practice

Question
Hi i am 16. i am playing off 18 handicap and i want to try and get down to 9 by the end of the year. i am wondering how much practice i will have to put in each week. i am willing to put in whatever it takes and i hope you can help me. i overall goal to get to scratch but i'm trying to take in stages. i was wondering do you have anything to show what i should work on?

thank you,
         Keith

Answer
Hello Kieth and sorry for the delay.
That is a tough question to answer but i will do my best.  it really depends on you.  i know for a fact that if you work hard you can go from 18 to about 5 in 6 months but it does require some work.  i would suggest that you first practice your short game for about 3 months and don't even work on the long irons or woods.  When i was younger in high school i began playing golf and all i practiced was my short game and putting.  without ever practicing my long game i was able to make my high school golf team. All i would do is play as much as i could and practice putting, chipping, and pitching.  The golf game is half putting you know.  I have played with guys who cant hit the ball straight but when they get on the green they could make the putts and every once in a while shoot in the 30's for 9 holes and these guys are double digit handicaps.  You see if you can putt and chip well then your bad days can be saved and that will give you confidence and confidence breeds good play.  Also the 40 - 100 yard shots are just a shorter swing than the full shots and much easier to master and gain confidence and without even knowing it you long game will improve with the short game.  

As to the question about how much time i would say at least 2-3 hours a day.  you can always practice gripping and holding the club even when you can't play or you can putt in the house.  I will give you one big hint and that is the grip is the key to the golf swing and without the proper grip and pressure you will be in for a long frustrating life in golf.  Learn to swing the club without consciously using your hands.  The hands can cause every problem known to man.  think about it this way, when you toss a ball what do your hands do?   soft hands practice swinging back and forth without using them.  I would also recommend the book "5 lessons" by Ben hogan.  It is the best book on golf ever written.  it is the same book that Tigers father drilled into him.  another book would be harvey penicks "Little Red Book".  these books can be found at most book stores or online.  They are worth every penny and will help you more than anything.  Good luck and let me know how it goes.  This game is the best in the world.  Jason