it will pay off. Fair play

m r c

92 strokes for 38 points in a 2 club wind. But 40 putts :-o should lose 1.2 :-)

m r c

Yep that's 1.2 off the h/c so the threads working for me anyway. 1.6 off now in just over a month, v happy with that tbh.

Wardie23

Anyone know anywhere in Dublin where I can get a gap test?

Gerry T

Best advise I could give would be to play within yourself. So playing a course you know plan each hole, from green back to tee. Take the percentage shots.

For example for a high handicap player on a par 4, you may favour a full pitch onto the green from 80-100m rather than a trickey half shot. If the hole is 360m that leaves you 2 shots to make between 280m and 260m. No need to try blast a driver and low iron this will most likely leave you in trouble. So take an easy 3 or 5 wood off the tee and an 8 iron. Try keeping the ball on the fairway. Then always aim for the centre of the green and not the pin. This tactic should greatly reduce the double bogeys and higher !!
As your ball dispersion gets tighter, try aiming left or right of fairway in an aim to leaving your approach shot with the best angle to hitting the green.

Wombatman

Gerry T wrote: »

Best advise I could give would be to play within yourself. So playing a course you know plan each hole, from green back to tee. Take the percentage shots.

For example for a high handicap player on a par 4, you may favour a full pitch onto the green from 80-100m rather than a trickey half shot. If the hole is 360m that leaves you 2 shots to make between 280m and 260m. No need to try blast a driver and low iron this will most likely leave you in trouble. So take an easy 3 or 5 wood off the tee and an 8 iron. Try keeping the ball on the fairway. Then always aim for the centre of the green and not the pin. This tactic should greatly reduce the double bogeys and higher !!
As your ball dispersion gets tighter, try aiming left or right of fairway in an aim to leaving your approach shot with the best angle to hitting the green.

This is solid advice. Increases your margin of error. Just getting into the habit of doing this and its already paying off.

Keano

Me too. Keeping the ball in play more and my last 3 rounds I've averaged 33 points. Never been able to do that!

slingerz

Keano A Legend wrote: »

Me too. Keeping the ball in play more and my last 3 rounds I've averaged 33 points. Never been able to do that!

been doing this as well in my home course. dont need the driver half the time i used to take it out. has been paying dividends. The only hole where the drvier is needed to make par is the index 1 but theres too much trouble left and right there.

need to improve the options off the tee, havent been hitting the hybrids well lately and the 3 wood is rarely used at all. have to start practising the 3 wood methinks.

m r c

Ok today is "D" day.

I've worked my ass off all winter my last competitive round was on Sunday and I shot 5 over in the non qualifying 15 hole comp for 43 points and yesterday evening I played 16-18 in 1 over for another 10 points.
Those are really decent scores but I'm still off 22.9 so over the next few weeks I'm hoping I can change that.

I couldn't be in a better place with my golf ATM but it all depends on the day. We have a Friday open and today is the first qualifying competition.

I wouldn't be more nervous if I was teeing it up in the west of Ireland, I'll report back either way anyway this evening :-)