Let's say you can hit the ball straight, shaping shots you want, scoring well

[jenhaoyen]

How do you take it up to the next level?
How do you handle pressure better?

Playing more difficult courses?

Putting on marble floors?

 

[birly-shirly]

Everything's relative to the level you're currently at. Stats say that the biggest determinant of scoring is GIR - but this tends to top out at around 12/13 greens. If you're hitting fewer greens already, then I'd say work out what's making you miss greens. Could be a lack of control, could be that too many greens are out of reach, could be that you're hitting too many second shots from bads spots.

I've seen a formula that says Scoring Average = 95 - (2xGIR). If you score worse than predicted by this, then work on your putting and shortgame.

 

[Kevin Shields]

You just gotta step up and do it. If you have the physical game, gotta sack up.

Its one of the biggest concerns I have while teaching. If I get a home run and help somebody significantly upgrade their physical game, Im always worried if they were a 16 and now hit it like an 8, they'll still go out and aim, think and strategize like a 16. And it wont ultimately matter.

 

[mgranato]

Play.

Play in competition.

Play against better competition.

You have to put yourself in uncomfortable situations where nerves become difficult to deal with. Then you find out what failed you. Fix it, then do it again. This formula works for all sports.

 

[Brian Manzella]

Let's say you are ready PHYSICALLY to move to the next level.....

You need to play courses that are SUPER EASY, like you do now, and SUPER HARD.

You need to play competitively against folks YOUR LEVEL, and play folks that can WAX you like rain dance, and folks you can beat on a below average day.

It works in every sport, and every walk of life.

 

[Richie3Jack]

I think you essentially need to be able to measure your skills in these areas vs. whatever level of play you realisticially hope to achieve.

- Driving
- Putting
- Long iron/hybrid game
- Short game around the green

Obviously, there are other factors, but these 4 factors, from a truly statistical standpoint are the 4 biggest factors of the bunch that impact the score the most. If you can be a better wedge player, that will help your score, but not nearly as much as if you become a better long iron/hybrid player. The stats are there to back it up. And we can come close to measuring them pretty accurately.

The things that cannot be measured like mental game, course management, confidence, etc. are important as well. We just cannot measure them. But, if you are an 8 handicap looking to become scratch, try to gauge yourself against those scratch golfers in those 4 areas. Then you start to get an idea of what you need to work on how much it has to improve.

As far as tournaments go, I think golfers..myself included...adapt too conservative of a strategy in general and try to 'hedge their bets' on shots. It's difficult not to do. To make matters worse, they are aggressive it's usually at the wrong time.

In general, I think golfers in tournaments too often try to play for their misses instead of playing for their average swing. The problem with playing for your misses is that even if you hit it well...you are moving yourself further away from the hole. Now, sometimes being further away from the hole will lead to a better score depending on the hole and the position. But, *over time* moving yourself further away will make your score higher. That's why I'm not a fan of conservative play...statistically it just doesn't equate to lower scores *over time*.

But what I often see is a golfer will get aggressive on a tree-lined dog leg and try to hug the corner to pick up 20 yards on a long par-4 and wind up in the woods or O.B. when they could've aimed down the other side which is wide open, hit a long iron close to the green and came away with a par or at worst a bogey. Then on a par-5 when they can possibly reach the green with a 3-wood on their 2nd shot...they lay up so they have a 'full swing in.'

You really have to play the odds, understand things like not short sideing yourself and how important leaving yourself with an uphill putt can be and mostly....play for the results of a shot when you take a very average swing at the ball (no more, no less).






3JACK

 

[jenhaoyen]

I think you essentially need to be able to measure your skills in these areas vs. whatever level of play you realisticially hope to achieve.

- Driving
- Putting
- Long iron/hybrid game
- Short game around the green

Obviously, there are other factors, but these 4 factors, from a truly statistical standpoint are the 4 biggest factors of the bunch that impact the score the most. If you can be a better wedge player, that will help your score, but not nearly as much as if you become a better long iron/hybrid player. The stats are there to back it up. And we can come close to measuring them pretty accurately.

The things that cannot be measured like mental game, course management, confidence, etc. are important as well. We just cannot measure them. But, if you are an 8 handicap looking to become scratch, try to gauge yourself against those scratch golfers in those 4 areas. Then you start to get an idea of what you need to work on how much it has to improve.

As far as tournaments go, I think golfers..myself included...adapt too conservative of a strategy in general and try to 'hedge their bets' on shots. It's difficult not to do. To make matters worse, they are aggressive it's usually at the wrong time.

In general, I think golfers in tournaments too often try to play for their misses instead of playing for their average swing. The problem with playing for your misses is that even if you hit it well...you are moving yourself further away from the hole. Now, sometimes being further away from the hole will lead to a better score depending on the hole and the position. But, *over time* moving yourself further away will make your score higher. That's why I'm not a fan of conservative play...statistically it just doesn't equate to lower scores *over time*.

But what I often see is a golfer will get aggressive on a tree-lined dog leg and try to hug the corner to pick up 20 yards on a long par-4 and wind up in the woods or O.B. when they could've aimed down the other side which is wide open, hit a long iron close to the green and came away with a par or at worst a bogey. Then on a par-5 when they can possibly reach the green with a 3-wood on their 2nd shot...they lay up so they have a 'full swing in.'

You really have to play the odds, understand things like not short sideing yourself and how important leaving yourself with an uphill putt can be and mostly....play for the results of a shot when you take a very average swing at the ball (no more, no less).






3JACK

that's a nice read.

 

[Magbus7319]

I made it a point to play in multiple tournaments this year. It has helped tremendously to do many things:
1 - Measure my game under pressure
2 - Identify shots that are affected by that pressure
3 - How to either hit those shots successfully or hit different shots that aren't affected by it
4 - Watch those that are better than me
5 - Improve my game