Golf One Percenters

[Buzz]

Have been thinking a lot lately about improvement methods. Obviously there are "big" things like lessons, better equipment etc.

Taking the big obvious things as a given - so please don't respond "lessons" or "better gear" ... what are the little things, the one percenters that you can do might on average take 0.05 of a shot (plucking a number, but hopefully you know what I mean) off your average score but when collectively absorbed and applied over time cumulatively add up a big improvements?

I think there's a lot to be gained from the "one percenter" method. I'm not a cycling fan but I know one of the British teams set themselves the goal of identifying all the one percenters they could in every possible cycling related topic, with the goal of winning the Tour De France in five years, and they did it in three. In AFL terms you hear about the one percenters all the time.

What are your little things, the one percenters, that make a difference in your game?

I thought we could start this thread as a list of one perecenters ... if we share all our thoughts I'd be very surprised if there was an Ozgolfer who was already doing all of them. Hopefully over time this can be come a master list of one perecenters ... and a record for those of us that adopt many of them and report back on their cumulative effect.

Let the one percenter master list commence!

[Coldtopper]

If you have a look at the bigger picture as a percentage one of the biggest reasons why many golfers game declines over the years has to do with their physical and mental ability to maintain a good repetitive action. As we age we lose strength and physical conditioning its that simple. Some have managed to improve being MAJ as an example although he changed his diet and added exercise in his 40’s. If you really want to improve your game then get fit, buy good gear (often), eat healthy food, and work hard on your putting and short game by getting lessons on the specific areas using different coaches if needed and not take advice from the internet too seriously! . + Never wear fluro on the course!

[Buzz]

I don't disagree with that CT but much of it, while valid, is fairly macro stuff.

Here's a great example of what I am talking about:

http://jamesclear.com/marginal-gains

[Coldtopper]

Did you know its the last day of mental health week! A little too much for me on Sunday morning.

[WBennett]

An understanding of your limitations.
If you have a bad lie, is it better to get a 6 iron out rather than trying to hit a miracle 3 wood.

Is putting from 5m off the green more reliable than chipping?

Is hitting 6 iron off the tee on a sub 300m hole more likely to achieve par than cranking driver into the trees?

Little things recognising your weaknesses and avoiding them can help your overall scoring.

[Chapzzzz]

Pre Shot routine... Get one and stick to it for every shot
Which includes visualising what you're going to do and committing 100% to the shot so there's no changing your mind half way through the downswing.

Putting...
Practice the 1-6 footers and become good at them.
In my opinion practice putting is one of the easiest things in golf to practice.
Takes no hard effort, minimal cost and most clubs have their practice greens close to the clubhouse.
So if you're good at 6 footers then you have a 12 foot diameter to hit bunker, pitch and chips shots into.
Takes so much pressure of that part of the game if you can putt.

[AndyP]

Forgetting bad shots.

If you hit a bad one, have your tanty, if you need one, then mentally move on and focus on your next shot.

[Buzz]

Forgetting bad shots.

If you hit a bad one, have your tanty, if you need one, then mentally move on and focus on your next shot.

I think this is an excellent one, I'm guilty of not letting them go!

[Buzz]

Another one I am guilty of not doing: eating something nourishing before a round, and/or having enough to eat/drink during. I'm not too bad on water but I suck foodwise, I'm often hungry when I play.

[hippo10]

I think the biggest thing that you can do to improve your game is in your head. To me the mental game consists almost entirely of a whole heap of little things (the 1% ers).
Examples include:
Discipline to follow a gameplan
Concentration on ALL short putts
Knowing your limitations
Perspective on yourself (understanding when you're getting tired or frustrated or too ambitious and what you need to do to counteract that)
Realistic club distances
Realistic assessment of chipping ability
Accepting mistakes

[Hux]

Play the most realistic shot - not the lowest risk or the least likely, just the one with the best chances for a reasonable outcome. Eg and 8 over the trees is lowest risk, the 6 is iffy if you get it right but the 7 will get you closer to the target and still quite likely to clear the trees unless you execute poorly.

Go with the flow. Some days the bounces will just go the other way. Accept it and play accordingly (still trying to master this without spitting my chips)

Commit to the shot - everytime particularly where there is an element of risk (water carries etc)

Stay relaxed - particularly your hands and shoulders.

Good nutrition and hydration will help maintain focus.

[jimandr]

Have been thinking a lot lately about improvement methods. Obviously there are "big" things like lessons, better equipment etc.


What are your little things, the one percenters, that make a difference in your game?

I thought we could start this thread as a list of one perecenters ... if we share all our thoughts I'd be very surprised if there was an Ozgolfer who was already doing all of them. Hopefully over time this can be come a master list of one perecenters ... and a record for those of us that adopt many of them and report back on their cumulative effect.

Let the one percenter master list commence!

I was going to rubbish the one percenter idea as management-speak claptrap, but after watching the pro golf this afternoon and tonight while thinking about this thread, I'm going to embrace it.

First off, a couple of big ones:

Never leave shortish putts short - I've lost count of the number of times I've left a 5 footer short because I've concentrated too much on the line
Take an extra club into the wind - it sounds simple, but so often I see (and sometimes do it myself) players come up short into the wind, but they never go too far. Into the wind, the ball will stop on the green quicker than it normally would, so the extra club is the go.

But, just by watching the golf today and thinking about this thread:

Never backhand or one-hand your tap-ins
Keep your clubs clean (I'm very guilty of ignoring this one)
Know the Rules

And this one has been touched on already, but I watched Sang Moon Bae do both sides of this one today - don't rush to play your next shot after chunking one. Take a step back and refocus. He hacked one out of a hazard, rushed his next one and chunked it. Then refocused and holed his next one to save par.

[LarryLong]

For me - when hitting into a green, always consider the safest place to miss, and adjust your line accordingly. Mind you, most of the time I walk around in a daze and just hit it anywhere.

Nobody ever chunked a putt.

Putt around bunkers if you don't have much room to work with and you're not likely to get a pitch close enough to one-putt.

If we're really talking one-percenters, one to consider would be to minimise the weight in your bag by never carrying too much stuff.

[jimandr]

For me - when hitting into a green, always consider the safest place to miss, and adjust your line accordingly. Mind you, most of the time I walk around in a daze and just hit it anywhere.

Nobody ever chunked a putt.

Putt around bunkers if you don't have much room to work with and you're not likely to get a pitch close enough to one-putt.

If we're really talking one-percenters, one to consider would be to minimise the weight in your bag by never carrying too much stuff.

Wrong, Larry. Most of us probably have chunked a putt. I certainly have. One of the most unpleasant feelings in golf is to leave a long one 20 feet short.

I'm not sure Rory would agree with your advice about putting around bunkers. He putted into the Road Hole bunker at St Andrews last week while trying to go around it. It actually isn't a one percenter, but putting around a bunker and using the bunker slope to slingshot the ball onto the green is great fun if you can do it successfully. Risky, though, as Rory showed us.

[Buzz]

Keeping clubs clean is a great one ... I'm guilty!

[Buzz]

On the nutrition thing ... What do people carry on course that qualifies as a healthy option ?

[oncewasagolfer]

A banana.

[Daves]

Bananas
Apples
Mandarins or Tangelos
Nut Bars (Aldi)
Plenty of sports drink (Zero or Nunn tablets, or what is on clearance at Golden Circle outlet)

[wizard_of_oz]

I don't believe "1 percenters" are that applicable to golf. I can see how it may be applicable to a sport where you've already maxed out on technique and endurance training like cycling and need to squeeze that tiny bit of performance out of it may be applicable. In golf, there is far too many gains that can be had from improving your technique/practice/mental aspect that eating a banana on the course is not going to overcome the deficit caused by a yipped putt or a shanked wedge. IMO rather than focus on 1 percenters, you would be better off to focus on the 10 percenters. If you're off 20, you "may" save 0.2 by eating a banana, who knows really, but why not see if you can reduce it by 2 strokes a round by not missing any 3 footers. There's far too many gains that can be had in golf in various aspects to focus on these incremental gains.

[LeftyHoges]

I don't believe "1 percenters" are that applicable to golf. I can see how it may be applicable to a sport where you've already maxed out on technique and endurance training like cycling and need to squeeze that tiny bit of performance out of it may be applicable. In golf, there is far too many gains that can be had from improving your technique/practice/mental aspect that eating a banana on the course is not going to overcome the deficit caused by a yipped putt or a shanked wedge. IMO rather than focus on 1 percenters, you would be better off to focus on the 10 percenters. If you're off 20, you "may" save 0.2 by eating a banana, who knows really, but why not see if you can reduce it by 2 strokes a round by not missing any 3 footers. There's far too many gains that can be had in golf in various aspects to focus on these incremental gains.

Most sensible post I've read on here in a long time.

[AndyP]

The difference is that the 10 percenters that you speak of take time and/or money. The one percenters shouldn't.

[Monsta]

I have to agree with a few things:
Clean clubs are a must........ (what is the use of having grooves if they are chock full of mud/dirt) I clean my clubs before every game
Food and drink............ I pack a sandwich a banana and one litre of sports drink for every round (2 litres now that it is warming up)
Prepare mentally.......... I like to sit in the car and listen to music for at least 15-20 mins before golf just to unwind and clear my head
Pre-shot routine........... Find one that works for you and stick to it (do it while other players are hitting to avoid delays whenever possible)

And most importantly, remember that golf is a GAME and games are supposed to be FUN..... enjoy yourself no matter how you play, take the good with the bad and always realise that we are not pro's so we will all have bad shots no matter how much we train/practice/try

[wizard_of_oz]

There's a place that's giving out free bananas? Cool bananas. The point of the 1 percenters was I thought to squeeze out any further incremental gains from your game that would cumulate to a larger gain over time, and not a money/time issue. I'm sure the cyclists were just supplementing their already strict regimen of training which is expensive and time consuming with further tweaks in areas they could improve on. Or so I thought.

[wizard_of_oz]

To me, the idea is that they're close to maxing out their potential by technique or otherwise and need to seek incremental gains in other avenues like nutrition. The idea is like a 100m sprinter who is stuck at 10 seconds and needs to explore other avenues to get gains from. But if you're a fat, out of weight slob and can't break 20 seconds, maybe you should start looking at the macro picture and get your ass into shape before thinking about those 5g lighter running shoes.

[AndyP]

5g lighter shoes is an easy way to gain time with minimal effort. I noticed a difference.

I think you're missing the point of the topic. The thread starter is not suggesting that the other things should not be focused on or assuming that you are already great at everything else.

Taking the big obvious things as a given - so please don't respond "lessons" or "better gear" ... what are the little things, the one percenters that you can do might on average take 0.05 of a shot (plucking a number, but hopefully you know what I mean) off your average score but when collectively absorbed and applied over time cumulatively add up a big improvements?