The Scratch Project · Standard Edition · Getting Started
45 guides, 15 tools, one 24-month plan. This page tells you exactly where to start, what to do first, and how to build a weekly routine that works — without feeling overwhelmed.
Four questions. Takes 60 seconds. Every guide then shows your real calendar dates, your personal HCP milestones, and region-specific content.
Your official WHS index (e.g. 10.4). No official index yet? Enter your best estimate.
Enter 0 for scratch. The plan scales your personal milestones to match your exact journey.
When are you beginning Month 1? Can be today or a past date if you've already started.
Sets your handicap body, season framing, and competitive pathway references.
You have 45 guides. Do not open all of them. The first 48 hours are about three things only — understanding what the system is, knowing where you are right now, and setting up the tracking that makes everything else work.
Most golf instruction tells you what's wrong with your swing and how to fix it. This system takes the opposite approach: it uses your actual on-course shot data to identify which part of your game costs the most strokes, then gives you the specific playbooks to close that gap.
The framework is called Strokes Gained — the same method used by every PGA Tour player's analytics team. It means every decision you make about where to practise is based on real evidence from your real rounds, not guesswork.
| Don't | Do Instead |
|---|---|
| Open every guide and read them all | Follow the sequence in this guide — 4 specific guides in a specific order |
| Start changing your swing based on what you read | Get your tracking data running first; let the data identify the priority before you act |
| Try to set up all the tools at once | Set up Arccos first, everything else in week 2 and beyond |
| Start the 24-month plan on Day 1 | Read the plan (Guide 10) on Day 3 — you need to understand the system first |
Before starting, note down three numbers that will become your baseline — the reference point against which everything improves:
Write these in the Progress Journal (Guide 17) on Day 3. They become your Month 1 baseline. In 6 months you'll look back at these numbers and see exactly how far you've come.
One task, done properly. Set up Arccos tracking so your next competitive round produces real data you can act on. This is not optional — every guide in this system that references "your SG data" is referring to data that Arccos collects. No setup means no data means guesswork.
Two guides, read in order. Guide 10 gives you the 24-month destination and the phase structure. Guide 26 gives you the measurement system that tells you how you're progressing toward it. Everything else builds on these two.
Your first structured practice session. Not a technical session — a diagnostic one. The goal is to build the baseline data you'll use for the rest of Phase 1, and to get your first feel for how the programme structures practice differently from what you may have been doing.
Your first 3–5 Arccos rounds will produce SG numbers that feel wrong — either much better or much worse than you expected in specific categories. This is normal. The sample size is too small for the numbers to be meaningful. SG: Putting in particular swings wildly in small samples.
The rule: don't change your practice priorities based on fewer than 8 qualifying rounds of Arccos data. Use the first 8 rounds to collect data, not to act on it. The action phase starts when you have enough signal to distinguish from noise.
A sustainable weekly structure for Phase 1 — designed for a working golfer who can commit 4–6 hours per week to improvement. Adjust to your available time, but maintain the ratio: more practice than competition, and quality over volume.
You do not need to read all 45 guides immediately. This sequence is ordered by when you'll need each one — starting with the diagnostic and planning guides, then the technical and competitive guides as your game and data mature.
This system uses up to six data tools. You do not need all of them immediately. Set them up in this order — each one builds on what the previous one produces.
The questions most new buyers have in their first week — answered directly.
The whole system is built around on-course SG data. Arccos Air is the minimum — the Link Pro device costs around £80 and the app subscription covers ongoing use. Everything else (Mevo, HackMotion, Sportsbox AI) is valuable but optional. The guides that reference these tools have "how to proceed without this tool" guidance in them. Start with Arccos and add tools only when the data identifies a gap they specifically address.
The programme is designed for players between 5 and 18 handicap. If you're at 18, Phase 1 (Months 1–6) is your starting point — it focuses on eliminating the big mistakes (double bogeys, penalty areas, short-sided chips) that cost higher-handicap players the most strokes. The SG framework is just as useful at 18 as at 5 — it's technology-neutral, applying equally to all levels. The scratch target is 24 months away for most players; what matters is that you're moving in the right direction.
All 45 guides are self-contained and self-coaching-enabled. The Video Analysis guide (Guide 14) and the coaching relationship guide (Guide 34) give you structured approaches to self-coaching and to finding and working with a coach if you want one. The data-first approach actually makes self-coaching more effective — you're acting on evidence from your own game rather than generic advice from a stranger.
Most golf books tell you what to work on based on what's commonly wrong with amateur swings. This system identifies what to work on based on what's actually wrong with your specific game, measured in strokes on the course. The practice structure science is also different from most instruction — it's based on motor learning research that shows most golfers practise in the least effective way possible (blocked repetition of the same shot). Guides 05 and 38 cover this in detail and will probably change how you think about range sessions.
Every monthly guide (27–30) is structured so you can enter at any point. Work out which month of the programme you're in, then open the relevant guide and start from that month. The SG targets and practice priorities are the same regardless of when you start — only your personal calendar differs.