The way he is going about this seems so sub-optimal. I can't help but think he should be so much further along and is wasting a ton of time. Very interested to hear what Doc says but after 2 years and this much work he seems way off track. I would imagine anyone on this board that is around a scratch or low single digit is better than an 11 handicap without having to hit more than a 6 iron.

This. I play once a week with no practice and have shot par twice and posted a -2 this year to finish with a 2 handicap. I think I'm pretty naturally talented at golf and think my ceiling is maybe +1 if I got super serious with lessons and tons of practice. It is insanely hard to knock each stroke off as you get to low single digits. It's far more crazy trying to go past scratch.

Dude i feel sorry for u, u sound like ' Frog in a well '

Maybe, but we're not talking about all humans. If we're talking about a 30 year old, healthy males, of average height, who are not overweight, and don't have other obligations like kids to take precedence. I think > 50% of these people could get to +2 or +3 with a regimented practice routine that was a full time job.

So you are a 2 handicap despite not practicing and playing only once a week, and you don't think you could shave off 4 strokes by practicing as if it was a full time job? I think you are underestimating the value of practice.

I think NtnBO is taking this into account with 99% figure, ie 99% of 30 year old healthy males with no time commitments still wont get to +2 or +3. That I would agree with. My ceiling is probably a 15 handicap for instance, but I am very untalented at golf as anyone can vouch for having played with me.

I don't think I have the natural talent to knock off more than another 2-3 strokes no matter how much I put into it. I just haven't had much of a short game ever and I played my first round of golf when I was 7 or 8 years old. I started hitting balls when I was 2 or so with a 7 iron my dad cut down to toddler size. So I've been swinging clubs for just about 40 years now.

I think I've got a good feel for what my ceiling is.

I just don't buy it. I play with a lot of buddies in their late 20s early 30s and 100% of the time lack of practice and\or instruction is the main thing really holding them back. I have one golf buddy out of maybe 50 or 60 that I think could never be great even if he worked at it.

I think people on this site are dramatically underrating the value of specific, regimented, practice and coaching

Have you ever at any point in your life practiced chipping or putting for multiple hours a day over the course of a week?

When I was 12 and 13 I spent those summers getting dropped off with $5 at the military base course at 7am and picked up at 5pm four or five days a week. That was 40-50 hours a week to kill on the course. I would play 27-36 holes per day at a pace of 3 hours per round, range balls were $.25 a bucket, and my lunch and sodas cost me about $3. I spent hours each day putting and chipping.

I played junior tournaments all over the state and saw what good short games look like. I just don't have the talent to go low. I can hit 15-18 greens in regulation when I play well but scoring is a problem. I have never had more than five birdies in a round though I've had five more times than I can count.

Meh.

I think a reasonable % of people can shoot par on their home course. But being a legit +3 is something that requires more than just tons of practice/coaching. I def agree with NtnBo.

I can use myself as a fairly decent test case. Prior to screwing up my back and putting on a bunch of weight I was a really athletic person through high school and college. Dropped baseball and football to play golf. I played golf in high school everyday for 2.5 years. Could shoot mid-high 70's on my home course, low 80's most others. Got more into practice/lessons in college, got my handicap down to legit single digits, but could never even get close to breaking par on a regular basis, even on familiar courses.

I don't really know how to rank myself on a scale of natural athletic ability, but I'd be shocked if I wasn't in the top 10% for generic abilities like hand eye coordination, balance, etc. And I had basically no shot of ever being that good.

If we are talking a legit + on a real course there's no chance. No chance at all.

http://www.usga.org/workarea/linkit....fier=id&itemid...
Fun Fact:Less than half a percent of golfers in the U.S. maintain a Handicap Index® on the plus side of Scratch.

First off this Dan guy is doing specific regimented practice with coaching and he's not making a ton of progress.

I think your underestimating what it feels like to not be able to swing a golf club well. Everything just feels foriegn and jerky and your body is never doing what you think it is. Some people just dont have a good feeling over how to get their body to do what they want. After 700 hours of practice and 6 month of practice as well as a ton of coaching I was struggling to break 130. No joke! At least now I have gotten it down to reasonable scores (like 90s and 100s but still). Now if I do get past a 15 handicap im going to be thrilled believe me, but im not holding my breath. It just I rank probably bottom 1% on natural athletic ability.

Don't feel sorry for me, I've got a genius IQ and a +6 handicap. Although I'm not smart enough to know what a 'frog in a well' is, and certainly not smart enough to google it.

Well, we can certainly agree to disagree. But IMNSHO, >50% is ludicrous. I don't think you understand the innate abilities one has to have, to even have the potential of being a +2 or +3. It's no different than football or basketball, most of the time desire and work ethic just isn't enough. Frustrating and sad in a way, but true.

BO

We've seen your super talented move.