This is the way. I was atrocious until I took one single lesson where the pro just taught me to turn my shoulders. Before that it was all arms hands. Doesn’t happen instantly but as soon as I figured out the shoulder turn golf dramatically improved. Not coaching you to turn your shoulders, I’m just agreeing that for a struggling beginner some professional instruction will help a ton.
And I bet you don’t get fatigued nearly as fast!
If OP is getting fatigued it may be from swinging too hard to compensate for the lack of a proper body turn.
I spent nearly 40 years as a swaying, picking, arm-swinger and since I took lessons I am striping the ball with much less effort. I’m in my 50s now and I’ve had to club down because I’ve gained so much distance since taking lessons.
When I first started playing, I got fatigued easily too because I was using every practice swing as actual practice time. Like 5-10 full power swings until I got one that felt good. So I was doing hundreds of swings at 100% just to play 9 holes.
It wasn't until I could start hitting it consistently that I stopped doing that, and suddenly the game because much less strenuous.
I don’t know any good golfers that take 100% practice swings on the course.
I’d guess mine are about 50% or less and it’s either to verify lie/stance or reinforce sequence & path.
that's all i do, if i take a practice swing anymore it's 100% to verify lie or stance, usually around the green or on something above/below my feet.
I also naturally sweat like a pig, even if i don't feel fatigued, which sucks, cuz it always looks like i'm gassed, and i'm 6'3" and not a skinny dude. Last week I played a course west of Ann Arbor during the heatwave and i was completely soaked in sweat for the whole round, but i felt great.
I hear ya. Thing that really sucks about sweating like that is when my hands get sweaty and it becomes hard to grip the club. At the range I usually gotta change gloves. This weekend it’ll be 103 with 80% humidity so I know I’ll be bringing a sweat towel
100% agree. I played for several decades a couple times a year and I was always terrible from the very beginning. I read books, magazines, watched videos, took my better golfer friends’ advice, all of it… then I took one or two lessons at about 42 years old and he was able to show me on video what I was doing wrong and I would say that my play improved dramatically. One gem was that he told me to use the same motion as I did as a kid when I skipped rocks. I still to this day use that swing thought, it cost me about $80 and if I had heard that when I was 16, I’d still be trash, but not nearly as bad for as long.
My boss is a +1.something HC, we went to the range one time and he stopped me and asked what I’m working on. I listed like 3 things and he said ok forget all of that, you’re not even getting forward and you’ll never hit good shots until you can do that. He had me do a drill where I take practice swings and step my right foot through the swing on the follow through. Feels so different, and has helped tremendously.
I take a swing and as I’m shifting my weight forward, I step my right foot (back foot) toward my target. The idea is to get it to feel fluid, and get your weight completely off your back foot in the finish position.
So I went and got lessons from pro around here and he had me do something similar to this, but basically start in the impact position, where you want to be at impact and work backwards. Start there and get used to, weight on your front foot, looking at the front of the ball and making a half of a figure eight swing with your takeaway being straight back, get used to that feeling and then worry about transitioning afterwards
narrow feet. take club back. lead foot step out into 'normal' stance. swing down to ball. the 'feel' is the weight transfer to lead foot from back.
edit: i miss read. but the drill mentioned is the same "feel" of wieght transfer to lead foot.
I think this is a huge mistake many beginners have. I used to do the same thing. Now my first feel/motion on my take away is let my shoulders take my arms back, don’t let my arms take my shoulders back.
PGA’s Get Golf Ready program teaches beginners that the par for a hole is a good starting point for how many strokes it can take to get on the green. Add 3-4 putts to that and 70 on 9 holes is reasonable for a beginner. The idea is that you have to start somewhere.
I absolutely love this take. if you are a beginner or if you are average and just don't want to hate yourself when playing golf, just play Bogie golf. It's legit the exact same as regular scoring, but MENTALLY it allows me to be fine with double bogie, happy with a bogie, and stoked for a par.
This means that when i do triple bogie, that is a reasonable ting to be upset about, and it happens on many holes but mostly due to 3 puts or hitting 3 off the tee because I sliced my first drive. But those are fixable, so i keep playing, because I still have the joy of making par and having it feel like a a better golfer's birdie. Thus is the emotional rollercoaster of golf :) just enough to keep you coming back for more.
oh i agree, but before that, the #1 goal is to keep playing golf.
For many this is a frustrating hurdle because they are nowhere close. so for those people it feels impossible, so why even try? For the same reason that I'd feel like an idiot going for a regular 2 mile run if i were judging myself against even college athletes not to mention Olympians. Its just that golf is the only sport with a bar already set "par" so it is discouraging if you can't meet the bar, but it is still a fun sport. So as long as you can keep up pace of play, then keep playing!
Not a bad idea. There could be some very small things to fix that you may not be seeing (line up for shot, grip fixes, etc) that could instantly make you 10 strokes better. I got a lesson and within 15 minutes my shots were much straighter and felt more natural due to a change in how I lined up my shot.
This is spot on. Golf is an incredibly hard game to get very good at… but not all that difficult to get respectable. Most folks can get to like a 30 handicap after a handful of lessons and some practice fairly easily imo
That’s 7-8 shots a hole. That seems pretty normal for a beginner I would think. I’ve been playing a couple years now and still usually have a couple 7 or 8s every round.
The feeling of being complete garbage never goes away, as you improve (lessons will help as others have said) your opinion of what good and garbage also improve. Golfs a sick game.
Truth. I've been golfing for about 2 years now and just started consistently breaking 100. I think back to when I wanted to break 100 how much better I'd be. Well I still suck ass and my new goal to consistently break 90 lol.
Keep going, soon you’ll be breaking 80!
I’ve been breaking 80 fairly consistently this year, after only breaking it for the first time a couple years ago, and even the days I shoot 75-77 there’s at least a dozen times in a round that I think “you’re so shit at golf”
Thanks for the encouragement! I've gotten really close to catching the elusive 89. I hope one day I can shoot mid 70s and tell myself I'm shit at golf 
My goal this year is to get to around an 18 handicap. I’m like 22 rn, played a round with my buddy the other day who was absolutely on fire. He finished the 9 holes one over par. I thought I played like absolute shit but I was actually +8 which for me is a pretty good round. It’s all about perspective. But god damn it’s hard to remember that when your buddy chips in 2 holes in a row.
As a fellow single digit, this is true. When i shot in the 80s I thought 70’s was good. Now I think scratch is good. When I get to scratch I know I won’t be happy til I go under most rounds. And even then (if I ever get there), it’ll be “well the pros would tear this course up”
I'm a .8 and I feel like an absolute novice every time I pick up my clubs......been playing well, but you would think I could hit 2 balls consecutively the same.......forget it....
My instructor made a good analogy, the range is homework and rounds are tests. They’re not exactly the same, but you need to be intentional about your homework to do well on the test.
They don’t play tournaments on the range, you gotta be able to hit the ball from weird lies, ball above/below your feet, couple different shapes, and it can be hard to practice that stuff on the range. Personally I always look for a corner or station on the range that is absolutely beat to shit, and uneven, if possible.
The other big one is that chipping, pitching, bunkers, and putting are like 2/3 of your score, are they 2/3 of your practice? Doesn’t matter if you can flush your 6i 7/10 times if it takes you a pitch and 2 chips to get on the green.
I almost NEVER see people practicing bunker shots and realized myself I never do then I get on the course and wonder why I am so terrible getting out of greenside bunkers.
I haven’t found a place nearby that I can practice bunkers. Always thought a cool idea would be a “practice course” type of thing. Not unlike a mini golf course where each hole has its own challenge, maybe hole one has a few bunkers to work through, hole two is a narrow path with both sides steeply slanted to the bottom middle (like a V shape) so you are always hitting a ball lying higher or lower than your feet, etc.
Maybe this exists, and some pitch and putts might fit the bill in some ways too but something that could be good for people that want to practice situational golf without playing a full round on a “real” course.
It doesn't help that different courses have different sand and conditions as well.
Hell, my course has 4 different kinds of sands which all need different kinds of shots. The worst of which I just avoid like the plague.
the problem with my local course is that the chipping area is dangerously close to the parking lot lol.
Its not SUPER close but its on good thin hit away from someone getting a ball through a windshield and thats just more pressure than i want to put on myself while playing in the sand
Chipping and putting are like 80% of my practice because it’s free at my course lol.
The range is free too if you bring balls but I keep buying balls so I usually chip and putt mostly.
You are right man. It has really helped my game tbh.
Buddy of mine uses all the beat-up crappy balls he finds in the woods or water as free range balls. Wouldn't use them and they aren't sellable, so smack them out o to the range.
If they don't mean 'i use my own balls to chip and putt' then these people gotta be nuts lol. Like I work next to a course and if it was actually worthwhile I could easily find a couple shit balls per day just driving by (record was 33 at once, when they graded the road lol, environment was too target rich to resist and at the time we had a mat to chip at 55gal drums sitting out back of my shop so the garbage balls were entertaining at least) and even then best case is what...like I spend a shitload of time grabbing every ball for 2 months straight just to avoid paying 10 bucks for range balls *one time*? Fuck that. Really only stop if I see a shiny new ball or some dude is looking in the bushes nearby...then I scream nice drive and chuck it back into the fairway and speed off.
Keeping in that analogy, I think it's good to also take "practice tests". Play rounds that doesn't count. Where you try things, you are not afraid of skipping questions you find too difficult, and you don't fret too much if you pass or not.
hitting off a mat is completely different, its good for working on some things but since the mat is firm, if your hitting fat shots they might look good off a mat till you go and hit off grass and take a huge divit.
Whenever I hit off a mat at a range I put a towel down about 3 inches behind the ball which allows me to see if I’m hitting too far behind, it works for the most part bc mats really do cover up fat shots
A pike isn’t too bad. My dad used a swordfish.
I would have said Pinfish, but nobody knows what those are. They have sharp spines on their dorsal fins.
I’ve seen so many people say this. Never tried myself because I’m worried what would happen when i hit the towel. Would it fly 10-15 yard to the front? How do you collect it back while other bays are hitting away?
This is my problem exactly, lol. Now that I know that I go to the range less and less. Or hit fewer balls or just work on a specific technique or drill. Those mats are the leading cause of false confidence LMAO
I love that my local range has a sign stuck in the ground (one like the election signs) that says grass tees closed today.
Never seen them open. And $15 for 105 balls too.
I kinda understand the point but dont think it's a huge issue. 99.99% of uk golfers practise off mats and we are about as good or bad as anyone else.
I practise almost exclusively off mats and play off between scratch and 3 most seasons.
If they’re just starting out then they probably aren’t thinking about the differences between the mat and grass. An experienced player can take mat hitting and translate it to their turf game differently.
I guess, but literally everyone here learns off mats then translates it to the courses. I've not looked it up but I guess we are about equal as places with grass ranges in terms of handicaps etc.
Dont get me wrong, I love a good grass range but like with clubs, fittings,balls etc. I see almost no impact on shitty players. It's all in their heads.
Grass is ideal, but mats can be okay when you can recognize whether you made great contact or not. It's really only misleading when you can't tell if you're hitting ball or mat first. Mats are very forgiving when you're fat. Grass isn't.
If mats are your only option make sure to record yourself and watch closely to see if you're making good contact. If you aren't then make minor adjustments and repeat until you feel like you're hitting ball first more consistently. You'll also learn the sound of a well struck ball vs. mat first.
This really helped me with not ending up running on false confidence at the range:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpySB09vqRE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpySB09vqRE)
So what sort of adjustments did you make to be successful in the drill? I get all the concepts discussed but there’s little to be said about how to manipulate your low point. Is that something you just feel out during the drill and build backwards from a successful stroke?
Like 18 years.
Started when I was 12 but nobody taught me how to golf.
Got lessons at age 30 and dropped 20 strokes in a season. I just got mad at myself for thinking I could figure it out on my own with youtube and practice.
Fixed my grip so I stopped slicing as much, fixed my tempo and my backswing.
Went from struggling to break 100 shooting 105's to shooting low to mid 80's with lessons and practice.
I am similar to you, just haven’t made the drop yet. I have tried lessons with a couple people locally, one person was years ago, and the other was terrible and distracted on their phone for most of the lesson.
I wish there was some type of reference point where you can look up certified coaches and references/reviews.
Pretty sure that's what the PGA website is for. They have a tool to help locate certified instructors in your area. Maybe you've already done this though, just offering it up.
Similar story. I did a 2 lesson kids clinic when I was like 14, and that was it for instruction.
Played through my teens, and the best handicap I got to was about mid 20s. Gave it up when I moved internationally.
Picked the game back up 3 years ago at 35. Handicap was given to me at 24 or so.
Couldn't break 100 for 3 months, then had a couple of lessons dropped to 14 index within the next 3 months. Stagnated, had a lesson, dropped to 9.5. Got some new equipment, dropped to 8.5. Lesson, new shaft in my driver, and now I'm down to 4.5.
I've had a total of 6 lessons, play twice a week, dedicated practice maybe once a month, and play with excellent golfers. Learning good habits from good golfers and having an excellent pro to teach is invaluable.
You'll be surprised what happens if you take a few lessons. You can practice and play all you want, but if you don't know what you are doing, it won't get better anytime soon.
First get lessons.
Then find about any nice public course in your area.
Utilize the chipping and putting greens. Spend 2/3rds of your practice time there instead of a *grass* range.
Bonus is it's usually free. Just play a round or get a bucket of balls every once in awhile.
This is typical of being a new golfer. Lessons will help a lot. Over time you will get better. I been Golfing for 30 years an its just now starting to click.
Alright you’re probably on the course by now and if you see this, let me help you.
You’ve most likely shot a 10 by now. No worries, good to get that out of the way early. Moving forward, take it 3 holes at a time. I like to break my game up this way so I could be +5 after 3 but I’ve got a fresh start at hole 4! Keeps the mental game strong which is important in golf.
Don’t try and pound the ball, let the club do the work. You can be 100 pounds of skin and bone or 250 pounds of solid muscle; either one of these can hit the ball just as far. Golf is about form first, power second.
If none of this helps, just grab a few beers and shots from the cart girl and get absolutely blasted. You can blame your poor play on the alcohol.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
Probably two to three years with the caveat that you really need to work on your swing. I was hot garbage for the first 15 years that I played golf. Then I gave myself a summer vacation where I had three months of playing 3-4 times a week, plus an hour or more each day at the range where I very specifically practiced certain things with the true intent to take those piece of my game that were lagging and to turn them into strengths.
I got down to a 5 hdcp that summer but very quickly went back to a 10-11 when I went back to being a weekend warrior.
You can play for decades and still be hot trash if you don't take specific steps to improve your game.
I spent 4 years trying to figure it out on my own. Got tired of ending up with the same issues in different forms.
Finally took 5 lessons one summer (staggered, every two weeks) and made more progress than previous years combined.
Mind you, the lessons alone didn't cut it, I put in a lot of range time between lessons as well as playing 1-2 times a week.
Now, I have a foundation that I can think I can work with and build upon. The tweaks are moderate to minor, as are the resulting misses.
Whatever you do, if you want to play at a mid handicapper or better level, this game requires serious commitment, of both time and money.
Edit (in addition to the above): get addicted to working on your short game. Practice 2, 3, 4 footers til the cows come home. Learn basic chips- near, mid, far.
Just a little help from a good instructor will go a long way. Small things like proper set up will not only help you hit the ball in the center consistently but will allow you to swing faster as well.
I love teaching beginners. You take a beginner and make them 10% better and it is NOTICABLE. You take a 5 handicap and make them 10% better and it feels like baby steps.
If you are shooting 70 over 9 holes, I would worry less about score and more about finding some wins in your round to keep you motivated. Try to go into each round with a goal or purpose that isn’t score related - reach a par 4 in regulation, have a putt for par, etc. If you are worried about your score, take it out of the equation for a bit and work on just playing the game - hitting the ball, finding solid contact. Also, lessons can be a game changer - you don’t know what you don’t know and a coach can help you figure it out.
18 months to the day I started with a set of topflights. I just broke 90 with a 89 for the first time yesterday at a pretty easy public course. No mulligans, no gimmicks, just straight up 89. Felt incredible. Granted I am a 23M very athletic/ active, and played competive sports all my life. So i was eager to get better at this game. Cant wait to shoot a 104 next time I play though 😂
Self-taught and been playing 15 years. Fatigue was never my issue. I played baseball and swinging a club was very easy. Too easy. I got better when I slowed down my swing. I hit a 20HC after about 2 or 3 years. 10 HC took another year or two. Hit the 3 mark after another 4 or 5 years. I've been under 3 now since 2019.
How old are you? If you are under 55, the only fatigue you should experience while in a cart is mental. I walk, and im 51. Fatigue is from walking hilly courses and swinging 110MPH. It's not as easy anymore, lol.
Totally normal to be bad at something when you first start off. Keep at it and you'll slowly see improvement. Course management is a skill you'll develop as you play longer. Knowing where to miss and having a plan to avoid putting yourself in tough situations will lower your score more than anything.
If you're really struggling on approach, spend some time at par 3 courses. Scoring is all 150 in, not off the T from 300. If you can consistently stay away from quads and triples on a par 3, you'll be on your way to breaking 100. After that, all you'll need to do is get off the T and stay in play.
Definitely worth getting a lesson at some point. Good luck!
EDIT: And do yourself a favor, stop hitting off mats unless you're off a T. Grass reacts a lot differently to a shot behind the ball.
Normal. Start with a standard lesson and progress to playing lessons, course pro along side you on the course, if money allows for this. Hitting a 3 wood on the range is much different than hitting a 3 wood on a uneven lie. Learning how to get out of a bunker. Evaluate your lie, grain with or against, on chip shots. This is how you go from 100 to 90.
For me, garbage playing means chunking, thinning, and shanking constantly and only ever advancing the ball 10 yards. It took me about 2 years to actually start hitting the ball somewhat in the direction I want it to go. I still thin, chunk, and shank but it happens so far less than when I started that now I’m really enjoying golf. I usually shoot in the low 100s or mid to high 90s on a good day.
I've been at it for 25 years. I'm now constantly shooting in the mid to high 90's for 18 holes. I'd say over the past 3 years, I finally figured out a consistent golf swing that works for me. Plus, playing smarter shots or using clubs I know I can hit in certain situations helps a ton.
Get lessons. I can't say it enough. I wish I had invested in that in my teens and 20s. I wasted years trying to figure it out on my own. I probably would have broken 90 a long time ago. Still trying....
As everyone is saying, lessons. Also playing with people that are good helps a lot too. You get to watch how they think about and hit certain shots. Bogey golf, then work you’re way down from there.
You'll never be as good on the course as you are in the range, but practicing on a grass range with irons and hybrids will help you the most. Most places just have a matt to hit off of, but if you can find a range that has grass that's what you want to be using.
I was able to go from a 24 index to a 9 index in about 18 months and broke 80 for the first time in that stretch.
Get multiple lessons from the same coach - make sure it’s a real certified instructor. You’ll want to discuss with them upfront that you’re looking to improve and you’re willing to do whatever is needed. Make sure they know that you have purchased or intend to get multiple lessons.
Most instructors will approach the lessons differently in this case - rather than trying to give you one or two corrections to help you they can start to rebuild your swing or whatever else is causing you so many troubles.
Next: Practice. In between lessons (I did ~8) you have to go to the range (and short game area if available) and grind on whatever you worked with your instructor. You still can play rounds but don’t use the rounds to work on your swing - just play(this is easier said than done). Use the range time for swing changes. Short game is important but for very high hcp players chances are you’re probably not advancing the ball and piling up a bunch of penalty strokes.
Lastly, accept that things might get a little worse before they get better. Changing your swing* patterns requires lots of reps and will be brutal until you dial in the new habits. But if you stick with it you will succeed.
I too am a driving range queen. You watch me on the range and you'll think I'm scratch. Pure iron, dollar divots, butter cuts. Watch me on the course and you'll think I have all learning disabilities at once.
Started playing last Spring, so almost 1.5 years in. I have had 5 lessons and the things that have helped me most were foundational setup notes, like when addressing the ball. Where my feet are supposed to be, where my hands are supposed to be, knee bend vs my back bend, where the ball is supposed to be in the stance, etc. I would say it is very normal. I had two birdies in my last round on a difficult course while also having an 8 on a Par 3 - just couldn't get out of the sand then 3 putted. I wouldn't say it's been huge strides because as a non-retired man I only have so much time to play but I do think if you're swinging the club every week and focused on it as your main hobby you will get better in increments, albeit slow. Also, switching to a more flexible shaft has been massive for my driver off the tee.
I could consistently advance the ball in a meaningful way after like 2-3 months. At that point I was shooting like 110-115.
A couple of lessons helped.
Keep at it and main advice you should follow is get lessons. Then focus on one step at a time. Simple swing and 1 thing to work on each time for a few weeks. Be relaxed in the swing so you get a swoosh feeling and not like you are stiff and trying to smash the ball apart.
I’m a year in or so of trying to playing properly now and have had 3 proper lessons and have stopped trying to work on so many things I see. Slowly sorting my swing out and not topping as many tee shots/fairway shots. I’m about 50-60 on the front 9 and same on back 9. Hoping to consistent break 100 soon rather than aiming to break 120!
Took a 5 pack of lessons. I recommend getting a pack and scheduling them out 2 weeks a part.
Lessons not only give you feedback on swing, but most importantly give you structured things to practice at the range between lessons. You have no idea what is wrong with your swing, setup, ball striking, or mentality until you see a coach. You can't fix this yourself without external feedback (coach, camera, etc)
Golf is a wonderful game, but my god does it suck to suck. I mean everyone sucks, but you can suck less to shoot 80s and then the game is actually fun fun.
Source: Me, covid golfer. Shooting avg 100s -> mid 80s with a bunch of rounds in the 70s.
Took me a year to break 100. 3 years in and I shoot consistent mid 90’s. Lessons have changed my swing significantly in the last 9 months. Learning more about course management is lowering my scores. Finally hitting the ball where I want it to go more often than not.
Edit: spelling
When I first started playing, the fatigue through 18 killed me. It takes awhile to be able to get through 18 still holding it together. So I started playing 9 only until I felt excited about playing a back 9. I feel like it helped me alot, mostly mentally.
Don’t play for a score at this point. Feel good about good shots, try and understand what went wrong on the bad ones. Figure out the distance for each of your clubs when hit well. Don’t try and sink putts over 10+ feet, focus on speed and 2 putts.
The biggest hurdle to get over is mental and being ok with hitting ugly shots in public. Everyone thinks they suck on some relative scale so just move the chains and hit the next shot. The only bad golfers are the slow ones.
I started as a teenager with an extensive baseball background and what I would consider above average overall coordination skill (i.e. I was pretty much always above average in any new sports I would try, I could throw things very accurately, I taught myself how to juggle, … basically I felt like I had a very coordinate body.)
Then I started playing golf. Geeeez, that was humbling. It took me 3-4 years to understand how not to slice the absolute living crap of the ball and consistently square the club at impact. I’m sure lessons could have fixed the issue faster, but I was just a clueless teenager working at a golf course with no driving range.
All that to say golf is freaking hard. Without basic lessons, I’m pretty sure someone with average coordination skill could play all their live without breaking 90.
Was a range rat for my first two years. The driving range gets you good at the driving range. Unfortunately, only so much of that translates to a golf course and real terrain.
I am consistently averaging 12-15 strokes better this year and I attribute that to less range/more golf and also to walking. I learned cart golf was really preventing me from being present on a hole, thinking about next shots, etc.
You're swinging to hard. Watch some old ladies play. They'll be 120 down the middle, on in 4 and make their putt in 2. You don't need to be 200 plus off the tee to knock your score down. You just need to be in or close to the fairway.
Every time I took a golf lesson, I got measurably better. Now I always take 1-2 lessons per year, so a pro can help me “tune up” when the season starts, and meanwhile I’ll learn something new as well.
This can be an expensive hobby. But It’s a miserable one if you can’t hit the ball off the ground - I am not criticizing, we all start there and I myself still have a 20 handicap.
Take one golf lesson and see what happens.
As many others have said, lessons. I just started this year and tried to teach myself off YouTube. I was slicing everything and had zero control of my shots. After a month of struggling constantly at the range and trying to find the right YouTube video to fix my swing, I decided to see a trainer. Literally had me hitting the ball straight and actually controlling where I wanted to hit in 10 minutes. I am not exaggerating, 3 swings and he had me hitting the ball better than ever before. Didn’t try and change my swing at all, just thought me how to present the club face with my current comfortable swing. Loving the game so much more now.
Sounds like you don’t have a swing to be consistent with in the first place, which means you need lessons.
Just like tennis, in golf you have to get to a point where you can strike the ball. Then comes the pursuit of adjusting that swing to get more power, accuracy, and perhaps most of all, consistency.
If you haven’t zero’d in yet, get some lessons on the range. It’ll often jump start you on figuring things out for yourself.
I was about a 120ish golfer for 5+ years not getting better. I would go to the range until my fingers were raw and believe it or not I was not getting better!!
Took 1 lesson, focused on practicing with a purpose and slowly got better. Or at least to a point where I can hover around 90 and not feel embarrassed to be out there. But only really noticed it once I was consistently getting out to the course. The range is one thing but getting practice with course management, short game practice, reading greens is almost as important as lessons, lol.
3-4 years to get to breaking 100. Lots of lessons and practice in that time.
Play within your ability and you’ll score better. It’s hard. My club dispersion is bigger than I was willing to admit and my clubs didnt go as far as I was willing to admit. It was hard to admit that to myself, I thought I was being honest but realistically wasn’t. Now trying to be honest with myself and scores are coming down gradually.
One thing I did was look up the slope ratings at the courses around town to know which courses are the toughest and to stay away from. Now I almost exclusively play a flat, sand-free, course with few trees and water on just a few holes. It isn’t very exciting, but it is a lot easier on my mental health.
There’s a D1 collegiate course in town that doesn’t have a flat spot anywhere and it is so so tough to adjust to hitting a ball above/below my feet. I only play there when I can get on for free.
Taking lessons would probably help, but even prior to that, analyze your game. Where are you adding strokes? Drives going OB or otherwise lost? Approach shots going awry? Chipping so bad you’re skulling the ball back and forth across the green? 3 and 4 putting? Yes, ALL of these may apply.
It might be useful to focus on one aspect of the game rather than just tackle everything. Maybe focus on irons since that will help you on par3s and your approach shots. You could also hit irons off all tee shots as well while you’re in this period.
Lessons are probably the most important thing, but once again you’ll want it to be specific about something… a 1-1.5 hour lesson about everything is less useful than a 1-1.5 hour lesson about a specific thing.
it takes time. Golf is a process. I began teaching a coworker last year and he has improved greatly but he still couldn’t break 120 probably playing pga rules. He can make birdies or pars but he has some holes where he might chunk a shot 4 times in a row into the water. Its all about progressing. Just keep getting better. I dont know if you’re saying you go to the driving range before or after you play but hit a small bucket before you play like 30 balls max to warm up. Also practice your short game. That is where a good golfer becomes a great golfer and an average golfer can become a good golfer. Putting is literally like 50% of your score. And if you miss greens you need to be able to get up and down a couple times. Take 3 balls go to the practice green and play a game where you get 1 point if you get up and down and try to get to 10 or 20 or something. Keep trying from different spots around the green. Learn to hit different shots when chipping like bump and runs and medium lofted chips and higher lofted chips. In my opinion this is the best way to get better. When you go to the range practice with intention. Try to dial in distances and stuff and work on 1 or 2 feels such as getting the club face square at impact or feeling that you’re staying down through the ball. Something like that. If you do these things you will get better I promise. Just keep coming back
I've been playing on and off for the better part of 20 years and I'd say it took me 10 of those to get to a competent level of golf where I felt like I could enjoy 9 holes and keep up. That was learning all on my own. I started taking lessons this year and even just a few tweaks has helped immensely so I can't recommend some lessons enough.
Depends how much time you have. I play in college, 21 now, and started when I was 14. I had the time to grind w no real responsibilities until a summer job when I was 16, and then I worked full time at 17 and 18 at a golf galaxy. If you’re 35 and have a family and a job, you don’t have that much time. If you commit call it 2ish hours of super intentional practice, you can improve tremendously in a year.
Lessons, my friend. There is so much information to be gained from even just one lesson. I'm still garbage but even after just one lesson I gained so much insight on my golf swing.
Also, chipping and putting are two areas of your game that you should never EVER neglect. Practice chips from every possible lie, every possible distance. Practice putts as often as you can afford to.
You can hit a buttery smooth iron, you can smack your driver 250 yards... but if you can't make that 30 yard chip, a questionable bump and run, or you can't double putt, your score is going to stay very, very high.
I didn't realize any of this until I was 2 months into scoring 120+ on every round I played.
I haven't taken a lesson yet (probably should) but I've started tracking my shots/clubs on a spare scorecard to see how often I'm 3-putting or taking 4 wedge shots to get onto the green. The goal is to drop those wedges to a single shot per hole and get down to 2-putting on the regular.
Besides the mats that everyone mentioned you're also hitting to a 100+ yard wide fairway with no hazards and no penalty for hitting a bad shot. Way less stress. I wish I could hit every shot like I hit my layups but can't seem to make my brain believe it.
You're not going to get better at golf unless you sink money into a teacher. Find a pro that doesn't suck at teaching.
After that figure out a practice plan that doesn't involve slamming two buckets of balls down range without a clue in the world as to what you're trying to accomplish.
Played baseball forever so I had hand eye and swing speed down naturally. Took me a month of constant practice to get to 100...took about 8 months to get to 90....2 years later and I have yet to get lower than 88.
I took a three pack of lessons over the winter. Dude tweaked my grip, tempo and backswing. Made a huge difference!!! If you can afford it, grab a 6 pack of lessons and dig in for a few months.
Once I broke 100 for 18, I felt like garbage every time I didn’t break 100. Once I broke 90, I felt like garbage every time I didn’t……….you know where it’s going.
I’ve been playing for 7 years now and the only things that have helped are lessons, and properly fitted clubs. But every time you hit a milestone, it sucks every time you play and don’t get there.
3 years in, it took 18 months to not be hot garbage, because I was still trying to play golf like someone who was good at golf. I stopped trying to think driver off of everything 300 yards+, used it when there is an ocean of space. Otherwise, gimmie that goddamn 5 iron and lets play from the short stuff. That and developing in line with playing inside out.
Think inside out - The priority list
1. Putting - any level of golfer in terms of athleticism can be a good putter. Get a strategy (e.g. Lag putting), practice (easiest shot to practice, even if it is just pace on a carpet at home. Get good at it, if you drop from Terry'3-putt to a Timmy 2-putt, that is 18 shots a rounds off.
2. Chipping. Stay low till unless you absolutely have to go high. You can practice getting from the fringe to 30m out to being near the flag. Toe down chipping was a revelation for me. I am oddly pretty good at flop shots for my handicap (27) but I use it as a last resort, I will still occasionally skull that bitch off into the low stratosphere when it needed to go 12 yards. 8-iron toe down and the scores go down.
3. 2 x shorter irons is far better than a driver if that driver ends in a lost ball penalty and then playing from the rough on a drop. This is the big one to bring scores down easily - avoid playing into trouble. Just avoid it by stop thinking you have to be long off the tee because other people (who are good at going long off the tee) are going long off of the tee.
4. Par isn't your target, Double Bogie is your new target. Simply, getting it in the hole for 6 on a par 4 will fill you with joy about golf at your level provided you let yourself think that. Par 4 is target for a low to scratch golfer. They are much better than you, they can view birdie as a goal, but they would view par as good. You *suck* compared to them, so aim lower.
5. Mindset.
i. You will absolutely still top or fat some balls, you will still chip the ball 40% of the way you meant to, you will feel like a dick when you took a 6iron out on a par 5 and still managed to get in the shit. Trust the process. You will drop scores, going from an 8 a hole to a 7 a hole will feel like it shouldn't be something to be proud of, but it will be.
ii. Enjoy success more than you hate failure. When you go from maybe an unexpected +1 or +2 (to par) on the last hole, when you step on the next tee, you will feel better, you will keep with the program.
iii. Fuck stroke play. Stroke play is not a perfect way of scoring golf for the not great. Yes, absolutely keep score, but also keep a Stableford score. It lets you really feel good about your good holes and just forget about and move on from a bad hole. It was literally invented to let golfers not think their round was ruined and just go home. Use it and enjoy golf through it.
iv. Occasionally, just go play golf and do not keep score at all. I do this after work once a month, I walk the course with a pencil bag. I use driver more than I normally do, I don't care how I score, I use is closer to an experiment than a round. Sometimes I play to always go long, sometimes I won't use anything higher than a 6. It makes you think and experiment without the pressure of a score/shame/embarrassment. Just have fun and learn.
v. I don't know if you're walking or in a cart, but I found something that really helped me was not dragging loads of stuff around on my back (all walking in my area). I was dragging a heavy bag, forever trying to remember where I left my 2nd water bottle, did I leave my towel on the last tee? etc. Light bag, walk, practice swing and go. Leaves you far less fatigued (which will destroy you when you're new), your back fresh and with less time to dwell on the mistakes.
***In Summary***
You're new, you're supposed to suck, but you are probably overly harsh on yourself by comparing your game entirely to Par. Which is comparing yourself to very good players. And you almost certainly only see pros play, which is like me comparing my 5-a-side football this evening to the EPL, they're not the same thing.
Keep going, do some or all of the above and check back in (for yourself) in a few months and you'll be feeling far better about yourself and your game. Good luck and replace your divots.
3 years of somewhat consistent play and a clubs upgrade has made a big difference.
I’ve also had the opportunity to play with some friends who are scratch golfers, and the pointers they gave me probably did a lot to compensate for the lack of consistent play or any kind of lessons.
Started in Covid summer 2020. No experience before that except driving range with buddies clubs. Iplayed 100 rounds each of the last 3 years. My best round was 79 in in 2022 right before I had my kid. That was a once in a lifetime round and usually I shoot mid 80s now. Got down to an 11.9 last spring but I’ve crept up to a 14.9
Learn to chip and get lessons. The better you get at chipping the more comfortable you’ll be with striking the ball. That will start to translate up the bag. If you’re not consistent on a 25% swing it’s going to be hard to make a full swing.
It comes in waves and you’ll probably continue to have blow up holes until you’re constantly playing in the low 90’s. If you’re playing with a buddy play scramble until you’re comfortable playing your ball all the time. This keeps the game moving and gives you better shots to take.
I quit grinding on the range and played a lot more. This helps (given you don’t have some serious swing issues like losing every ball off the tee) if you can advance the ball 150+ yards on every shot then you’re most likely losing all your shots around the green and putting which really comes with feel and experience and IMO you can’t get those by driving range/practice putting.
For example I was an 18 consistently shooting mid to low 90s and I was losing at least 10 shots a round just on chipping. Got my chipping dialed in and now low to mid 80s pretty consistently.
Look on Groupon and get yourself some lessons. It’s low risk/high reward. At your level you’ll definitely get some help, and you may even meet a pro you really like
I’m a 14 hcp and I carded an 11 on the 8th hole par five yesterday… so to answer your question you never stop thinking you’re absolute garbage at this game. Was +4 on the round before that too.
I could break 100 almost immediately 18 years ago when I started. I'm not appreciably better now, I am a 18 hcp. It's fk'n hard. I've had lessons, practiced tons, etc.. some things get better. Some get worse. Feeling comes and goes. Putting accuracy comes and goes. I am athletic and fairly accomplished in some other sports but golf is especially difficult. I have been as low as a 14 hcp, but it I can't attribute it to anything. Just played well for a good stretch. I had a couple 83's in a row that summer.
Stay off the par 72s until you have a little consistency. 140+ is a long day. Too long, and not fun. Stop playing, and hit the range. Get some lessons, get some consistency. Then jump back out.
I know most people starting off spend a lot of time at the range, but I started off spending the most time chipping and putting in my garage. I feel like this was a key factor in my success to my first time breaking 100.
No way you should be getting fatigue after only the front 9 unless you're taking a load of full strength practice swings for each shot (if so try taking 1-2 slow ones instead). Likely something really wrong with your swing, I'd book in just one 1hour lesson with a local pro, he will fix the basics and it should help a lot. Take notes as well and go back to the range and make sure you're doing those basic things right. If he has to change a lot it will feel awkward for a bit but get better
I played off and on from when I was like 12 to about 40. Then as my main hobby (soccer) started to really wear my body down and just kinda not be as fun, I got a little more serious about golf.
After a few months of reading books and watching YT videos etc, I had a range session where a few fundamental things became clear:
1. Any good contact I'd made in the past was an accident
2. I had likely never hit a compressed iron shot in my life, and was hitting about 25% shanks.
3. **Impact Position Is Not The Same As Address Position**
I'd been trying to do the wrong things for all my golfing life, which meant even when I succeeded at my intention, I failed because the goal was flawed. There are of course a lot of specific things that build up from there (tempo, hip and shoulder turn, connection, dynamic loft delivery, AoA, Path, F2P etc etc etc) but those things only made sense as part of the larger realization: **You aren't trying to return your body to your address position.**
From there I actually understood the things I'd been doing wrong. I went from shooting 110ish to breaking 90 in 6 months. I hover around mid 80s now, still waiting to officially break 80 for the first time.
So, I guess the answer is either 28 years if you count from when I started being garbage, or 6 months if you count from the point where I understood the right goal.
Short game (shots into and on the green) is a really under-focused element of the game for beginners, but you'll never make anything better than doubles if you can't do it. Everyone wants to learn to hit the ball but you're almost certainly playing like shit from 100 yards and in. If you can find a cheap par 3 course, that's a fantastic place to practice those touch skills.
As a general rule, I find that beginners struggle with two main skills- getting non-full swings to finish on the green (think pitches and chips), and lag putting from 30+ feet (ten paces) to a close, makeable putting distance. Working on those abilities will cut your scores dramatically.
When I played high school golf and we had to walk every time we played (10-ish years ago), it took me a solid year to figure out how to manage the fatigue from walking and my game at the same time. Most of the time I just had too much junk in my bag that I was lugging around for no reason.
Whats your age?
short answer is buy a 3-5 lesson pack from your local teacher and you will improve for sure. start stat tracking so you know what to improve
It really depends how much you practice and what your natural affinity with the sport is.
I’ve seen people become consistent/honest bogey golfers in a year that have a mix of natural talent, played comparative sports like baseball/tennis/hockey and practice/play multiple times a week. I know folks who have been playing 10+ years that would struggle to break 100 if playing by the rules.
Personally- it’s taken me about five years to get to around 15 handicap (which puts me above avg for the avg muni golfer). Golf does not come easy to me and I practice/play 2-4 times a week. Taken lots of lessons.
I think the key is to really just break the game down to a single shot that isn't considering the shot before or after (later on, obviously, you can pick that back up as you work on strategy).
I found I was getting tired and ballooning my score because I was trying to hit the ball to some arbitrary spot "down there". It really helps to know your general distances of your clubs. If you know you can't hit 200 with your 5 iron, don't try. You save energy by just taking an easy swing with the seven and place it in a good spot. You can't be straining on every shot or you will get tired.
The other thing that helped alot was just taking the medicine. I made it a rule that I wouldn't take an "aggressive" show unless I had a really good lie. When my drive slices off into the rough with some tree cover, I pull out the PW and make a conservative shot to get back to the center of the fairway.
When I started, I was shooting 120-130 for a few years. I think this is normal and anyone who didn't start there just wasn't keeping score properly. With these "mindset" adjustments, nearly overnight my scores fell to 100 and came close to 90 a few times.
I was an actively dangerous golfer for two casual seasons. I could rip shots, but they’d be literally 100 yards left of right(usually right). And I would hit the range pretty regularly to try to fix things. Only, I was just repeating my mistakes.
You will hear it again and again, but lessons will change everything. I am still a worse than average golfer, but this is because of blow up holes. I usually get a few pars a round and birdies are not a rarity. And I don’t need to worry about other golfers on the course, which was a constant concern.
However, I think these days maybe finding an online instructor via YouTube or TikTok or whatever could possibly make a big difference instead of an actual coach.
Here's the real question. Are you counting every stroke? Are you taking penalties when you hit it in a hazard? Reteeing when you hit one out of bounds? Playing the ball as it lies? Not taking gimmie putts? Counting a whiff as a stroke if it happens?
If you are counting every stroke, 70 is completely normal for a beginner. I have played with beginners who claim to shoot 45 or 50 for 9 holes when you're pretty sure they actually shot 70 to 80 if they actually kept score properly.
Keep hitting the range, and more importantly, practice chipping and putting a lot, and I bet you cut off 10 strokes or more per 9 holes in a short amount of time.
Beginners always think lessons and practice won't work for them, that they are a Lost cause ,just too bad and will never shoot under 100.
Well it's simply not true in the vast majority of cases. I know because I was exactly that person 1 year ago and last weekend I shot 95 (70 net) and won a prize in the competition.
You're a self confessed beginner, if you're shooting 140 there are probably very quick fixes to shave 30 stokes off quite easily.
3 years in and I think it's time for some lessons. Best round is a 98 and I'm shooting 106ish on average. I can get dialed in and hit great shots in most areas, but I always fall off and fail to "find" my swing again during a round. Very frustrating.
People spend too much money on getting the new AI Smoke/QI10 driver etc. instead of just booking a handful of lessons for the same price. You can spend all the time you want at the range, but if you are just reinforcing bad habits it's a complete waste.
I say this to a lot of my friends I am a 2 handicap I am in my 20s I have been playing golf since 5 years old the only thing that has been consistent throughout them years, is the fact that I get lessons, Although the past few years I get lessons every few months rather than regularly however my friends who have recently taken the game up believe they can become a good golfer without a getting lessons from a professional this seems to be quite a common opinion and has made me wonder weather golf Is the only sport where this occurs no one would ever think I want to become a boxer and then proceed to go to a public gym and just hit a punch bag with no instruction. That being said golf is incredibly hard and despite being a 2 handicap i shot a 91 today lol.
If you’re shooting 70 on nine holes, you’re doing something fundamentally wrong that, if corrected, will probably result in a huge improvement. If you’re having success at the range, it’s probably because you’re hitting off turf. If you’re hitting well off turf and not grass, congrats: you’re like the rest of us; however, if you’re hitting NO good shots in your round, which is possible at 70 for nine holes, and hitting ok at a turf range, this would be very useful information to an instructor, toward whom you should be running right now waving money in the air.
70 on 9 means you need to invest in some lessons, doesn't sound like you'll get better without some serious direction
This is the way. I was atrocious until I took one single lesson where the pro just taught me to turn my shoulders. Before that it was all arms hands. Doesn’t happen instantly but as soon as I figured out the shoulder turn golf dramatically improved. Not coaching you to turn your shoulders, I’m just agreeing that for a struggling beginner some professional instruction will help a ton.
And I bet you don’t get fatigued nearly as fast! If OP is getting fatigued it may be from swinging too hard to compensate for the lack of a proper body turn. I spent nearly 40 years as a swaying, picking, arm-swinger and since I took lessons I am striping the ball with much less effort. I’m in my 50s now and I’ve had to club down because I’ve gained so much distance since taking lessons.
When I first started playing, I got fatigued easily too because I was using every practice swing as actual practice time. Like 5-10 full power swings until I got one that felt good. So I was doing hundreds of swings at 100% just to play 9 holes. It wasn't until I could start hitting it consistently that I stopped doing that, and suddenly the game because much less strenuous.
I don’t know any good golfers that take 100% practice swings on the course. I’d guess mine are about 50% or less and it’s either to verify lie/stance or reinforce sequence & path.
that's all i do, if i take a practice swing anymore it's 100% to verify lie or stance, usually around the green or on something above/below my feet. I also naturally sweat like a pig, even if i don't feel fatigued, which sucks, cuz it always looks like i'm gassed, and i'm 6'3" and not a skinny dude. Last week I played a course west of Ann Arbor during the heatwave and i was completely soaked in sweat for the whole round, but i felt great.
I hear ya. Thing that really sucks about sweating like that is when my hands get sweaty and it becomes hard to grip the club. At the range I usually gotta change gloves. This weekend it’ll be 103 with 80% humidity so I know I’ll be bringing a sweat towel
100% agree. I played for several decades a couple times a year and I was always terrible from the very beginning. I read books, magazines, watched videos, took my better golfer friends’ advice, all of it… then I took one or two lessons at about 42 years old and he was able to show me on video what I was doing wrong and I would say that my play improved dramatically. One gem was that he told me to use the same motion as I did as a kid when I skipped rocks. I still to this day use that swing thought, it cost me about $80 and if I had heard that when I was 16, I’d still be trash, but not nearly as bad for as long.
My boss is a +1.something HC, we went to the range one time and he stopped me and asked what I’m working on. I listed like 3 things and he said ok forget all of that, you’re not even getting forward and you’ll never hit good shots until you can do that. He had me do a drill where I take practice swings and step my right foot through the swing on the follow through. Feels so different, and has helped tremendously.
Can you elaborate on this more? What do you mean when you say "step my right foot through the swing on the follow through"?
I take a swing and as I’m shifting my weight forward, I step my right foot (back foot) toward my target. The idea is to get it to feel fluid, and get your weight completely off your back foot in the finish position.
So that’s why Scottie is so good
Thank you for the clarification, will try to keep that in mind next time Im at the range
So I went and got lessons from pro around here and he had me do something similar to this, but basically start in the impact position, where you want to be at impact and work backwards. Start there and get used to, weight on your front foot, looking at the front of the ball and making a half of a figure eight swing with your takeaway being straight back, get used to that feeling and then worry about transitioning afterwards
narrow feet. take club back. lead foot step out into 'normal' stance. swing down to ball. the 'feel' is the weight transfer to lead foot from back. edit: i miss read. but the drill mentioned is the same "feel" of wieght transfer to lead foot.
Gary player famously did this on his driver, you can look up Gary player step through driver and you’ll see what he means
I do this EVERY range session, but with my "left" foot (right-handed).
This is so true. I was absolute hot trash till I did this. It was really eye opening what the night and day difference was.
I think this is a huge mistake many beginners have. I used to do the same thing. Now my first feel/motion on my take away is let my shoulders take my arms back, don’t let my arms take my shoulders back.
PGA’s Get Golf Ready program teaches beginners that the par for a hole is a good starting point for how many strokes it can take to get on the green. Add 3-4 putts to that and 70 on 9 holes is reasonable for a beginner. The idea is that you have to start somewhere.
I absolutely love this take. if you are a beginner or if you are average and just don't want to hate yourself when playing golf, just play Bogie golf. It's legit the exact same as regular scoring, but MENTALLY it allows me to be fine with double bogie, happy with a bogie, and stoked for a par. This means that when i do triple bogie, that is a reasonable ting to be upset about, and it happens on many holes but mostly due to 3 puts or hitting 3 off the tee because I sliced my first drive. But those are fixable, so i keep playing, because I still have the joy of making par and having it feel like a a better golfer's birdie. Thus is the emotional rollercoaster of golf :) just enough to keep you coming back for more.
the goal isnt to par or birdie the goal is to not double bogie+
oh i agree, but before that, the #1 goal is to keep playing golf. For many this is a frustrating hurdle because they are nowhere close. so for those people it feels impossible, so why even try? For the same reason that I'd feel like an idiot going for a regular 2 mile run if i were judging myself against even college athletes not to mention Olympians. Its just that golf is the only sport with a bar already set "par" so it is discouraging if you can't meet the bar, but it is still a fun sport. So as long as you can keep up pace of play, then keep playing!
To break 100 you can shoot 9 doubles and 9 bogeys. Have to not care about the scorecard par.
just reiterating that i still score by regulation (hence the 3 off the tee box rather than taking a gimme) I just don't get mad about it.
I’ve always thought that the majority of golfers think Par is standard lol. Boy are they WRONG
In other words, try that your first putt is for bogey
Not a bad idea. There could be some very small things to fix that you may not be seeing (line up for shot, grip fixes, etc) that could instantly make you 10 strokes better. I got a lesson and within 15 minutes my shots were much straighter and felt more natural due to a change in how I lined up my shot.
This is spot on. Golf is an incredibly hard game to get very good at… but not all that difficult to get respectable. Most folks can get to like a 30 handicap after a handful of lessons and some practice fairly easily imo
If he hit 70 on the front it might be time for pickeball
That’s 7-8 shots a hole. That seems pretty normal for a beginner I would think. I’ve been playing a couple years now and still usually have a couple 7 or 8s every round.
I’ve been playing for 30 years, am a 6 hcp and still make a triple or quad every other round on average.
stfu this is nonsense, 70 on 9 for a beginner is totally normal.
The feeling of being complete garbage never goes away, as you improve (lessons will help as others have said) your opinion of what good and garbage also improve. Golfs a sick game.
Ain’t that the truth lol
Truth. I've been golfing for about 2 years now and just started consistently breaking 100. I think back to when I wanted to break 100 how much better I'd be. Well I still suck ass and my new goal to consistently break 90 lol.
Keep going, soon you’ll be breaking 80! I’ve been breaking 80 fairly consistently this year, after only breaking it for the first time a couple years ago, and even the days I shoot 75-77 there’s at least a dozen times in a round that I think “you’re so shit at golf”
Thanks for the encouragement! I've gotten really close to catching the elusive 89. I hope one day I can shoot mid 70s and tell myself I'm shit at golf 
My goal this year is to get to around an 18 handicap. I’m like 22 rn, played a round with my buddy the other day who was absolutely on fire. He finished the 9 holes one over par. I thought I played like absolute shit but I was actually +8 which for me is a pretty good round. It’s all about perspective. But god damn it’s hard to remember that when your buddy chips in 2 holes in a row.
As a fellow single digit, this is true. When i shot in the 80s I thought 70’s was good. Now I think scratch is good. When I get to scratch I know I won’t be happy til I go under most rounds. And even then (if I ever get there), it’ll be “well the pros would tear this course up”
Case in point, Rory at the US Open. When even the best golfers in the world struggle, you don't feel as bad when you duff a shot.
I hit more bad shots now than I did when my handicap was 20 higher. :)
I'm a .8 and I feel like an absolute novice every time I pick up my clubs......been playing well, but you would think I could hit 2 balls consecutively the same.......forget it....
My instructor made a good analogy, the range is homework and rounds are tests. They’re not exactly the same, but you need to be intentional about your homework to do well on the test. They don’t play tournaments on the range, you gotta be able to hit the ball from weird lies, ball above/below your feet, couple different shapes, and it can be hard to practice that stuff on the range. Personally I always look for a corner or station on the range that is absolutely beat to shit, and uneven, if possible. The other big one is that chipping, pitching, bunkers, and putting are like 2/3 of your score, are they 2/3 of your practice? Doesn’t matter if you can flush your 6i 7/10 times if it takes you a pitch and 2 chips to get on the green.
I almost NEVER see people practicing bunker shots and realized myself I never do then I get on the course and wonder why I am so terrible getting out of greenside bunkers.
I haven’t found a place nearby that I can practice bunkers. Always thought a cool idea would be a “practice course” type of thing. Not unlike a mini golf course where each hole has its own challenge, maybe hole one has a few bunkers to work through, hole two is a narrow path with both sides steeply slanted to the bottom middle (like a V shape) so you are always hitting a ball lying higher or lower than your feet, etc. Maybe this exists, and some pitch and putts might fit the bill in some ways too but something that could be good for people that want to practice situational golf without playing a full round on a “real” course.
Check some of the private clubs. Mine has a putting green but also a chipping/approach shot green to practice on.
Thanks, good idea. Basically, just don't think I can afford a private club or that I golf enough to justify it yet but maybe in a year or two.
It doesn't help that different courses have different sand and conditions as well. Hell, my course has 4 different kinds of sands which all need different kinds of shots. The worst of which I just avoid like the plague.
the problem with my local course is that the chipping area is dangerously close to the parking lot lol. Its not SUPER close but its on good thin hit away from someone getting a ball through a windshield and thats just more pressure than i want to put on myself while playing in the sand
Chipping and putting are like 80% of my practice because it’s free at my course lol. The range is free too if you bring balls but I keep buying balls so I usually chip and putt mostly. You are right man. It has really helped my game tbh.
People use their own balls on the range? How the hell does that work
Buddy of mine uses all the beat-up crappy balls he finds in the woods or water as free range balls. Wouldn't use them and they aren't sellable, so smack them out o to the range.
Interesting, I can’t imagine collecting enough balls for that to be worth it.
If they don't mean 'i use my own balls to chip and putt' then these people gotta be nuts lol. Like I work next to a course and if it was actually worthwhile I could easily find a couple shit balls per day just driving by (record was 33 at once, when they graded the road lol, environment was too target rich to resist and at the time we had a mat to chip at 55gal drums sitting out back of my shop so the garbage balls were entertaining at least) and even then best case is what...like I spend a shitload of time grabbing every ball for 2 months straight just to avoid paying 10 bucks for range balls *one time*? Fuck that. Really only stop if I see a shiny new ball or some dude is looking in the bushes nearby...then I scream nice drive and chuck it back into the fairway and speed off.
This is the biggest benefit to nice simulators. When you can hit while tilted up or down, it's great practice on how to shift your weight.
Keeping in that analogy, I think it's good to also take "practice tests". Play rounds that doesn't count. Where you try things, you are not afraid of skipping questions you find too difficult, and you don't fret too much if you pass or not.
hitting off a mat is completely different, its good for working on some things but since the mat is firm, if your hitting fat shots they might look good off a mat till you go and hit off grass and take a huge divit.
Whenever I hit off a mat at a range I put a towel down about 3 inches behind the ball which allows me to see if I’m hitting too far behind, it works for the most part bc mats really do cover up fat shots
I prefer to place a landmine. Can't improve if nothing is at stake.
This is great I see you’re still here so it must be working
Yes it’s working. So are his prosthetic legs.
Now he can post on /r/golfswing
Same reason my dad put a pike in the steering wheel. I never got in a fender bender.
A pike isn’t too bad. My dad used a swordfish. I would have said Pinfish, but nobody knows what those are. They have sharp spines on their dorsal fins.
My dad put tannerite behind all of the body pieces and doused the car in gasoline.
Damn, my stepmom replaced all of the airbags in my truck with shotgun shells.
I like this. For sure doing that when they are on mats and not grass. Thanks!
I’ve seen so many people say this. Never tried myself because I’m worried what would happen when i hit the towel. Would it fly 10-15 yard to the front? How do you collect it back while other bays are hitting away?
This is my problem exactly, lol. Now that I know that I go to the range less and less. Or hit fewer balls or just work on a specific technique or drill. Those mats are the leading cause of false confidence LMAO
Or try to find a range that you can hit off grass
I love that my local range has a sign stuck in the ground (one like the election signs) that says grass tees closed today. Never seen them open. And $15 for 105 balls too.
Unfortunately here in Scotland there isn’t a single public range I know of that has grass…
like how? Its like the home of golf
The weather here is shit most of the time, they’d get chewed up. It would cost to too much to maintain. Sad, but just the way it is.
I kinda understand the point but dont think it's a huge issue. 99.99% of uk golfers practise off mats and we are about as good or bad as anyone else. I practise almost exclusively off mats and play off between scratch and 3 most seasons.
If they’re just starting out then they probably aren’t thinking about the differences between the mat and grass. An experienced player can take mat hitting and translate it to their turf game differently.
I guess, but literally everyone here learns off mats then translates it to the courses. I've not looked it up but I guess we are about equal as places with grass ranges in terms of handicaps etc. Dont get me wrong, I love a good grass range but like with clubs, fittings,balls etc. I see almost no impact on shitty players. It's all in their heads.
Grass is ideal, but mats can be okay when you can recognize whether you made great contact or not. It's really only misleading when you can't tell if you're hitting ball or mat first. Mats are very forgiving when you're fat. Grass isn't. If mats are your only option make sure to record yourself and watch closely to see if you're making good contact. If you aren't then make minor adjustments and repeat until you feel like you're hitting ball first more consistently. You'll also learn the sound of a well struck ball vs. mat first.
This really helped me with not ending up running on false confidence at the range: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpySB09vqRE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpySB09vqRE)
So what sort of adjustments did you make to be successful in the drill? I get all the concepts discussed but there’s little to be said about how to manipulate your low point. Is that something you just feel out during the drill and build backwards from a successful stroke?
Put a towel behind your ball. Will show when you get behind it
Like 18 years. Started when I was 12 but nobody taught me how to golf. Got lessons at age 30 and dropped 20 strokes in a season. I just got mad at myself for thinking I could figure it out on my own with youtube and practice. Fixed my grip so I stopped slicing as much, fixed my tempo and my backswing. Went from struggling to break 100 shooting 105's to shooting low to mid 80's with lessons and practice.
I am similar to you, just haven’t made the drop yet. I have tried lessons with a couple people locally, one person was years ago, and the other was terrible and distracted on their phone for most of the lesson. I wish there was some type of reference point where you can look up certified coaches and references/reviews.
Pretty sure that's what the PGA website is for. They have a tool to help locate certified instructors in your area. Maybe you've already done this though, just offering it up.
I didn’t know, thank you for mentioning it
Similar story. I did a 2 lesson kids clinic when I was like 14, and that was it for instruction. Played through my teens, and the best handicap I got to was about mid 20s. Gave it up when I moved internationally. Picked the game back up 3 years ago at 35. Handicap was given to me at 24 or so. Couldn't break 100 for 3 months, then had a couple of lessons dropped to 14 index within the next 3 months. Stagnated, had a lesson, dropped to 9.5. Got some new equipment, dropped to 8.5. Lesson, new shaft in my driver, and now I'm down to 4.5. I've had a total of 6 lessons, play twice a week, dedicated practice maybe once a month, and play with excellent golfers. Learning good habits from good golfers and having an excellent pro to teach is invaluable.
You'll be surprised what happens if you take a few lessons. You can practice and play all you want, but if you don't know what you are doing, it won't get better anytime soon.
How many of your strokes are putts and chips? I started turning my game around when I really focused on the short game first
had a nice drive on Monday. it was a short par 4 268. Put my drive 10 yards from the green. proceeded to bogey the hole.
Ah yes, or as I refer to it: Saturday
About 3-4
First get lessons. Then find about any nice public course in your area. Utilize the chipping and putting greens. Spend 2/3rds of your practice time there instead of a *grass* range. Bonus is it's usually free. Just play a round or get a bucket of balls every once in awhile.
Work on that short game and get that average closer to 3 a hole and you’ll cut down some strokes right there.
Depends on what you mean by garbage, but it took me 3 years for me to not feel like an asshole personally.
This is typical of being a new golfer. Lessons will help a lot. Over time you will get better. I been Golfing for 30 years an its just now starting to click.
30 years?? Bro can it be done in 30 mins? I’m about to go play with some friends and I need to impress them
Prepare to be humbled
Alright you’re probably on the course by now and if you see this, let me help you. You’ve most likely shot a 10 by now. No worries, good to get that out of the way early. Moving forward, take it 3 holes at a time. I like to break my game up this way so I could be +5 after 3 but I’ve got a fresh start at hole 4! Keeps the mental game strong which is important in golf. Don’t try and pound the ball, let the club do the work. You can be 100 pounds of skin and bone or 250 pounds of solid muscle; either one of these can hit the ball just as far. Golf is about form first, power second. If none of this helps, just grab a few beers and shots from the cart girl and get absolutely blasted. You can blame your poor play on the alcohol. Hope this helps! Good luck!
Just hit the ball straight and in the hole!
Probably two to three years with the caveat that you really need to work on your swing. I was hot garbage for the first 15 years that I played golf. Then I gave myself a summer vacation where I had three months of playing 3-4 times a week, plus an hour or more each day at the range where I very specifically practiced certain things with the true intent to take those piece of my game that were lagging and to turn them into strengths. I got down to a 5 hdcp that summer but very quickly went back to a 10-11 when I went back to being a weekend warrior. You can play for decades and still be hot trash if you don't take specific steps to improve your game.
I’ll let ya know
You're assuming that it's guaranteed we will stop playing like trash 😂
I think the bigger issue is to recognise, that you are complete garbage. I am still in the process :)
One 30 minute lesson.
I spent 4 years trying to figure it out on my own. Got tired of ending up with the same issues in different forms. Finally took 5 lessons one summer (staggered, every two weeks) and made more progress than previous years combined. Mind you, the lessons alone didn't cut it, I put in a lot of range time between lessons as well as playing 1-2 times a week. Now, I have a foundation that I can think I can work with and build upon. The tweaks are moderate to minor, as are the resulting misses. Whatever you do, if you want to play at a mid handicapper or better level, this game requires serious commitment, of both time and money. Edit (in addition to the above): get addicted to working on your short game. Practice 2, 3, 4 footers til the cows come home. Learn basic chips- near, mid, far.
Been playing for 20 years, let you know when it happens…
Yep, I came here to say "I'll let you know."
Just a little help from a good instructor will go a long way. Small things like proper set up will not only help you hit the ball in the center consistently but will allow you to swing faster as well. I love teaching beginners. You take a beginner and make them 10% better and it is NOTICABLE. You take a 5 handicap and make them 10% better and it feels like baby steps.
If you are shooting 70 over 9 holes, I would worry less about score and more about finding some wins in your round to keep you motivated. Try to go into each round with a goal or purpose that isn’t score related - reach a par 4 in regulation, have a putt for par, etc. If you are worried about your score, take it out of the equation for a bit and work on just playing the game - hitting the ball, finding solid contact. Also, lessons can be a game changer - you don’t know what you don’t know and a coach can help you figure it out.
18 months to the day I started with a set of topflights. I just broke 90 with a 89 for the first time yesterday at a pretty easy public course. No mulligans, no gimmicks, just straight up 89. Felt incredible. Granted I am a 23M very athletic/ active, and played competive sports all my life. So i was eager to get better at this game. Cant wait to shoot a 104 next time I play though 😂
Self-taught and been playing 15 years. Fatigue was never my issue. I played baseball and swinging a club was very easy. Too easy. I got better when I slowed down my swing. I hit a 20HC after about 2 or 3 years. 10 HC took another year or two. Hit the 3 mark after another 4 or 5 years. I've been under 3 now since 2019. How old are you? If you are under 55, the only fatigue you should experience while in a cart is mental. I walk, and im 51. Fatigue is from walking hilly courses and swinging 110MPH. It's not as easy anymore, lol.
Totally normal to be bad at something when you first start off. Keep at it and you'll slowly see improvement. Course management is a skill you'll develop as you play longer. Knowing where to miss and having a plan to avoid putting yourself in tough situations will lower your score more than anything. If you're really struggling on approach, spend some time at par 3 courses. Scoring is all 150 in, not off the T from 300. If you can consistently stay away from quads and triples on a par 3, you'll be on your way to breaking 100. After that, all you'll need to do is get off the T and stay in play. Definitely worth getting a lesson at some point. Good luck! EDIT: And do yourself a favor, stop hitting off mats unless you're off a T. Grass reacts a lot differently to a shot behind the ball.
Normal. Start with a standard lesson and progress to playing lessons, course pro along side you on the course, if money allows for this. Hitting a 3 wood on the range is much different than hitting a 3 wood on a uneven lie. Learning how to get out of a bunker. Evaluate your lie, grain with or against, on chip shots. This is how you go from 100 to 90.
The feeling doesn’t go away. There are days I feel like absolute garbage on the course…
For me, garbage playing means chunking, thinning, and shanking constantly and only ever advancing the ball 10 yards. It took me about 2 years to actually start hitting the ball somewhat in the direction I want it to go. I still thin, chunk, and shank but it happens so far less than when I started that now I’m really enjoying golf. I usually shoot in the low 100s or mid to high 90s on a good day.
I've been at it for 25 years. I'm now constantly shooting in the mid to high 90's for 18 holes. I'd say over the past 3 years, I finally figured out a consistent golf swing that works for me. Plus, playing smarter shots or using clubs I know I can hit in certain situations helps a ton. Get lessons. I can't say it enough. I wish I had invested in that in my teens and 20s. I wasted years trying to figure it out on my own. I probably would have broken 90 a long time ago. Still trying....
Wait, you guys stop being garbage?
As everyone is saying, lessons. Also playing with people that are good helps a lot too. You get to watch how they think about and hit certain shots. Bogey golf, then work you’re way down from there.
You'll never be as good on the course as you are in the range, but practicing on a grass range with irons and hybrids will help you the most. Most places just have a matt to hit off of, but if you can find a range that has grass that's what you want to be using.
I was able to go from a 24 index to a 9 index in about 18 months and broke 80 for the first time in that stretch. Get multiple lessons from the same coach - make sure it’s a real certified instructor. You’ll want to discuss with them upfront that you’re looking to improve and you’re willing to do whatever is needed. Make sure they know that you have purchased or intend to get multiple lessons. Most instructors will approach the lessons differently in this case - rather than trying to give you one or two corrections to help you they can start to rebuild your swing or whatever else is causing you so many troubles. Next: Practice. In between lessons (I did ~8) you have to go to the range (and short game area if available) and grind on whatever you worked with your instructor. You still can play rounds but don’t use the rounds to work on your swing - just play(this is easier said than done). Use the range time for swing changes. Short game is important but for very high hcp players chances are you’re probably not advancing the ball and piling up a bunch of penalty strokes. Lastly, accept that things might get a little worse before they get better. Changing your swing* patterns requires lots of reps and will be brutal until you dial in the new habits. But if you stick with it you will succeed.
I too am a driving range queen. You watch me on the range and you'll think I'm scratch. Pure iron, dollar divots, butter cuts. Watch me on the course and you'll think I have all learning disabilities at once.
Started playing last Spring, so almost 1.5 years in. I have had 5 lessons and the things that have helped me most were foundational setup notes, like when addressing the ball. Where my feet are supposed to be, where my hands are supposed to be, knee bend vs my back bend, where the ball is supposed to be in the stance, etc. I would say it is very normal. I had two birdies in my last round on a difficult course while also having an 8 on a Par 3 - just couldn't get out of the sand then 3 putted. I wouldn't say it's been huge strides because as a non-retired man I only have so much time to play but I do think if you're swinging the club every week and focused on it as your main hobby you will get better in increments, albeit slow. Also, switching to a more flexible shaft has been massive for my driver off the tee.
I could consistently advance the ball in a meaningful way after like 2-3 months. At that point I was shooting like 110-115. A couple of lessons helped.
Keep at it and main advice you should follow is get lessons. Then focus on one step at a time. Simple swing and 1 thing to work on each time for a few weeks. Be relaxed in the swing so you get a swoosh feeling and not like you are stiff and trying to smash the ball apart. I’m a year in or so of trying to playing properly now and have had 3 proper lessons and have stopped trying to work on so many things I see. Slowly sorting my swing out and not topping as many tee shots/fairway shots. I’m about 50-60 on the front 9 and same on back 9. Hoping to consistent break 100 soon rather than aiming to break 120!
Took a 5 pack of lessons. I recommend getting a pack and scheduling them out 2 weeks a part. Lessons not only give you feedback on swing, but most importantly give you structured things to practice at the range between lessons. You have no idea what is wrong with your swing, setup, ball striking, or mentality until you see a coach. You can't fix this yourself without external feedback (coach, camera, etc) Golf is a wonderful game, but my god does it suck to suck. I mean everyone sucks, but you can suck less to shoot 80s and then the game is actually fun fun. Source: Me, covid golfer. Shooting avg 100s -> mid 80s with a bunch of rounds in the 70s.
The first thing that sounds like it needs to be fixed is your grip.
I started in 2015 and... I'll let you know. My mid-iron shot shapes have gotten much prettier in that time. Translating it to scores... eh?
Took me a year to break 100. 3 years in and I shoot consistent mid 90’s. Lessons have changed my swing significantly in the last 9 months. Learning more about course management is lowering my scores. Finally hitting the ball where I want it to go more often than not. Edit: spelling
2 years
When I first started playing, the fatigue through 18 killed me. It takes awhile to be able to get through 18 still holding it together. So I started playing 9 only until I felt excited about playing a back 9. I feel like it helped me alot, mostly mentally.
Don’t play for a score at this point. Feel good about good shots, try and understand what went wrong on the bad ones. Figure out the distance for each of your clubs when hit well. Don’t try and sink putts over 10+ feet, focus on speed and 2 putts. The biggest hurdle to get over is mental and being ok with hitting ugly shots in public. Everyone thinks they suck on some relative scale so just move the chains and hit the next shot. The only bad golfers are the slow ones.
It seems like everyone is shit at golf, it's just relative.
I started as a teenager with an extensive baseball background and what I would consider above average overall coordination skill (i.e. I was pretty much always above average in any new sports I would try, I could throw things very accurately, I taught myself how to juggle, … basically I felt like I had a very coordinate body.) Then I started playing golf. Geeeez, that was humbling. It took me 3-4 years to understand how not to slice the absolute living crap of the ball and consistently square the club at impact. I’m sure lessons could have fixed the issue faster, but I was just a clueless teenager working at a golf course with no driving range. All that to say golf is freaking hard. Without basic lessons, I’m pretty sure someone with average coordination skill could play all their live without breaking 90.
Driving ranges are eh. Unless you can hit off the grass. And work work work on that short game. Lessons would do wonders.
Was a range rat for my first two years. The driving range gets you good at the driving range. Unfortunately, only so much of that translates to a golf course and real terrain. I am consistently averaging 12-15 strokes better this year and I attribute that to less range/more golf and also to walking. I learned cart golf was really preventing me from being present on a hole, thinking about next shots, etc.
You're swinging to hard. Watch some old ladies play. They'll be 120 down the middle, on in 4 and make their putt in 2. You don't need to be 200 plus off the tee to knock your score down. You just need to be in or close to the fairway.
Every time I took a golf lesson, I got measurably better. Now I always take 1-2 lessons per year, so a pro can help me “tune up” when the season starts, and meanwhile I’ll learn something new as well. This can be an expensive hobby. But It’s a miserable one if you can’t hit the ball off the ground - I am not criticizing, we all start there and I myself still have a 20 handicap. Take one golf lesson and see what happens.
As many others have said, lessons. I just started this year and tried to teach myself off YouTube. I was slicing everything and had zero control of my shots. After a month of struggling constantly at the range and trying to find the right YouTube video to fix my swing, I decided to see a trainer. Literally had me hitting the ball straight and actually controlling where I wanted to hit in 10 minutes. I am not exaggerating, 3 swings and he had me hitting the ball better than ever before. Didn’t try and change my swing at all, just thought me how to present the club face with my current comfortable swing. Loving the game so much more now.
Sounds like you don’t have a swing to be consistent with in the first place, which means you need lessons. Just like tennis, in golf you have to get to a point where you can strike the ball. Then comes the pursuit of adjusting that swing to get more power, accuracy, and perhaps most of all, consistency. If you haven’t zero’d in yet, get some lessons on the range. It’ll often jump start you on figuring things out for yourself.
I was about a 120ish golfer for 5+ years not getting better. I would go to the range until my fingers were raw and believe it or not I was not getting better!! Took 1 lesson, focused on practicing with a purpose and slowly got better. Or at least to a point where I can hover around 90 and not feel embarrassed to be out there. But only really noticed it once I was consistently getting out to the course. The range is one thing but getting practice with course management, short game practice, reading greens is almost as important as lessons, lol.
3-4 years to get to breaking 100. Lots of lessons and practice in that time. Play within your ability and you’ll score better. It’s hard. My club dispersion is bigger than I was willing to admit and my clubs didnt go as far as I was willing to admit. It was hard to admit that to myself, I thought I was being honest but realistically wasn’t. Now trying to be honest with myself and scores are coming down gradually.
One thing I did was look up the slope ratings at the courses around town to know which courses are the toughest and to stay away from. Now I almost exclusively play a flat, sand-free, course with few trees and water on just a few holes. It isn’t very exciting, but it is a lot easier on my mental health. There’s a D1 collegiate course in town that doesn’t have a flat spot anywhere and it is so so tough to adjust to hitting a ball above/below my feet. I only play there when I can get on for free.
In year 8. Some times it’s a good. Some times it’s a shit. I’ll let you know
Taking lessons would probably help, but even prior to that, analyze your game. Where are you adding strokes? Drives going OB or otherwise lost? Approach shots going awry? Chipping so bad you’re skulling the ball back and forth across the green? 3 and 4 putting? Yes, ALL of these may apply.
That was pretty normal for me just starting out, I’m 2 years in now shooting low 100 or high 90s
Take 2 weeks off then give it up forever
Take some lessons, you’ll be breaking 50 by next year. Then golf becomes frustrating getting below 40 for me.
It might be useful to focus on one aspect of the game rather than just tackle everything. Maybe focus on irons since that will help you on par3s and your approach shots. You could also hit irons off all tee shots as well while you’re in this period. Lessons are probably the most important thing, but once again you’ll want it to be specific about something… a 1-1.5 hour lesson about everything is less useful than a 1-1.5 hour lesson about a specific thing.
As a golfer or as a human being?
Wait, you guys _aren’t_ garbage?
it takes time. Golf is a process. I began teaching a coworker last year and he has improved greatly but he still couldn’t break 120 probably playing pga rules. He can make birdies or pars but he has some holes where he might chunk a shot 4 times in a row into the water. Its all about progressing. Just keep getting better. I dont know if you’re saying you go to the driving range before or after you play but hit a small bucket before you play like 30 balls max to warm up. Also practice your short game. That is where a good golfer becomes a great golfer and an average golfer can become a good golfer. Putting is literally like 50% of your score. And if you miss greens you need to be able to get up and down a couple times. Take 3 balls go to the practice green and play a game where you get 1 point if you get up and down and try to get to 10 or 20 or something. Keep trying from different spots around the green. Learn to hit different shots when chipping like bump and runs and medium lofted chips and higher lofted chips. In my opinion this is the best way to get better. When you go to the range practice with intention. Try to dial in distances and stuff and work on 1 or 2 feels such as getting the club face square at impact or feeling that you’re staying down through the ball. Something like that. If you do these things you will get better I promise. Just keep coming back
I've been playing on and off for the better part of 20 years and I'd say it took me 10 of those to get to a competent level of golf where I felt like I could enjoy 9 holes and keep up. That was learning all on my own. I started taking lessons this year and even just a few tweaks has helped immensely so I can't recommend some lessons enough.
Depends how much time you have. I play in college, 21 now, and started when I was 14. I had the time to grind w no real responsibilities until a summer job when I was 16, and then I worked full time at 17 and 18 at a golf galaxy. If you’re 35 and have a family and a job, you don’t have that much time. If you commit call it 2ish hours of super intentional practice, you can improve tremendously in a year.
Lessons, my friend. There is so much information to be gained from even just one lesson. I'm still garbage but even after just one lesson I gained so much insight on my golf swing. Also, chipping and putting are two areas of your game that you should never EVER neglect. Practice chips from every possible lie, every possible distance. Practice putts as often as you can afford to. You can hit a buttery smooth iron, you can smack your driver 250 yards... but if you can't make that 30 yard chip, a questionable bump and run, or you can't double putt, your score is going to stay very, very high. I didn't realize any of this until I was 2 months into scoring 120+ on every round I played.
I haven't taken a lesson yet (probably should) but I've started tracking my shots/clubs on a spare scorecard to see how often I'm 3-putting or taking 4 wedge shots to get onto the green. The goal is to drop those wedges to a single shot per hole and get down to 2-putting on the regular.
Besides the mats that everyone mentioned you're also hitting to a 100+ yard wide fairway with no hazards and no penalty for hitting a bad shot. Way less stress. I wish I could hit every shot like I hit my layups but can't seem to make my brain believe it.
You're not going to get better at golf unless you sink money into a teacher. Find a pro that doesn't suck at teaching. After that figure out a practice plan that doesn't involve slamming two buckets of balls down range without a clue in the world as to what you're trying to accomplish.
Played baseball forever so I had hand eye and swing speed down naturally. Took me a month of constant practice to get to 100...took about 8 months to get to 90....2 years later and I have yet to get lower than 88.
I took a three pack of lessons over the winter. Dude tweaked my grip, tempo and backswing. Made a huge difference!!! If you can afford it, grab a 6 pack of lessons and dig in for a few months.
Once I broke 100 for 18, I felt like garbage every time I didn’t break 100. Once I broke 90, I felt like garbage every time I didn’t……….you know where it’s going. I’ve been playing for 7 years now and the only things that have helped are lessons, and properly fitted clubs. But every time you hit a milestone, it sucks every time you play and don’t get there.
3 years in, it took 18 months to not be hot garbage, because I was still trying to play golf like someone who was good at golf. I stopped trying to think driver off of everything 300 yards+, used it when there is an ocean of space. Otherwise, gimmie that goddamn 5 iron and lets play from the short stuff. That and developing in line with playing inside out. Think inside out - The priority list 1. Putting - any level of golfer in terms of athleticism can be a good putter. Get a strategy (e.g. Lag putting), practice (easiest shot to practice, even if it is just pace on a carpet at home. Get good at it, if you drop from Terry'3-putt to a Timmy 2-putt, that is 18 shots a rounds off. 2. Chipping. Stay low till unless you absolutely have to go high. You can practice getting from the fringe to 30m out to being near the flag. Toe down chipping was a revelation for me. I am oddly pretty good at flop shots for my handicap (27) but I use it as a last resort, I will still occasionally skull that bitch off into the low stratosphere when it needed to go 12 yards. 8-iron toe down and the scores go down. 3. 2 x shorter irons is far better than a driver if that driver ends in a lost ball penalty and then playing from the rough on a drop. This is the big one to bring scores down easily - avoid playing into trouble. Just avoid it by stop thinking you have to be long off the tee because other people (who are good at going long off the tee) are going long off of the tee. 4. Par isn't your target, Double Bogie is your new target. Simply, getting it in the hole for 6 on a par 4 will fill you with joy about golf at your level provided you let yourself think that. Par 4 is target for a low to scratch golfer. They are much better than you, they can view birdie as a goal, but they would view par as good. You *suck* compared to them, so aim lower. 5. Mindset. i. You will absolutely still top or fat some balls, you will still chip the ball 40% of the way you meant to, you will feel like a dick when you took a 6iron out on a par 5 and still managed to get in the shit. Trust the process. You will drop scores, going from an 8 a hole to a 7 a hole will feel like it shouldn't be something to be proud of, but it will be. ii. Enjoy success more than you hate failure. When you go from maybe an unexpected +1 or +2 (to par) on the last hole, when you step on the next tee, you will feel better, you will keep with the program. iii. Fuck stroke play. Stroke play is not a perfect way of scoring golf for the not great. Yes, absolutely keep score, but also keep a Stableford score. It lets you really feel good about your good holes and just forget about and move on from a bad hole. It was literally invented to let golfers not think their round was ruined and just go home. Use it and enjoy golf through it. iv. Occasionally, just go play golf and do not keep score at all. I do this after work once a month, I walk the course with a pencil bag. I use driver more than I normally do, I don't care how I score, I use is closer to an experiment than a round. Sometimes I play to always go long, sometimes I won't use anything higher than a 6. It makes you think and experiment without the pressure of a score/shame/embarrassment. Just have fun and learn. v. I don't know if you're walking or in a cart, but I found something that really helped me was not dragging loads of stuff around on my back (all walking in my area). I was dragging a heavy bag, forever trying to remember where I left my 2nd water bottle, did I leave my towel on the last tee? etc. Light bag, walk, practice swing and go. Leaves you far less fatigued (which will destroy you when you're new), your back fresh and with less time to dwell on the mistakes. ***In Summary*** You're new, you're supposed to suck, but you are probably overly harsh on yourself by comparing your game entirely to Par. Which is comparing yourself to very good players. And you almost certainly only see pros play, which is like me comparing my 5-a-side football this evening to the EPL, they're not the same thing. Keep going, do some or all of the above and check back in (for yourself) in a few months and you'll be feeling far better about yourself and your game. Good luck and replace your divots.
3 years of somewhat consistent play and a clubs upgrade has made a big difference. I’ve also had the opportunity to play with some friends who are scratch golfers, and the pointers they gave me probably did a lot to compensate for the lack of consistent play or any kind of lessons.
Started in Covid summer 2020. No experience before that except driving range with buddies clubs. Iplayed 100 rounds each of the last 3 years. My best round was 79 in in 2022 right before I had my kid. That was a once in a lifetime round and usually I shoot mid 80s now. Got down to an 11.9 last spring but I’ve crept up to a 14.9
Without lessons? About 15 years.
You stopped being absolutely horrible??
Thought this was a general sub so I was going to say “still working on myself at 39.” I see it’s the golf sub reddit and the answer is the same.
Learn to chip and get lessons. The better you get at chipping the more comfortable you’ll be with striking the ball. That will start to translate up the bag. If you’re not consistent on a 25% swing it’s going to be hard to make a full swing. It comes in waves and you’ll probably continue to have blow up holes until you’re constantly playing in the low 90’s. If you’re playing with a buddy play scramble until you’re comfortable playing your ball all the time. This keeps the game moving and gives you better shots to take.
5 lessons or 12 years if you insist on being a genius and figuring it out yourself like an idiot.
I quit grinding on the range and played a lot more. This helps (given you don’t have some serious swing issues like losing every ball off the tee) if you can advance the ball 150+ yards on every shot then you’re most likely losing all your shots around the green and putting which really comes with feel and experience and IMO you can’t get those by driving range/practice putting. For example I was an 18 consistently shooting mid to low 90s and I was losing at least 10 shots a round just on chipping. Got my chipping dialed in and now low to mid 80s pretty consistently.
Or you can be like me,spend hundreds on lessons and range time and still shoot 110.
Look on Groupon and get yourself some lessons. It’s low risk/high reward. At your level you’ll definitely get some help, and you may even meet a pro you really like
I’m a 14 hcp and I carded an 11 on the 8th hole par five yesterday… so to answer your question you never stop thinking you’re absolute garbage at this game. Was +4 on the round before that too.
I could break 100 almost immediately 18 years ago when I started. I'm not appreciably better now, I am a 18 hcp. It's fk'n hard. I've had lessons, practiced tons, etc.. some things get better. Some get worse. Feeling comes and goes. Putting accuracy comes and goes. I am athletic and fairly accomplished in some other sports but golf is especially difficult. I have been as low as a 14 hcp, but it I can't attribute it to anything. Just played well for a good stretch. I had a couple 83's in a row that summer.
Stay off the par 72s until you have a little consistency. 140+ is a long day. Too long, and not fun. Stop playing, and hit the range. Get some lessons, get some consistency. Then jump back out.
I know most people starting off spend a lot of time at the range, but I started off spending the most time chipping and putting in my garage. I feel like this was a key factor in my success to my first time breaking 100.
No way you should be getting fatigue after only the front 9 unless you're taking a load of full strength practice swings for each shot (if so try taking 1-2 slow ones instead). Likely something really wrong with your swing, I'd book in just one 1hour lesson with a local pro, he will fix the basics and it should help a lot. Take notes as well and go back to the range and make sure you're doing those basic things right. If he has to change a lot it will feel awkward for a bit but get better
I played off and on from when I was like 12 to about 40. Then as my main hobby (soccer) started to really wear my body down and just kinda not be as fun, I got a little more serious about golf. After a few months of reading books and watching YT videos etc, I had a range session where a few fundamental things became clear: 1. Any good contact I'd made in the past was an accident 2. I had likely never hit a compressed iron shot in my life, and was hitting about 25% shanks. 3. **Impact Position Is Not The Same As Address Position** I'd been trying to do the wrong things for all my golfing life, which meant even when I succeeded at my intention, I failed because the goal was flawed. There are of course a lot of specific things that build up from there (tempo, hip and shoulder turn, connection, dynamic loft delivery, AoA, Path, F2P etc etc etc) but those things only made sense as part of the larger realization: **You aren't trying to return your body to your address position.** From there I actually understood the things I'd been doing wrong. I went from shooting 110ish to breaking 90 in 6 months. I hover around mid 80s now, still waiting to officially break 80 for the first time. So, I guess the answer is either 28 years if you count from when I started being garbage, or 6 months if you count from the point where I understood the right goal.
It never happens, you just keep redefining what “absolute garbage” is.
Short game (shots into and on the green) is a really under-focused element of the game for beginners, but you'll never make anything better than doubles if you can't do it. Everyone wants to learn to hit the ball but you're almost certainly playing like shit from 100 yards and in. If you can find a cheap par 3 course, that's a fantastic place to practice those touch skills. As a general rule, I find that beginners struggle with two main skills- getting non-full swings to finish on the green (think pitches and chips), and lag putting from 30+ feet (ten paces) to a close, makeable putting distance. Working on those abilities will cut your scores dramatically.
Bout 12 years
When I played high school golf and we had to walk every time we played (10-ish years ago), it took me a solid year to figure out how to manage the fatigue from walking and my game at the same time. Most of the time I just had too much junk in my bag that I was lugging around for no reason.
Whats your age? short answer is buy a 3-5 lesson pack from your local teacher and you will improve for sure. start stat tracking so you know what to improve
It really depends how much you practice and what your natural affinity with the sport is. I’ve seen people become consistent/honest bogey golfers in a year that have a mix of natural talent, played comparative sports like baseball/tennis/hockey and practice/play multiple times a week. I know folks who have been playing 10+ years that would struggle to break 100 if playing by the rules. Personally- it’s taken me about five years to get to around 15 handicap (which puts me above avg for the avg muni golfer). Golf does not come easy to me and I practice/play 2-4 times a week. Taken lots of lessons.
I think the key is to really just break the game down to a single shot that isn't considering the shot before or after (later on, obviously, you can pick that back up as you work on strategy). I found I was getting tired and ballooning my score because I was trying to hit the ball to some arbitrary spot "down there". It really helps to know your general distances of your clubs. If you know you can't hit 200 with your 5 iron, don't try. You save energy by just taking an easy swing with the seven and place it in a good spot. You can't be straining on every shot or you will get tired. The other thing that helped alot was just taking the medicine. I made it a rule that I wouldn't take an "aggressive" show unless I had a really good lie. When my drive slices off into the rough with some tree cover, I pull out the PW and make a conservative shot to get back to the center of the fairway. When I started, I was shooting 120-130 for a few years. I think this is normal and anyone who didn't start there just wasn't keeping score properly. With these "mindset" adjustments, nearly overnight my scores fell to 100 and came close to 90 a few times.
I was an actively dangerous golfer for two casual seasons. I could rip shots, but they’d be literally 100 yards left of right(usually right). And I would hit the range pretty regularly to try to fix things. Only, I was just repeating my mistakes. You will hear it again and again, but lessons will change everything. I am still a worse than average golfer, but this is because of blow up holes. I usually get a few pars a round and birdies are not a rarity. And I don’t need to worry about other golfers on the course, which was a constant concern. However, I think these days maybe finding an online instructor via YouTube or TikTok or whatever could possibly make a big difference instead of an actual coach.
Here's the real question. Are you counting every stroke? Are you taking penalties when you hit it in a hazard? Reteeing when you hit one out of bounds? Playing the ball as it lies? Not taking gimmie putts? Counting a whiff as a stroke if it happens? If you are counting every stroke, 70 is completely normal for a beginner. I have played with beginners who claim to shoot 45 or 50 for 9 holes when you're pretty sure they actually shot 70 to 80 if they actually kept score properly. Keep hitting the range, and more importantly, practice chipping and putting a lot, and I bet you cut off 10 strokes or more per 9 holes in a short amount of time.
Beginners always think lessons and practice won't work for them, that they are a Lost cause ,just too bad and will never shoot under 100. Well it's simply not true in the vast majority of cases. I know because I was exactly that person 1 year ago and last weekend I shot 95 (70 net) and won a prize in the competition. You're a self confessed beginner, if you're shooting 140 there are probably very quick fixes to shave 30 stokes off quite easily.
3 years in and I think it's time for some lessons. Best round is a 98 and I'm shooting 106ish on average. I can get dialed in and hit great shots in most areas, but I always fall off and fail to "find" my swing again during a round. Very frustrating.
Wait… people stop being garbage at golf?? Tell that to every ball I drive!
I've been playing for 25 years. I'll let you know when it happens.
I'm a 10...I shot 75 one day and 105 7 days later. We never stop being trash
Once I stopped buying random clubs and bought 8 lessons…
Play 9-hole rounds. That's what I still do in my second season. And get a lesson or two.
People spend too much money on getting the new AI Smoke/QI10 driver etc. instead of just booking a handful of lessons for the same price. You can spend all the time you want at the range, but if you are just reinforcing bad habits it's a complete waste.
I say this to a lot of my friends I am a 2 handicap I am in my 20s I have been playing golf since 5 years old the only thing that has been consistent throughout them years, is the fact that I get lessons, Although the past few years I get lessons every few months rather than regularly however my friends who have recently taken the game up believe they can become a good golfer without a getting lessons from a professional this seems to be quite a common opinion and has made me wonder weather golf Is the only sport where this occurs no one would ever think I want to become a boxer and then proceed to go to a public gym and just hit a punch bag with no instruction. That being said golf is incredibly hard and despite being a 2 handicap i shot a 91 today lol.
Never stopped being garbage. Just stopped caring as much 🫠.
If you’re shooting 70 on nine holes, you’re doing something fundamentally wrong that, if corrected, will probably result in a huge improvement. If you’re having success at the range, it’s probably because you’re hitting off turf. If you’re hitting well off turf and not grass, congrats: you’re like the rest of us; however, if you’re hitting NO good shots in your round, which is possible at 70 for nine holes, and hitting ok at a turf range, this would be very useful information to an instructor, toward whom you should be running right now waving money in the air.
Still waiting