re: Scratch golfers

Started playing when I was 11 and didnt get to scratch until about 18. Thats playing almost EVERY DAY, making the high school team and practicing EVERY DAY, then getting a golf scholly and practicing EVERY DAY. See a pattern?

Got a gig as an assistant pro at a course in MS and got as low as +1.2 for a little while.

Become a range rat, double the time you spend at the range from 100yds in, and double that time on the putting green.

Start keeping track of fairways hit, GIR hit, and putts. You will start to see where you need to improve.

Learn course management and own it. Once I started focusing more on managing the course instead of just playing it, I saw drastic improvement. Look at every shot and find your miss. Meaning that you should always plan to hit the shot you want, but if you are off, leave yourself in a "good" spot.

Practice.