[image: Mary McMahon coaching breakthrough -- https://imagedelivery.net/IEMzXmjRvW0g933AN5ejrA/assetsbulletsitefiles-24d5a74c-8df0-803f-a39e-eb5a9fd42575-attachmentf9657325-9c6a-4f9c-8014-9fb914b0f15b9a2e99b4-dcdd-4ba2-9111-11edb4831c82jpg/public]

Stuck at Your Handicap?

If you've been stuck at a handicap for a while, this is what getting past it looks like.

Every competitive player hits a ceiling. In 2022, Mary McMahon hit hers.

She'd reached a handicap of three. Good, but stuck.

"I just couldn't get any further. It just wasn't happening. I was practicing, but you get to that point of diminished results. What you are putting in, you are not getting dramatic results."

Most players accept it. Mary didn't.

Getting Worse Before Getting Better

For six to eight months, her handicap got worse. She kept at it, working with coaches like Terry Erickson, drilling every day. The old grip had to go completely before the new one could take over.

"It took me about six, seven, eight months for me to persevere with that, because it was until it became muscle memory. If you ask me now how did you used to hold the mallet? I can't remember."

Then the new grip clicked.

Key takeaway: She got better because she accepted getting worse first. A good coach made the difference.