Look at the chart. Dropped from ~20 to ~10 in the first quarter of the year. Basically OP wasn’t a “real” 20 handicap coming into the year, either because he just didn’t have enough rounds logged to get an accurate cap before hand, or because he had insanely low hanging fruit.
I had a kind of similar thing happen when I got seriously into golf a while ago. I went from 25 (where I had been for years, playing like 4 rounds per year) to 13 in like 8 weeks because my swing was already pretty good I just needed some reps and some short game practice.
Basically, you should think of this as OP going from a 10 to a 5.5 in 9 months and maybe 65 rounds- which is very plausible.
@Lin
Extremely low hanging fruit. I was working on my swing for all of 2023 but focused on time on a simulator instead of shanking balls on the golf course. When I finished my lessons in 2023 and started golfing on an actual course in 2024, the strokes started shredding off as my big misses were no longer there as I changed up my swing so drastically.
I took it seriously this year too and got worse.
I’d love for OP to join a group that does net scoring and see what happens. Likely easy money for everyone else.
I’d love for OP to join a group that does net scoring and see what happens. Likely easy money for everyone else.
86 average score from when I was a 20hcp all the way down to 5. There are quite a few high 90s skewing those averages from the beginning of the year
Edit: because you changed your comment, I’m in the SF Bay Area, if you wanna swing the stick I’m happy to meet up. Send me a pm!
@Kai
I saw deep cliff and that’s all I needed to know!
I’d love for OP to join a group that does net scoring and see what happens. Likely easy money for everyone else.
Yeah I’m a 13.1 and my average score is an 86.8. my buddy is a 5.5 and his average is an 80.6.
Something isn’t making sense here
@Maxwell
I mean, his top 3 scores are from courses with low ratings.
The courses I generally play from the tips are all in the 75-76 range at 7k yards. If I was averaging 80 on those courses I’d be damn near scratch.
Of course, dispersion matters quite a bit. If you’ve got a bunch of low rounds and a bunch of high rounds, you can have a much lower handicap than someone that is much more consistent while maintaining the same average, since you only keep the lowest 8 of your last 20.
@Avery
Here’s my GHIN last 20 rounds. I’ve played some pretty tough courses recently from the tips (Preserve 74.3/142 7067, Olympic Club 6885, 74.2/135, Club at Emerald Hills 74.3/142, 6824), and generally play from the tips as all my friends are great golfers.
@Kai
Who is your connection at Olympic?
EmmanuelBrown said:
@Kai
Who is your connection at Olympic?
Olympic is a pretty large network of golfers. If you golf and are in the SF Bay Area, chances are you know a member through a friend or a friend of a friend.
@Avery
I’m a 16-18 currently, however I once got down to an 10.4 from a 20 in a few weeks based on a few really good rounds and a rule change to allow to merge 9 hole scores.
I’m a very inconsistent golfer. My best swings make me look like a low single digit handicap, my worst swings make me look like I haven’t ever broken 120.
I don’t make the time, but if I had to I could be a single digit by the end of next season. Although as I get older that probably gets less true.
@Eli
So basically all of us am I right?
BirdieBeth said:
@Eli
So basically all of us am I right?
I don’t know, I’m the opposite of the old man golfer hitting it 180 down the middle each time.
But it was more that I believe the person that dropped their score that much if they actually tried really hard and took lessons.
@Avery
Exactly. I pretty much always shoot 78-84 my golf game is more consistent, but even while being a 7.5 my lowest score is 77. High floor low ceiling type situation.
Ridley said:
Yes - 90 rounds played will do that!
My dilemma is that I can’t be good at all three: my job, my family and golf.
That’s why I chose golf out of the 3.
Ridley said:
Yes - 90 rounds played will do that!
My dilemma is that I can’t be good at all three: my job, my family and golf.
Luckily I have gone on some golf days as part of my work, and my family consists of my girlfriend who sees how happy golfing has made me this year and fully supports my newfound addiction (for now!)
Ridley said:
Yes - 90 rounds played will do that!
My dilemma is that I can’t be good at all three: my job, my family and golf.
I hear that.