I made three off‑season changes that produced about a three‑shot handicap gain for me last year, and I want to give them to you so you can nick a bit of the same progress.
First up, I went all in on structured short‑game and putting practice — proper block work, then pressure games like the ladder drill and the bin‑lid pace work, with a one‑hour plan, boundaries and measurement.
Second, I pretty much cut myself off from the endless YouTube swing fixes: seek the drills from a coach, not the next silver bullet thumbnail that gets you excited for a day.
Third, I started thinking and behaving like a lower‑handicap golfer — making different decisions on course, practicing differently, and treating myself as if I was already in single figures.
These three moves have pushed me right down toward single figures despite a busted hand and a rubbish winter in the UK, so they really do work if you actually do them.
If you want the nitty‑gritty of the drills — ladder, bin lid, the three‑ball pressure games — we go through them and how to gamify practice so your on‑course brain remembers the feel.
Keep it structured, stop chasing quick fixes, and start acting like the golfer you want to be.
Takeaways:
- I broke my practice into a one‑hour short‑game plan with ladders, bin‑lid targets, and pressure games to force real on‑course execution.
- I literally cut myself off from endless YouTube swing tutorials and instead get drills from a coach so I don't chase every silver bullet.
- I started thinking of myself as a lower‑handicap golfer, and that mindset shift changed the decisions I make on course and in practice.
- I practice with a pencil bag: 20 balls, one wedge, a putter and alignment sticks so I don't get tempted to smash full shots.
- I simulate pressure by scattering 20 shots around a green, taking one shot only, and using a strict pre‑shot routine every time.
- When I can't get on course I read the right stuff—Bob Rotella, mental prep—and book lessons, using downtime to improve the head game.
- I kept the fun in golf while tracking progress, and those three changes took me from mid handicap close to single figures despite injury.
Links referenced in this episode:
A North of Par Production
