Stacy Allen
More than three million players hold a USGA handicap. In a collaboration between GOLF and the USGA, we’ve been able to identify five of the best golfers in America who, in percentage terms, have put down more than any other player in the past year. Every player is proof that there is always a chance to score your dream score. Don’t have a disability yet? Register to get one here.
***
ICYMI: How did this single-digit handicap become a scratch player
ICYMI: How this amateur went from shooting in the ’90s to breaking into the ’80s
ICYMI: How this college kid used a deal with his dad to lower his golf score
ICYMI: How this highly skilled player shaved 13.5 strokes to win a local golf challenge
Matt Gossett, 31, Trussville, AL Handicap change: 3.7 to 0.4 (110% improvement)
Matt Gossett isn’t your typical weekend warrior. As someone who’s played the game his whole life, he knows all the tips for improving – he just needed a reset button to help him focus on what was most important in his game.
That’s when the full-time Territorial Manager from Birmingham, decided not to take some time away from playing.
“I quit the game for a while and got it back on again about three years ago, and I got really serious about it as a young professional.”
After the time away, Gossett admits he “got addicted to the game again” — and with great results.
In seven months last year, Gossett has improved his handicap from 3.7 to 0.4, which he credits with the added focus on his short game.
“I really started to focus on my short game and my positions a lot more than I had done previously,” he says. “I discovered that this is where I would save most of my strokes.”
For other amateurs looking to see an improvement in their scorecards, Gossett doubles down on the theory that the short game will result in the biggest wins.
“I’m probably doing the short game and putting in about 80 percent of my practice now. You’re going to have ups and downs, so try to keep your confidence and keep practicing for specific or really specific shots in your game — all kinds of different chips and chips.
“It’s one of the coolest things in the world to be able to say ‘I’m a scratch golfer,’” he adds. “My grandfather was a scratch golfer his whole life and to be able to do that is something I’ve always wanted to do.”