In 2 years, I’ve managed to shave off 68 strokes from my golf game. As of right now, I am currently a 10 handicap in golf, meaning my best 8 rounds out of my last 20, I averaged 10 over par. In order for me to become scratch, I would need to average par or better in 8 of my last 20 rounds. How difficult can that be, right?

I recently played a round with my coworker who is a +3 handicap, basically meaning he is 3 strokes better than par on average. There’s a 13 stroke handicap gap between him and I, and that gap is bigger than the gap between myself when I first started playing and myself now. My +3 coworker grew up playing golf, getting proper lessons, and was a member at multiple courses, and still is to this day.

He plays a full round of golf 4 times a week, whereas I will play maybe twice a month. I’ve always wondered what my golf potential would be if I played that much. Golf is one of the only sports where you can become a top tier player without playing it as a child. For example, an adult who has never played soccer before will never even come close to college level soccer players. They missed out on developing certain motor skills that you can only develop as a child. The adult learning to play soccer now will never be as fluid or have as much natural instinct as the adult who played their whole life growing up.

Whereas for golf, because it is so technical, (while there is still an aspect of natural talent that really sets people apart, i.e. Tiger Woods) it is possible for someone who didn’t play golf in their childhood to become a great player, even become a PGA pro. The best example of this is Ye Yang, a South Korean golfer who started golfing only at age 19. He would later get his PGA tour card and at age 37, he would win a major, beating Tiger Woods by two strokes.

Ye Yang is a prime example how golf is a game of repetition and hard work. Sure I may not become Tiger Woods, but with enough time, commitment, and hard work, the thought of me become a scratch golfer is not too far away. Golf is the most rewarding sport in my opinion, your score is a direct reflection on your hard work and dedication. You could be the hardest working soccer player, yet because you never started at a young age to develop those basic motor skills, you will never be able to compete with natural talent.