I play a lot of golf with a lot of different types of golfers. A fairly big crowd of scratch and plus-handicap golfers, but just as many 10-to-15 handicaps, too.
Over time I’ve noticed certain trends arise. Not just in their games, but also in the things golfers say about their games.
On the face of it, that might not seem too important. But it can be revealing. Revealing about golfers’ mindset, attitude, and the various pitfalls they fall into because of it.
This is that list, but first, a quick disclaimer: I’m sure there are scratch golfers who say some version of one of these things. This is unscientific and anecdotal based on stuff I’ve noticed over the years. I think it’s broadly correct enough to learn from, but don’t take it too literally.
1. “I hate this hole”
It’s natural for golfers to have favorite holes and holes they don’t particularly like. But in my experience, when a lower handicap finds a hole they don’t like, they tend to get specific about what makes them uncomfortable. They’ll say something like, “this tee shot doesn’t fit my eye,” and adjust strategy because of it. They’ll tee their driver lower, for instance, or drop down to a 3-wood or 2-iron.
David Cannon
Higher handicaps tend to really hype up the entire hole itself “I hate this hole,” but without actually changing much about how they play it.
Which creates a new problem…
2. “I always do that on this hole”
Again, while lower handicaps tend to acknowledge what, specifically, makes them uncomfortable and adjust accordingly, higher handicaps draw on their past bad experiences about the hole generally, almost like they’re expecting it to happen again. They’re not surprised when they hit a bad shot because, in many ways, it’s what they were expecting to do.
3. “It’s about 160”
Usually this is the result of laziness. Rather than zapping the pin, they eyeball it, or estimate based on how far one of their nearby playing partners has.
Yes, there are times on those windy days when the specific number is less important. And of course, we’re all for a quicker pace of play. But getting a specific number matters more than you think. It takes about 15 seconds to get a number to the pin, and one more to either the front or middle of the green. Now you have a little zone to aim for, and depending on where you hit your ball, you know how far your clubs travel.
I’d pick that golfer over the one who thinks it’s 160 to the pin when it’s actually 155, hits their 6-iron flush, comes up five yards short, and thinks they hit their 6-iron ‘about 160’ when actually, their best six iron only goes about 150.
4. “Nope, missed it”
Admittedly, this one is more general than the others, but over short putts I often hear mid-handicaps get really general about the outcome. Lower handicaps, once again, get specific.
We all miss short putts—it’s part of golf—but lower handicaps quickly make an estimated guess about why they missed it. Did they…
Misread it? Hit the putt too hard or soft? Push or pull the putt?
Some pros even go as far as to have a post-putt routine. They leave the hole not just knowing they missed the putt, but having a good idea why they missed it.
5. “It’s a one-club wind”
Higher handicaps tend to underestimate the effect of the wind. It takes the slightest breath of wind to add an extra club. If it’s gusting, it could easily be an extra three or four clubs—and swinging softer to keep the club lower, too.
Scratch golfers, in my experience, tend to get the actual number, and then make a guess about what number they think it’s playing to. So instead of saying it’s a “one-club wind,” they’ll say something like:
“It’s 163, playing almost 190.”
6. “I figured out my swing”
No, you didn’t.
That’s the beautiful and maddening thing about golf. There’s no such thing as figuring it out. There are times when certain feelings may have clicked, but you can’t magically transform your swing overnight. It takes steady, consistent effort to change your swing. Feel isn’t real.
7. “I don’t have time to work on my swing”
Yes, you do.
I rarely hear scratch golfers say this because the truth is that they’re always working on their golf swing. As Ludvig says: It’s like brushing your teeth. You don’t go months without brushing your teeth then start brushing them for hours every day. Don’t treat your golf swing that way either.
8. “My miss is everything”
Every golfer is capable of hitting every manner of bad shot at a given time. But lower handicaps are really good at identifying a specific miss that they hit which they don’t like—a slice that starts left, for instance—and work backwards from there. Higher handicaps don’t pay attention to what happens on their very worst shots. Perhaps through good intentions, they try to block it out of their mind instead.
9. “I really want to make this”
Usually I hear stuff like this over medium-length putts, like a 15-footer for birdie. They really want to make it, hit it too hard, run it by, and miss the one coming back.
We all really want to make putts. Yes, scratch golfers may even admit as much sometimes. But the way you make putts isn’t by wanting to make putts. It’s by really locking into your process, and staying patient. Trying to force things on low percentage putts is a recipe for mistakes.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
