The 7 Levels of Golfers (Most Are Stuck at #3)
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In this video, I break down the 7 levels of golfers—a framework that explains why your scores might not improve even as your swing, practice, or knowledge gets better.
From the Chaos Golfer who has no system… to the Outcome-Neutral Player who finally separates their identity from their score… each level comes with its own mindset, mistakes, and hidden traps.
And here’s the key:
👉 Most golfers get stuck at Level 3 — the swing fixer trap
👉 Others plateau at Level 4 or 5 because they can’t transfer knowledge or handle pressure
👉 Very few make it to Level 7, where golf becomes much easier mentally
If you’ve ever:
• Felt like your swing is improving but your scores aren’t
• Played great on the range but struggled on the course
• Let one bad hole ruin your entire round
• Known what to do… but couldn’t execute it
Then this video will help you diagnose exactly where your game is stuck—and what to do next.
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What You’ll Learn:
• The 7 stages every golfer goes through (and why most never progress)
• Why fixing your swing isn’t the solution for most players
• The difference between practice performance and on-course scoring
• How emotions and expectations silently destroy your rounds
• What separates consistent golfers from frustrated ones
• How to move from chaos → control → freedom in your game
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The 7 Levels of Golfers:
1. Chaos Golfer
2. Reactionary Golfer
3. Swing Fixer
4. Knowledgeable Golfer
5. Undisciplined Strategist
6. Pattern Manager
7. Outcome-Neutral Player
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If you want to improve your scores, you need to stop solving the wrong problems.
This framework will help you understand how golf actually works—and where your effort should go next.
If you want to go deeper on strategy, expectations, and practice, check out my book The Four Foundations of Golf, linked below.
📘 The Four Foundations of Golf:
https://amzn.to/3BMTJDY
Who am I?
My name is Jon Sherman 👋. I’m a best-selling author, PGA Tour coach, and a golfer just like you. I aim to help golfers of all levels lower their scores and enjoy the game more, but without talking about the golf swing. I focus on four topics – expectation management, strategy, practice, and the mental game. I’ll share some of my best advice on this channel in an easy-to-understand, actionable format.
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:36 Level 1
2:46 Level 2
5:22 Hypershell Offer
7:45 Level 3
11:06 Level 4
13:21 Level 5
15:41 Level 6
18:05 Level 7
My level is pretty much all of them. I play so much better when I don't ''care'' I find. I wish I could do that all the time. UGH.
I got your b books and realized what was holding me back I am highly skilled 5 handicap. But I was always pin hunting and trying to make the hero shot. This yr I’ll be scratch or better because thanks to your books telling me what I should have already known about me game. I played Crystal Downs once shot 75 with two opening double bogies, so thanks to you I will be doing stupid a lot less
If you look up “reactionary golfer “ in the dictionary….that’s a picture of me beside it . I need help with it SO BAD .
This pro golfer is clueless… the first level player is a year away from needing advice about on course strategy
I'm probably in a different golf scenario than most, I have only one 18 hole course within 8 hours of my home. There are a total of 4 on the Island I live on. So I play the same course 3 times a week for years, I know every break in the greens, grain and exactly where to miss. My game is on auto pilot as there is not too much course management to think about and I hit the same clubs even from the tips. Iv'e played for 50 years and my rounds are between 78 and 84 depending on the weather. The course is 6200 from the whites and that is fine as I'm old now. I return every year or so to my home country to visit family and friends and I play every day while I'm there. My friends can't understand my passion, as playing courses I played years ago is one of the best things in life for me. I'm one of those guys where golf is a very big part of my life, it's probably the thing I enjoy the most. Grateful to still be around and blessed to have found this game. Life is good.
I have a problem of pulling my approach shots, that is killing my ability to score. Any help would greatly be appreciated. I average around 32 putts a round.
This was a really well thought out video. I can see my game in a couple of the middle levels. I am definitely not a "Free Golfer!"
After hearing level 6 "the pattern manager", i thought for sure i graduated to level 7 and felt good about it for a sec.. then i heard level 7, and realized that im still stuck in level 6 😂
Sorry, these levels make no sense for me. I'm a level 1-2-3-4 golfer, ffs.
Your levels are trying to pigeon-hole everyone into holes they don't fit into.
Ergo I call this a complete BS as it is, that may fit some people – but not me, nor my playing partner.
At what level are you? Yes!
2.4 hcp. Mostly I’d say I’m a 6, but the emotional/reactionary 2 in me will flare up every now and then. Working on it!
Did a trip with 2 days of golf back-to-back. Found out that I was mentally drained after the 1st day. Will space out my play in future trips!
Im a combo of 2 and 3 😄
Hello my fellow Level-4 peeps!
I am currently a 15hcp but haven’t played enough otherwise I’ll probably be higher. Playing on my own I can score single digits but my bad rounds and especially playing in a group of 4 my scores go as high as 90s on really bad rounds with lots of doubles.
I feel like I’m at your lvl 3/4 and my biggest limiting factor seems to my my busted knees, limited hip mobility and bad right wrist too. I’ve been to 3 different coaches and none seem to be able to help me get around it. I am hopefully going to be doing a tpi assessment soon though to have a deeper look. I do get very annoyed with missing both ways as well as the thins and sometimes fats, thankfully haven’t had a shank in a while 😅 but for the life of me I haven’t figured out how to play for a miss since my miss can be severe both ways.
I only get a chance to play twice a week usually and I would much prefer to be on the course as being on the range makes me worse somehow
I'm a mix of everything 😂
Excellent video buddy
I am at 18 handicap and have little time for practice and am getting older. But I am noticing that the floor is getting higher, my worst rounds are bogey rounds. So, I don;t expect to lower my handicap much, but am enjoying the game more
After a few years of focusing on my score and working to lower my handicap, I am coming to the point where what I want is to hit most of my shots in a relaxed manner that lets me play more like the way I practice. When I make bad shots, I am letting them roll off of my back. I'm playing golf to be outdoors in a beautiful setting with good friends. I want to play something like I know I can. It just makes no sense to play a recreational game and be unhappy unless you're having one of your best ever days. It is a real joy to hit nice golf shots on an interesting course. I have not given up on playing well and I don't take gimmes or mulligans, which are just fancy name for cheating and not facing the challenges of the game. But I am not going to play golf and have a tantrum because I make a mistake. I've had days where I took three triple bogies, but also made three birdies and shot 84. It would have been easy to give up after just one or two of those triples.
One thing I've learned after setting up a modest simulator in my garage, is that improving at golf is a long, slow process. I practice almost every day of the winter and much of the summer. I have gotten much more skilled over the last several years, but four years of daily practice is what it's taken. How any golfer thinks they will get much better at golf by playing once or twice a week in the summer is beyond me. The occasional session at the range is just not enough. Not nearly enough. Give yourself a break and enjoy where you're at. You probably don't want to practice hard enough to really get better. Let that be okay and enjoy the privelege of playing the game on a beautiful day.