Road to Scratch

[SFISH]

Hi everyone, I'm a 15 yr old currently playing off 6, I've just started going to the gym with already crazy club speed gains and my balance + mobility seems to be improving. I've never really been a big practice guy, but next year i want to get to scratch and i'm starting to take golf really serious so I'm practicing 6-7 hrs. a week and playing 18-27 holes on the weekend. Have been practising really good course managment tips and have a really good practice schedule with heaps of games and skill tests to track my progress. I'm also tracking my stats and strokes gained. Anyone have any tips or experience and how long do you think it will take for me to achieve scratch?

[TheDeanAbides]

Skills will not be the limiting factor, it'll be mechanics. You're young and early in your golf journey, so make sure you have solid mechanics now and you've every chance to be scratch or better in a year or two. More importantly, you'll have a foundation to maintain that level for decades. 

 

If you don't have a good coach already post a swing up here. :)

[david7979]

Second that

[Jtgavigan]

Third that. Fundamentals and bad habits are both built AND ingrained at your age. You want more of the former and less of the latter. 

[getitdaily]

Play more. 18-27 a week will limit you.

[Hawkeye77]

Probably the same suggestions as in your other thread - honestly nothing in this latest and similar description is going to allow anyone any insight into your game or getting to scratch and so forth.  Going to the gym and "crazy" club head speed don't really mean all that much but are advantages - just depends on what you are doing with each and how. 

 

Like said, maybe post up vids of your swing if you really want opinions on that aspect which is probably necessary and also provide more context about your game and how you practice and play and whether you compete at all (not necessary, but could be of interest or helpful to those with some ideas/knowledge). 

 

I'd imagine it's very possible given your progress at age 15 - you've got plenty of time to get there, enjoy the journey.

[wagolfer7]

You need to take advantage of the summer. And play a lot more than 18-27 holes a week. The advantage juniors have starting young is free time. The best juniors at the high school level pretty much live on the course and practice facilities.

 

You don't need to post your swing here. You just need to play and practice as much as you can and you'll improve. Try to play with better players when possible.  Eventually you can get a coach to improve the details if your fully committed to golf. 

[SFISH]

21 hours ago, wagolfer7 said:

 You just need to play and practice as much as you can and you'll improve. Try to play with better players when possible. 

Is there a such thing as bad or good practise? or is it just hit balls, chip, putt, play etc. as much as possible?

[SFISH]

22 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

 

 

Like said, maybe post up vids of your swing if you really want opinions on that aspect which is probably necessary and also provide more context about your game and how you practice and play and whether you compete at all (not necessary, but could be of interest or helpful to those with some ideas/knowledge). 

 

 

 

I practise 4 or 5 mornings a week before school for like 1 hour, usually just practising putting drills, then I practise 2 hours after school, usually a range or wedge session, or chipping. I don't play holes during the week, only on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, I'll play 18 in a club competition for my handicap and then on Sunday's I'll either play with friends as social or i'll compete in a junior competion. (During the holidays i probably play 6 rounds a week and practise every day) My strengths have always been putting and Driving, but have always been a TERRIBLE iron and wedge player. Recently from tracking stats, I've learnt that my irons and wedges have mostly been missing short but line is pretty good, so i've been practising ball striking drills for more consistent contact. Also, my setup, path and face angle are all very good as i have frequent simulator sessions and get checked by a coach on the trackman and cameras. I'm frequently playing with better players and more talented juniors trying to learn anything I can from them. I've alos recently adapted a Decade plan and startegy. (Hopefully it lowers my scores 🤞) My biggest tournament in the year is my Club championships as it is highly contested by multiple + handicaps and my main motivation is to be contesting it next year.

[wagolfer7]

6 minutes ago, SFISH said:

Is there a such thing as bad or good practise? or is it just hit balls, chip, putt, play etc. as much as possible?

 

Yes there is.  And there is definitely more efficient vs less efficient types of practicing.  And then there's benefits to having a coach guide you.  And mentors.  There's a ton of stuff that you can over analyze to try to figure out the quickest way possible to improve.

 

But at 15 years old, that's never taken golf serious and doesn't sound like he plays very much.  Just play more.  Get more of a foundation.  And most importantly enjoy yourself while doing it.  Join the golf team, play as much as possible in summer, make friends that also play golf, etc.        

[GoGoErky]

4 hours ago, SFISH said:

Is there a such thing as bad or good practise? or is it just hit balls, chip, putt, play etc. as much as possible?

Yes. Just beating balls is bad practice. Good practice has some sort of game plan to it and is broken down into swing practice and ball striking practice.

 

combining the two will do you more harm than good.

 

 

[Forged4ever]

I know that this goes against the grain of prior posts in this thread however I would absolutely NOT post your swing here. You're going to get myriad interpretations, suggestions and opinions, and just because one of their comments makes sense to you, this DOES NOT mean that it is correct for you, your swing or your game!!

 

Having 3-4+ different Pros/Teachers along with the gallery chirpin and givin you advice is worse than having no Pro/Teacher givin you advice, as you do not yet have the experience & knowledge that only years of competitive golf and all of the practice, preparation and competition at that level of Play can be used to differentiate both fact from fiction and what might be best for me, though not for you. Oh yea, forget scratch, I'm referring to Plus.

 

Yes, I realize that one must first Play at Scratch prior to getting to Plus, though having spent the last 28+ years of my 48 years in the game having Played at Plus, my Teacher of 32+ years treated scratch as just another number on the way to +2.5, which was the initial goal that we set and I committed to. This is just my experience, and like most things in this game, it's an individual thing and may not be the right strategy for you or other members. It worked for me.

 

Bottom line, I would be very very very hesitant about taking swing or any kind of serious swing/game advice from someone that does not know You, Your swing or Your game...

 

...And no, one face on/down the line video does not count, lol!!

 

As always, just my .05 worth🪙 

 

Stay Well & All the Best in Your Journey👊

RP

Edited May 15 by Forged4ever

[virtuoso]

59 minutes ago, Forged4ever said:

 

Bottom line, I would be very very about taking swing or any kind of serious swing/game advice from someone that does not know You, Your swing or Your game...

 

So, he came to a golf instruction forum for advice, and you're saying: "Whatever you do, don't take any advice."

[Forged4ever]

28 minutes ago, virtuoso said:

So, he came to a golf instruction forum for advice, and you're saying: "Whatever you do, don't take any advice."

Well, not exactly...

 

My point is not so much about taking advice from strangers who do not know him, his swing or his game, as it is about not even asking these individuals for mechanical swing advice, period. 

 

I do not have these reservations on the mental game, where this is an excellent platform to get the best mental game advice and select what works for that individual golfer. 

 

Thanks for responding

 

Stay Well👊

RP

Edited May 14 by Forged4ever

[virtuoso]

10 minutes ago, Forged4ever said:

Well, not exactly...

 

My point is not so much about taking advice from strangers who do not know him, his swing or his game, as it is about not even asking these individuals for mechanical swing advice, period. 

 

I do not have these reservations on the mental game, where this is an excellent platform to get the best mental game advice and select what works for that individual golfer. 

 

Thanks for responding

 

Stay Well👊

RP

Well, you said "swing/game" which seems inclusive of things other than swing...but I disagree with the premise that the swing advice here is terrible and the mental game advice is awesome. Both categories are covered with multiple levels of competence and sucky-ness. It's a risk no matter what.

 

Presumably, in terms of mechanical advice, you would recommend that he find an actual personal golf instructor that can work with him and get to know his game.

 

On the surface, that sounds great....but, how does he know that that guy is any good?.....while he pays for it.

[Forged4ever]

2 hours ago, virtuoso said:

Well, you said "swing/game" which seems inclusive of things other than swing...but I disagree with the premise that the swing advice here is terrible and the mental game advice is awesome. Both categories are covered with multiple levels of competence and sucky-ness. It's a risk no matter what.

 

Presumably, in terms of mechanical advice, you would recommend that he find an actual personal golf instructor that can work with him and get to know his game.

 

On the surface, that sounds great....but, how does he know that that guy is any good?.....while he pays for it.

Just so that we're on the same page, I have never ever stated anywhere in this forum that the swing advice is "terrible," nor have I ever stated that the mental game advice is "awesome," as neither is accurate. My opinion regarding the physical/mechanical swing and advice from strangers  has nothing to do with the quality of the Pros/Teachers on this board, as there are some World Class Pros/Teachers on this board, and those that are familiar with my posts know that I don't throw those kind of superlatives around indiscriminately. 

 

If this boy, or any member, be they male, female, child, teenager or adult, could work one-on-one with a number of you, and I am speaking to working remotely with multi-angle vids, face time, etc., he she would get as fine instruction as they would find in their home city belly to belly. 

 

You're spot on regarding paying money to a guy/gal, and I don't care if he/she had their Class A card or not, only to find out 2, 3 to 6 months down the road and hundreds or thousands of dollars💸💸 later that they're not the Teacher for You.

 

That's why I'm a big fan of the threads where members ask who the top ProsTeachers in their area are. I can only speak for Pgh/Western Pa, however the few threads that I've seen where guys were askin about the best local guys, the guys who responded were spot on in naming the best Teachers.

 

I know when I had my driving range, prior to my health issues, I had four guys & Maddie Teachin out of it, and three of those guys weren't worth a 💩💩!! The fourth is one of the best and has moved on to a nice Top Asst's job at one of the Top-Tier Clubs in town. I wouldn't send someone to the other three if they gave FREE lessons, though two of the three had full books, lol. Go figure🤷🏻‍♂️

 

Excuse the novella, lol

 

I took the long road of basically agreein with ya, hahaha🤙

 

Have a Great Season👊

RP

 

Edited May 15 by Forged4ever

[virtuoso]

12 minutes ago, Forged4ever said:

Just so that we're on the same page...

 

Welcome to my page...happy to have you here. I had some issues with that other page you were on.

[isaacbm]

On 5/11/2025 at 5:40 AM, SFISH said:

Hi everyone, I'm a 15 yr old currently playing off 6, I've just started going to the gym with already crazy club speed gains and my balance + mobility seems to be improving. I've never really been a big practice guy, but next year i want to get to scratch and i'm starting to take golf really serious so I'm practicing 6-7 hrs. a week and playing 18-27 holes on the weekend. Have been practising really good course managment tips and have a really good practice schedule with heaps of games and skill tests to track my progress. I'm also tracking my stats and strokes gained. Anyone have any tips or experience and how long do you think it will take for me to achieve scratch?

As far as length of time to get there, my experience is that most young players with natural aptitude, and time on their hands take no more than two years to get to scratch. But most of them are playing more golf than you usually 3 to 5 times a week minimum.
 

As far as “tips”, i’m not a huge fan of tips. Just fundamentals. And to be clear, I did not say swing methodology. I said fundamentals.

-Neutral grip.

-posture and alignment.

- maintaining whatever spine angle you set at address all the way through impact and follow through

- proper sequence from the top of the swing

- balance. (make hundreds of swings with your eyes closed.) 
Those five things should be enough for at least the next year for you to think about.

Buy Dan Greaves short game book this anfternoon  and work on that system for about 5 hours a week for the next year. (the guy has about 20 tour-pros that endorse his method.)

For every hour you work on stock full swing from a flat lie on a driving range you should be working at least 2 1/2 hours on short game from every possible lie that you can find. 
    No matter how hard it seems, figure out how to play with better players. Be polite, be friendly, be inquisitive, and good players will like you. I can’t state this enough, surround yourself by people who are doing or have already done the thing that you want to do . Playing a lot of golf with hacks is not going to improve your game.  
   
    If scratch is truly a priority for you, 3 to 5 rounds a week, eight hours of additional practice. 3hours full swing 5 hours short game.

For reference, when I was a little younger than you trying to get to scratch, I played approximately 10 rounds of golf a week and practised an additional 40 hours. But my goal was  a +5 handicap by 18 years old. 

Yes I recognize that that’s extreme, but I was a fairly obsessive child who could do simple tasks for hours without getting bored. 
I was a 10 handicap at 12 years old. A scratch at 14. A +3 at 16 and a +6 at 18.

As a 6 cap with  lots of clubhead speed, you should be able to be scratch in roughly a year if you dedicate yourself. 

 

Good luck! Keep us posted
 

if you’re really serious, send screenshots of the journal that you’ll be keeping showing how much actual time you’ve put in each and every week. Having accountability to anyone will help force you to commit.

 

Cheers! Dan 

[isaacbm]

Here’s a challenge for you: 

Send a weekly screenshot to this thread of the amount of screen time you spend on your phone/device. And then send a weekly screenshot of your journal keeping track of how much time you spent playing and practicing. 
 

Again , accountability is everything.

[getitdaily]

54 minutes ago, isaacbm said:

As far as length of time to get there, my experience is that most young players with natural aptitude, and time on their hands take no more than two years to get to scratch. But most of them are playing more golf than you usually 3 to 5 times a week minimum.
 

As far as “tips”, i’m not a huge fan of tips. Just fundamentals. And to be clear, I did not say swing methodology. I said fundamentals.

-Neutral grip.

-posture and alignment.

- maintaining whatever spine angle you set at address all the way through impact and follow through

- proper sequence from the top of the swing

- balance. (make hundreds of swings with your eyes closed.) 
Those five things should be enough for at least the next year for you to think about.

Buy Dan Greaves short game book this anfternoon  and work on that system for about 5 hours a week for the next year. (the guy has about 20 tour-pros that endorse his method.)

For every hour you work on stock full swing from a flat lie on a driving range you should be working at least 2 1/2 hours on short game from every possible lie that you can find. 
    No matter how hard it seems, figure out how to play with better players. Be polite, be friendly, be inquisitive, and good players will like you. I can’t state this enough, surround yourself by people who are doing or have already done the thing that you want to do . Playing a lot of golf with hacks is not going to improve your game.  
   
    If scratch is truly a priority for you, 3 to 5 rounds a week, eight hours of additional practice. 3hours full swing 5 hours short game.

For reference, when I was a little younger than you trying to get to scratch, I played approximately 10 rounds of golf a week and practised an additional 40 hours. But my goal was  a +5 handicap by 18 years old. 

Yes I recognize that that’s extreme, but I was a fairly obsessive child who could do simple tasks for hours without getting bored. 
I was a 10 handicap at 12 years old. A scratch at 14. A +3 at 16 and a +6 at 18.

As a 6 cap with  lots of clubhead speed, you should be able to be scratch in roughly a year if you dedicate yourself. 

 

Good luck! Keep us posted
 

if you’re really serious, send screenshots of the journal that you’ll be keeping showing how much actual time you’ve put in each and every week. Having accountability to anyone will help force you to commit.

 

Cheers! Dan 

Great post! 

[virtuoso]

10 minutes ago, isaacbm said:

Here’s a challenge for you: 

Send a weekly screenshot to this thread of the amount of screen time you spend on your phone/device. And then send a weekly screenshot of your journal keeping track of how much time you spent playing and practicing. 
 

Again , accountability is everything.

Wouldn't be easier for him to just move to North Korea?

[isaacbm]

2 minutes ago, virtuoso said:

Wouldn't be easier for him to just move to North Korea?

So a young person on the forum asks for tips or advice on how to get to scratch. A guy who’s bin a scratch for 40 years and has played professional golf for 15 of those years comes on and gives him encouragement. Tells him that something that really matters is to show dedication and accountability for his actions. And you equate that to North Korea?

[virtuoso]

4 minutes ago, isaacbm said:

So a young person on the forum asks for tips or advice on how to get to scratch. A guy who’s bin a scratch for 40 years and has played professional golf for 15 of those years comes on and gives him encouragement. Tells him that something that really matters is to show dedication and accountability for his actions. And you equate that to North Korea?

It was all good for awhile and then the last part of the accountability thing got a smidge creepy.

[isaacbm]

If you think that’s creepy, then that says something about you I guess... How about I word it this way:

Any young player who says he wants to get to scratch should be able to commit more time per day to golf then he spends on his phone. The original poster of this thread said that “I’m starting to take GOLF really seriously. I’m practising 6 to 7 hours per week and playing 18 to 27 holes on the weekend”

For someone who wants to be a scratch golfer, that is not actually “taking it seriously.”

 

If a person looks at their  phone at the end of the week and it says that you’re averaging 5 to 7 hours of screen time per day….

I suggest lowering that to two hours and applying the other hours to GOLF. 
 

 

[TheDeanAbides]

4 minutes ago, isaacbm said:

If you think that’s creepy, then that says something about you I guess... How about I word it this way:

Any young player who says he wants to get to scratch should be able to commit more time per day to golf then he spends on his phone. The original poster of this thread said that “I’m starting to take GOLF really seriously. I’m practising 6 to 7 hours per week and playing 18 to 27 holes on the weekend”

For someone who wants to be a scratch golfer, that is not actually “taking it seriously.”

 

If a person looks at their  phone at the end of the week and it says that you’re averaging 5 to 7 hours of screen time per day….

I suggest lowering that to two hours and applying the other hours to GOLF. 
 

 

[getitdaily]

I feel this is where we might get to...and I'm REALLY intrigued. 

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/4Eo_elkCBFo?si=-kqSIcI4Nv5G4a4y

 

[virtuoso]

21 minutes ago, isaacbm said:

If you think that’s creepy, then that says something about you I guess... How about I word it this way:

Any young player who says he wants to get to scratch should be able to commit more time per day to golf then he spends on his phone. The original poster of this thread said that “I’m starting to take GOLF really seriously. I’m practising 6 to 7 hours per week and playing 18 to 27 holes on the weekend”

For someone who wants to be a scratch golfer, that is not actually “taking it seriously.”

 

If a person looks at their  phone at the end of the week and it says that you’re averaging 5 to 7 hours of screen time per day….

I suggest lowering that to two hours and applying the other hours to GOLF. 
 

 

We're just having some fun, dude. I've almost been banned from this forum for my sense of humor twice. I had to be on my best behavior until my warning points cleared. Now I'm back to zero points so...you know..

[Forged4ever]

43 minutes ago, isaacbm said:

So a young person on the forum asks for tips or advice on how to get to scratch. A guy who’s bin a scratch for 40 years and has played professional golf for 15 of those years comes on and gives him encouragement. Tells him that something that really matters is to show dedication and accountability for his actions. And you equate that to North Korea?

Bro, you gotta remember, these are golfers😂😂😉

 

Stay Well Brotha👊

RP

 

Edited May 15 by Forged4ever

[Forged4ever]

Just now, virtuoso said:

We're just having some fun, dude. I've almost been banned from this forum for my sense of humor twice. I had to be on my best behavior until my warning points cleared. Now I'm back to zero points so...you know..

That warning clearance time is terrible😂😂

⚠️ 

 

Cheers🍻

RP

[virtuoso]

Just now, Forged4ever said:

That warning clearance time is terrible😂😂

⚠️

 

Cheers🍻

RP

Yeah, I couldn't play my well earned role as a turd in the punch bowl for 6 months.