You play a lot of golf.  You even practice often.  But you still aren’t a scratch golfer.

Why?

The answer is simple and may piss you off.

You haven’t put in the work.

I recently read a post on social media by someone who clearly plays a lot of golf and appears to practice quite a bit as well.

He indicates he’s about a 3 handicap.  That’s pretty good, and almost scratch.

He posted a video of his swing after learning a new swing tip.

He indicated that he has taken hundreds of lessons during his golf career.

Yet, with all of the rounds he’s played and practice he’s put in, he has not put in enough work to be a scratch golfer.

This is an individual issue.

His swing looks good enough to keep it in play, but something is holding him back from consistently breaking par.

In regard to athleticism, he looks to be about average, which is all you need to become a scratch golfer.

My guess is he hasn’t put in enough work on his short game and putting or has not played enough competitive rounds.

Some golfers can become a scratch golfer by playing and practicing less than this guy.  They put in enough work to help them get to that level.

Some people with less ability must put in more work.

A friend of mine from high school did just that.

He is two years older than I am, and on our high school team his senior year he never played at better than #5 on our team.

At that time, he was probably a 5 to 8 handicap.

After college he got to work on his game and by the time he was in his thirties he turned himself into one of the better golfers in our area.

He went to the top instructors in the area to get instruction on his swing, played a ton of golf and practiced a lot.

You may not have enough knowledge either

While the earlier example of the golfer who’s received hundreds of lessons would suggest he has significant knowledge, it’s apparent that he doesn’t.

Once you get into low single digits, you don’t need golf lessons if you have the knowledge.

Years ago, I didn’t have the knowledge.

I would try different things and feels for my swing when I got out of whack, or I would get a lesson.

Occasionally, this would help, but I never learned anything.

When I decided to start teaching, I traveled to Texas to attend a Hank Haney teaching seminar.

I ultimately received a lesson from Hank in front of all the other teachers in attendance.

The reason for this was that earlier in the day we had time to hit balls on the range and he had someone video our swings.

As it turned out, I had a particular flaw he wanted to demonstrate how to fix… the stuck position in the down swing.

It was a similar issue that Tiger had dealt with, and it can cause misses to the left and right.

In my case, those were big misses.

Anyhow, Hank analyzed my swing, showed me why I had the big two-way miss, and we picked up on a couple other issues.

I never had that knowledge before and that was the last lesson I ever received.

Now, when I struggle, I can recognize the issue based on my ball flight and work on the correction.

If needed, I’ll take video of my swing to help identify what I need to work on.

How to become a scratch golfer

If you have average athletic ability and the time to work on your game and play often, you can get down to scratch within three years.

I am not saying it is easy, and for some it will be more difficult than for others.

To become a scratch golfer, you have to work on different skills.

Pick one skill to try and master every couple of months.

Give that skill most of your attention until it becomes second nature.

For most golfers, I recommend getting to work on the 9 to 3 golf swing (a half swing) to master the art of ball striking.

Once you are able to consistently hit wedge shots with good direction and distance control, you are well on your way to becoming a better ball striker.

Learn how to practice with intent and focus, and you will develop your skills more quickly.

I’ve laid out the process for achieving your golf potential in my Samurai Golfer Program.

If you are ready to get to work, then check that out.