2 years now really and dont play at all in the winter though i plan to this year. ive had about 12 lessons in that time. id say half of them lesson have been a bit useless. but what it has given me is understanding of the swing, well a lot of it still dont know everything.

For me the turning point that let me go from 24 to what im at now was learning a few simple things. coming from the inside, hip rotation, and learning how to score well, oh and getting a decent putter.

i would say most higher handicap golfers could save 3 or 4 shots by leearning good course managment and maybe 5 shots from learnign how to chip and putt well.

oh i forgot to add good alignment is soo important

Absolutely LGL.

Without natural talent I would not have been able to slash my handicap from 18 to 15 in little over 17 years. I guess you've either got it or you ain't.

The game of golf like most individual sports needs to be practiced and those who practice and have the innate natural ability get better and those who just play stay the same.

I love it and reached my peak as a low single figure golfer in my forties now in my fifties rising slowly (currently 10) if I can stay competitive until my eighties or like our good friend Bo I will be happy

Slugger.  Have you had or do you intend to have lessons?

I took up golf nearly 2 years ago having never hit a ball before at the age of 32 after playing a lot of football and cricket.  I decided up front that if I was going to try and play golf i'd invest in the lessons.  I had lessons on and off for the first year and cut from shooting 110 - 120 (without lessons) to shooting mid to high 80's and a handicap of 16.  I stopped taking lessons, have had a bad back, not played and not practiced as much as a result and i'm now shooting in the high 80's, low 90's most of the time when I go out. 

I've decided I still want to have a crack at getting to single figures but am sure I am not the kind of person who can do this without lessons and a lot of hard practice so as soon as I am fully fit again i'm restarting lessons again and am going to dedicate more time to the range and putting greens.

A key thing I have learnt...

Learning to putt and chip is much more important than being able to hit the driver.  Keep the ball on the fairway and you'll be most of the way there.   I know I am often rubbish with the big stick so I tend not to carry it unless i'm feeling confident.  My scores dont seem to suffer much as a result (if anything I shoot better - best 83 last year with max 4 iron)

Confidence and positive thinking is so important.  If you can go out thinking you will hit each shot in the right zone you will usually execute the shot fine.  If you go out wondering where the ball will shank / top / slice / hook you are just as likely to make a mess of it.    Take a deep breath, focus on your objective and do it.

If you show a knack for the game and can afford regular lessons with a good pro and dedicate time to a lot of practice I dont think its unreasonable to get to single figures in 2 to 3 years.  

There has to be a 'natural talent' side to it or I am missing something about the game. I have practiced every area of my game and on certain days can play good golf but not good enough to only take only a couple of shots over par getting round - hell I only have to miss the 180 yard 14th green and that's a shot gone and I only have to fail to reach the 456 yard par 4 1st, or  the 442 yard par 4 6th in two and that's another two shots gone, not to mention the 455 yard par 4 13th or the 197 yard par 3 14th. 

...and sometimes I can take double bogey on 'em 'cos they're also surrounded by bunkers and water and other crap and stuff 

Yep - you gotta have natural talent

This has developed into a good wee thread... thanks for all the responses.

I have indeed had lessons. I got 4 bought for me for my birthday and have taken another block of 9 of which i have one more to come. Then i think i'll take one lesson every month or so just to make sure i'm not going of in some silly direction with my swing.

I practice the short game more than any other part and am finding my chipping and putting progressing well.

I've put my cards in and am currently waiting to hear what handicap i have. I have a round tonight, so i think i'll try leaving the driver in the bag apart from where necessary.

I have played to a high level in other sports, so know what work is required, but it's been good to hear everyones different views and how you've all got on and progressed (or not!) in the game.

Personally I dont think there is natural talent at golf. I do think average or better hand to eye co-ordination helps a bit, but the "talents" one requires arent the physical ones. Its far more to do with the mental and attitude aspects - tenacity, commitment, focus, willingness to work hard at it, objectivity.

When I look at the better players I know varying in age from 13 to 72 all of them do or have in the past worked extremely hard at their golf for a concentrated period of time. I hear people say they work at their golf, they go down the range once a week and 15 mins on the putting green. Every little helps, but that will only take one so far. I see so many golfers around the 10 handicap mark who can play very well but just dont get what is required to go to the next level. If developing that understanding is "natural talent" then they dont have it. From what I see, its the cry of the under achiever to think others are somehow blessed, but they are not. But the reality is they lack the commitment to become one of the blessed. 

I am helping the daughter of a friend with her golf game. She is 13, has had loads of lessons and has a terrific golf swing, but her father is exasperated that the pro's only wanna teach golf swing and not how to play and score. Anyway, we are on the practise green the other night and I have given her a little game/drill to try. Sky blackens and it pisses down stair-rods, we run for the clubhouse veranada. She wouldnt come, she's there getting drenched in a fleece top because she is determined to complete the game. Half an hour she's out in the puring rain. Have a 15 year old friend who is very tall for his age, hits the ball a mile, and his father owns the course and range where I practise. A real nice lad. He simply will not practise despite having all the facilities. He sits around all day eating Mars Bars and playing with his Ipod and Mobile phone, plays a lot but wont work at it, at all. His game is static at and not improving, the young girl's game is imrpoving fast. If they are both still golfing in 10 years time who is your money on to be a "good player"?

Agree with Post above but 'Natural Talent' has to be defined as a Physical Gift you are born with....surely ?

... Ie. an amalgamation of - 

• hand eye coordination
• good vision
• exceptional touch
• spatial awareness and enhanced visualisation ability 
• objectivity with a strong capacity for deductive reasoning and risk assessment
• adrenal glands that are not  over active under pressure
• flexibility and the physical stature and natural bio mechanics to make a more natural and repeatable golf swing
• competitiveness with a determination to try to achieve perfection
• a tendency towards obsessive compulsive behaviour
• not to mention good general health.

Sure there are more things too.

Spine and Flo

I have absolutely no idea what you do for a living but it would appear that you have all the necessary acumen and analytical qualities to become a most successful and highly paid golf/sports mind coach.

Even though I am 72 I am sure that you could improve my golf! 

God I find this a depressing topic!

All you lot of b******s getting better and better! I'm still stuck scoring around the 120's! I have been taking lessons recently and I am striking the ball much much much better. However I'm simply not scoring better! I have a lesson on the course booked, so hoprfully that'll help a bit

Seriously though, it really is good to read that people are progressing and that there is hope! I'm off down the range tonight, so hopefully perseverence will pay off!

BB

bunkerboy, one thing that i've found has helped me improve when practising, is hitting off grass. I hardly ever go to the range now but use the local courses practice area to hit repeated short wedge shots onto a green from different lies and mid range irons from different lies.

I also hit 10 ft chips in my back garden and it's amazing how much this has improved my game out on the course. I'll also spend 30 mins at the short game practise area at my club before playing tonight. every little helps.

I just find that on a range, it's becoming to easy to hit off the mat and the mat resembles nothing that i hit from on the course. 

The range I tend to use isn't fantastic in terms of foacitilites (it's basically a shed with a ball dispenser in it!). However it has range markings and an area where you can hit off grass (which I do!). This has definately helped my ball striking because you can replicate different lies in the grass (eg push it down in the longer grass and sit it up higher) and like you, slugger, I'd recomend anyone to try to find a range that offers a grassy area to practice ball striking on.

Unfortunately as I have a postage stamp as a backgarden, chipping is rather difficult to practice! However, fortunately chipping is one of the strong areas in my game. One major weakness I have is from about 100 yards in as I tend to bugger up the full swings with my wedges for some reason! I have been practicing this as much as I can recently. I also struggle with shot direction at times. I'm not generally in total control of which direction the ball is going to go in! Again, this is one for the practice area!

I think that, in general, practice is the way forward (no secret there then!)

BB

If "good" is defined as Cat 1, then the answer for me is 15 years.

No overnight sensation me!

Spine & Flo wrote (see)

Agree with Post above but 'Natural Talent' has to be defined as a Physical Gift you are born with....surely ?

... Ie. an amalgamation of - 

• hand eye coordination
• good vision
• exceptional touch
• spatial awareness and enhanced visualisation ability 
• objectivity with a strong capacity for deductive reasoning and risk assessment
• adrenal glands that are not  over active under pressure
• flexibility and the physical stature and natural bio mechanics to make a more natural and repeatable golf swing
• competitiveness with a determination to try to achieve perfection
• a tendency towards obsessive compulsive behaviour
• not to mention good general health.

Sure there are more things too.

Excellent post

Just add

• a complete belief in the ability to achieve personal objectives

UA, it's a combination fo mis-hits, poor club selection, poor alignment - you name it and I've probably got it wrong on more than one occasion!

BB