Seeing if I can get to scratch in 365 days (6.7 to 0.0): First 61 Days

Practice
#41

ya think…like I said it depends!

Course Handicap Calculator Result

With a Handicap Index of +.5 , Course Rating of 72.0 , Slope Rating of 130 and Par of 70

Your Course Handicap is: 1

CALCULATE PLAYING HANDICAP

COURSE HANDICAP TABLE
And a 1 is still not scratch! It’s great golf and I’d eat some dog food to get there…and 2 more 81’s you’re not a 1 either! Golf at the single digit level is hard…period!
AND most of us at the single digit level are usually doing something well above average than a 10-15 hdcp, to be scratch you need to do multiple things at an above average level. And to be a pro…well you gotta do multiple things at an exceptional level.
Is there any disagreement there on that statement??? :pray:t2:

#42

Again, you need to understand what it takes to get to scratch. Unfortunately the OP is trying to get to scratch and you keep posted misinformation. The difference between scratch and 18 hdcp is 1.8 birdies per round. Making birdies is not the answer.

#43

So now an index of +.5 doesn’t equate to scratch?? SMH

#44

Come-on guy you should know better, #1…1.8 Birdies is alot per round and I would bet you are making 2-3 per round! to carry -.9 an 18 hdcp might only make 2 Birdies a season! (How many Birdies or better did you make over your last 20 rounds and how many “others” did you card?) #2 there is alot that goes into it and one of those is not alot of dreaded others (probably closer to ZERO for you) if you want to compare yourself to an 18 hdcp and technically although a +1 is to die for and you can probably your fair share of under par rounds here and there…+1 is NOT ZERO! Very close though gotta give you that! OH Yea…that was the numbers right from the USGA HDCP Calculator! not mine, I’m too dumb to figure that out

#45

PEACE OUT & great playing there to be a .9 awesome!!

#46

He said +.9 not .9. +.9 is better than scratch.

#47

I’m currently +0.5 and the average of my last 20 is 75.5 (average for whole season is 76).

My average proximity from 0-20 yards is 6 feet, from 20-60 is 22 ft, from 60-100 is 23 ft, from 100-150 is 31 ft. I am a good putter but I’m not making that many, just don’t three putt much at all. I average exactly 2 birdies per round but the thing that has held me back this year is too many big numbers. I average 1 double per round and a triple every 8 rounds. If I clean that up and keep making lots of pars, I’ll get back to the +1.5 or better that I was at last year.

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#48

Well my last 18 non tourney rounds this year have averaged 77. But our course is 70/118 which is not that difficult. I hold a 9.2. Which is what it is. I basically average 1.77 putts per hole. I started playing with strokes gained putting calculator and I avg 3 strokes gained per round putting. Now here’s where I have issues see where you are getting to 6 ft, I’m more like 14 ft, see where you are 60 yds I’m 25 ft. See where you are 100 to 130 I’m closer than you. Way closer. I basically putt the same from 25 ft as I do from 15ft I might, just might, out of 20 putts, make 1, that general distance as far as accuracy is moot for me. I still miss them often, but I’m a very good lag putter to a 4 ft circle and I’ll take my chances from 2-3ft in with anyone, I’m pretty steady and feel confident I’m making 18-19:out of 20 from that distance on a 2% green. But when youre 170 out, you don’t lay up 40 yds you attempt to hit a green and I’m sketchy there also. I have a decent strength, I average .6 birdies per round, I also average 11 pars per round, I’ve made 1 trip all year and avg 1.3 db per round. Is that making sense to you about MY game. I know what it is that short circuits in my 60 yds in and that is deceleration and it’s been a short circuit for 20 years. I yip those, nothing else just those, but for someone that only hits 6-7GIR it’s death. I actually aim for bunkers because I’m more confident hitting out of those than 35 yds off a tight lie because the object in a bunker is to miss the ball green side. The guys I play with are 12 and 15 respectively. I try and show them how easy it is for me to cover a wedge and they can’t, just can’t, or how to hit a flop, or how to attack a ball in a green side bunker and it like a foreign language to them. You can check my GHIN it’s public…I’m not fibbing. My scores are what they are. I’m sure you’re a solid player. All you do is insult me and never apologize, I actually asked my playing partners what they thought of my wedge game from 70-130 and both said to me that they would give their left testicle to have that be part of their game. And that I’m one of the best they’ve ever seen from that distance not on a tour and Im not smoking crack when I say it to anyone. Like I said, my scores and game are there for anyone to see, and I don’t think it’s that great. I don’t see putting a ball in a 15 yd circle from 100yds as being that hard, just don’t ask me to do it from 50 on in because I can’t do it that consistently. how’s that for honesty.

#49

This does not add up.

#50

79, 79, 77, 73. 79, 79,79, 78, 78, 77, 80, 82, 82, 78…last 14 scores type in tortella… 9.4 usga ghin! is what it is. My app has me at a 9.2… so yea it adds up! my last 10 are 77.8 avg. and if ure Barry Goldberg out of Paramus u are a 6, not a .5 according to ghin

#51

If those are your scores and your index is 9.2, the course rating can not be 70.

#52

ure right the usga re-evaluated us pitman this year…68.6/116/70 but thats not enough to drastically affect my handicap because i play all over…I have a quick story going back a few years about a golf course. My home course was at that time was holding a Pro-Am. Pros from all over were invited to play. Our course was 6230 yds Par 70, We had people coming out to play practice rounds and word in the bar…what’s the course record here, it’s gonna fall…I cant believe we’re playing here, this course is a joke…anyhows, the superintendent, who was a very close friend of mine laughed and he said to me MJ watch what
I do to mess with these arrogant a$$holes…Well, we shut the course down for 7 days to prepare it, He grew the rough to 4 inches and watered it heavily, the greens were cut and rolled to some crazy stimp number like 12, he grew the fairways an extra 1/3 of an inch to slow the roll…he set the practice greens to a 9.5…to really mess with them…best score was a 68 and 35 great players did not break par…so course conditions in general can vary to mess with you too abit.

#53

8 of your 10 rounds posted in 2021 are on a 67.3/114 course. That looks like the white tees at Pitman, which is 5,731 yards. That’s how your 77-79 scores are 9-11 differentials.

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#54

I’m well aware, like I said I post honestly. BUT what that doesn’t reflect is on the difference holes and all the par 3s I personally play the blue tees. Which is 8 holes…so it’s more like I personally rotate tees when I’m playing with my group so they don’t feel pressured to come back with me. We just have fun and it’s actually 5850-5900 depending on the exact tee placement, but I play it about 6010-6050. But I play more white than Blue so that’s what I post to…but in all honesty it doesn’t affect much slope and rating of 114-117 and rating of 67-69 on a 5900-6200yd course doesnt truly affect my playing handicap all that much 8-9-10…not a helluva lot of difference…start getting into the 70 somethings and slopes of 120somethings…yea there’s a difference. (Look I played Pine Valley again this year and shot 86, my hdcp there would be a 15…so spot on) As an example…I have to play tourney tees in events. #3 plays 534 from the very back…I hit Driver & choked down 3W and got on the green in 2 easily. When I play it up with my partners from 490 it’s Driver 7W…On certain dog legs because of the course set up I’m tryin to play to 120 yds…there is basically no difference if I’m teeing off with a 5i or a 7i to get in the general position I want and although there is OB left, (what is interesting is all OB at Pitman is left) it really does not come into play for me at all…it does come into play for my playing partners that have to hit Driver or 3W to get into the same position I do. I still max hit my 7W 204, my playing partners now only hit Driver 200 max out. You’ll find out what happens when you hit 73 and 66 respectively…I’m 62 (we’ve been playing together now for 15 years). I mean if I don’t go back, how fair is it to them that I hit a 5i or 7W and they have to hit Driver from the forward tees. I mean it’s no fun or even fair that I would and could out drive them now by 40-75 yds. and doing that at best I’m only giving them 3 a side…I’d rather at the end of our our rounds we feel no one really has an advantage. So on the holes that count I go back 40-50 yds, On the ones that don’t …I mean it’s not a difference maker for them or me if I’m teeing off for position with a 5,6 or 7i. Here’s one for ya, on our 18th hole it’s more of a disadvantage for me to play the up tee than the back tee, it’s about an 18 yd difference, but my ball flight is such that I can get it up and over the trees playing further back than 18yds closer. There is water than comes into play for my group if they moved back, but is really not in play from a forward tee. So it all depends. Am I making sense to ya?

#55

Hope this is going well… hopefully we can get the thread back on track… I had a career low round of 75 for a 1.3 differential… it didn’t lower my handicap as much as I wanted… (down to 6.3)… I’m up in Idaho playing vacation golf and will get back to my grind in august…

I’m contemplating a 90 day challenge, as I’ll be in North Carolina in November for chasing scratch stuff.

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#56

Congrats! That is incredible and just realize a few rogues round either way isn’t going to move the needle all that much on your hdcp! You should be darn proud of holding a 6! Look, in general, my point is, and has been, to get your game down to -2,-1,0.+1,+2 is extremely difficult! You are lucky if you have the time and effort to put in to become above average on the 5 or 6 parts of the game that you need to do this consistently. AND yes compared to the proverbial 15 handicap you are excelling! A true scratch player should have no problems, with no pressure, have the ability to threaten par 5 out of 6 rounds if they are concentrating in the littlest bit! Anybody tells you otherwise is full of it! True Scratch Golf is Hard. Someone said on here and they used Rahmbo as their example, he would want to be committed if all he did was shoot scratch. Again, I’ve played with touring pros back in the 80’s and early 90’s. I’m telling every one of you to stop using tour stats when comparing folks. If you went out with Taylor Pendrith…he’s #201 OWGR on your home course…no heat on him…playing whatever tees you do, I’m telling you something, you’ll be in awe, you better hide every dollar in your wallet. That’s how good those guys are period! :sunglasses:

#57

This is what I’m talking about folks. You cannot compare golf we play to what tour level or third tier tour level folks can throw on the board. I play the game for fun, I have no aspirations here, just read appreciate and understand the difference between mortals talking scratch or low handicap, and SCRATCH players. You cannot compare throwing darts at your local from 5900-6400 yds to what pro stats are. I played Merion 3 days after Rosie won…Look, I don’t consider myself a bad golfer, I was carrying a 5 at the time. I shot a smooth 124 on a par 70 golf course from where they played from. So let’s give it a rest…improve our games, work on what we don’t do well and stop with the criticism of others. https://www.golfdigest.com/story/jhared-hack-shoots-57-mini-tour-caddie in

#58

Day 120 Update
Handicap: 6.1 (Went up from last post :frowning: )
Hours Practice: 132.5 Hours
Total Money Spent: $946.47
Balls Hit (Estimate):10,900

I have finally joined the strokes gained club downloading the app from Mr. Mark Brodie. I have only played two virtual rounds (Skytrak), so I can’t look at short game numbers yet, but wow do I suck from 150 - 200 yards (24 handicap). I also realized that I need to work out more in order to help, so I have started to run (Used to run about 10 miles a week in college). The good news is I was starting to think about my driving distance (260ish), and that it was ruining my chance. Through shots gained I learned that drives that go about 230 - 240 yards are 0 shots gained, so I am actually gaining shots. The exact opposite of what I thought. Have done a few practice games with the app and saw that making a 3ft putt equals .03 shots gained, which shows how important putting inside 5 feet is.

Unfortunately for my golf game, my wife and I moved after our house was completed, so from day 95 to now it has been nothing but moving, cleaning, and lift heavy boxes (Hurt my shoulder). I believe someone asked me in the comments what I am doing to help me steal practice hours. Waking up and getting a couple of swings before work is my solution.

Another thing is I think I am putting to much pressure on myself to score low and not letting it happen. I am starting to approach the mental side of things.

Thank you for all the comments and look forward to any tips people have.

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#59

Yeah, I’ve started approaching score as hitting the ball well and letting good scores happen…

Highly recommend the fit for golf app and lifting weights for gaining distance… running alone won’t build club head speed.

Glad to hear the move is done! Keep grinding.

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#60

If you are looking to increase CHS he is 100% correct. Fit for golf is amazing.

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