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Right now, I currently shoot about 120 on 18 holes, and about 50-60 on 9 holes. Do you think it would be possible, with work and practice, to be playing bogey golf by the end of the year? Besides lessons, what else should I do to work to accomplish that goal?

course managment, chipping and putting. 20 strokes right there.

Do you have any advice about course management?

all depends on the course. keep on the fairway as much as posible (if i could only learn that)lol ,what ever your best club is, use it. manytimes, hitting it shorter is better.

i think i said that didn't i? yep i did! league, let the ball roll down the lane.

Shooting 120 basically needs work in all areas...chipping and putting is great once you get to the general area of the green...sometimes difficult getting there...yes you can do it...start by taking the driver out of your bag, even woods and just hit irons and keep the ball in play...then you can chip and putt your way to a better score...

very good advice, much better than leagues.

i think that it is very possible. it's all about QUALITY practice. when i'm at the range, i work hard on the short range clubs. my pw is 100 yards give or take 4 yards, 9 iron is 108-115, 8 iron is 122-129. i have those ranges dialed in. then i spend HOURS at the chipping area with my lob wedge. i am now working on my putting, which is one of my weaknesses.

like everyone says, short game is the key to lowering a high handicap. its not very hard to get into "money shot" range (140 yards in) on par 4's and 5's. but those strokes will add up fast if you cant get on the green when in that range.

The course management side is to not play for the best possible result when it can open up horrors.

For instance, dont play the lob shot over a bunker to a tight pin when you could chip with an 8 iron and make a safe 2 putt. The first option gives the opportunity that you fluff it in the bunker, fail to get it out, thin it.... you will much more easily take 4 or more to get down than you will 2, so play the percentage for now and make 3. It is just that sort of thing and many people can save alot of shots with such management.

Whats your putting like? I can normall reach the green in two or three and chip well. But i always 3 put which kills me! Even more if a shot goes wrong, ie over shoot the green. Then chip back on, then 3 putt = high score :(

...that would be me... played yesterday and lost almost every ball off the tee...how many strokes did that add?... ...not THAT tough a course either,but DON'T get off the fairway..bye-bye bally if you do(links style course)..and hitting the fairway is PARAMOUNT to sucessful days on the course...
I like your advice... I should have heeded it yesterday...
I haven't carried a driver in my bag this year.. it just makes me lose 'em deeper.....

Actually, I don't consider my putting to be all that bad, considering that I always put the ball on the green more than 10-12 feet away from the hole. I played nine holes yesterday, and here's the number of putting strokes I took per hole: 1) 2 putts; 2) 2 putts; 3) 2 putts; 4) 3 putts ; 5) 2 putts; 6) 2 putts; 7) 0 putts (used putter from fringe from 36 feet); 8) 2 putts; 9) 1 putt.

What I think I need to work on is accuracy with my middle to short irons, and distance control with my chipping. For example, over my last several round, I can think only think of one green I hit from between 70-130 yards out. I usually either push or pull my shot a couple feet into the rough around the green. Likewise, I can think of about half a dozen chips I made with my seven iron that ran within 4-6 inches of the hole, but went a little long, ending up 15-20 feet from the hole, forcing me to two putt the way back.

My driving I think is decent. I don't bomb it 280 yards, but I get about 220 regularly. Again, in my last round (nine holes) I used my driver seven times, hit three fairways, and the other four times I just missed the fairway off in the rough between five-ten feet.

So, I think I need to work on distance control when chipping, and accuracy with my short irons. (I'd love to be able to consistantly hit green from 70-130 yards out. All things considered, that alone, combined with chipping that left me within the distance needed to only take one putt, I think would bring me down to shooting at least double bogey, if not better.

Here's my (slightly unconventional) advice: Play your next ten or twenty non-competitive rounds with a five iron, a wedge, and a putter. This will force you to use your imagination more, learn to hit high and low shots where you need them, and will teach you all you need to know about course management.

And when you say you want to "play bogey golf," I assume that means you want to shoot around 90 consistently -- if that's the case, I think shaving 30 strokes from your game in six months might be a bit overly optimistic. I've worked pretty hard over six years to get my game from a 14 index to a 6, and I play 120 rounds/year. I'm not saying its impossible, but you might have to give up sleep and work to get it done.

I was thinking of shooting 90, but actually I'd be happy to be shooting anywhere in the 90's. I just really want to get below 100.

Take out a scorecard and write a cumulative total that equals your target...5 for every hole equals 90 and so on...I was suprised the first time that I did this what it would take to reach a certain number...and it was certainly not the par score for each hole...realistic expectations translate eaiser to lower scores...