Garen Poirier
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.
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Christina Greaves, 39, Ludlow, VT/Handicap change: 11.8 to 7.7 (35% improvement)
There is often a point where most weekend golfers hope to play ghost golf. Not Christina Graves, who is a registered nurse in the Green Mountain State.
Graves, who has played golf for more than 20 years, says the first step for her was to admit she wasn’t content with spinning around 90 every round.
“Shooting in the ’90s for most of my years playing golf was fine, but in the last couple of years I’ve started to take an interest in competing at a higher level and getting rid of my handicaps,” she says.
Seeking progression, Graves knew she had to get her bat right to lower her score. So she started playing more rounds at the Rutland Country Club, where she was a member and where the greens are “very crispy and fast”, really testing a player’s speed control.
“If you learn how to play on the greens in Rutland, you can take your game pretty much anywhere,” she says. “Just playing those greens over and over, figuring out different strokes, like running off the toe to take some spin off, I started to understand that speed was king, and I didn’t worry so much about the line. It took me from putting threes to seeing more two-strokes.”
In the end, her practice turned into healthy competition. Not only with herself, but with her children, who begin to challenge her on the surface.
I have two children: a 14-year-old son and a nine-year-old daughter. So instead of just practicing, there’s a lot of times we’re having competition on a putting green,” Graves says. “Trying to connect to this where you’re just hitting one or two to try to beat the other guy, even if it’s my kids, it just made me stick to a set shot.” . I just look at the shot, feel it in myself and put it on.”
Outside of the increased focus on putting, Graves says a better understanding of course management has helped her.
“You always want to make sure you get enough clubs. It’s not just based on yardage,” Graves says. “That was a very important lesson, hard learned.”