Struggling to play to your handicap can be very frustrating for any golfer.
It’s a question that pops up time and time again and in the video and article below I’ll be giving you a few tips you can follow to help you in your quest to play to your actual handicap. Remember, you’re not going to be able to play to your handicap every time you tee it up in a competition.
Why can’t I play to my handicap?
Dan Whittaker is an elite golf swing and performance coach based at High Legh. For more information, visit his website or click here for more advice.
How to play to my handicap?
As discussed by Dan in the above video, you need to take into consideration is your ability to plan the golf course out and have a strategy before you tee off. There are going to be certain holes on the course that will be easier, and some will be a little more difficult. It’s about knowing your strategy so you are aware where you are getting shots on the course.
A course guide is a great tool to help plan out your round if you’re new to a course. If it’s your home golf club you have plenty of time to try different shots out. Whether this be laying up before a certain hazard or going for it, you’ll learn which strategy works best for you and your scorecard.
A few other things to consider when playing is the course condition. If you always hit a driver off of a certain tee but the wind is the complete opposite direction to usual, this is something that needs to be factored in. The same applies when the ground is wetter or firmer.
If you’re not sure which area of your golf game is struggling it might be worth keeping track of some stats. This doesn’t have to be in great detail but simply record how many fairways and greens in regulation that you’ve hit. You might also want to record how many times you got up and down or just how many putts you’ve taken. Over a few rounds, you will be able to identify your area of weakness and then focus on developing that area of your game.
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Perhaps you’ve just had your handicap reduced following a series of good rounds and now you’re struggling to play to it. This is all about managing your expectations. Not every golfer plays to their handicap each round, in fact think of how many times you or your playing partners do. Playing to your handicap is an achievement so don’t beat yourself up if you’ve just been below it.
With the introduction of the World Handicap System (WHS) a few years ago golfers are still trying to find their feet when it comes to handicap index, course rating and slope, course handicap and many other terms. This confusion around golf handicapping can leave some players a little disorientated when trying to figure out the different percentages etc. Having a greater understanding of why they have a certain handicap would help clear a lot of golfers’ minds especially before they tee off.
Conclusion
Many players struggle to play to their handicap regularly and that’s okay. Perhaps you didn’t get much time to play or practice as you usually might. Maybe you’ve been ill or trying to implement a swing change. Playing to your handicap is an achievement so don’t beat yourself up too much if you’re struggling a little now. You never know, your next round could be your best-ever score!
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If you’re struggling with some particular areas of your game, check out our other tips pages below…
- RELATED: How to Stop Topping Your Driver
- RELATED: Six Ways to Get Better at Golf
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