“Why Most Club Golfers Never Seem to Lower Their Handicap”
Travis Wilson, PGA Professional – Assistant Golf Professional – Gateway Golf & Country Club – Fort Myers, FL
I have served in the Golf Industry for 12 years and have noticed that most golfers do not get any better at golf. All of my experience is in the private club sector. The four private clubs I have been involved with all seem to have members who share similar experiences with their playing abilities; as such I will call them “average golfers.” So why is it that most average golfers never improve? Once in a while they will shoot a “career” round only to have a disaster round a couple of days later. So what gives? Why is it that some golfers are able to play the game very well and some are stuck shooting high numbers?
In my experience the answers to these questions involve levels of motivation and goal setting. The better players get motivated about the game in their practice sessions and set goals in order to improve their ability. These individuals will have taken some instruction and have the desire to improve their games. Seeing their improvement during practice sessions inevitably causes the better players to want to spend more time practicing. These players begin to realize that their improvement is result of acting on the recommendations from their instruction sessions with their PGA or LPGA Professional. As they improve they start to set goals. Certainly there are long term goals, i.e. trying to shoot a certain score or getting their handicap down to a 5. These players will also set goals for their practice sessions. They will try and hit a number of “perfect” shots in a row, or on the chipping green they will drop twenty balls and not leave until they have holed out five of them. This type of practice reinforces fundamentals learned during instruction and competitive skills that contribute to the ability of these players to shoot lower scores. But what about the player who is stuck shooting higher numbers? What kind of practice sessions do they have?
The average golfer is stuck shooting high numbers because of their practice habits, or lack thereof. This player will either never practice or engage in a practice session that has no chance of improving their playing ability. I have witnessed these individuals on the range and noted what they seem to be working on. They typically seem to be working on something all the time but truthfully do not have a clear idea of what they are doing or how to accomplish what they want to work on. The problem with this is that what an individual may feel and what a professional would see in their swing are usually two separate items, for most average golfers. So this player continues to work on something that has no prospect of improving their ability and they are stuck shooting high numbers. So what can this individual do to start lowering their scores?
The most important act one of these players can do to get better is to make a commitment to improve their games with the help of a professional. They have to change up their routine at the club. In my experience, the average golfer will play golf 3 days per week and rarely ever practice. I would recommend playing only 2 days per week and spending a couple hours twice per week practicing. Why lose 1 day of play? The same reason that the mailman doesn’t go for a walk on his day off. There should be a balance between play and practice; too much of either may lead to burnout. This person should go see a professional in order to find out exactly what is going on with their game. This will allow the professional and the player the opportunity to sit down and create a roadmap to improvement. This player should focus at least half of their practice time working on their short game. Improvement in the short game tends to happen quickly which will further motivate the player and increase the likelihood of achieving their goal.
Golf is a game. To become better at any game practice becomes a necessity. If the average golfer is only in the game to get out of the house and enjoy some camaraderie, then I think that is great. I love people like this and enjoy their company. But if an average golfer wants to improve their scores, then they should spend a few hours per week working on their game and develop the skill sets that will lead to lower scores.
Travis Wilson, PGA Professional
golfpro@gatewaygcc.com