How do you get "good" at golf?

[rich_s2]

hey, we typed that at the same time lol. Great advice

[mgoblue83]

How fast do you swing your driver? 7 iron?

Distance is not the most important thing in golf but on average lower handicaps swing much faster than higher handicaps. If your swing speed is lacking it's going to be extremely difficult to score well on an average to long course.

[aramirez24]

Just read his book this weekend. Makes a good point that if you've done the work to generate a good swing you shouldn't need all those extra thoughts when you play. Stood out to me because I am a classic overthinker on the course.

[WristySwing]

Driver was last clocked at 102, 6i was last clocked at 88. Using superspeeds the past while and continuing the rest of the winter to see if I can sneak it up a bit.

[TimK1]

Boy, I wish more guys would say this type of thing. I'm a two handicap but honestly I cannot drive the ball over 250 on a good day, never could. I only hit 12 to 13 greens a round. Some days I hit ten some days I hit 16. Depends on the day, course or conditions of the day.

I want to scream this from the roof top, you do not need a perfect swing to play well. I have a good swing but it's nothing flashy. As a matter of fact you can have a downright flawed swing and play well. A good friend of mine has the most ugly golf swing. Closed clubface, all hands and arms, bad back and can't walk more than 6 holes because of bad feet and he shoots 75 all the time. He just gets the ball in the hole. He never practices but he plays 80 rounds a year, that's in five months. Puts his clubs in the garage in Oct and doesn't look at them again till spring.

Of course we should always work on our weaknesses. That is what practice is for. Not playing but practice. Then take it to the course and try to hit these shots without keeping score. If you can't do it drop another ball and hit it again. Keep working it this way till you can hit them on the course.

I can't say this enough, you DO NOT NEED A PERFECT SWING. I'll yell it loud enough for the instruction forum to hear it. LOL

[mgoblue83]

Thank you for being honest! I think most 4-5 handicap or better players are swinging 110+ mph or playing a shorter course. I don't see many playing to a 4-5 on a 6800+ course swinging it 102 unless they have incredible short games.

For reference when I got serious about golf a few years ago I was swinging around 100mph and shot mid to high 80s. I'm now swinging 115ish and had more rounds in the 70s this year than I ever had combined in previous years.

Some advice:

1) Having swing thoughts KILLS speed. Just hit the damn ball hard and your body will figure out how to hit it straight. The range needs to be the same as the course: pick a very specific target (like an exact flag, tree, or pole), set up with the target in mind, and swing to the target at full speed. No thinking, no steering, no nonsense just train yourself to hit a target and then go play.

2) Be fearless on the tee. Take driver and hit it hard every chance you get. Of course you will lose balls and strokes at first but again, your body will figure out how to hit it straight. Everyone who tells you to dial it down with 3 wood, hybrid, or driving iron should either play from longer tees or hits the ball as far as you with those clubs anyway. Shorter hitters who start swinging easy or clubbing down have no chance to score well. Yeah they can avoid big mistakes and shoot 80 every once in a while but you will never shoot mid to low 70s with that mindset.

3) Everyone who talked about spending more time on short game or identifying where you lose strokes and work on those areas are correct. You should do those things but if you want to shoot in the low to mid 70s on a decent track your #1 priority has to be increasing your speed and learning how to use that speed on the course.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

I love these two posts that are seemingly contradictory, but I agree a perfect swing is not necessary and I also agree you need a decent swing speed to have a handicap that travels well.

Strange that many posts seem to argue with each other but tend to reflect how people play their games and where?

[rich_s2]

If you think you need a fast swing speed to go low, talk to Obee. I agree to a point but 100mph clubhead speed is plenty to score. I just played a 7250 yard course, shot a 77 and it was a 2.1. I do not hit it long and that was not a great round for me so I have to disagree.

[TimK1]

It is such an individual game. Everybody has different flaws, swing speeds. Different everything. Bigger hands, bodies of all shapes and sizes. One of the posts I said, you need to find what works for you. I know two people who played the tour in the late 60's and early 70's. They are pretty old now but one of things they always say is, everybody has tendencies or flaws that they have to learn to deal with. There is the cookie cutter version where it is assumed you do everything by the so called book. Then there is the version that in real life is the one we are after. They also said, every tour player they knew or ever knew had flaws, they have just perfected a swing that keeps the flaw from hurting them.

I have one or two tendencies or flaws that I never can seem to fully conquer. So instead of fighting with it all the time I tried to develop the most consistent swing where I didn't have to fight these things all the time.

Example, I get twisty or get to much shoulder involved in the downswing. I need to feel my shoulder staying closed or not rotating at all thru the shot. Another is a tendency to pull down with my left hand from the top. Now I barley grip the club with my left hand, just holding it on there as a guide and grip the club with more my middle two fingers of my right hand. It keeps me from pulling my left hand down. All these helped me over the years neutralize my flaws as much as possible. I hit the ball solid 90 percent of the time but I can't come on here and say this is a must in the golf swing. They are keys for me but not the guy standing next to me.

That's why I was never big on instruction because everybody is different and what works for one does not work for another. Tips from teachers or other people or players are useless. They are based on how they swing. Of course, I think posture and how to set up properly are pretty standard.

Spending time on the range and working with your swing and understanding your flaws is what helped me the most. Then you learn how to develop ways to combat them.

[Barfolomew]

The period when I improved to par golf the fastest was when I played/practiced almost everyday for months at a time then I would invariably get injured somehow.

 

Progress was always and still is interrupted by nothin else then injuries but nowadays Im not playin as much so progress is slower lol but I know if I could get some regular action going things would come round quickly

[mgoblue83]

Completely agree about not needing a perfect swing as long as it's repeatable. I also agree that it's possible to score well driving it under 250 yds on familiar shorter courses. I just think it's unrealistic to be a short hitter and score well from 6800+ yards at many different courses. Hitting long irons and woods into every par 4 puts incredible pressure on the short game. Possible - yes, but the game is just so much easier with faster club head speed. If OP improved his speed everything else would fall in line.

[milesgiles]

Can’t say as I agree with any of that.

110 mph is rare for even a genuine scratch. I’m the 250 hitter a couple of posts above, and another 15 straight yards would be more than enough to threaten par for any course I’ve played.. and that’s nowhere near a 110 mph swing speed.

imo keeping the ball in play at the swing speeds you are talking about is going to require talent and practise well beyond what an average guy could commit to. You can be mid 70s good with a repeatable swing that isn’t horrible, good short game and course management.

[Sean2]

I work hard at this game, but still struggle. A consistent, solid full swing is still a bit elusive. I also work hard on my short game, and one need not be young or athletic to develop a decent short game. It can be a real stroke saver. Good luck!

[WristySwing]

I understand what you are saying, but I don't agree with you. There are many examples of short hitters playing well at an elite level (Furyk, Kuchar, as examples aren't much faster than about 105, and are multiple, multiple tour winners in a distance-driven era). Sure most are decently long, but I don't think distance and handicap go hand and hand. There are also equally as many bombers that can't score (I'd wager more of them than the inverse). Length is solely (IMO) about what sets of tees you play. Yes, the faster you are in theory the easier a course becomes because you are hitting less club in, but also at higher swing speeds the spin axis of the golf ball and margin for error becomes much smaller on the club face. It's a double edged sword.

[TimK1]

Well at 56 I don't or will I ever have that kind of clubhead speed. I'm not playing 6800 yards courses. My home course plays about 6400 with s slope rating of 140. It's a difficult course but not long. I;m not making a living playing golf.

I work real hard at it because I love it. I'm realistic about my abilities and no matter what I do , I will never achieve that clubhead speed. If you can, great!

[Krt22]

I agree you don't need to swing 105+ to be a good golfer and that you can simply play different tees if you don't have a lot of length. And while a big miss for higher speed players is a real thing, I would not say the margin of error becomes smaller. For any given shot, the higher speed player will have a shorter club with more loft, so each shot will have more spin (thus less spin axis) and thus a bigger margin for error

[Hawkeye77]

Know plenty of 4-5 handicaps who don't swing anywhere near 110, lol.

I don't even hit it 100 and inched closer to 5 (okay, 6.8) just by sleeping last night and waking up to new WHS.

My swing speed is a lot less than it was 10 years ago and my handicap is a lot lower.

Everybody is different.

[Precis1on]

Practice with control and practice with intent (and swing slowly and with intent). Learning how to hit balls at varying swing lengths and swing speeds changed my game completely. Shelved my ego that I can hit (AND SPRAY) a 140 PW, and now often I hit a well controlled 7-8 iron that has accuracy, spin, and distance control. I'm not saying to swing slow, but practice with control of what you're doing and what changes you're making. Learn to hit various clubs that all go 100 yards.

When you take it out to the course and your full swing isn't working, shelve it and play around swings and shots that are going to give you the highest percentage to score. Pros know what's working and what's not working in their swings and play around it.

I'm not the biggest hitter comparably, maybe topping out at 103-105 mph now with the driver and used to be around 110. Honestly the 5 mph on driver I don't miss, and as my swing has gotten better my irons are longer and my woods are much more consistent. The more my body continues to link up and as I figure things out, the less effort the swing takes, and actually the further and faster I'm able to hit it. Who knows, someday maybe I'll be in sync enough to reach 110 without blowing out my back.

[j.a.]

This!

[Santiago Golf]

Keys to Break 100

1) Hit 2nd and 3rd shots solid

2) Limit 3 putts

3) Limit Penalty Shots off the tee (this includes top drives, punch outs, etc)

 

Keys to break 90

1) control distance on short game shots

2) consistent curve on tee shot, (you shouldn't be a guess what way your ball is going to curve)

3) make one putt outside 5 feet

 

Keys to breaking 80

1) control direction on iron shots

2) have ability to make a short game shot

3) make one putt outside 10

 

Keys to break 70

1) Have at least 4 iron shots finish inside of 15 feet

2) make one putt outside 15 feet

3) eliminate penalties on 2nd shots

[milesgiles]

broke par today, didn’t hit a drive over 250 and barely hit a shot that would have stirred a ripple in a gallery..

As someone else noted, scoring is about not having weaknesses. If you can’t drive straight, or can’t hit a wedge, or can’t hole a three footer, or can’t manage your game on the course.. golf will always find your weakness. Be honest with yourself about what you need to work on.

swinging at 110 mph is the last thing the average golfer need to worry about.

[msg]

I got better or good at golf, always breaking 90 and sometimes breaking 80, when I:

Stopped fighting my fade, I accepted it.

Studied my wedge distances from 100 to 10 yards and really dialed them in using Sky Trak.

Grooved my putting from 30 to 5 feet.

Got better mentally, course management and letting go of mistakes and accepting them as part of the game and that I am not a PGA player lol.

Cared less what I shoot.

Last season despite playing only 35 games, I was able to lower my handicap from 9 to 6.6. That was something that I did not even imagined doing as I was happy with being a 10 or a 9.

My best game last season was the last game I played in 2019. I played it with my dad after not seeing and playing with him after 2 years since I lived overseas. The golf course was beautiful, scenery was spectacular with mountains as the backdrop and I had lots of fun with him, we were joking around and just talking and catching up. I did not care what I shoot that day. I just enjoyed every second of it, the golf course and my dad.

After the game, I was surprised that I shot 79 at a course that I never played before and was certainly not easy. It was one of the best feeling ever. So I told myself, going forward, I'll care less and enjoy the game more.

[TheCityGame]

One thing i'd recommend to you if you like to hit the range a lot is to purchase the Adam Young book, "the Practice Manual". it's going to suggest not to work on your swing, but to work on where you impact the ground, how to evaluate your ball flight and correct it, how to practice hitting the center of the club face, many other things, but most importantly, it's about how to practice. it's about how to evaluate if your practice is getting better. It's specific drills, with scoring attached that will make you a better golfer. If I had to wrap up advice to you in one pithy statement, it would be this, "when you're on the range, practice SHOTS, not the swing."

Over the last few years as I've worked myself down to a 1.5-ish from a 6/7, it's been almost all using ideas from that book and OCCASIONALLY talking with an instructor. When I meet with an instructor, I'll usually see him 2 or 3 times in a month and then work on what he told me for about the next 4-6 months and then I'll feel good about it. It takes time. Contrary to what other people believe, I think most instructors are very good (if you've been to multiple instructors and you think all instructors stink, it's probably you) but you need to listen to them and work on what they tell you endlessly.

 

[DShepley]

This! I didn't get to a consistent low handicap until I found my way into games with better players. You learn a lot and don't even really need to try. Things like course management tend to sort of rub off on you. You get better because you have to. You'll also notice that the best players don't ride emotional waves. They stay very level and never get too amped up or too discouraged which is pretty key to not throwing shots away in haste. I was lucky to find a group of guys at my club that accepted me into their group, for a long while it was a 'keep up and shut up' scenario and I opened my wallet for a fair amount of fives! It was the experience I gained playing with them that led to the most improvement.

[SNIPERBBB]

One thing I like to advise people when playing is always play to your normal shot, as one personality I listen likes to say, " the trend is your friend till it's not the trend".

It's also close to the 80/20 rule. If you fade the ball 80% of the time plan for the fade. You can allow for slightly overcooking it or hitting straighter than normal for the bulk of the 20% remaining.

 

But for Pete's sake, do not allow for foul balls, chunks or tops. First, you never want negative thoughts as for some strange reason they become self-fulfilling prophecies.Second, there's just no way to predict or plan for them. You just have to practice well enough so they don't happen or happen only once a blue moon and move on to the next shot when they happen. Third, if you EVER utter seriously that your planning for such a result and you aren't wanting that to happen, you will be mercilessly mocked to the end of time as the dude code commands.

[Sean2]

According to some data I read, from Game Golf I believe, the 5-10 HI averages 231 off the tee, and a 5 HI or less averages 250.

[BB28403]

This is really good advice.

[Krt22]

yeah but this is golfwrx, where 20 caps avg 295 because they cant chip or putt

[WristySwing]

Thanks for all the continued advice everyone, I really am learning a lot.

[milesgiles]

Which is very dangerous for the average golfer who thinks aha, no need for technique, just hit it harder..

what about putts, scrambling, proximity etc etc..