After almost every round of golf my main playing partner likes to repeat something he claims his instructor told him, that is more than 90% of those who take up golf never hit under 100.
I was wondering how accurate you guys thought this was or is he just trying to take the frustration off of what seems to be painfully slow progress?
A buddy of mine just started playing he is 35 and he has a set of knock - offs
driver, irons and woods. He been play for 4 months now.
He and I go out and play all the time and he shoots in the 100s but he works at his game and just last week he shot is 1st 95.
Just stay focus and work on your game it will happen.
90% may be a bit high. But I've played with enough "bogey golfers" & their 3 foot gimmes, 1 mulligan a side, get yourself a nice lie, etc. to know that there a many out there who "think" they break 100 regularly who don't.
Well I guess from the responses here that the statement can be considered somewhat accurate. Now that I am getting through the course with less than half a dozen golf balls my attention has begun to switch from just keeping the ball in play to shooting lower scores. I guess that can be construed as some sort of progress.
I would be interested to know how long it takes the average golfer to start hitting in th 90s on a consistent basis. About five months in I hit a few rounds in the mid to upper 90s. My logic at that point was that when I started out hitting in the 120s; was that if I can knock 25 strokes off my game in just five months I should be setting the course record by this time next year
Unfortunately it was a two step forward one step back deal as since then I am averaging slightly over 100 per round. The shouda, couda, woudas still reign prevalent. "shouda used more club" "if I couda hit a few more puts" "if I wouda hit a few less fat shots" etc. I guess overall things are getting better, its just hard sometimes to take a step back and realize it.
If I ever do live up to my daily threat to quit the game for good. I will probably look back a few months later and say, "I shouda been less hard on myself"
Well Murph, it sounds like your making great progress, but expect the law of diminishing returns to kick in soon unless your decide to really devote yourself to the game. I started at age 10/11 playing 9-hole rounds. I was shooting in the mid-80's by the time I was in my mid-teens and don't really remember the 1st time I had my 1st sub-100 or sub-90 round. I do recall my only 2 sub-80 rounds & a handful of 80's, though. I've haven't really improved in the 30 years since...never played more than once a week April-Oct. & never had a lesson. It's still the most fun you can have standing up.
My logic at that point was that when I started out hitting in the 120s; was that if I can knock 25 strokes off my game in just five months I should be setting the course record by this time next year.
Right after I first started I read a quote somewhere that said, "It's easier to go from a 10 handicap to a 1 handicap than it is to go from a 1 handicap to Scratch (0). I thought, how could that be? That's got to be baloney.
Then I went to a golf school, worked diligently on my game and lowered my handicap. The only problem was.....the lower my handicap, the harder it got to shave off another stroke. That's when I realized that the quote was absolutely right! The better you get, the harder it is, and more work it takes, to lower your handicap. It IS easier to go from the 100's to the 80's than it is to go from 80 to Scratch. It takes work either way, but the higher your scores the easier it is to lower them.
Unless you play this game competitively and continue to work hard on your game year round, every golfer will eventually find a scoring average that he/she will rarely exceed by more than 3-4 strokes. You will often score higher, but a round that's more than 4 strokes lower than your scoring average won't happen very often. On a more positive note....when you do have one of those days it's reason to celebrate! After all....isn't that one of the reasons we play the game?
I've been gone for a few days but thought I'd weigh in. The statement would be correct within the right context. A golfer is defined by the statistical "trackers" as someone who plays 5 or more rounds a year. So based on that there are a lot of people included in that statistic that many of us wouldn't consider a "golfer."
The other thing you have to consider is that most "golfers" do not play by the rules. If you look at the results of our Club Championship, we had people shooting NET 80's. That simply shows that they take too many "gimmies" and don't follow correct procedures which they must in a competition. Keep in mind that taking gimmies doesn't help you, in fact it hurts you because your handicap doesn't truly represent your ability.
.....that is more than 90% of those who take up golf never hit under 100.
NYET. NO. NINE. I don't believe this whatsoever. I've only been playing golf for 7 years or so, but I think this is a ridiculously high percentage - I see MOST people I encounter on the golf course can easily break 100.
If you changed the statement to: "90% of those who have touched a golf club in their lives never hit under 100". I'd believe it!
NYET. NO. NINE. I don't believe this whatsoever. I've only been playing golf for 7 years or so, but I think this is a ridiculously high percentage - I see MOST people I encounter on the golf course can easily break 100.
If you changed the statement to: "90% of those who have touched a golf club in their lives never hit under 100". I'd believe it!
You've got to take into effect the rules though as stated before. How many guys actually play the ball down, hit in the water and take the proper strokes, out of bounds and take proper strokes, etc. I know most average golfers that say they can shoot mid 80's normally will hit in the water, drop one and take no strokes, or hit out of bounds and drop one inside the out of bounds or something rathen then going and hitting from the original spot. I think if every golfer that played followed the rules like they are wrote then most people wouldn't break 100.
You've got to take into effect the rules though as stated before. How many guys actually play the ball down, hit in the water and take the proper strokes, out of bounds and take proper strokes, etc. I know most average golfers that say they can shoot mid 80's normally will hit in the water, drop one and take no strokes, or hit out of bounds and drop one inside the out of bounds or something rathen then going and hitting from the original spot. I think if every golfer that played followed the rules like they are wrote then most people wouldn't break 100.
I think that the OB rule is the one most frequently broken. Often it just isn't realistic to go back to where you hit your original shot, but it's surprising how many don't know that if you're going to drop one back in bounds you should add 2 instead of 1.
I'd say that is right. When I started I always playe 9 holes only. I usually shot in the 50's somewhere. Now I'm PO'd if I shoot over 84............yes for 18 holes
Last edited by DR.billZ : October 12th, 2004 at 04:28 PM.
October 10th, 2004, 06:14 PM
That's when I realized that the quote was absolutely right! The better you get, the harder it is, and more work it takes, to lower your handicap. It IS easier to go from the 100's to the 80's than it is to go from 80 to Scratch. It takes work either way, but the higher your scores the easier it is to lower them. 
On a more positive note....when you do have one of those days it's reason to celebrate! 
After all....isn't that one of the reasons we play the game? 
I've only been playing golf for 7 years or so, but I think this is a ridiculously high percentage - I see MOST people I encounter on the golf course can easily break 100.
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