Your course management is perfect, unforunately my swing management is quite random. You need to factor that into your demo. So I suggest the following: before every strike, roll a 6 sided dice, where: 1-Shank, 2-Playon, 3-Fat, 4-Playon, 5-Thin, 6-Playon. Then proceed to your next shot based on what the dice told you. That will give you a mere glinmpse of wheat we have to contend with. lol
i was just about to post this: "like the video, but kind of unrealistic for us 20+ handicappers. not a single bad shoot. or even a mediocre shot, in my book. but still enjoyed watching," but then i saw your post
Great course management, tips and info, thank you. Only problem with "playing like a 20 handicapper" by keeping it short is that you have better skills than a 20hc. Coach an actual 20hc+ through a round, minus swing help, and break 90. Good luck with that :D
Exactly. The flaw in videos like this is they assume high handicappers being more aggressive than they should is most of their problem, and it’s only part of it. When you are a 20, you can mishit a 5-iron off the tee almost as easily as a driver. And your short game doesn’t get you up and down (or that plus-one) very often, either. There are some fine ideas here, but I don’t think it’s gonna allow a typical 20 to break 90.
Hehehe watch me squirt a driver 80 yds, have three successive tops to gain just 40 yds then calm down and hit a great iron 120 yds... Then try and chip over a bunker and go straight in, 3 shots to get out and finally a 2 putt!
Right. The problem with being a 20 handicap isn’t length as much as it is dispersion or consistency. Most shots are lost to topping, chunking, pulling, slicing, and three putting. You can help that a bit with course management, but a pro hitting a driving iron is not the same as me hitting my driver.
Lol- I love the optimism. Its been years since I was a 20, but these tips were not what helped me drop to a 10. We dont hit shots like you do. We blade them thin, chunk/duff them fat, slice/duck hook and top them. You cant do any of your rules unless you usually hit straightish. Here are my three rules to breaking 90: 1) Dont follow a bad shot with a bad decision. Take what you get and play smart. 2) reduce three putts- learn to lag putt well 3) if you can use a putter- use a putter. I dont know many high handicappers that chip to within 10 feet, but I know plenty that can putt within 10 feet.
@@timdench2583 I wont speak for all high handicappers on this one- but I think for me the use of any of those three clubs instead of a putter only gives me the same results as my wedge. Inconsistent contact leading to duffs, blades or all around worse positions than I was to begin with. Im not a good golfer. I play all the time (60 rounds a year) I practice short game (although admittedly not often enough and started way late in life). If I cant use a putter ill use a wedge before a hybrid/lofted wood. IM a high handicapper and need to take what I can we I can. I cant follow a bad shot with a bad decision. And for me trying to hit a hybrid like putter or wedge is ugly.
Thank you JP! When I stop trying to make Hero shots and play smart, golf becomes much more enjoyable! The Ping ChipR is a must for the recreational golfer, as this club club quickly becomes your best friend.
I'm an 18 handicap and sure smart golf has gotten me here... but I'll tell you what has really gotten me here was not worrying about bad shots. And try to see them as a "Save attempt" I broke 90 once with 6 double bogies. That was a really eye opener as well. You can afford a few bad holes. Golf is so much more mental than physical.
@@jayburd4225 you have that right. I was formerly a 13 (have been mostly away from the game for 12 or so years, now back in as a 17). I have twice in my life had a four-birdie round. I shot an 88 and a 90, respectively. I am one of the more erratic mediocre golfers on the planet.
I saw a previous comment that was critical of this type of advice. There is another blogger, G-SK, who preaches this style of play to break 90. I was a 20.3 handicap when I decided to try this. I have lowered my handicap to 18.5 after 15 rounds and broken 90 twice within the last month. My last round was an 86, with 46 on the front side and 40 on the back side. I had 8 pars and 7 - 1 putts greens. This really works. You have to commit to 20ish rounds and work on your chipping and putting to get the payoff. I literally took my driver, 3 wood, and 4 iron out of my bag. I have since put the 3 wood back in, but only for tee shots. Thank you for this video. This strategy works if you decide to give it a chance !!!
Agree 100%. I have pretty much the same story.......Over about an 18 month period (Including a long off season due to Canadian winter) I moved from never being able to break 100 down to the low to mid 90'S regularly and along the way comfortably breaking 90 twice recently. It takes patience and practice for this approach to work, because of the issues that many of the above comments correctly observe. Commit to it, it works. Great video btw Jon, thank you.
Mark, your story is so similar to mine it's freakish! But it's also quite different. I also shot my best ever round of 86. YESTERDAY! I also shot 46 on the front nine and 40 on the back. I'm a 17.2 handicapper. Yesterday I had 5 Pars, 1 Birdie, 1 Double Bogie, 1 Triple Bogie and 10 Bogies with two 3-putts. My triple-Bogie was on the shortest Par 4 on the course! My local course Waipu, New Zealand. (Look it up here on RUclips) is semi-links, meaning it's on a sand base but also has trees and shrubs. Our greens were recently cored and are playing very, very slow and irregular when compared to their usual lightning fast and true selves. I tell you this to illustrate how very different my round was to yours but ending with the same score. There are sooo many variables on each and every course, not even counting the weather and that's before we begin to take into account the Golfer! I had a great round ( in my opinion) because I partnered with a 6 and a 9 Handicappers. As much as possible I just played THEIR GAME! They made smart choices and when I couldn't equal the length of the 6 Handicapper off the Tee, I just took an easy swing with my Driver to keep the ball on the fairway. I'm nearly always happy with my putting and chipping. MY issue is mostly second shots off the fairway. My Driver is super reliable BUT anything from a 3-Wood to a 5-Iron could go ANYWHERE! 😂. It's quite disheartening to hit a lay-up 6 or 7 Iron, knowing that you will only make a bogie at best but sometimes we just have to "take our medicine". Cheers and thanks for your comment. Hope to see you in NZ one day!
Thank you so much for putting this together. I’m off 23, and today I played with your mindset, shot 39 stableford, and played the best golf, most consistent I’ve played, probably ever. Thanks. I’ll keep watching.
Great video. I took a similar path 2 years ago. Before then my best round was 85 but others weeks between 90 and 100 and sometimes over a 100. So i went in a community field locally and practised hitting a 7 iron. By the way id completely lost my game prior to this. I practised a half swing until i got where i wanted it. After a month a guy living near the field asked if i wanted a 6 hybrid. It was really old fashioned but i took to it like a duck to water. Hitting it great everytime. I carried on practising, winter, on the field. I then used the same swing and put it into my driver, then 3 wood. Then a somewhat newer but still old 4 hybrid. Now i tee low and drive with a quarter or less swing. Babying it not smashing it. It goes farther than ive hit before, 200 to 230. I use same swing 3 wood for second shots of 160 to 200. I use 6 hybrid to hit 20 to 150 yards. Sometimes from just off the green also. I carry 6 clubs in my bag. Driver. 3 wood. 4 hybrid. 6 hybrid. 7 iron. Putter. I rarely use the 7 iron. Last year i hit a 78 in winter conditions. This year ive hit 74. And i average between 76 and 81 most rounds now. I dont use power, i over club instead. My family scratch there heads how i can do these shots with clubs not designed for it. Btw im 62 and getting better with age. So dont despair. Do as this guy says. The way i started to work it out numerically was 18, 5s give you a 90. So your nearly there. Theres 4 par 3s. Get a 4 on those your on 86. Get 4 3s your on 82. Everything else is a bonus. Sorry about the long story but i felt i wanted to share it. Quarter to half swings work better and for me the ball goes farther. But most of all because of all this i rarely get into trouble on the course. I play once a week. I beat my son's and brorher 9 out of 10 times now. My son can hit a drive 70 to a 100 yards farther but gets in a lot of bad spots. Couse management is the key Good luck guys
@AB-bg1or hi. From 100 yards bunkers I use a 6 hybrid if the lie is good. Other than that I use my 7 iron for shorter distances. For around the green bunkers I open up a 7 iron. Hope this helps. I hope your enjoying your golf 😊
@@AB-bg1or one more thing I think I forgot to mention. I also improved by keeping my eye on the ball. I did this by going on the field and hitting balls but my eyes never left the ground. So my head never came up. I lost a few balls doing this because even after the ball had gone my eyes were firmly fixed on the ground. By doing this I learned to not lift my head until the ball had gone. It's a massive part of good connection keeping the head down. It's hard to resist not following your ball but with practice it's becomes second nature. Of course you will eventually follow the ball but not until it's well and truly gone. 😊
"Bogey is your new Par".... Ive never really tbought about that. I actually love this and my next time out, im going to envision going for bogeys. I just a 103, my best round ever (1 solid year golfing). Just the simple thought of essential an extra shot per to improve into the 90s is great for the mental part of the game. Thanks for that!
Check out @GolfSidekick, I used to be a 30 handicap when I started 7 years ago.. now I am off 8.. he has similar thoughts and explanations as jon.. best of luck...
Play several rounds with only your 150 yard club, pitching wedge, and putter. You will be frustrated at first, but truly learn what this man is teaching us.
Opinion: If you think of golf as particle mechanics, in engineering, you need to check your assumptions. In this video, the assumption is you'll never hit a slice, sclaff, or hook, and needless to say, hit the BIG ball first. Having said that, you must admire Jon's process of playing within your means and sticking with the plan. No hero shots, just minimize the inherent variability in your swing. Excellent video to get your head straight. Thanks, Jon, for putting this together in a concise format to enjoy the game even more.
The thing i like most about this advice is how much it relieves the mental stress a round of golf can put me under. Hitting 3 9 irons and 2 putting a 450 yd par 4 is so much easier mentally than pulling my drive, punching out of the trees, then topping a hybrid before hitting 1 good approach and draining a 10 footer. There are some holes at my local course that are wide open down the right so i will pull the big stick out there. But always being concious of where the trouble is and avoiding it has helped immensely.
Good advice. I use a chipper too, around the greens off of short grass. If you are short sided though go with a 56". Think most over 90 golfers would love to hit it straight down the middle 200yds. How about shanking a few into the woods, or the infamous huge slice many high handicaps hit. Or how about trouble shots which they are prone to being required to hit but then are very bad at. Like punch shots through trees, and stuff like that, or out of thick, rough lies. Typical HH goes par, bogie, bogie, triple bogie, par... stuff like that. They need to avoid the big numbers. Still great advice in general for golf.
Yes absolutely. Skying the drive 100 yards, then chunking the hybrid 50 yards, then chunking 3 irons/wedges in a row, then duffing the chip and 2 putts. It starts to add up. I have several holes like that every round.
@@johnnorth9514 Agree with both you and the other johnklein309. If I didn't make so many mistakes over a course of eighteen holes I would be scaring to break 90 every round. As it is I'm a bogey and a half golfer who plays once a week
Rule 7 is very helpful. Last season I shot 7 sub 90 rounds on 3 different courses, and they came when I stuck to the plan and didn't try to "make things happen". I've learned golf is a game of strategic patience. Currently I'm a 19 HCP
Very helpful video. I'm a 25hcp who is struggling to get down to 20. Been slowly chipping down from 28. I can see from your video that my good days are when I don't get too ambitious and settle for getting on the green in 3 on a par 4. Staying out of trouble and treating a bogey as a par
Ping Chipr's are awseome! I got my first eagle the other day from 90m out using it. I use it alot this time of year playing links golf with our crazy summer crosswinds.
You're absolutely right. Va USA here, I was trying to shoot under 90 today. Unfortunately 93 was my final. I can't hit my driver so I hit my 3 off the tee all day. Happy with my 93. Cheers!
I like how you aimed for the back of one of the greens, hit it, the ball bit and stopped. Perfect. Every time I aim for the back of the green and execute the shot well, I then roll 20 metres off the back into a world of pain. 20 handicapper, remember.
There’s a (downhill) hole on my course where you have to land it exactly a certain distance short of the front of the green (about 20 yards). Any closer and it’s off the back. Any more and it doesn’t roll on far enough.
That's absolutely the main cause of high scores - wide dispersions, wasted chip shots, mishits with long irons and woods 😅 Gotta take everything longer than 5-iron out of the bag
@@justinwenborn654 Lol, I just did this on Monday...18th hole greenside bunker, almost no sand in it, skulled over the green just missing clubhouse windows, lands on the practice green......fun times......
A really interesting process. As someone who went through this before, going from a 25 to a 9, using many of these tips, I relate to a lot of what’s been said. As someone who’s just come back and is currently at a 17HCP, it’s a good reminder to not over complicate shots, and to be realistic about what my abilities are.
I enjoyed this. I do usually break 90 (probably 80% of the time) => but it made me think about some of the holes where I have the most trouble, often well guarded by bunkers. I take a fair number of doubles on those. I think next time I play, on those 5 or 6 holes, I will not go for GIR but rather leave myself short of trouble with still a chance for par with a good chip and a putt. Thanks.
The key takeaway for me is to aim for the bogey rather than trying for a birdie and blowing out to a double or triple bogey. I hit irons reasonably well and this gives me hope I can play smart and avoid the danger rather than trying to smash the ball onto the green and get in trouble. A great video, thank you
Spot on. If you take this conservative approach, you dont make up enough shots to cover the thin through the green into OB, or the duffed tee shot into the lake. Twice.
@@solasta that's why he didn't pull anything out of the bag with more loft than a pitching wedge. Take those opportunities out of the equation. A 6 iron is easier to control than a driver. The speeds are lower and the slices and hooks are smaller. I got back into golf this year after 15 or so years away and this type of advice has helped lower my score from 110ish to breaking 90 for the first time this weekend.
Nearly I shot 91 trying these tips a melt down for me is 100 plus, I'm thinking about the safe shot not the hero shot and had a stress free round with these tips 👍
As someone who still is trying to break 90, a couple of these I have tried to implement, but the biggest struggle I have is consistent ball striking. So bogeys are good with me, but I also try to minimize lost balls, shanks, and 3 putts. I'm getting there, but at the end of the day the thing most of us struggle with is consistency, not necessarily distance. I can get some distance. Sometimes I drive myself within a wedge shot, but when you shank that into the bunker and 3 putt, the good drive is kinda pointless. Except for trying to let it build confidence in the club. Gotta keep trying to build the confidence if I'm gonna reach my goal of breaking 85 someday.
The real advice I would give to a 20, as a 10 and a former 20 myself, is use a 3/4 swing and club up. Learn a straight punch shot and use it to advance the ball when you don't have an easy shot. If you can train a slower more compact swing you will make better contact with less sidespin.
I have implemented that at times. I also think it's important to just get a couple clubs you feel confident in. Even if they end up being short of the green. Just stringing together a few golf shots instead of worm burners can really help your confidence. Still trying to break 90 myself, just gotta continue to get more consistent mainly near/on the green. Have to eliminate the 2 chip to the green and 3 putts. After all eliminating certain mis hits was how I was able to break 100 and eventually 95. 90 is next, 85 is the ultimate goal.
@@therealbonj play a long iron and position the ball on the back foot to de-loft the club further. Don't play a full swing, just like a little punch for 100m or so back onto the fairway. You're not trying to get on or close to the green, just setting up for the 3rd shot. This is an important shot that requires practice. It should be part of your range routine.
Love the idea of the video. Do the same video only you coaching a true 20 handicapper. You hit a beautiful draw hitting every fairway (no shots into the trees) and didn’t duff any shots like a true 20 would. Thanks again.
Love this explanation, as a 10 hcp I still play like this. Max score on a hole is a bogey, and because I have distance, and don't take unnecessary risk, I'm able to make pars without risking doubles.... it helps when you have a bit more distance, sure, still, it's avoiding doubles for me all-day
I definitely need to work on my course management, I can drive 250 yards consistently and keep it in the fairway, I can strike my irons decently well from 210yards and down, and my putting is not too bad yet I score high 90s. Thanks for the tips.
Just played 18. This was goal...bogey golf. Lack of consistency killed the dream of breaking 90. First tee shot 50 yards right. Bombed second shot to 150 out. Third shot just short of green. On in 4 two put. A couple of chunked approach shots on the next couple of holes. Deep rough surrounding the green on a par 3 cost me two chips. On in 3, 3 put a very sloped green for a 6. Strategy is spot on, I need more consistency and better ball striking to be able to execute. Thanks for a great video!
All this is great advice, but one can play smart as hell, safe shots, even good ball striking MOST of the time. But 3 putts, missed one-putt opportunities, chunked chips, slices or shanks, thinned sand shots...all those equal either a few Doubles mixed in, pars that should've been birdies, bogeys that should've been pars...this is what truly separates a 18-20 handicap from a 10. Playing smart like this definitely gives you the CHANCE to break 90 but 75% of the time you're still at 90-94. What makes a 20-handicappee can be many reasons. I'm a 17 handicap currently, meaning i AVERAGE an 89-90. BUT...all those things I mentioned happen. Maybe I'm yanking my drives that day and I'll pu ch out, play for bogey, but miss my 5 foot bogey putt, now ive GOTTA get a par to make up for the dub
Really good video. I know this is the sensible way to play but then always reach for the driver or 3 wood off the deck and wonder where the double and treble bogeys come from! I'll certainly try and play a round in this fashion to see what difference it can make to my score!
My distances are 7 iron - 120; 6 iron 135; 5-iron goes 150, and 4-iron 165... sometimes, and the last three also slice a little, and duff quite frequently. I use 9-iron from within 30 yards down to just off the green. 18 handicap, but you hit your irons a lot further than most of us.
Your course management strategy is what I use as a 13 handicapper. But even as a 13 HC, I hit some shanks, hozzle rockets, duffs in a standard round. A 20 handicap is not going to be a consistent hitter like you . I average about 84 but my dispersal range goes from 78 to raising the bat for the tonne. Practice practice practice, but most importantly, just have fun. At the end of the day, your score is just a number.
Good video Jon and definitely gets you thinking. I have played better since identifying where the trouble is and avoiding it. The only time I fall down is from wayward tee shots so need to improve my consistency there
Great video mate, really highlights how important chipping and putting are to scoring better. Reminds me of the stuff Golf Sidekick is putting out there 👍
I shot 42 over 9 holes by thinking like this just last weekend. I’ve never broken 100 as an adult (Age 38) and I don’t have a handicap…. Even if you have a handful of shanks and double/triple bogeys in your round, this way of golfing will definitely give you a more enjoyable day out!
Thanks for this Jon, you are clearly a good Golfer already, very easy swing. Interesting you did not use a Driver in your overview ? It would be good to see what you do when you get into an awkward play area, something I can really relate with.
Thanks David. It's true that in trying to play within myself to show the course management approach, I didn't get in much trouble. I'm sure I can cover that in future videos :-) Part of the playing within yourself idea is to hopefully avoid more of the trouble, but I get your point for sure. Thanks for watching
Thiis is great advice if you're a 15 handicap but strike the ball perfectly off of every tee and every fairway. It's awesome to see that I don't need to make any swing changes, all I need to do it hit the ball perfectly, just less distance.
Totally get what you mean. I'm trying to help with the strategy part for those with a semi consistent shot pattern and basing on averages (in terms of distances). But get you for sure.
As an 18-year old Airman, in the Air Force, I went to our on base clubhouse, and purchased a used set of clubs for $20. I bought a small book on golf by Jack Nicklaus, and read it cover to hover. He said to chip and put for 75% of your practice time. I did. After three months, I was in the mid 80's and was essentially there for the next 50 years. For about a ten year period, I was close to 80. Chip putt putt chip. Get to the course a half hour before your buddies, and practice your putting. I NEVER three putted the first hole..but my friends did. A lot.
Comments re shanks tops slices are right on the mark - I think the tip about taking wedge or 9 iron vs sand wedge and swinging smoothly rather than trying to hit more lofted club to limit of range is a good one - I hit my wedge 115 when I’m hitting it great but I do better when I take 9 iron and try to hit middle of green
Im a 9 handicap and I’d say it is really about playing it safe, most of the time shooting for the center of the green taking your misses into consideration and locking in on the putt
Need to see a couple slices and chunks and how to overcome those. I think aside from the course mgt tips which were great btw, a 20hcp will mishit shots and find themselves in a lot of trouble.
It took the whole video and reading many of the comments before the lessons of your video sunk in. Honestly, I shoot 120-130, so if I went out with a 7 iron and a putter, could I get any worse? I average a 2.28 putt and fairway at 64.4%, so my most significant problems are everything happening in the fairway and that points to hero ball. When the season starts again (I live in snow country), I think I'll reduce my bag to driver, putter, and 6-9 iron and see how it goes. Thanks for this. My real goal is to be consistently below 110 and stars align below 100.
I'm at 18 Handicap, but my best round this year (Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, NZ) was an 81, and started with a 7 and three putted the last. Two bad holes a round won't hurt, if you can play tidy otherwise.
Yes, this guy's a pretty good golfer. Yes, we get that, but what he's trying to tell you as a whole is that you don't have to always go for it play hero ball..Be smart about your golf round stay within your means and hopefully it helps you have a decent round. You don't need to pick it apart and say this guy's that, or this, or that he's just trying to help you out. Change your mindset at times that's really hard to do when your golfing cut gets stubborn. You wanna make the shot of your life every time.
I agree that course management is a huge factor and helps reduce those strokes we throw away. However, courses that have a forced carry off the tee or a forced carry to a green on multiple holes makes it difficult to execute this strategy.
Stay calm and keep good timing on your swings. Trust your club and let it to the work for you. Timing is everything. Taking that, I went from a consistent 105+ score to low 90s and even an 88. Btw that 88 was with a four over on the first hole. Remember stay calm and get it on the next one.
I would also advise on how to practice. Practice chipping and putting and then make sure you’ve got a few clubs you can hit consistently, like 7-PW and maybe one longer club off the tee (hybrid, wood, etc.)
Great course management video for scoring. Like to mention though that if someone can hit iron shots, chip and putt like you...don't think breaking 90 is an issue..
Thanks for watching along. Totally get your point. I was trying to put across some course management ideas and other tips, but yes, I do probably strike it more consistently than a 90 ish shooter.
I love everything about this vide excpet that silly chipper. I get why you suggest using it...but I've never been able to justify putting a club in my bag that has only one use...I'll continue to chip with my 6i - 8i - or PW.
You need to factor in thins and fats mate I’m around the 20 HC mark and lost balls off the tee are my biggest problem even hitting 5 iron didn’t fix it I hit my driver 250-70 can hit my 5 iron 200 off the tee unfortunately it’s a 50/50 of hitting the fairway
Shot 91 yesterday with a triple bogey on the front 9 and a 9 on the back nine so not too far off... just need to kill the occasional horror miss / wasted shot + 3 putts.
The problem with playing bogey golf to break 90 is that it doesnt get rid of blow up holes. It isnt that we couldnt break it if our mode shots per hole evened out. The problem comes with those 2-3 “outlier” holes we have per round where we shoot an 8 on a par 4.
I break 90 almost every time. My goal for 2025 is to break 80. The biggest source for improvement has been for me to setup a simulator in my house. Though I still shank more balls than I would prefer, my consistency has been massively improved. On the simulator, I've already broken 80 a few times. If you can spare the space and have money enough to pay to get that setup, I highly recommend that to anyone that wants to improve their game. This doesn't take away the benefits of lessons but it has impacted my game more than anything else in years.
never touched a driver or wedge, this is exactly how i broke 100, hopefully break 90 in the coming weeks, then 80 before end of year after getting fitted for a driver I can control better.
The short game is everything. Keep the ball in the fairway off the tee. You’ve gotta chip it reasonably enough to avoid the three putt. Avoiding the big number is a must. I really need to work on the short game and, unfortunately, I’m a terrible short putter.
Yeah great advice mate, did exactly this two days ago and hit every fairway ended up on my 17 handicap! Moral of the story put the driver away for a while until you can learn to hit it properly 😂
For a high handicapper like me the course management is excellent. Only problem is I have is striking the ball consistently which results in thinning shots in the water or not getting the actual distance that one should get using that particular club and that throws the whole concept out of the window.
I think it's a club that has a big place but with practice and confidence. In bunkers and once people build consistency with it. The idea I wanted to get across was that for those wanting to bring their scores down, don't feel you have to play it, or that it's the only option. I was hoping to get people thinking about their options. Good luck anyway
“but again…not trying to do anything fancy” that’s the only reason I play golf 😅 if i get one birdie a round, i can forget the 3 triple bogeys pretty easily
The tips are great and he is right! The issue is people who shoot 90+ spray left and right with driver. We scuff a shot from time to time, we don’t hit the ball perfect like he does. We play out of rough every single hold even if we hit the fairway. He has hit the fairway every time and never end in danger just saying…
When I play actual meaningful golf my strategies are as follows. 1. When you are practicing / playing you treat it as it matters. 2. When just practicing , practice chipping , putting , 100 yards in. 3. Off tee box , hit shots you can keep in play , learn how to not lose balls / shots. 4. When around the green take easiest path to not duff. 5. Your first putt is to make sure you make 2nd so limit 3 putts. 6. Figure out the best part of your game and try to give yourself those shots as much as possible. 7. Play it as it lies always and take your medicine , hero shots are only for outcomes you know a miss still puts you in a decent position. 8. Don’t cheat your self , you have to learn to shoot 120 for real to shoot 90
It's an interesting video, but you absolutely need to have some sort of swing consistency to break 100 or 90. To me, that's the first thing I'm trying to improve. I'll give you an exemple. I played 100 Wednesday, and I was proud of some of my shots during the round. On one hole though, a 320-ish yards par-4, I managed to get a 260 yards drive in the rough on the left of the fairway. Second shot, I chip it 3-4 yards short of the green on the right. Third shot, I chunked it and then, I two-putted for a bogey. Putting up four shots inside 60 yards is a prime exemple of how high handicappers like me get higher scores. I feel like if I can save 10-12 shots in a round because of better ball striking, then that's when I'll be able to play 90-95. You can go forward from there.
@@SimServant I’m just getting back into golf after 12+ years away. I’m a 17 and years ago was as low as 13. I agree with you. One can lose a lot around the green, and there is a lot of good material out there that teaches short game technique, or a few lessons with a pro can help. Having said that, the short game only can do so much unless the golfer also improves the consistency of his ball-striking on the full swing, and honestly if one can get the full swing more consistent, that will help the short game too. Improving at a 10-30 is about making your “misses” smaller, wherever in your game they occur. A better approach to course management helps, but is not enough.
@@scooter5940l agree with you 100% - I can take a six iron ‘for safety’ and hit it just as badly as a stronger club and be in just as bad a position but 30 meters shorter of green I need to practice getting on green 50 to 75 m out within 2 putt range
Yeah well don't forget the OB tee shot, and because you're playing a public course you take drop where it went out so you are already hitting 4 on a par 4 and you are still 200+ yards away. Then you hit your 4th shot into a green side bunker, scull your 5th shot over the green. Chip your 6th shot to within 12 feet and if you're lucky, 2 putt from there for an 8.
Course management works well when you have consistent swings and ball striking. If you play with a bunch of mis-hits and your ball is over the place, course management will have minimal impact when your par and bogey shots are taking place off the green
@@MonkeySaurusPantsmake sure that your dad bought them when he was 36 and stored them in a garage for 20 years. Dont regrip them. Dried cracked leather grips. The shafts should be a mix of senior flex and hickory.
Since I've been using the putting stroke & maintaining a fairly rigid Y shape in my chipping, my short game has improved greatly. Great video, I'm going to implement your strategy tomorrow. Thanks
So it appears to me, that using or choosing your club which will yield the best results you can consistently hit correctly will put a 20 or 15 handicap in a position to break 90. Makes sense if my opinion is correct, however, are you putting more steess on getting your short game perfect? Also, I can be wrong about this, but your extending your round longer than 4 or 4.5 hours. Your logic makes sense and I will give it a try.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Your course management is perfect, unforunately my swing management is quite random. You need to factor that into your demo. So I suggest the following: before every strike, roll a 6 sided dice, where: 1-Shank, 2-Playon, 3-Fat, 4-Playon, 5-Thin, 6-Playon. Then proceed to your next shot based on what the dice told you. That will give you a mere glinmpse of wheat we have to contend with. lol
pushed and hooked could be added :D
Less "playon" more "topped shot"
Was gonna say something similar. High handicappers can not stay on the fairway consistently or lag putt as well as Jon.
i was just about to post this: "like the video, but kind of unrealistic for us 20+ handicappers. not a single bad shoot. or even a mediocre shot, in my book. but still enjoyed watching," but then i saw your post
Glad you enjoyed it
Great course management, tips and info, thank you. Only problem with "playing like a 20 handicapper" by keeping it short is that you have better skills than a 20hc. Coach an actual 20hc+ through a round, minus swing help, and break 90. Good luck with that :D
That's a cool idea, like it!
Exactly. The flaw in videos like this is they assume high handicappers being more aggressive than they should is most of their problem, and it’s only part of it. When you are a 20, you can mishit a 5-iron off the tee almost as easily as a driver. And your short game doesn’t get you up and down (or that plus-one) very often, either. There are some fine ideas here, but I don’t think it’s gonna allow a typical 20 to break 90.
100%. Just play 3 good 150yd shots on a par 5 assumes you can play 3 decent 140 yd shots. In a row.
Hehehe watch me squirt a driver 80 yds, have three successive tops to gain just 40 yds then calm down and hit a great iron 120 yds... Then try and chip over a bunker and go straight in, 3 shots to get out and finally a 2 putt!
Right. The problem with being a 20 handicap isn’t length as much as it is dispersion or consistency. Most shots are lost to topping, chunking, pulling, slicing, and three putting. You can help that a bit with course management, but a pro hitting a driving iron is not the same as me hitting my driver.
Lol- I love the optimism. Its been years since I was a 20, but these tips were not what helped me drop to a 10. We dont hit shots like you do. We blade them thin, chunk/duff them fat, slice/duck hook and top them. You cant do any of your rules unless you usually hit straightish. Here are my three rules to breaking 90:
1) Dont follow a bad shot with a bad decision. Take what you get and play smart.
2) reduce three putts- learn to lag putt well
3) if you can use a putter- use a putter. I dont know many high handicappers that chip to within 10 feet, but I know plenty that can putt within 10 feet.
Best advice!
DON'T FOLLOW A BAD SHOT WITHE A BAD DECISION - This is fucking GOLD
Definitely, using a putter when I can was game changer, always a better shot than chipping it and making it worse
…and use a hybrid, or a high lofted wood, or a chipper. In other words try and make the game easy for yourself.
@@timdench2583 I wont speak for all high handicappers on this one- but I think for me the use of any of those three clubs instead of a putter only gives me the same results as my wedge. Inconsistent contact leading to duffs, blades or all around worse positions than I was to begin with. Im not a good golfer. I play all the time (60 rounds a year) I practice short game (although admittedly not often enough and started way late in life). If I cant use a putter ill use a wedge before a hybrid/lofted wood. IM a high handicapper and need to take what I can we I can. I cant follow a bad shot with a bad decision. And for me trying to hit a hybrid like putter or wedge is ugly.
Thank you JP! When I stop trying to make Hero shots and play smart, golf becomes much more enjoyable! The Ping ChipR is a must for the recreational golfer, as this club club quickly becomes your best friend.
You're very welcome! Glad you're enjoying it
I'm an 18 handicap and sure smart golf has gotten me here... but I'll tell you what has really gotten me here was not worrying about bad shots. And try to see them as a "Save attempt" I broke 90 once with 6 double bogies. That was a really eye opener as well. You can afford a few bad holes. Golf is so much more mental than physical.
Shot 89 today as a 19 cap with 5 doubles, including three in a row from 6-8, and zero pars in my first 8 holes!
@@jayburd4225 you have that right. I was formerly a 13 (have been mostly away from the game for 12 or so years, now back in as a 17). I have twice in my life had a four-birdie round. I shot an 88 and a 90, respectively. I am one of the more erratic mediocre golfers on the planet.
I saw a previous comment that was critical of this type of advice. There is another blogger, G-SK, who preaches this style of play to break 90. I was a 20.3 handicap when I decided to try this. I have lowered my handicap to 18.5 after 15 rounds and broken 90 twice within the last month. My last round was an 86, with 46 on the front side and 40 on the back side. I had 8 pars and 7 - 1 putts greens. This really works. You have to commit to 20ish rounds and work on your chipping and putting to get the payoff. I literally took my driver, 3 wood, and 4 iron out of my bag. I have since put the 3 wood back in, but only for tee shots. Thank you for this video. This strategy works if you decide to give it a chance !!!
Wow, great progress mate. Keep up the good work.
Agree 100%. I have pretty much the same story.......Over about an 18 month period (Including a long off season due to Canadian winter) I moved from never being able to break 100 down to the low to mid 90'S regularly and along the way comfortably breaking 90 twice recently. It takes patience and practice for this approach to work, because of the issues that many of the above comments correctly observe. Commit to it, it works. Great video btw Jon, thank you.
Mark, your story is so similar to mine it's freakish! But it's also quite different. I also shot my best ever round of 86. YESTERDAY! I also shot 46 on the front nine and 40 on the back. I'm a 17.2 handicapper. Yesterday I had 5 Pars, 1 Birdie, 1 Double Bogie, 1 Triple Bogie and 10 Bogies with two 3-putts. My triple-Bogie was on the shortest Par 4 on the course! My local course Waipu, New Zealand. (Look it up here on RUclips) is semi-links, meaning it's on a sand base but also has trees and shrubs. Our greens were recently cored and are playing very, very slow and irregular when compared to their usual lightning fast and true selves. I tell you this to illustrate how very different my round was to yours but ending with the same score. There are sooo many variables on each and every course, not even counting the weather and that's before we begin to take into account the Golfer! I had a great round ( in my opinion) because I partnered with a 6 and a 9 Handicappers. As much as possible I just played THEIR GAME! They made smart choices and when I couldn't equal the length of the 6 Handicapper off the Tee, I just took an easy swing with my Driver to keep the ball on the fairway. I'm nearly always happy with my putting and chipping. MY issue is mostly second shots off the fairway. My Driver is super reliable BUT anything from a 3-Wood to a 5-Iron could go ANYWHERE! 😂. It's quite disheartening to hit a lay-up 6 or 7 Iron, knowing that you will only make a bogie at best but sometimes we just have to "take our medicine". Cheers and thanks for your comment. Hope to see you in NZ one day!
Thank you so much for putting this together. I’m off 23, and today I played with your mindset, shot 39 stableford, and played the best golf, most consistent I’ve played, probably ever. Thanks. I’ll keep watching.
Watched this video earlier on. Just played 18 and shot 85. My best ever round being a 93 before hand so thank you so much!
Amazing to hear, well done!!
Great video. I took a similar path 2 years ago. Before then my best round was 85 but others weeks between 90 and 100 and sometimes over a 100. So i went in a community field locally and practised hitting a 7 iron. By the way id completely lost my game prior to this. I practised a half swing until i got where i wanted it. After a month a guy living near the field asked if i wanted a 6 hybrid. It was really old fashioned but i took to it like a duck to water. Hitting it great everytime. I carried on practising, winter, on the field. I then used the same swing and put it into my driver, then 3 wood. Then a somewhat newer but still old 4 hybrid. Now i tee low and drive with a quarter or less swing. Babying it not smashing it. It goes farther than ive hit before, 200 to 230. I use same swing 3 wood for second shots of 160 to 200. I use 6 hybrid to hit 20 to 150 yards. Sometimes from just off the green also. I carry 6 clubs in my bag. Driver. 3 wood. 4 hybrid. 6 hybrid. 7 iron. Putter. I rarely use the 7 iron. Last year i hit a 78 in winter conditions. This year ive hit 74. And i average between 76 and 81 most rounds now. I dont use power, i over club instead. My family scratch there heads how i can do these shots with clubs not designed for it. Btw im 62 and getting better with age. So dont despair. Do as this guy says. The way i started to work it out numerically was 18, 5s give you a 90. So your nearly there. Theres 4 par 3s. Get a 4 on those your on 86. Get 4 3s your on 82. Everything else is a bonus. Sorry about the long story but i felt i wanted to share it. Quarter to half swings work better and for me the ball goes farther. But most of all because of all this i rarely get into trouble on the course. I play once a week. I beat my son's and brorher 9 out of 10 times now. My son can hit a drive 70 to a 100 yards farther but gets in a lot of bad spots. Couse management is the key Good luck guys
Awesome. What do you use to hit out of the sand? Just curious.
@AB-bg1or hi. From 100 yards bunkers I use a 6 hybrid if the lie is good. Other than that I use my 7 iron for shorter distances. For around the green bunkers I open up a 7 iron. Hope this helps. I hope your enjoying your golf 😊
@@davidsanders1986 thanks! Love your strategy.
@@AB-bg1or the club's I use for the sand obviously are not meant for the sand but they work perfectly for me.
@@AB-bg1or one more thing I think I forgot to mention. I also improved by keeping my eye on the ball. I did this by going on the field and hitting balls but my eyes never left the ground. So my head never came up. I lost a few balls doing this because even after the ball had gone my eyes were firmly fixed on the ground. By doing this I learned to not lift my head until the ball had gone. It's a massive part of good connection keeping the head down. It's hard to resist not following your ball but with practice it's becomes second nature. Of course you will eventually follow the ball but not until it's well and truly gone. 😊
"Bogey is your new Par".... Ive never really tbought about that. I actually love this and my next time out, im going to envision going for bogeys. I just a 103, my best round ever (1 solid year golfing). Just the simple thought of essential an extra shot per to improve into the 90s is great for the mental part of the game. Thanks for that!
Check out @GolfSidekick, I used to be a 30 handicap when I started 7 years ago.. now I am off 8.. he has similar thoughts and explanations as jon.. best of luck...
Our ladies champ taught me that back in the 90s. “Just play bogey golf”.
Play several rounds with only your 150 yard club, pitching wedge, and putter. You will be frustrated at first, but truly learn what this man is teaching us.
So play several rounds with just my pitching wedge and putter, got it.
Wish I could hit a PW 150 yards ?
@@davidsanders1986 no, the club you hit 150 yards PLUS your pitching wedge and putter
@@garyhwhitlock oops. I did rethink after I posted. Makes sense. Cheers mate 😊
Opinion: If you think of golf as particle mechanics, in engineering, you need to check your assumptions. In this video, the assumption is you'll never hit a slice, sclaff, or hook, and needless to say, hit the BIG ball first. Having said that, you must admire Jon's process of playing within your means and sticking with the plan. No hero shots, just minimize the inherent variability in your swing. Excellent video to get your head straight. Thanks, Jon, for putting this together in a concise format to enjoy the game even more.
Glad you enjoyed and thanks.
One of the best Golf-Videos about tactical play! Thanks for that...
Appreciate that, thank you
The thing i like most about this advice is how much it relieves the mental stress a round of golf can put me under.
Hitting 3 9 irons and 2 putting a 450 yd par 4 is so much easier mentally than pulling my drive, punching out of the trees, then topping a hybrid before hitting 1 good approach and draining a 10 footer.
There are some holes at my local course that are wide open down the right so i will pull the big stick out there. But always being concious of where the trouble is and avoiding it has helped immensely.
Great plan and glad you enjoyed.
Good advice. I use a chipper too, around the greens off of short grass. If you are short sided though go with a 56". Think most over 90 golfers would love to hit it straight down the middle 200yds. How about shanking a few into the woods, or the infamous huge slice many high handicaps hit. Or how about trouble shots which they are prone to being required to hit but then are very bad at.
Like punch shots through trees, and stuff like that, or out of thick, rough lies. Typical HH goes par, bogie, bogie, triple bogie, par... stuff like that. They need to avoid the big numbers. Still great advice in general for golf.
Got to say though your spot on with the strategy of using your shots and not always trying to get on greens in regulation.
The strategy is great, and I don’t disagree with it. However, you need to throw a few duffs or shanks in there if you want to play like a 20 handicap.
Yes absolutely. Skying the drive 100 yards, then chunking the hybrid 50 yards, then chunking 3 irons/wedges in a row, then duffing the chip and 2 putts. It starts to add up. I have several holes like that every round.
@@johnnorth9514 Agree with both you and the other johnklein309. If I didn't make so many mistakes over a course of eighteen holes I would be scaring to break 90 every round. As it is I'm a bogey and a half golfer who plays once a week
And may be a 3 putt or three
Great golfers simply don't understand how average golfers can simply mishit balls. It's almost frustrating sometimes. Lol
Agree. This is misleading stuff. Actually thumbed it down. Pros clickbaiting amateurs is def condescending behavior.
Rule 7 is very helpful. Last season I shot 7 sub 90 rounds on 3 different courses, and they came when I stuck to the plan and didn't try to "make things happen". I've learned golf is a game of strategic patience. Currently I'm a 19 HCP
Xanders swing is just a thing of beauty and such a nice guy. Thanks for this video.👏👏👏
Very helpful video. I'm a 25hcp who is struggling to get down to 20. Been slowly chipping down from 28. I can see from your video that my good days are when I don't get too ambitious and settle for getting on the green in 3 on a par 4. Staying out of trouble and treating a bogey as a par
Great and good luck. Enjoy it.
Ping Chipr's are awseome!
I got my first eagle the other day from 90m out using it.
I use it alot this time of year playing links golf with our crazy summer crosswinds.
You're absolutely right. Va USA here, I was trying to shoot under 90 today. Unfortunately 93 was my final. I can't hit my driver so I hit my 3 off the tee all day. Happy with my 93. Cheers!
Well played, hope you enjoyed the round!
I like how you aimed for the back of one of the greens, hit it, the ball bit and stopped. Perfect.
Every time I aim for the back of the green and execute the shot well, I then roll 20 metres off the back into a world of pain. 20 handicapper, remember.
There’s a (downhill) hole on my course where you have to land it exactly a certain distance short of the front of the green (about 20 yards). Any closer and it’s off the back. Any more and it doesn’t roll on far enough.
You forgot to top your drive or duck hook it OB or fan it two fairways over. But other than that, great vid.
That's absolutely the main cause of high scores - wide dispersions, wasted chip shots, mishits with long irons and woods 😅
Gotta take everything longer than 5-iron out of the bag
For a bit more realism I'd like to see him skull a SW 100 yards over the green
@@justinwenborn654 next time 🙂
@@justinwenborn654
I think that is why he only chipped with the chipper, pitching wedge and 9 iron in the video.
@@justinwenborn654 Lol, I just did this on Monday...18th hole greenside bunker, almost no sand in it, skulled over the green just missing clubhouse windows, lands on the practice green......fun times......
A really interesting process. As someone who went through this before, going from a 25 to a 9, using many of these tips, I relate to a lot of what’s been said.
As someone who’s just come back and is currently at a 17HCP, it’s a good reminder to not over complicate shots, and to be realistic about what my abilities are.
I enjoyed this. I do usually break 90 (probably 80% of the time) => but it made me think about some of the holes where I have the most trouble, often well guarded by bunkers. I take a fair number of doubles on those. I think next time I play, on those 5 or 6 holes, I will not go for GIR but rather leave myself short of trouble with still a chance for par with a good chip and a putt. Thanks.
Good luck, glad it's got you thinking.
The key takeaway for me is to aim for the bogey rather than trying for a birdie and blowing out to a double or triple bogey. I hit irons reasonably well and this gives me hope I can play smart and avoid the danger rather than trying to smash the ball onto the green and get in trouble. A great video, thank you
Sounds like a great plan, and thank you!
Yes, that's the problem, us 25 handicappers can't hit it straight like you so until we learn how, we can only watch this video in envy!😂
Yep, taking a 6 instead of drive and shanking it out of bounds, doesn't help you break 90
Spot on. If you take this conservative approach, you dont make up enough shots to cover the thin through the green into OB, or the duffed tee shot into the lake. Twice.
Us 25 handicappers should be aiming to break 100 though, not 90
@@solasta that's why he didn't pull anything out of the bag with more loft than a pitching wedge. Take those opportunities out of the equation. A 6 iron is easier to control than a driver. The speeds are lower and the slices and hooks are smaller.
I got back into golf this year after 15 or so years away and this type of advice has helped lower my score from 110ish to breaking 90 for the first time this weekend.
This video isnt for 25 hcp lol
Nearly I shot 91 trying these tips a melt down for me is 100 plus, I'm thinking about the safe shot not the hero shot and had a stress free round with these tips 👍
Awesome job! 👏
As someone who still is trying to break 90, a couple of these I have tried to implement, but the biggest struggle I have is consistent ball striking. So bogeys are good with me, but I also try to minimize lost balls, shanks, and 3 putts. I'm getting there, but at the end of the day the thing most of us struggle with is consistency, not necessarily distance. I can get some distance. Sometimes I drive myself within a wedge shot, but when you shank that into the bunker and 3 putt, the good drive is kinda pointless. Except for trying to let it build confidence in the club. Gotta keep trying to build the confidence if I'm gonna reach my goal of breaking 85 someday.
Good luck, sure you'll get there!
The real advice I would give to a 20, as a 10 and a former 20 myself, is use a 3/4 swing and club up. Learn a straight punch shot and use it to advance the ball when you don't have an easy shot. If you can train a slower more compact swing you will make better contact with less sidespin.
Great reply👍👍
I have implemented that at times. I also think it's important to just get a couple clubs you feel confident in. Even if they end up being short of the green. Just stringing together a few golf shots instead of worm burners can really help your confidence. Still trying to break 90 myself, just gotta continue to get more consistent mainly near/on the green. Have to eliminate the 2 chip to the green and 3 putts. After all eliminating certain mis hits was how I was able to break 100 and eventually 95. 90 is next, 85 is the ultimate goal.
that’s a good idea, any tips for when it absolutely MUST not go higher than say 20 feet due to an overhanging bough/foliage?
@@therealbonj play a long iron and position the ball on the back foot to de-loft the club further. Don't play a full swing, just like a little punch for 100m or so back onto the fairway. You're not trying to get on or close to the green, just setting up for the 3rd shot. This is an important shot that requires practice. It should be part of your range routine.
100 percent.
Great video....I just took a 10-hole lesson with my instructor. His instruction was almost identical to this video....Keep the videos coming. Thanks
Great to hear and good luck with your golf
Love the idea of the video. Do the same video only you coaching a true 20 handicapper. You hit a beautiful draw hitting every fairway (no shots into the trees) and didn’t duff any shots like a true 20 would. Thanks again.
Great idea, thanks!
Careful JP, they’ll accuse you of using a fake 20 handicapper lol seen this movie before
I jumped from 44 hcp to a 36 hcp using this method. Good job!
Love it!! Well done.
Love this explanation, as a 10 hcp I still play like this. Max score on a hole is a bogey, and because I have distance, and don't take unnecessary risk, I'm able to make pars without risking doubles.... it helps when you have a bit more distance, sure, still, it's avoiding doubles for me all-day
Solid plan.
I definitely need to work on my course management, I can drive 250 yards consistently and keep it in the fairway, I can strike my irons decently well from 210yards and down, and my putting is not too bad yet I score high 90s. Thanks for the tips.
Good luck, keep at it!
Just played 18. This was goal...bogey golf. Lack of consistency killed the dream of breaking 90. First tee shot 50 yards right. Bombed second shot to 150 out. Third shot just short of green. On in 4 two put. A couple of chunked approach shots on the next couple of holes. Deep rough surrounding the green on a par 3 cost me two chips. On in 3, 3 put a very sloped green for a 6. Strategy is spot on, I need more consistency and better ball striking to be able to execute. Thanks for a great video!
All this is great advice, but one can play smart as hell, safe shots, even good ball striking MOST of the time. But 3 putts, missed one-putt opportunities, chunked chips, slices or shanks, thinned sand shots...all those equal either a few Doubles mixed in, pars that should've been birdies, bogeys that should've been pars...this is what truly separates a 18-20 handicap from a 10. Playing smart like this definitely gives you the CHANCE to break 90 but 75% of the time you're still at 90-94. What makes a 20-handicappee can be many reasons.
I'm a 17 handicap currently, meaning i AVERAGE an 89-90. BUT...all those things I mentioned happen. Maybe I'm yanking my drives that day and I'll pu ch out, play for bogey, but miss my 5 foot bogey putt, now ive GOTTA get a par to make up for the dub
This is great info. Definitely more important than watching 1,000 videos on swing breakdowns
Hope it helps!
Really good video. I know this is the sensible way to play but then always reach for the driver or 3 wood off the deck and wonder where the double and treble bogeys come from! I'll certainly try and play a round in this fashion to see what difference it can make to my score!
Good luck
My distances are 7 iron - 120; 6 iron 135; 5-iron goes 150, and 4-iron 165... sometimes, and the last three also slice a little, and duff quite frequently. I use 9-iron from within 30 yards down to just off the green. 18 handicap, but you hit your irons a lot further than most of us.
Great video Jon I am a mid handicapper great simple tips well done just subscribed keep up the great content
Love it, thanks!
Great video, im at this stage, play well cant get the end result, good to try 👍
Good luck
Your course management strategy is what I use as a 13 handicapper. But even as a 13 HC, I hit some shanks, hozzle rockets, duffs in a standard round. A 20 handicap is not going to be a consistent hitter like you . I average about 84 but my dispersal range goes from 78 to raising the bat for the tonne. Practice practice practice, but most importantly, just have fun. At the end of the day, your score is just a number.
I agree - enjoy it.
Good video Jon and definitely gets you thinking. I have played better since identifying where the trouble is and avoiding it. The only time I fall down is from wayward tee shots so need to improve my consistency there
Great to have a plan and glad you enjoyed the video!
Great video mate, really highlights how important chipping and putting are to scoring better. Reminds me of the stuff Golf Sidekick is putting out there 👍
Thanks mate (and hope you had a good holiday!)
@@JonPerkinsGolf still on holiday, nothing better than watching you plot your way around a course while sipping on a cocktail on a beach in Greece 😂🍹
@@samcrossland5325 living your best life!! 🙂
I shot 42 over 9 holes by thinking like this just last weekend. I’ve never broken 100 as an adult (Age 38) and I don’t have a handicap…. Even if you have a handful of shanks and double/triple bogeys in your round, this way of golfing will definitely give you a more enjoyable day out!
Awesome job, well done!
Solid advice. Thank you for making this video.
You're welcome, hope it helps!
Thanks for this Jon, you are clearly a good Golfer already, very easy swing. Interesting you did not use a Driver in your overview ? It would be good to see what you do when you get into an awkward play area, something I can really relate with.
Thanks David. It's true that in trying to play within myself to show the course management approach, I didn't get in much trouble. I'm sure I can cover that in future videos :-) Part of the playing within yourself idea is to hopefully avoid more of the trouble, but I get your point for sure. Thanks for watching
Thiis is great advice if you're a 15 handicap but strike the ball perfectly off of every tee and every fairway. It's awesome to see that I don't need to make any swing changes, all I need to do it hit the ball perfectly, just less distance.
Totally get what you mean. I'm trying to help with the strategy part for those with a semi consistent shot pattern and basing on averages (in terms of distances). But get you for sure.
Brilliant video. My biggest problem is going for the big hit. Always end up in trouble 😢
Thanks and hope it helps somehow.
As an 18-year old Airman, in the Air Force, I went to our on base clubhouse, and purchased a used set of clubs for $20. I bought a small book on golf by Jack Nicklaus, and read it cover to hover. He said to chip and put for 75% of your practice time. I did. After three months, I was in the mid 80's and was essentially there for the next 50 years. For about a ten year period, I was close to 80. Chip putt putt chip. Get to the course a half hour before your buddies, and practice your putting. I NEVER three putted the first hole..but my friends did. A lot.
Good video Jon - really shows if you look for safety and play within yourself, good results are possible 😅
Now let's see you put it into action 🙂
@@JonPerkinsGolf sort out the shoulders and who knows
Comments re shanks tops slices are right on the mark - I think the tip about taking wedge or 9 iron vs sand wedge and swinging smoothly rather than trying to hit more lofted club to limit of range is a good one - I hit my wedge 115 when I’m hitting it great but I do better when I take 9 iron and try to hit middle of green
Great if people take even one or two good ideas away to help them
Nice. Really makes a hack like me want to get back into Golf after 10 years off.
Do it!!
Great video and advice. I will practice more patience next time. Makes great sense.
Good luck
Im a 9 handicap and I’d say it is really about playing it safe, most of the time shooting for the center of the green taking your misses into consideration and locking in on the putt
Good plan
Need to see a couple slices and chunks and how to overcome those. I think aside from the course mgt tips which were great btw, a 20hcp will mishit shots and find themselves in a lot of trouble.
Great course management video.
Thanks, hopefully it helps!
It took the whole video and reading many of the comments before the lessons of your video sunk in. Honestly, I shoot 120-130, so if I went out with a 7 iron and a putter, could I get any worse? I average a 2.28 putt and fairway at 64.4%, so my most significant problems are everything happening in the fairway and that points to hero ball. When the season starts again (I live in snow country), I think I'll reduce my bag to driver, putter, and 6-9 iron and see how it goes. Thanks for this. My real goal is to be consistently below 110 and stars align below 100.
I'm at 18 Handicap, but my best round this year (Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, NZ) was an 81, and started with a 7 and three putted the last. Two bad holes a round won't hurt, if you can play tidy otherwise.
Yes, this guy's a pretty good golfer. Yes, we get that, but what he's trying to tell you as a whole is that you don't have to always go for it play hero ball..Be smart about your golf round stay within your means and hopefully it helps you have a decent round. You don't need to pick it apart and say this guy's that, or this, or that he's just trying to help you out. Change your mindset at times that's really hard to do when your golfing cut gets stubborn. You wanna make the shot of your life every time.
I agree that course management is a huge factor and helps reduce those strokes we throw away. However, courses that have a forced carry off the tee or a forced carry to a green on multiple holes makes it difficult to execute this strategy.
Says trouble spots on the first Par 5 are the bunkers. I say the trouble spots for me is the carpark and the club house behind the green 🤣
Stay calm and keep good timing on your swings. Trust your club and let it to the work for you. Timing is everything. Taking that, I went from a consistent 105+ score to low 90s and even an 88.
Btw that 88 was with a four over on the first hole. Remember stay calm and get it on the next one.
Love it!
I would also advise on how to practice. Practice chipping and putting and then make sure you’ve got a few clubs you can hit consistently, like 7-PW and maybe one longer club off the tee (hybrid, wood, etc.)
Love it
Great course manage,ent for small golf courses. However more and more course (in Australia) are playing longer courses.
Great course management video for scoring. Like to mention though that if someone can hit iron shots, chip and putt like you...don't think breaking 90 is an issue..
Thanks for watching along. Totally get your point. I was trying to put across some course management ideas and other tips, but yes, I do probably strike it more consistently than a 90 ish shooter.
I love everything about this vide excpet that silly chipper. I get why you suggest using it...but I've never been able to justify putting a club in my bag that has only one use...I'll continue to chip with my 6i - 8i - or PW.
Keep at it if it works for you 👍 Thanks for the great feedback.
You need to factor in thins and fats mate I’m around the 20 HC mark and lost balls off the tee are my biggest problem even hitting 5 iron didn’t fix it I hit my driver 250-70 can hit my 5 iron 200 off the tee unfortunately it’s a 50/50 of hitting the fairway
Great video. Thank you. Maybe I will be able to resist driver, metals and hybrids and do this.
Thanks and good luck
Shot 91 yesterday with a triple bogey on the front 9 and a 9 on the back nine so not too far off... just need to kill the occasional horror miss / wasted shot + 3 putts.
Good luck with it
The problem with playing bogey golf to break 90 is that it doesnt get rid of blow up holes. It isnt that we couldnt break it if our mode shots per hole evened out. The problem comes with those 2-3 “outlier” holes we have per round where we shoot an 8 on a par 4.
I break 90 almost every time. My goal for 2025 is to break 80.
The biggest source for improvement has been for me to setup a simulator in my house. Though I still shank more balls than I would prefer, my consistency has been massively improved.
On the simulator, I've already broken 80 a few times. If you can spare the space and have money enough to pay to get that setup, I highly recommend that to anyone that wants to improve their game.
This doesn't take away the benefits of lessons but it has impacted my game more than anything else in years.
Good job!
never touched a driver or wedge, this is exactly how i broke 100, hopefully break 90 in the coming weeks, then 80 before end of year after getting fitted for a driver I can control better.
Good luck
I feel like you made this video for me! Lots of talk of 15 handicappers and 3 putting!
You said that, not me...🤣
I tell you about my last round on Sunday and then this comes out! If I didn't know better, I'd say Jon Perkins golf is trolling me!
Loving the highlighting of the Shire courses.
Some gems down there!
The short game is everything. Keep the ball in the fairway off the tee. You’ve gotta chip it reasonably enough to avoid the three putt. Avoiding the big number is a must. I really need to work on the short game and, unfortunately, I’m a terrible short putter.
Good luck and enjoy the journey.
Yeah great advice mate, did exactly this two days ago and hit every fairway ended up on my 17 handicap! Moral of the story put the driver away for a while until you can learn to hit it properly 😂
Great video, if i keep my Driver in the bag my score gets alot better
Thanks!
For a high handicapper like me the course management is excellent. Only problem is I have is striking the ball consistently which results in thinning shots in the water or not getting the actual distance that one should get using that particular club and that throws the whole concept out of the window.
I'd say that in that scenario it makes course management and club selection really important. But, good luck.
I’m a 15 & still found this very useful 😁
Great to hear
Bogey golf changed my entire attitude on the course. Once that became the goal, going lower was suddenly easier.
Solid plan.
I totally understand eliminating using the sand wedge, but when do you use the sand wedge?
I think it's a club that has a big place but with practice and confidence. In bunkers and once people build consistency with it. The idea I wanted to get across was that for those wanting to bring their scores down, don't feel you have to play it, or that it's the only option. I was hoping to get people thinking about their options. Good luck anyway
@@JonPerkinsGolf Thank you!
“but again…not trying to do anything fancy” that’s the only reason I play golf 😅 if i get one birdie a round, i can forget the 3 triple bogeys pretty easily
😃
I'm 15 and my issues are always bunkers or thick grass this video was very helpful but ego doesn't change unless $$ stakes change it
Great video Jon, so wish I could remember to play like this instead of just smashing everything, thank you
Haha thank you and good luck with that!
great video - and love and miss the Aussie bird sounds
They're unique, that's for sure!!
The tips are great and he is right! The issue is people who shoot 90+ spray left and right with driver. We scuff a shot from time to time, we don’t hit the ball perfect like he does. We play out of rough every single hold even if we hit the fairway. He has hit the fairway every time and never end in danger just saying…
That course looks like hell. Where is this?
Most likely a public course.
woolooware golf club, NSW Australia.
Can you do an 'under 90" from under trees round, that's more where I like to play, apparently
😂
Can you use a 4 hybrid instead of a chipper around the green?
Absolutely! Really it's whatever you're comfortable with and reduces the risks - if you like the hybrid, good luck with it!
When I play actual meaningful golf my strategies are as follows.
1. When you are practicing / playing you treat it as it matters.
2. When just practicing , practice chipping , putting , 100 yards in.
3. Off tee box , hit shots you can keep in play , learn how to not lose balls / shots.
4. When around the green take easiest path to not duff.
5. Your first putt is to make sure you make 2nd so limit 3 putts.
6. Figure out the best part of your game and try to give yourself those shots as much as possible.
7. Play it as it lies always and take your medicine , hero shots are only for outcomes you know a miss still puts you in a decent position.
8. Don’t cheat your self , you have to learn to shoot 120 for real to shoot 90
It's an interesting video, but you absolutely need to have some sort of swing consistency to break 100 or 90. To me, that's the first thing I'm trying to improve. I'll give you an exemple.
I played 100 Wednesday, and I was proud of some of my shots during the round. On one hole though, a 320-ish yards par-4, I managed to get a 260 yards drive in the rough on the left of the fairway. Second shot, I chip it 3-4 yards short of the green on the right. Third shot, I chunked it and then, I two-putted for a bogey. Putting up four shots inside 60 yards is a prime exemple of how high handicappers like me get higher scores. I feel like if I can save 10-12 shots in a round because of better ball striking, then that's when I'll be able to play 90-95. You can go forward from there.
@@SimServant I’m just getting back into golf after 12+ years away. I’m a 17 and years ago was as low as 13. I agree with you. One can lose a lot around the green, and there is a lot of good material out there that teaches short game technique, or a few lessons with a pro can help. Having said that, the short game only can do so much unless the golfer also improves the consistency of his ball-striking on the full swing, and honestly if one can get the full swing more consistent, that will help the short game too. Improving at a 10-30 is about making your “misses” smaller, wherever in your game they occur. A better approach to course management helps, but is not enough.
@@scooter5940l agree with you 100% - I can take a six iron ‘for safety’ and hit it just as badly as a stronger club and be in just as bad a position but 30 meters shorter of green I need to practice getting on green 50 to 75 m out within 2 putt range
Yeah well don't forget the OB tee shot, and because you're playing a public course you take drop where it went out so you are already hitting 4 on a par 4 and you are still 200+ yards away. Then you hit your 4th shot into a green side bunker, scull your 5th shot over the green. Chip your 6th shot to within 12 feet and if you're lucky, 2 putt from there for an 8.
@@thomashoffman5745 I hear you loud and clear hahaha
Course management works well when you have consistent swings and ball striking. If you play with a bunch of mis-hits and your ball is over the place, course management will have minimal impact when your par and bogey shots are taking place off the green
Don't think I've ever seen a 20 handicap hit 6/7/8 irons so consistently and on target! I understand the concept, but a bit misleading.
Just trying to get across some concepts, but totally take your point.
Maybe play this again with the same tactics but use some really forgiving old blades to give it a more accurate feel @@JonPerkinsGolf
@@MonkeySaurusPantsmake sure that your dad bought them when he was 36 and stored them in a garage for 20 years. Dont regrip them. Dried cracked leather grips. The shafts should be a mix of senior flex and hickory.
I sure don't.
Since I've been using the putting stroke & maintaining a fairly rigid Y shape in my chipping, my short game has improved greatly. Great video, I'm going to implement your strategy tomorrow. Thanks
Do you have a video on breaking 120?
So it appears to me, that using or choosing your club which will yield the best results you can consistently hit correctly will put a 20 or 15 handicap in a position to break 90. Makes sense if my opinion is correct, however, are you putting more steess on getting your short game perfect? Also, I can be wrong about this, but your extending your round longer than 4 or 4.5 hours. Your logic makes sense and I will give it a try.
Good luck.
great advice. One really has to "step back" on the course and not try to hit the "TV shots" that work only 20% of the time or less.
Agreed
Good video a lot of people can learn from. Basically don't be greedy as a high handicapper😊
It's a good start...