How long did it take you to get good?

I didn’t pick up a golf club until I was a junior in high school. I was shooting in the 80’s within a few months despite only playing a couple times a month with virtually no practice. My focus was on football and baseball.

The summer after my senior year I started playing a bunch and practicing a few times a week. For a few years most of my scores were in the mid to low 70’s on some pretty tough courses. After college I got married and started having kids and put the clubs up for about a decade. I figure if I had kept playing I could’ve established and maintained a + handicap.

Picked the clubs back up a few years ago and started shooting low 80’s pretty quickly. Not really playing or practicing enough to expect much more than that.

The next 3 or 4 rounds at least, track where you're missing shots. Tee box, irons, approach or putting.

I was stuck in your rut for awhile but wasn't really paying attention to where I was routinely missing. Knowing where you're missing shows you where you should focus your range efforts. Going to the range and working through your club-set doesn't really do much unless you have a plan.

Also know, that getting from 100 to 90 is WAY easier than getting from 90 down to low 80s. And each stroke lower you go, the curve to getting down one more stroke becomes much more difficult.

And I'm not "good" but shoot low 80s regularly.

To directly answer your question, it took me a year and a half to break 90 and another year and a half to get consistently in the low 80s.

I was a low 90’s high 80’s player in HS. Played Baseball in college, when my baseball career ended but my competitive juices didn’t, I need something to do. When I graduated college I got a set of Mizuno MP32 (best iron of all time) and a membership to pelican. Practiced or played 6 days a week. First handicap was a 14 when I joined. Went to a 4 in the first year. And in the last 12 years it’s gone from a 4 to +2.

Never played till after college and I was about to have a kid. It’s been about 6 years. I was bad. Took lessons. Bought better clubs. Took about a year or two full summer seasons to get into single digits. Going from a 9 to a 1 isn’t as easy as it was going from a 20 to a 9. I’ve been anywhere from a 1 to a 7 the last 4 years. Usually fluctuates with the season.

Golf is a weird game. You can practice and practice not realizing you are getting better. I would practice my short game after work (non-summer months) and even at lunch. My scores starting dropping even on rounds when I didn't strike the ball well. I remember a guy telling me I had great hands around the green. I can remember hanging my head and my buddy would say "hey King, you just shot par on the front from the tips on the championship course...". Now, I would kill to do that.

It took me couple of years for chipping but long distance more time.

Still not good

Started playing in 2000 at age 46. By 2008 was 6/7 hc. Broke par two weekends in a row , got bored, divorced again and quit. About to start back to teach my grandson to play.