One of the great things about the game of golf is that golfers of all ability levels can compete against each other in fun or serious events.
The handicap system is a quality system that allows people to have a fun wager or fun competition. I have played a great deal of fun match play utilizing handicaps where golfers get “strokes” on certain holes.
Keep in mind that for the low handicap golfer, the pressure is truly on them because they must play their best to win, especially with giving up plenty of strokes.
If you are a higher handicap golfer, there are some strategies and tips that I will share to give yourself the best chance to beat a golfer that is better than you.
Golf can be a simple game and the overall goal is to keep the game simple and manage your 18 holes of golf.
How To Beat A Low Handicap Golfer?
I would recommend the following:
- Sharpen your short game prior to the round
- Keep the ball in play
- Try to have a putt for par on every hole
- Don’t give away any holes
- Take advantage of the holes where you are getting strokes
Tip #1: Sharpen your short game prior to the round.
If you get to the course ahead of your tee time, make sure you spend at least 30 minutes on the practice green. Work on chipping the ball within a 6 foot circle on all chip shots and practice those 3-10 footers on the practice green.
The key here is to chip and putt better than your handicap. Getting use to the speed of the greens and how the greens are breaking can give you the advantage.
You see, a low handicap golfer has to putt well to score well. While the high handicap golfer typically doesn’t chip or putt and has the extra buffer in their “strokes” that they are getting.
So if you can hit a couple of chips inside of 3 feet for easy tap in and roll in two putts from around 10 feet, you have increased your chances greatly of winning the match and beating the low handicap golfer.
Keep in mind that the short game is the easiest and quickest way to improve in the golf game. Whether this is over several months or simply the day of an event.
Get used to the greens, develop your feel for the day and chip with confidence. It can be the ultimate game changer!
Tip #2: Keep the ball in play
The quickest way to lose a hole is to hit the ball out of bounds. This is the ultimate destroyer of any round or match that you are playing in. The low handicap golfer, will lot his or her way around the course and wait for you to make a mistake.
Counter this by not making any mistakes and having a solid short game.
Keeping the ball in play off the tee is essential. If you are simply around each green in regulation and are putting for par on every hole, you are have the advantage.
Keep in in mind that with the numbers of strokes you are getting the low handicap golfer might need to make at least a birdie or two over 18 holes to have a chance if you can keep the ball in play and make some putts or chip shots within gimme range.
Tip #3: Try to have a putt for par on every hole
Your goal when standing on the tee of every hole is to have a par putt inside of at least 10 feet on every green. If you can then make 33% of these putts, you will have 6 pars and shoot around 84. This will give you a great chance.
If you are playing a 400 yard hole, with a water hazard, plot your game plan and play it safe, then just get it around the green in two. The goal is to then chip it within 10 feet and increase your chances of making a par.
Of course there is going to be the hole where you chunk a shot or slice a driver, but overall if you can at least do this on 15 holes and make 33% of those putts, you are making 5 pars and are on pace for an 85 as your score.
Keep the round simple, pick the right clubs, and be strategic where you miss on both your tee shots and your approach shots. You will notice that the low handicap golfer might not hit a lot of great shots, but they don’t hit a lot of bad shots.
And when they do hit a bad shot, the next shot is usually above average. Takes this same approach and use this recipe to keep yourself in the match!
Tip #4: Don’t give away any holes
The key is to be in every hole. Keep the pressure on the low handicap golfer and make them make some putts. The pressure on the greens will increase for the low handicap golfer and they will feel like they have to make some putts to beat you.
This will force the golfer to get aggressive and possibly three putt or feel the pressure on a 4-6 footer and miss it.
Keeping yourself in the game and the match is the biggest key to your success.
You do this by selecting the right clubs (know your strengths and weaknesses) and by hitting quality chips. Make sure we practice for tip #1. Get that short game going and it becomes much easier to manage your game.
You can feel confidence in your chipping and that flows over to the putter as well!
Tip #5: Take advantage of the holes where you are getting strokes
For this example, let’s assume you are playing a 3 handicap golfer and you are an 18 handicap. This means you are getting around 15 strokes on the 15 most difficult holes.
Take advantage of this with your course management. Put the pressure on that golfer to make birdies. You might be surprised, I am a 2 handicap currently and average 1.8 birdies per round.
We don’t make a ton of birdies and when the high handicap golfer is giving themselves par putt after par putt, especially on par 4s, it can be difficult to win the match for the low handicap!
Keep grinding away, be strategic in your club selection and utilize the strokes that you are getting. One of the best holes to get strokes on are short par 3s.
You should feel confident in hitting the green on any hole less than 140 yards. Step up, hit the green and make your competitor make the birdie putt.
Chances are, they won’t make the putt and you can win the hole with a net birdie after taking the stroke!
Be smart, be strategic and utilize those strokes!
BONUS TIP and DRILLS!
As you continue to try to get better, make sure you are focusing on the three fundamentals listed below. I truly believe these are the recipe to success in the game of golf. These fundamentals include:
The Stack and Tilt Instructors said it best when they described what they believed were the fundamentals of golf. They explained it somewhat similar to this:
- Fundamental #1: The golfer’s ability to control the bottom of the golf swing. The best golfers will hit the ground in the intended spot, close to 100% of the time.
- Fundamental #2: The golfer’s ability to control the curve of the golf ball. The best golfers are able to start the ball to the right or left of the target line and have the ball curve towards the target without the ball over curving past the target.
- Fundamental #3: The golfer’s ability to have enough power to play the golf course. This means they are able to hit the ball far enough to play the course in regulation.
If you really think about it, if a golfer can strike the ball solid (fundamental #1), control the start line and curve of the ball (fundamental #2), and have enough speed and length to play the game then they are all set!
There are great golfers that have used a strong grip and those that have used a weak grip. Some use an open stance, while others use a closed stance. There are some that move off the ball and others that stay centered.
The grip and stance are often taught as fundamentals, but they can’t be fundamentals if they range from golfer to golfer. However, take any professional golfer and they hit all three fundamentals above!
Utilize these 3 drills
The three drills below will help you develop the three fundamentals listed in step 2. Pratice these drills frequently and get better at ball striking, controlling the ball and developing the speed in your game! Golf is a wonderful game when you can do these three things and these drills are phenomenal to help you get better quicker! Two out of the three can be done in your backyard!
Drill #1: Low Point Control Drill
The Drill: The Low Point Control Dril
- Take some yard paint and patina a 1-2 yard long line.
- Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side.
- Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!
- Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to to this successfully in trials of ten.
- You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings.
Drill #2: Build A Stock Shot
A stock shot allows you to control your start line and your curve, which is the 2nd fundamental in golf. I would recommend the stock draw shot. Here is a drill you can practice at the driving range:
- Setup an alignment stick about 7 to 10 yards in front of you on the target line.
- See how many shots out of 10 you can start to the right of the target.
- Track this data over time and continue to work on your start line.
The goal here is to get the club face pointing in a similar direction as many times out of 10 as possible. Once we get the ball starting the right spot, we can then move onto the curve of the ball.
If your ball is starting to the right and curving to the right, let’s work on getting your swing path more to the right, which will then help you hit a draw.
Practice this every range session you have for at least 20-30 golf balls. Don’t just stand at the range and aimlessly hit golf balls. This drill can be a game changer for many golfers.
Drill #3: Train For Speed
Let’s face it, regardless of the current state of your game we all want more speed. It has become very clear the need for speed in the golf swing and there are ways to add speed!
The analytics on all levels of golf show how important speed and additional speed are in reducing golf scores.
It is time to start training for some additional speed. This is a drill and training protocol that I would highly recommend.
SPEED DRILL: Increase your swing speed through overspeed training
- Check out SuperSpeed Overspeed Training Protocols
- Train every other day for 10-15 minutes.
- See a 4-6% increase in swing speed as early as the first training protocol.
The number one thing that has helped me gain significant distance is the SuperSpeed Training System. This overspeed based system where you train every other day for about 10-15 minutes with different swing sticks can help you increase your swing speed by 5-8% which can be 20-30 yards.
Who wouldn’t want an extra 20-30 yards. Plus it helps improve your mechanics.
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The analytics are pretty clear on the importance of speed in the game of golf. Would you rather hit your approach shot from 130 yards of 160 yards?
The answer is pretty simple! We know that over the course of time, we will hit shots from 130 yards much closer than from 160 yards, whether we are an average amateur golfer, a scratch golfer, or a PGA Tour member!
The key is having shorter approach shots, so we can hit the ball closer to the hole and then make more putts! Speed is king in the game of golf! Make sure you check out SuperSpeed Golf!
Final Thoughts
Keep trying to get better at golf, but in the meantime have fun with the game. The game of golf is a journey and you can continue to seek to learn about the game, get the right equipment and seek feedback from an instructor or utilize a launch monitor to understand your numbers.
Golf is a lifetime game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Here at golfjourney365, we love the game and the challenge that it brings.
Most importantly you should have fun on your golf journey and enjoy the camaraderie that it brings. Don’t take it too seriously and never bet more money than you can afford to lose. Keep the game fun and light hearted and enjoy the challenge of competition. It does make the round more memorable, win or lose!