Many of my upcoming golf blogs will involve discussion of how I approach scoring on various holes. Last year while reading the “Practical Golf Blog“, a favorite of mine, I encountered a blog about “The Scoring Method” which I found intriguing. I navigated there and after reviewing the introduction videos decided to give the concept a shot (at a small cost).
The premise behind The Scoring Method (SM) is that for every hole there are two easily achievable goals that will lead to lower scores – the first goal is to Enter the Scoring Zone (ESZ) and the second goal is to get down in three once you have entered the Scoring Zone (DSZ). For each of these goals for every hole you simply mark your card with a check (I succeeded) or and ‘X’ (oops, messed up there) for both ESZ and DSZ attempts. This method can be employed for any level golfer with ESZ and DSZ defined to fit the golfer’s skill level.
At my 24 handicap level, to achieve the ESZ goal I need to get within 100 yards of the green in regulation and to achieve the DSZ goal I need to get down in three from there. As an example, for a hypothetical 350 yard par 4, to achieve ESZ, I would need to hit two shots to get within 100 yards of the green, say a stress free 140 yard 6-iron tee shot followed by an easy 120 yard 8-iron leaving 90 yards to middle of green. From there achieving the DSZ check requires a wedge onto the green and two putts to meet the “down in three” DSZ goal and a bogey 5 for my score. If I were to get 18 ESZ and DSZ checks on a scorecard I would have played bogey golf or better given the high likelihood of getting down in two for a par on short par 3, par 4, or par 5 holes.
Using The Scoring Method I achieved my goal of shooting bogey golf within a month. Normally the best I’ve done on ESZ is 16 of 18 and the best I’ve done on DSZ checks is 14 of 18. Since I started using the Scoring Method, my handicap dropped from 31.2 to 24.6 in 11 months!
But wait! There’s more! Beyond the adoption of ESZ and DSZ to approach scoring, The Scoring Method has a unique way of tracking these statistics and more during the course of the round beyond the ESZ and DSZ checks. With the tracking information and post round evaluation you create a very precise and valuable purposeful practice plan that directs you to practice on the areas of the game that cause you to miss the most checks and blow your score. I have learned that I need to work hard on a “go-to club” off the tee to reduce my ESZ X’s and most importantly, I must work much harder on my wedge game. As an example when I review a typical scorecard I found several X’s on DSZ that took four strokes instead of the required three strokes. But I only took two putts. That meant I required two wedge shots to get on the green instead of one. Therefore, I must emphasize practicing getting wedges onto the green. There is more detail involved in SM practice methodology than I can provide in this review, but I find the practice regimen outlined by Scoring Method very useful as it’s not just beating buckets of balls to no practical effect.
In addition to the video instructions, scorecards, and practical practice plans generated by SM, they have a member’s only Facebook page where members post their SM scorecards and discuss practice sessions. The SM staff and the founder and coach, Will Robbins, provide feedback and further support.
For all that I find a lot of good in the Scoring Method, there are a few things in their web site, content, and customer facing interface that could use improvement. I think more video content involving actual golfers of various handicaps would be useful. There are different levels for different handicaps that require adjusting the ESZ and DSZ goals – these goals are not clearly defined in the documentation I’ve seen. There are workbooks and documents I’ve heard of but not seen as there isn’t a readily findable document source in the member’s web site.
In summary, I find the Scoring Method a completely different approach to the golf game. You can lower scores with the swing you have now just by changing how you approach the game and I would recommend the program to anyone who wants to improve their golf score.