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Your breaking 80 experience (no mulligan, no cheating)


rkim291968
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What was it like breaking 80 for the first time?

I remember I did everything better than my usual that day but still felt I've made 3 - 5 silly mistakes which could have lowered my score to 75.   I thought I had to be near perfect to break 80.   I also remember that I was very relaxed before the round, and rode instead of walking the course (had some energy left for the last 3 holes).

RiCK

(Play it again, Sam)

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Iv done it about 3 times.

First time I got 75 on par 71, scrambled a fair bit, held 5 foot putts almost every time. Birdied the last two holes.

A couple of days ago I shot 79, in this round, I missed a 2 foot for birdie, 2 double bogeys and 3 putted a par 5 for par. Didn't lose one ball or hit a hazard, so it was all poor shots.

I don't think you need to play that great, its just you can't hit many terrible shots, shanks, 3 putts, lose balls, hit hazards, drop shots on easy holes.

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Let me start off by saying it was one of my best 9 hole rounds ever. I shot a 79 and actually had one triple bogey in there..........ok, that never actually happened!


Seriosuly speaking though, it was one of those goals that took so long to accomplish but once I did I routinely shot high 70's. Never could get to the low 70's though before my game regressed.


The first time I shot in the 70's was back in high school and it was at the time the best round of my life. I believe it was either a 75 or 76, not entirely sure. It was during a normal practice round which actually made it that much more impressive in my opinion. My coach at the time liked us all to make certain goals for our round (i.e. no use of the driver all day, only use a 7-iron around the green, etc.). This occured about a decade ago so I don't remember all the details of the round but I know that in some form I wasn't playing all my regular shots. As "pepsiplusconker" put it, you don't need to play great, you just have to avoid the miss. That's exactly what I accomplished that day.


To bad I can't play at that level anymore...I'm lucky to shoot 80 now. At the rate I'm going I'll be shooting 90 soon, then 100, and so on and so forth.




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I find that any time I break 80 it's usually a mundane round. No major mistakes or complications that make me think about it. A couple of times I didn't realize it until I added up the back 9 strokes. Sometimes it comes down to an unexpected birdie on 18. Not sure why it's necessary to mention cheating, either you do or you don't. I don't see the people that do picking and choosing when they do it, tends to be an all or nothing practice.

Dave :-)

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My first sub-80 round was in 1990, on a goat track called Brookside in Saline, MI.  Shot 78 after taking a double bogey on the closing par 3.  Choking like a dog coming down the stretch but fortunately I was low enough to not blow it on the last hole.  Subsequently my scoring ability was validated in December at my parents club in Florida (TPC Prestancia).  It took over a year to get a 3rd sub-80 but now it is somewhat regular.

While I have had a few rounds at even and one under par, a sub-80 round still is the gold standard for me.

Brian Kuehn

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First time for me was around 1970 with my college buddy at a little muni course.

This year, 43 years later, I have 5 sub 80 rounds with the last one being 76 last Monday.  Shot even par on the front, and then 5 bogeys on the back.

I love this game!

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Twenty years ago I was a 25 handicap on a golf trip with 16 guys. I knew 8 of them before the trip. I'd broken 90 twice in my life to that point with two 89's. First four rounds of the event were in the 90's -- good for me. This was a by-the-rules event to "protect the field."

Then we went to Mt. Woodson (outside San Diego), par 70, short and tricky layout. My cart partner was an older guy with some health issues. The course was so wet that, even with his disabilities, it was cart path only for us. I found myself being his "caddie" and running back and forth to our cart to fetch him a club, look for his ball, spot a yardage, and essentially drag him around the course. I had not hit my woods well at all those first rounds so I teed off with a five iron all day. Played well. Managed to keep the ball in play. Seemed to hit a lot of greens. Made some putts. Made one birdie. Lagged very well. Never any pressure. Felt like I might really brake 90 -- maybe even a 85. But I was not keeping score and the guys in the other cart (good friends) said I should just play. They'd let me know my score at the end. Again, I was very focused on helping my cart-mate get around without killing our pace of play.

As we walked of the 18th green, I was informed that I had indeed shot the round of my life -- 75!

It was three years before I even broke 90 again. I shot 95 that afternoon on the same Mt Woodson course. I managed to hang on and win the event that week after that net 55. That 75 was simply one of those mornings.

Russ - Student of the Moe Norman swing as taught by the pros at - http://moenormangolf.com

Titleist 910 D3 8.5* w/ Project X shaft/ Titleist 910F 15* w/ Project X shaft

Cobra Baffler 20* & 23* hybrids with Accra hybrid shafts

Mizuno MP-53 irons 5Iron-PW AeroTech i95 shafts stiff and soft stepped once/Mizuno MP T-11 50.6/56.10/MP T10 60*

Seemore PCB putter with SuperStroke 3.0

Srixon 2012 Z-Star yellow balls/ Iomic Sticky 2.3, X-Evolution grips/Titleist Lightweight Cart Bag---

extra/alternate clubs: Mizunos JPX-800 Pro 5-GW with Project X 5.0 soft-stepped shafts

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Originally Posted by rustyredcab

Twenty years ago I was a 25 handicap on a golf trip with 16 guys. I knew 8 of them before the trip. I'd broken 90 twice in my life to that point with two 89's. First four rounds of the event were in the 90's -- good for me. This was a by-the-rules event to "protect the field."

Then we went to Mt. Woodson (outside San Diego), par 70, short and tricky layout. My cart partner was an older guy with some health issues. The course was so wet that, even with his disabilities, it was cart path only for us. I found myself being his "caddie" and running back and forth to our cart to fetch him a club, look for his ball, spot a yardage, and essentially drag him around the course. I had not hit my woods well at all those first rounds so I teed off with a five iron all day. Played well. Managed to keep the ball in play. Seemed to hit a lot of greens. Made some putts. Made one birdie. Lagged very well. Never any pressure. Felt like I might really brake 90 -- maybe even a 85. But I was not keeping score and the guys in the other cart (good friends) said I should just play. They'd let me know my score at the end. Again, I was very focused on helping my cart-mate get around without killing our pace of play.

As we walked of the 18th green, I was informed that I had indeed shot the round of my life -- 75!

It was three years before I even broke 90 again. I shot 95 that afternoon on the same Mt Woodson course. I managed to hang on and win the event that week after that net 55. That 75 was simply one of those mornings.

Wow!   That is unbelievable but a wonderful story.   Seems like you were robbed of something wonderful happening while it was actually going on.  In similar situation, I'd rather be told that I have a shot at breaking 80 to live every moment of it.

RiCK

(Play it again, Sam)

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Originally Posted by rkim291968

Wow!   That is unbelievable but a wonderful story.   Seems like you were robbed of something wonderful happening while it was actually going on.  In similar situation, I'd rather be told that I have a shot at breaking 80 to live every moment of it.

If he had known it might not have happened.

I was in a club championship tournament one time and my playing partner and I were both fairly disgusted with our rounds, just going by what we thought we were going to have to do to win. Never occurred to us that with the MUCH tougher set up for the tournament all of the scores would be so high. We were both over par at the turn and were just going through the motions of finishing the round until we got to the 17th tee. A teenaged kid asked my playing partner what his score was and he told him both he and I were 3 over par. The kid said "well ya'll are leading the tournament by one stroke".

We both bogeyed the last two holes and lost by one...Darned kid!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by MS256

If he had known it might not have happened.

I was in a club championship tournament one time and my playing partner and I were both fairly disgusted with our rounds, just going by what we thought we were going to have to do to win. Never occurred to us that with the MUCH tougher set up for the tournament all of the scores would be so high. We were both over par at the turn and were just going through the motions of finishing the round until we got to the 17th tee. A teenaged kid asked my playing partner what his score was and he told him both he and I were 3 over par. The kid said "well ya'll are leading the tournament by one stroke".

We both bogeyed the last two holes and lost by one...Darned kid!!!!!!!

Had a buch of breaking 90 rounds fall apart on the 18th. I think my buddies knew what they were doing. Most memorable shot was a par 4 where I decided to hit driver instead of three wood. Figured I'd fad it down the hill along the line of the fairway. Pulled it hard left, straight over the corner I was supposed to be fading around, about 100 yards off the course. Ball hit a boulder the size of a small house on a fly, bounced hard, high, and straight back finishing exactly in the middle of the fairway, about 180 yards from the tee. Just like a perfect 5-iron. I figured the golf gods were giving me one chance to get back to only 5-irons off the tee. Hit second shot onto the front of the green and made the birdie putt. Round of a lifetime.

Russ - Student of the Moe Norman swing as taught by the pros at - http://moenormangolf.com

Titleist 910 D3 8.5* w/ Project X shaft/ Titleist 910F 15* w/ Project X shaft

Cobra Baffler 20* & 23* hybrids with Accra hybrid shafts

Mizuno MP-53 irons 5Iron-PW AeroTech i95 shafts stiff and soft stepped once/Mizuno MP T-11 50.6/56.10/MP T10 60*

Seemore PCB putter with SuperStroke 3.0

Srixon 2012 Z-Star yellow balls/ Iomic Sticky 2.3, X-Evolution grips/Titleist Lightweight Cart Bag---

extra/alternate clubs: Mizunos JPX-800 Pro 5-GW with Project X 5.0 soft-stepped shafts

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I played 78 the first time to break 80 then 76 a few rounds after.

both times I bogeyd long difficult holed taking no risks, just pushing the ball, then on greens I could play wedges to I just had a good day and was always on line + about four shots were pin gigh and I made two birdies.

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Third party scorekeeper...79 in 2007, I have parred some nines since then...no luck all around. i will do it this year though...I can feel it.

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Originally Posted by bkuehn1952

Choking like a dog coming down the stretch but fortunately I was low enough to not blow it on the last hole.

I was at 78 on the last hole.  On that hole, I kept telling myself to just get a bogey or better.   I wasn't choking but probably put more pressure on myself than was necessary. All my shots on that hole was played with a bit of nervousness and I did have a good look at par.   But I bogeyed it at the end for a 79.

RiCK

(Play it again, Sam)

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I wasn't tracking my score, but I needed a par on the last hole that I've never parred before.  Missed the green but had a nice pitch shot to three feet and made the putts.  When I added it up, 79 on a par 71.  Lots of pars, no birdies and lot of up and downs.

Scott

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I shot a 78 last fall (full disclosure it was a par 70).  Best round I've ever played.  And if memory serves I doubled or tripled 18 with a bunch of short puts guarding against going over 80.

From the experience that day, I decided that 3 things probably need to come together for you shoot your best rounds:

1. have to be hitting the ball well (obviously)

2. have to be getting the lucky bounces - not those unlucky ones

3. have to have a few putts drop for you

It was awesome.

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I believe that have related this on the site before. I went years trying to break 80, coming close more times than I care to relate. My problem was that I was always too aware of it and it got in my head. I would start thinking what I had to do down the stretch instead of taking it one shot at a time.

When I ffinally did it (78, BTW), it was in a flight final in our Club Championship because I was focused on a very tight match and wasn't aware of my score. I even had a triple bogey on the front nine which helped take the number out of play, in my mind. I have done it many times since, but getting that first one was a bitch.

Bill M

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Note: This thread is 3902 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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