Editor’s note: The subject of this story is X user Upper East Side Golf (@UESgolf), a member of the golf “burnerverse.” He is referenced by his username and handle in this article in order to protect his burnerverse identity.
Upper East Side Golf is, by any measure, a committed golfer. The term is often used casually, but his routine suggests the label fits.
Most mornings, he is up around 5:30 a.m. and heads to Five Iron Golf’s Rockefeller Center location to work on his game. He often spends 90 minutes hitting balls, then lifts weights before going to his Midtown Manhattan office for his day job in the financial industry. On mornings when he is not practicing in the simulator, he may be walking the fairways at Pelham Bay Golf Course in the Bronx.
“I played 83 rounds in 2025,” @UESgolf says. “I’d wake up at 4:15 or 4:30 a.m., take an Uber, or drive once I got a car, go play at Pelham Bay, finish as quickly as possible, and get back to the city by 9:30 so I could go to work.”
There are dedicated golfers, and then there are truly devoted ones. @UESgolf belongs in the latter group.
What makes his progress especially notable is that golf is a relatively recent obsession for the 31-year-old. Although he has been an athlete his entire life, @UESgolf only picked up the game in the fall of 2024. He grew up near Philadelphia, where golf was part of the local culture and his father played, but his own focus was on lacrosse. Golf never held much appeal.
That changed a little more than 18 months ago, when he joined a group of friends for a round. After losing to players he considered less naturally athletic, his competitive instinct kicked in. He decided to take the game seriously, and the results came quickly. Despite starting late, @UESgolf has already lowered his handicap into the low single digits and now generates driver clubhead speed well above 120 mph.
So, how did he improve so quickly? We asked him to break down the habits and priorities behind his rapid rise.
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1. Focus on center contact
Like many beginners, @UESgolf struggled with clubface control when he first started playing. Instead of chasing swing positions that looked good on video, he focused on the foundation of better golf: consistently finding the center of the clubface.
Much of his early practice was built around simple feedback drills. He used foot spray on the clubface to see strike location, and placed a headcover near the ball to encourage a better path. The goal was always the same: learn how to make centered contact.
“The biggest thing to focus on is compressing the ball and making good contact,” he says. “Even still today, a lot of what I try and do is just hit the center of the clubface.”
2. Commit to consistent practice
Fast improvement requires serious commitment. As @UESgolf’s progress shows, lowering a handicap takes more than occasional range sessions.
“I wake up at 5:30 a.m. and head to Five Iron to hit balls for an hour or two,” he says. “Then in the spring and summer, as soon as it gets warm enough for golf, which for me is about 40 to 42 degrees, I go play before work.”
Not every golfer can build a routine around that kind of schedule, but the lesson is clear: improvement does not happen by accident. If you want to get better, you have to put in the work.
3. Avoid chasing too many swing tips
Like many players who catch the golf bug, @UESgolf spends plenty of time thinking about his swing. That curiosity can help, but it can also become a problem if it leads to endless online advice and constant changes.
“I was DMing with [fellow golf burner Arnie McNair] during one of those swing-rating things he was doing,” @UESgolf says. “He looked at my swing and said, ‘You’re a 6 handicap now, but you’d be a scratch golfer if you stopped doing XYZ and got off YouTube.’
“I was making all kinds of changes. I even cut down my clubs because I thought I couldn’t get around properly. I was doing all sorts of crazy stuff.’ … Eventually Arnie introduced me to Andrew McCain, who gave me a free swing evaluation, and I’ve worked with him since January.”
Online instruction is not inherently bad, and some of it can be genuinely useful. The problem comes when golfers apply random tips without understanding how those changes fit their swing. A qualified instructor can identify the real issue, create a plan and make improvement much more manageable.
4. Mix block practice with variable practice
Better golf is not just about creating a swing that looks good on camera. It is about building a game that works on the course. @UESgolf understands that, which is why he combines block practice with variable practice.
“I’d say it’s probably about 60 percent variable and 40 percent block practice,” he says. “There are definitely days where I’m just trying to work out a kink and I’ll hit a bunch of drivers or a bunch of 7-irons. But the practice that seems to help my scoring the most is variable practice, working through different yardages and situations. Maybe I hit a 185-yard shot, then a 70-yard shot, then a 150-yard shot. That’s the kind of practice that translates best to the course.”
5. Make time for actual rounds
@UESgolf describes himself as a range rat who finds hitting balls therapeutic. Still, the biggest factor in lowering his handicap has not been simulator time. It has been learning how to score on a real golf course.
“If you really want your handicap to come down, you have to play golf and learn how to score,” he says. “I learned how to shoot in the 70s from the white and blue tees. Now I’m playing farther back and it’s more challenging. Learning how to score is something you simply can’t do in a simulator.”
Golf can feel like an impossible game, but @UESgolf’s progress shows that meaningful improvement is possible with the right mindset, a clear practice plan and a willingness to put in the work.