Isn't this the same Nate that used to post daily just looking for responses on random topics and then disappeared for a while? Welcome back and good luck in college.

It is the same Nate!!! I took a break for a while partying because I got a part time job, it’s good to be back

Well, love having you back and its great to hear you are progressing along with your golf aspirations. Looking forward to your input, comments, and questions. My only ask is that you control the desire for the "question of the day" type of posts that just repeat a lot of existing content or just fill the posts with non-specific topics designed to just get a bunch of conflicting views. No, i'm not the moderator and probably don't have the right to ask but I had trouble last time just navigating around the "fluff" posts in an effort to find the ones that had a real question that needed to be answered. I think you can bring real value by giving your experience and opinions to other people's posts even more than the regurgitated broad questions that might begin to turn people off from responding to your posts. Sorry if this sounds too candid and a bit harsh, it is meant to be constructive. Keep us posted on your college progress and the live balance between school and practice or things like that. That will really help the kids reading that want to follow a similar path. Much better read than "Do you prefer hybrids or long irons?" Cheers buddy!

I will keep this in mind, thanks

With a 3 handicap and a decent set of clubs, I would take the opportunity to challenge some 'better' players, by entering comps - I think it is always good to play and learn from someone better.
Is it possible to set the goal of a lower handicap? Does it get harder to reduce your handicap as it gets better?

I will definitely keep this in mind!!! In the past (unfortunately not this summer due to covid) I have had the opportunity to play on a junior tour in Pittsburgh PA. As you said the competition was a great experience. I was fortunate enough to lead the field in birdies (4) in one event. I always joked with my dad about becoming a +3 so I would say that’s my ultimate goal

Hi Nate:

I had some friends who were on my high school team who played in college. Their handicaps were a stroke or two higher so I think you have the game. I think the goal should be committed practice on what areas of the game might be giving you trouble. Shaving strokes when you are a 3 will come down to avoiding any big numbers and sharpening your short game.

I agree with Padraig as well, if you have the opportunity to play with better players, always take it. Competition sharpens the game.

Thanks for the input:)!!

Most of us at least hope for a lower handicap - note that hope is not a plan. +3 is in the far right of the bell curve. The pro's all have teams - coach, mental coach, training coach, etc. Are you planning to improve from +3 and do you have aspirations beyond recreation for golf after college? If you do, are you willing to share what it will take and what you did to get to now? I won't need to get a team of coaches from where I sit (my wife does believe a mental coach may help my game almost as much as her....), but instead of just a goal for 2021, there needs to be a plan behind it.

Thoughts?

I think your expectations need to be realistic and also consider your primary reason for attending college - your academic degree. That does not mean you can't be an academic all-American. I know a few people who did both quite successfully. I also found it interesting that one of them played D1 golf, seeing different golf courses annually instead of going back to the same events/same courses each season. The set ups for them were as difficult, if not more difficult, than the week-to-week PGA set ups (obviously excluding events such as US Open). The travel time to play events means you really need to manage your schedule carefully, and you will need professors who will support you in every way (which does not mean 'be lenient').

He qualified for every event for his school (no guaranteed spots every week) throughout his college undergrad studies. When I first knew him as a high schooler, he was probably a real single digit handicap, perhaps 3 or 4 where I worked. I tracked his collegiate play and had him at about +1.6 during his senior year, doing a score posting outside of GHIN (I really didn't know all of the CR/Slope ratings but knew they didn't play 'up').

So, yes, it can be done, but it will take your full attention and intention. Best of luck and fortune!

I agree with Erich. Work on the weakest part of your game and always compete against better players. You will learn something from them on how to improve your game and also learn how your play stacks up against them. Best of luck!

Golf is a lot of hard work. Make sure you enjoy it. As Bobby Jones said: I play for the love of the game. Made him the best amateur ever, beat the best pros and won the grand slam. With respect.

I play and practice with a 16 year old high school golfer (he's actually a TT member, though doesn't post here very often) who is around a +1 right now. And, he is NOT the #1 player on his HS team, surprisingly. He too hopes to get a scholarship, but at this point he is focused on getting much better. He's played in many AJGA events, Hurricane Tour events, as well as many other regional junior events (and some not-so-junior events). He really has some great game, but one thing he realizes is that great games are not enough. It takes a true commitment to get to the level he wants to be. 7 days a week, 365 a year. Practice, practice practice. Hours each and every day. In winter when there's snow on the ground or the course is closed due to freezing temps, he's inside working on the simulator. He has a swing coach, a putting coach and parents who are 100% behind him. Not to mention a dedicated following at the club that all want to help him go further. Pros, hi-level amateur competitors and many members like me who all support him any way we can. He works at the course, plays it for free (it's a very tough course, 145 slope rating from his tees) and practically lives there too. Very few days go by that you won't see his car in the parking lot. If it's not there, he's usually playing or competing somewhere else. He's my little buddy (he was much "littler" when I first met him a few years back), but he is one of about 20 young competitors who also train there, day in and day out, who are all probably just as committed.

I say all this, not to discourage you at all, but just to point out that to get to where you want to be will take a lot of commitment. You are young enough to do it. You need to be determined to put in the work, though. I suggest you seek out qualified pros, coaches, etc. to work with, and surround yourself with people who have your best interest at heart and truly care about your success.

Enter bigger state and regional events. With a 3 handicap, you should be able to get into a few of them. (Many have minimum handicap requirements to enter.) You certainly won't win, at first, but you will get a great education.

My course hosts a US Open Qualifier every couple years or so here in Maryland. I see you are adjacent to Maryland just north in PA. If you live in the southern part of PA, come on down and give the USO qualifier a shot next time. Try to qualify for some of the biggest events in your state. See how you stack up. This will truly help you see what you need to do to be the player you aspire to be. See what it's like to compete against some of the best players in the region, because that's what it will be like at any of the higher division schools you may play for. Once you know what's ahead of you and are committed to do the work to get to the level you want to be, you'll be moving forward with your eyes wide open. Talent, proper instruction, confidence in your abilities and total commitment to your goal should then be just about all you need to succeed. And, maybe a little luck. That always helps.

Nate,

As a former college golfer at a smaller community college in Nebraska who had the opportunity to go play for a D1 school the best piece of advise I can give is find a balance and not only between school and golf but also between life and school. While practice is very important and so is school those two are fairly simple to balance but make sure you make time to have fun and not get burnt out on school work and golf. Now for improving your handicap while people have said decent clubs, I will recommend not just a decent set of clubs but a set of clubs that have been fit to you and done by a master fitter. I make this recommendation as a PGA golf management student at the University of Nebraska and the reason I say a master fitter is because they will use a trackman with optimizer which is a software in trackman that shows your hitting the club in the exact middle of the face at the perfect launch angle with the right amount of spin so your getting the maximum out of the club with your swing. Also as being a future PGA golf instructor is take a lesson or a few, I'm a scratch handicap and I take lessons and always learn something new and don't just go to one teacher find the pro that fits your style of learning because some Pro's are technical and mechanical while some are about feel. So find the one that suits you take a lesson and practice what they teach and get fit for clubs and your handicap will drop. I am not on here much do to how much time and studying it takes to become a PGA professional but if you ever have a question don't be afraid to ask and enjoy your time in college.