Everything I Learned in 25 Years of Golf in 10 Minutes
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I’ve been playing golf for 25 years. Here are some of the most important things I learned finally got me to a scratch handicap.
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
0:15 Embrace Your Driver & Irons
0:32 Less Doubles
0:54 Accept Mistakes
1:12 Fall In Love With Grit
1:33 Good Habits
1:51 Strategy In a Nutshell
2:09 Putting = Speed Control
2:29 Be Analytical
2:43 Clubfitting
3:12 Control the Clubface
3:32 Fight Fire w/ Fire Practice
3:51 Take Care of Your Body
4:24 Simplicity
4:48 Random Practice
5:18 Swing Tip Overload
5:36 Wedge Play
5:59 Golf on TV
6:29 Proximity & Mistake Avoidance
6:47 Don’t Fight Wind
7:21 Take Your Medicine
7:48 Carry Yardages
8:15 Studying Course
8:49 Prioritize Fun!
42 Comments
Listened as an audio book was great. Nice to put a face to the voice. I always hear you say “gulf”.
Are we going to see more content on YouTube
I thought you would have emphasized one of the key things I learned from you which is to use the yardage to the middle of the green and don’t go pin seeking. Your books and podcasts and Instagram posts have helped me tremendously.
mmm … your pie chart about woods/irons is flawed.
1. I estimate a player that shoots about 90 hits no more than 8 full swing irons in an 18 hole round … that's less than 10% of shots played.
2. drivers and irons are swung much differently, so lumping those clubs together is a mistake.
3. Driver is crucial tho. 12 to 14 holes out of 18 (67% to 78%) of holes start using driver.
4. players are hitting 9i, wedges, and pitch shots about 20 to 25 times every round … that's 23% to 28% of all shots.
One more thing to consider about irons … even the best players miss several greens per round with their approaches using 7i to 3i … that means no matter how good you get with your irons, you'll still miss a bunch of greens with them.
Improve your driver … length especially.
Get real good with shots of 120 yards or less. (You'll need a few of those for pitch outs too.)
And get real good from inside 5 feet and with lag putting.
This can reduce productive practice to an hour, and turn those 89s into 82s … and from the low 80s, you got a shot at getting into the 70s once in a while.
Brilliant absolutely brilliant
Mostly agree – as a 50 year 'veteran amateur' I would just add/change a few things, and the big one is ask yourself who are you. If you are under 30 and want to build a great game, then follow this advice to the limit and implement all the lessons (and get PGA lessons if very serious). If you over 40 and just want to play and enjoy the game, then the priority changes. When over 40 IMO it goes like this – 1.Driver 2.Chipping (under 100 yards). 3.Putting. The driver is for the range, the chipping and putting you do at home and/or a local park – a lot. IMO using the same wedge and putter is crucial – ignore the khrapp of multiple clubs for chipping – that is for very good players and if you aint by 40 you aint ever gonna be (and trying will make you angry – it did me).
Get fitted for a driver – just the driver – and it aint about distance – 300 in trees aint worth 250 on the short grass. Once you have done that and like it and the fitter – then ask about fairway woods/hybrids – same again. Once you have done that, then ask about irons – same again. Dont do it all at once – take a year to change them all.
Meanwhile, decide what wedge and putter you love – they are crucial to scoring. I have an old Odyssey White Hot #2 Putter and an old Ping Wedge – they work great and I have had them for decades – when they are hot I break 80.
When playing putting it in play with driver is number one. For the next shot on a par 4, if you cannot honestly say I will make this next shot to the green 8/9 out of 10, then play the easy shot and layup to about 80 yards – that is why you have that 'magic' wedge. If you cannot honestly say I will put this chip within 6-10 feet 8/9 times out of 10, then put it in the middle of the green.
As the man said, when on the green it is about speed (distance) and the aim is to get it within 2-3 feet when the putt is over 15 feet. Practice only long putts before you tee off (20+ feet) – and then practice the 2-3 footers.
It is a simple game – dont make doubles and triples by trying shots that come off only 1 in 5 times – when you do that and chip and putt well, you will score a lot better than if you go for everything because although you eill play great shots, you will also play bad ones. Going for it will get you a birdie now and then, but you also get a few doubles, and a triple or two.
I have played a lot of ProAms – the Pros are seriously long/good off the tees, and they get up and down all the time – that is what it takes to be a Pro – avoiding bogies – they win when they sink a lot of putts. Looking at the golf Pros game and technique, is like trying to learn from Richard Petty how to drive a car on suburban roads. Petty can and does 'go for it' – you doing that on normal roads will result in an accident. Play the shots you can play – stop trying to get a birdie every hole – that is for Pros whose hcp is Zero and who are 'going for it' all the time – to win the tournament. The average Pro round across all Pros in a year is 70 (2 under). If your handicap is 12 that equates to shooting 82. Stop trying to break 80 by getting birdies – break 80 by getting 10 pars and only bogey 7 of the other 8 holes. Par 3s are the key – it is absolutely a must to put the ball on the green or in a safe spot to chip close from – do not try to get close to the pin – they are always a trap. Par 5s are not an opportunity to get an eagle – they are the opportunity to get a solid par (4 of the 10 needed for hcp of 12) and every now and then your 3rd shot to the green will be very close and you get a birdie (or you sink a long putt). Forget your score on each hole – count the number of Pars and Bogeys you have made – think of the end total – not the hole you just played or are playing. So many amateurs dont have a target score and dont have a clue how they are going in their round on the 15th tee.
Good stuff. I question the order of importance of Driver>Irons>Wedges. I think if you can hit driver, your irons should easily be at least "around the green". Wedges NEED to be on the green and preferably inside 3-putt range. Maybe its just me but I think Driver>Wedges>Irons. 11-index. JIMO.
Nice to see you on YouTube. I look forward to seeing a swing video 🤪
Love the book and podcast! Like the rest glad to see you on YouTube
These are great. Thank you.
Great advice Jon. Thanks for sharing. I love your no nonsense practical approach to golf improvement
I'm 42 and this year I've regained the love I had for golf back when I was in high school and played 24/7. This year I'll be playing in every competitive event I can get into and have the goal of qualifying for my state mid-am and US mid-am. I have been absolutely binging all the golf content I can get my hands on and have already found your content to be the most helpful and grounding in setting my expectations. I will be coming back to your content often to guide me along the way. When I was a kid I had some amazing talent but absolutely 0 mental fortitude or the ability to strategize on course. I'm really excited to see what I can accomplish when I combine with the game I developed in my youth with what I'm learning now. 👍
How to stop sway??
I want to know how you got that video of me at 7:05…and I didn’t see you back there!! That’s me at least 4 times a round!!
Great vid, subscribed
I'm blown away by the response to the video! A nice introduction to the YouTube golf community😁.Thanks to everyone who took the time to watch, and I hope to provide more value with my upcoming content. If you have ideas on topics you'd like me to cover, please leave them in the comments section.
Love the podcast , bought the second book , loved it , waiting for the first book to arrive , good luck with You Tube 💪
Great video, John! So many of your concepts have helped me on the course, helped me to become so much more consistent and take a lot of the "ego" out of my game. Especially shot tracking: understanding average carry distances (not the perfect nuked 7-iron) and shot dispersion for each club makes this game so much more attainable and fun. Can't wait to see more from you!
Great video
I like this guy
Great video,John. More please !
I have just started listening to the podcast, stoked to see you here on YouTube. Keen to see more of your content.
I've been a Golf Coach for about 10 years and this is all true. One of the biggest differences I see with students is making time to practice. Most players simply won't get much better because they don't get enough reps. Repetition is the one thing I tell them I can't help with. “I can't swing the club for you.” Only about 20% of my clients will see noticeable improvement each year. 80% are a revolving door of quick-fix mentality. High expectations with low commitment. I'm grateful that they pay my bills though lol. Most people don't appreciate consistent training or practice and lack Grit. Good video ⛳
Great stuff except fitting advice. There is no scientific proof of this.
A really great vídeo. Thanks.
Working my way down from a ~15 handicap to a 3, every one of these points is spot on
I enjoyed this video Mr. Sherman, I think through my 20 years of golf, I have learned many of the same lessons.
You mentioned one of the concepts was go as far as you can off the tee, and I'm not trying to disagree with you necessarily, but I know that one of the things that took me into the single digits of a handicap (and to your point, helped me avoid double-bogeys and penalty strokes) was to start hitting to specific yardages rather than just hitting driver off every tee. This meant that I make a club selection based off of how far I need to go to get to the 100 yrd marker or 150 yrd marker or to a stock shot that I am confident in. I'm curious about your thoughts on that approach.
1 at Augusta in the background 👌
O purchased the audio book but cannot find the proper location of the PDF mentioned in the beginning of the book. Can you share that link or PDF with me directly?
Thanks!!
Everyone has aspiration of hitting like Tiger and Rory. Realistically, if you follow these guidelines and simplify the game, stay within yourself, and grind, at the very least your handicap will plummet and you’ll be the guy everyone looks for when they need one more for a scramble.
Love this. This is chok full of great information. 10 cap with big goals, looking forward to more. Thank you
approx 50% of any golf round is putting
In 73 the late, great Tom Weiskopf became the best in the world. He had 7 victories worldwide. Asked how he improved he said he was making fewer bogies. Polished his wedges and putter and was unbeatable. So simple, so true. Best swing ever. Sadly missed.
The off-season (Midwest) is a great time to re-read some of the most important golf books.
Great seeing you get into YouTube.
Fantastic video John. Keep them coming. I’m now a subscriber.
From your podcast listener here in the Philippines, let’s get it on!
Watching golf analogy was spot on
I learned to hit punch shots early in my golf career. (25 + handicap) (slicing tee shots) If you try to bash the ball through the trees and bushes you will get lucky once every 25 tries. Get the ball back on the fairway and take your next shot. Let go of the "bad" shots. "Bad" shots are good shots, because you are swinging the club. You gotta keep swinging to learn. You will get better in time. You gotta have GRIT if you want to improve. Focus on your game and no one else's. I tap into Jon's audiobook weekly to reinforce my thoughts and keep my expectations down to Earth. (Currently 15 handicap)
Speed control advice was the best!!
Fantastic advice…thank you
Fantastic advice. Thank you
Good stuff! Regarding watching golf on tv, from time to time I’ll watch LPGA. The ladies swing smooth & effortless, it reminds me that I don’t have to feel like I need to muscle every swing.