They going to make a big difference like is my driver. For example if i got a new driver will it help me hit it 50 yards further. And if the answer is no well don't bother um it's a long email. But what was quite good it was done in two parts. So there was a kind of first part then.
There was a d rick at the bottom. So when it comes straight to the dear rick it's from um well i'll say it's from joseph um or joe doesn't matter i'm gonna start going unless you say please don't mention my name at all i'm gonna give people's first names we don't know who it is from first name um it says i'm uh 30 years old i've been a member of my golf club just over a year. And got my handicap at 22 pretty quickly over the course the past year i've won a few comps and and placed top 10 a couple of medals and a few the mages and i'm now playing a 14 handicap okay. And let's get down to single figures by this time next.
Year i've had no lessons. So far just tips off the lads at the golf club etcetera will i need lessons to achieve this. And other um other avenues such as new clubs will help me achieve this also what do you think is achievable. So realistically he's a 14 handicapper once it's single figures in a year what would be your kind of top tips did it just mention how long he's been playing. For i think he said he started he joined the club um last year let me just find it again because he said he's 30. yeah i don't think he's been playing that long though without flipping lost well first off he's defending it he's done really well to get down to 14 handicap you know if he has picked up golf fairly recently you know certainly i always think if you're if you're not a kid anymore you're not literally playing every single day without question if you pick it up in your adult life. And get down to 14 in a very short time that's amazing so he has played for a few years but i think the last couple of years it's got property to it. So he's a beginner a beginner-ish really so i think the first thing is obviously pat yourself on the back 17 to 18 handicap is the kind of the uk average. So you're already below that and really now you've you've just got to sharpen up some of your areas you've again you could explore lessons you could explore new golf clubs i'm not ruling those options out um but you have to really look at it and go are they going to make a big difference like is my driver. For example if i got a new driver will it help me hit it 50 yards further. And if the answer is no well don't bother picking up a new driver potentially lessons might be really good if i get all officer i'm a big advocate of lessons as being a golf coach myself lessons are great just go in there with a plan. And make sure that the coach is aware of your intentions. And what you want to try and achieve and try and go in there with just a bit of a loose plan of i feel like my chipping isn't as good as it could be but then.
That's that that's kind of going down the um playing with clubs. And getting a good fitting and having lessons that's one route yes you could definitely take my other route joe will be surround yourselves with the best players in the club like if you just want to if you just want to do it the organic way surround yourselves with single-figured golfers. So when you when you the golf course is reopened again. And the saturday start sheet comes up on the on the notice board or on the website pinpoint a group of good players and stick your name down with them what's good well it varies on twitter in this situation people who he wants to emulate so i think single figure golfers category one golf category is still a thing by the way okay there's any more. But yeah five handed cap. Or less stick your name down you might feel awkward you might feel out of place at first because you might think i'm not good enough to play with these single figure handicappers. But don't worry like 14 is nothing to be embarrassed about like if 14 handicapper played with me i would be oh i'd be delighted like there wouldn't be an issue i wouldn't feel like well i wouldn't feel like anyone would be slowing me down anyway. But just get those conceptions out yeah i think just a note on that what you're saying that you know when i was a lower handicapper years you were at your golf club it didn't matter who you appeared it was only a sound yeah really someone's got 28 you're going to feel nerves of 28 playing with the four handicappers scratch handicap a ten handicap. But as long as you're a nice person no one's really bothered that's a note on that. But carry on sorry yeah. So surround yourself with good players learn what they do. But just just play with good players like practice with good players play with them like get in there click if you can um because it definitely makes a huge difference i really do think that yeah. So there's two routes yeah go down maybe have a look at some lessons get some really good expertise improve on a few areas that you need to improve on i don't know your strengths. And weaknesses joe particularly but trying to identify those when you go to the lesson think that the process is sped up yes potential look into the new golf clubs if you feel they're holding you back that's one route then.
The other route is just play with good players you will see what they do you'll you'll enhance your game your ability by surrounding yourselves with better players on a weekly basis that's a good shout out i hadn't thought of that about playing with better players because you do pick up stuff don't even little things like um well actually just come on to that i actually. So a guy messaged me with a very similar question almost exactly the same question on instagram and you know i'm into voice notes recently i would send you voice notes sent him a voice message back wow and he was basically asking me um he wanted some good advice became straight to me obviously he was asking the same thing he was off i think he's not 14 want to get down to nine. And i didn't what you've said then.
Is really good point i'm playing better players. But one thing i said which is kind of similar-ish is just if you're off 14 you know you've probably got in your locker to shoot single figure handicap scores nine overs etcetera. But so much of when i've heard of some friends you're off that kind of handicap in that ballpark it's it's the compound errors so it's like let's say there's a par three and you're going a decent tee shot again you're 14 you're going to strike it quite well you go in the front bunker that's annoying instead of getting it out. And then.
Maybe two putting for a bogey it's either trying to play a shot or having the confidence to end up either leaving in or sculling it through the back and next.
Thing it's a five now it's only one shot more but if you do that two. Or three times around it adds up doesn't it same as in the trees you've done videos on this before if you go into the trees take your medicine chip out and take the bogey don't worry about it um but that's something you would again learn from playing with better players but for me that's a big one it's just just making those errors not as bad yeah. And how many times he had high handicappers you can strike it. But they'll just do silly things that i don't know. And then.
Sorry the very last one on that again i touched on what you've said loads of times just that whole thing. And this is again i said on the voice note was that thing of how many people of that kind of ability again can play. But we'll get to the fourth hole which is a path three. And get the right tie now i always had eight ten on here but the t's five yards forward five yards back the pins in different places more wins just be a little bit more mindful of your shots yeah definitely. And i think again with experience you don't sound like you've played loads of golf. Yet joe the more experience you get you'll get better at that anyway because you you will be thinking less about some other things that you think is really important right now that you might have to consciously be thinking about that becomes a subconscious. And then.
You can actually free yourself up to play much better golf well that was that was good advice. For joe that was really good advice just going back do you think we cleared up.
