When you were a high handicapper... what did you do to lower your handicap to half?

Question

When you were a high handicapper... what did you do to lower your handicap to half?

Answer 1

If hi hdcap (28 or more), what you need is:

1. practice to hit the ball solid

2. Practice your chip / pitch shot, so every time you chip/pitch you on the green.. doesn;t matter close to the pin or not.

3. On green side bunkers, 1 shot out from bunker... doesnt matter it on green or not.

4. Avoid 3 putts...

Go to golf course, check on every hole... if you can do 1-4, most of the time you can get bogey.... bogey all the way.. you will only over 18.

If you already can hit using your driver and can do fairway shot, then to get 18 Hdcap are not difficult.

Answer 2

Just practice. I practiced all aspects of my short game, then started exercising to get in shape and make my swing more consistent and become less tired during the round. All that helped alot.

Answer 3

Short game practice.  Spend as much time on your short game as you do other parts of your game.  I think I can make par on each hole as long as my shots are in play.  Also course management is a big deal.  Play your game and not someone else's.

Answer 4

Short game.

Work on your chipping, putting and wedge shots. most people can get to an area near the green in 2-4 shots. then dump a few chipping and make 3-4putts. Put that ball in the same position, make a good chip and 1 putt and you just chopped 3-4 strokes off that 1 hole!

Answer 5

Go to the driving range and practice.What's hard about understanding that? Especially putting and chipping.

Answer 6

Practise in the range after everyone has left. When it's raining, don't stop. Keep on playing. Keep on trying. When you can't do it, don't give up. try harder. I was 20 handicap and year after, 11. Almost half. Only me on the range. No stopping, hit over 5 buckets. Swing every swing like it's for a win. Fight through the pain of your hands getting burned up from the grip. You have to have the heart.. you can't just dream.

Answer 7

I took a few lessons. Jack's book "Golf my Way" was very helpful for a lot of the technical stuff, but what helped me the most was watching good players swing. You can learn a lot by closely watching the better players at your local course. Notice how the better players make the swing look simple and how good their timing is.

Answer 8

Um...are you talking bowling? Cuz the only way to lower your handicap is to bowl better.

Answer 9

100 yds in. Chipping. Putting. These three are the keys so practice, practice, practice.

Answer 10

game improvement irons. practice short game mainly chipping .  and i learned to let my mind go blank before each shot

Answer 11

Worked on my Short Game!

Answer 12

Honest to God, I watched "Golf Channel Academy" and swung a club in my living room. That along with hitting the range once a week and a short course once a week took me from the low 100s to the mid 80s in about 8 months (1 season).

Answer 13

if your a high handicapper like a 30, it shouldn't take long to get down to a 15(year or two), that's basically boggy golf.  First take some lessons from your club pro and then Practice, Practice, Practice!!!

Answer 14

I went for some lessons and went from a 22 to a 12 still not great but trying to improve every day

Answer 15

practice-practice-practice

Answer 16

found the correct custom fit putter , and improved short game . women do have difficulty putting due to there increased flexiability in there wrists and forearms , try to keep left wrist and forearm  alinged . practice with pen under watch or sweatband , for both putting and chipping . find a couple of hi birds 19   24 degrees definatly  stroke savers  . good luck and enjoy the game

Answer 17

I cut mine in half by finding a spot that I knew the club I hit and hit well. Which for me was getting close to the 150 on a hole. Then I used whatever club I needed to get to the 150 from the tee. It took the Driver out of my hands on a lot of holes, which at the same time taught me a lesson in course management.

Answer 18

What I did... I practiced a heck of a lot! I had to find tips and my own swing that worked for me. But most importantly, I worked on my accuracy and short game... Putting, chipping, etc... It helps a whole lot more then trying for more distance. Power is helpful to me, but not essential.

Answer 19

Best thing for my game starting out was caddieing.  You see a lot of bad swings, but you see a lot of good ones too, and you see what works and what doesn't.  Then you have to take the good stuff you learn and work on it at the range.  Golf is about muscle memory so you have to find the move that allows you to strike the ball consistently and then groove it so you hit it the same over and over.

Answer 20

Practice, practice and more practice. But be careful that you are not practicing a fundamental error that you may have.  See a Pro first.

Answer 21

How quickly you adance is strictly up to you and your own abilities. Some play this game for years and never get any better (but still have fun doing it) and others seem to advance quite easily.

One big trick is to practice consistently and practice the shots that will make the biggest improvement in your game. I suggest focusing on the short game. Pitching, chipping, and putting are going to have the biggest impact on your score.