Is short game improvement the best way to break 80?

[DaveGoodrich]

6 hours ago, baudi said:

19 hours ago, MelloYello said:

 

From what I'm told, the Korean approach is to spend a year or more doing range / simulator work with a competent instructor before ever going out on a course.

   

When Koreans learn something their methods are scrupulous. Questions like ''Is short game the best way to break eighty'?' probably do not exist since it either exposes stupidity or weakness by nature. Here 12 pages are needed to come to a conclusion

 

If I was running a youth program, with motivated students, I'd probably follow a similar approach.  But personally, if this method had been forced on me when I was a beginner, I probably would have quit before I became the golf fanatic I have. 

 

I learned on the course, and hated the range (still not my thing).  Played lots of late pm rounds by myself, or matched with strangers of all levels, at the local goat track. I met all my good golf buddies that way too.  I'm sure I could have improved quicker with good instruction and more range time, but I would have missed a lot of fun rounds of golf.  

[betarhoalphadelta]

50 minutes ago, DaveGoodrich said:

 

If I was running a youth program, with motivated students, I'd probably follow a similar approach.  But personally, if this method had been forced on me when I was a beginner, I probably would have quit before I became the golf fanatic I have. 

 

I learned on the course, and hated the range (still not my thing).  Played lots of late pm rounds by myself, or matched with strangers of all levels, at the local goat track. I met all my good golf buddies that way too.  I'm sure I could have improved quicker with good instruction and more range time, but I would have missed a lot of fun rounds of golf.  

 

Well, Dave, you're never gonna make it on the LPGA with that attitude. 

[DaveGoodrich]

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Well, Dave, you're never gonna make it on the LPGA with that attitude. 

 

Well thanks...do you post here just to crush people's dreams?  😉

[Ross_Albatross]

Arccos through Lou Stagner just posted a picture of 4,500 shots from 5caps - 125yds from the green, in the fairway - where the hole was at least 10 paces from the edge of the green and superposed a 20x30 paces green… 

 

Looking at the picture I can see why people think improving short game / around the green would be the way to go - with all the practice it’ll get from those shots haha… (even though the underlying root cause is ball striking)

[DBest]

I’ve tracked the following for years and it is the difference for me in breaking 80.

 

Reduce the following Sinners:

1. Penalty strokes 

2. Two or more wedges on a hole

3. Three putts

 

Every round that I shoot in the 80s I can point to my total Sinners and without them I shoot in the 70s each time.

[msg]

31 minutes ago, DBest said:

I’ve tracked the following for years and it is the difference for me in breaking 80.

 

Reduce the following Sinners:

1. Penalty strokes 

2. Two or more wedges on a hole

3. Three putts

 

Every round that I shoot in the 80s I can point to my total Sinners and without them I shoot in the 70s each time.

This is me. As if I wrote this post. 

[Rdailey9108]

21 hours ago, msg said:

This is me. As if I wrote this post. 

Yep literally me also. Just played and shot an 83. I look back my round and realize that hole number 1 that 6 shouldn't be a 6 whenever you are 40 yards out in the fairway (tree on the right side that I hit the ball too high). Par 5 I decide to hit one club too many not factoring the wind and I end up on the back of the green. Three putt for par (birdie putt literally rolled around the edge of the cup and didn't go in). Hole number 10 par 5. Driver in the fairway, three wood short left. Go over the trees and hit it long. Next shot I blade my pitch onto the street, drop and make a 7. If you hypothetically turn that hole 1 6 into a 4, the three putt eagle into a bird and the hole 10 double into a bogey or par I'm right there. That's an easy 4 shots that I could have avoided/made to get the 79. 

 

Here's the funny part the reason why I did so well drum roll 

 

BALL STRIKING

 

My irons and wedges were very good. I used the swing thought be patient and keep the back to the target and boom something just clicked. I'm right there and I know by next year I should be able to crack 80 atleast once. 

 

It's funny I thought short game was the answer and I'd say my shortgame is serviceable except my bump and runs. I'm an excellent chipper. I always aim to hit a lower shot then flop something up. 

Edited November 12, 2022 by Rdailey9108

[North Butte]

On 11/4/2022 at 11:34 AM, DaveGoodrich said:

If I was running a youth program, with motivated students, I'd probably follow a similar approach.  But personally, if this method had been forced on me when I was a beginner, I probably would have quit before I became the golf fanatic I have. 

 

I learned on the course, and hated the range (still not my thing).  Played lots of late pm rounds by myself, or matched with strangers of all levels, at the local goat track. I met all my good golf buddies that way too.  I'm sure I could have improved quicker with good instruction and more range time, but I would have missed a lot of fun rounds of golf.  

When I was starting out I knew a guy who was a club pro, really good player, and he told me about his start in the game when he was a teenager.

 

He did have some lessons but in retrospect he realized later in life that his teacher had ingrained some pretty funky stuff in his swing that took him years to shake off.

 

But he spent a couple summers playing golf every day and pestering a group of good adult player to him him into their money games. At first he was losing his money every time and they thought he was being ridiculous wanting to play with the big boys. But he kept at it until he started taking money off them and they quit laughing. 

 

Which isn't to say the lessons he started out with didn't help. But he said without coming back day after day that first summer and getting beat like a rug every time, he'd have never figured out how to get around a golf course and grind out a 69. And a lot of it was he developed an awesome wedge and chipping game to overcome some of the full swing flakiness his teacher had stuck him with.