[goldeneggs]

I think my potential is to be low 70's my expectaion is on each tee box and I expect to make par on all of them except par 5's i expect birdie. My reality is low to mid 80's I just want one round of my best golf that's all I'm asking for and it's going to happen at some point.

[Rithlilky]

Interesting question. I wonder at times if potential is a pre-determined thing. Basically, is there a chance I'll ever really be much better, regardless of the work put in. At this point, I'm telling myself that I can continue to improve, but it's in the back of my mind a lot.

im kind of rambling here, but I agree with your thought process, golf is a sport and it requires a certain level of athletic ability. We also have a certain athletic potential really and we can get to that point and thats about it. For the lucky ones, thats scratch or better, for most its probably single digits as a best case, and for others its higher. There comes a point where you need to accept it. Thankfully, the vast majority are not there yet, we are more held back by lack of practice due to time, etc. Ramble over.

[retyopj]

I play down my expectations and make sure I'm OK with whatever outcome my shot has.

[trowUrillioth]

I'd say my potential is to shoot in the mid-90's. That is about the best I can do right now, and I wouldn't expect to shoot that low without a lot more work on my swing. I don't think I'll get there this year. My expectation is that I may be able to keep putting up scores less than 110.

Any improvement beyond mid 90's will require a major breakthrough somewhere - perhaps a significant gain in distance, or perhaps significant improvement in my short game accuracy, or perhaps I might become a green-reading master. I don't think any of those are likely, given how hard I've found it to just manage a single score less than 110 this year.

So basically, I have low expectations, which fall just short of a low potential. I do hope to prove myself wrong at some point...

[autoloanexpert]

It's difficult to put it all together all the time, or even some of the time. I just shot 44-38 myself. I think the best way to shoot your potential is to have a good short game. I say this because there will always be long shots that get bad breaks or just miss being playable, but if you can still save bogies and pars you'll avoid big numbers that kill the score.


Tappin' on the Kingphone.

[abossakon]

Every time I go out, I'm in the mindset of 79 or below. Ive never broken par, but have shot as low as 74. I think my potential is a 2/3 handicap. When I coached the game and played 4 days/week, I shot in the 70's all the time. I've shared this in THP before, but because I only have time for the range, I've lost "my swing". Consequently, mentally, I'm nowhere near a 2/3 handicap... So, yep, if I played more, less just banging balls, I believe I'd be back in the 70's more often and closer to my potential.

[SiM7W2zi]

I always expect to reach my potential, but rarely is my potential expected.

[pitoufsd]

My father used to say "you can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which one fills up faster"

[Feloascarlelt]

I think I have the potential to become a single digit capper, but right now my expectations are to shoot mid 80's to low 90's....I really need to dedicate myself to it again like I did earlier in the year.

[jobsfancy]

A similar thread was started a while ago and I'll say the same thing again. I have the potential to shoot a 54, I've birdied all 18 holes at my home course. In reality. I think I could get to about a 4 with consistent practice and money for enough lessons.

[BegeMoT]

Interesting thread.....

If you are shooting 38-48 it is more mental than athletic in my opinion. I see this all the time with my better High School golfers. Bad decision making will wreck more rounds than bad shots.

As an instructor once told my wife, "Forget your expectations and work on your game, then they won't be expectations anymore."

No truer words have ever been spoken!

hackin

[EnubreBense]

How do you handle your expectations versus your potential? For example. If I had the time and money to golf/take lessons as much as I wanted I am guessing I could get down to single digits within a year. I have good/great distance, need to work on consistency and short game. Knowing what my potential could be and then relating it to what I am actually scoring is hard. For example a month or two ago I played a course where I shot 50-38. On the 50 I had 4 hit fairways with less than 130 left and missed all 4 greens. I guess my expectations are to shoot mid 80's for now but it is hard knowing that I have the potential to shoot much better. Just rambling here. Ramble away.

[Nglvayhp]

I truely believe my potential is to be a 3 handicap. My expectations are to shoot in the 70's. I have the distance, I have decent (good but not great) accuracy and I know how to and can hit all of the shots (most of the time when needed). I however cannot putt worth a darn...ever.

Problem is I only play once a week, have no time for practice, live in a state where you can play 6 months out of the year if your lucky and I still expect to play well. I know its a lot to ask of myself but I do it anyways. This is my passion/obsession so I am currently working on more of the mental part of the game to help with exactly this.

[elalmhicabalp]

My putting has actually been really good this summer....chipping not so much. Really enjoyed my 3 chip from heavy rough last weekend. I hear you on the once a week (and lately has only been 9 holes). Mentally how do you handle shooting your score when deep down you know you have the potential to score better.

[u8MmZFmF]

potential is something I use to build a positive frame of mind after a 'poor' round. Expectation is that I have fun and play the best I can. There is really nothing more to it for me. Once the game becomes one of shoulda, coulda's, it becomes more tedious. I golf to relax and creating unwanted tension is something I am not interested in, anymore. I used to expect to make all the shots and have the potential to do so. Now its a bit more relaxed. This revelation has lead to lower scores as relaxation and no pressure allow me to just swing. I recall when I had a great warm up session and that did not transfer to the course. I beat myself up. Now it is more like whatever that is not the course its the range. relax! I also started thinking about playing the course more so than my partners, they are variables that do not help me swing. I like their company. Sure I want to play well, but I do not expect that to happen every shot. The fun is digging yourself outta that rut once the shot is done, thats the only thing you can do. there is a ramble

[Numbiydq]

My potential is to shoot in the mid to low 80s. My expectation is too have fun on the course regardless of score. As long as I get to be around good people and laugh, it was a good round.

[8Uxtkz7F]

I think my potential is to get into the 70s. My expectations are mid to low 80s. I'm still waiting to break 80, then we'll go from there.

[avavavava]

I think my potential is to get into the 70s. My expectations are mid to low 80s. I'm still waiting to break 80, then we'll go from there.

Were on the same wave length. I have been right at the edge of my goal (to break 80) and have unfortunately went the other way over the last year or so, struggling now to break 90. My potential is to break 80, and I have been close. My expectations are to play good enough golf to keep me in a good mood. Shooting 81 - 84 usually gives me the feeling that I played a good round of golf.

[Flankrene]

I truely believe my potential is to be a 3 handicap. My expectations are to shoot in the 70's. I have the distance, I have decent (good but not great) accuracy and I know how to and can hit all of the shots (most of the time when needed). I however cannot putt worth a darn...ever.

Problem is I only play once a week, have no time for practice, live in a state where you can play 6 months out of the year if your lucky and I still expect to play well. I know its a lot to ask of myself but I do it anyways. This is my passion/obsession so I am currently working on more of the mental part of the game to help with exactly this.

Can I assume that you have the expectation to play in the 70's because you generally do turn in scores in the 70's? Or are you playing in the 80's but know that you have to potential to be in the 70's so that is where your expectation is? It's all a matter of peception I guess, but if you are consistently playing in the low 80's and high 70's your putting cannot be that bad unless you are hitting every green with more than 2 strokes to get to par. In other words, less than GIR, I don't know what the correct term to describe this would be. But, that notwithstanding, the good news is that you can practice putting year round even though you only have 6 months of playing time/year. it doesn't sound like your outside game needs a whole lot of work. Most carpeting runs fairly similar in speed to most greens so you don't need to go spend money buying practice greens and all that stuff, you can practice right in your home year round. Instead of setting up a cup to put into, I usually just pick a target and try to place my ball within 2" of it. A friend of mine actually creates mini courses in his living room. He'll pick a spot to start and putt to another spot until he's withing a couple of inches, then pick say the corner of a table, then from there to the corner of a chair etc.. For me, putting isn't the worst part, it's all of the shots leading up to the green!! There's no telling where my ball is going to spray off to!! Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but I feel like I'm a pretty good putter, most rounds I'm in the high 20's.

[Bxbhtjnr]

My expectations are in direct proportion to how much I'm practicing. If I'm practicing 2 or 3 times a week I expect to be in the low to mid seventies, if I'm not practicing I expect to be around the high seventies to low eighties. My cap is around 6.0 and most of the time I play to it or right around it.