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My journey to break 100 has just begun


Gipper
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As a golfer who struggles with getting to 99 I have found that consistent play is the key.  What is hurting me this year is I will have three great holes in row, have something bad happen, then watch the wheels fall off for six more holes.  I then repeat it on the back nine.  What kills me is that I have been in position to make birdie / par / bogey many times then I will botch something easy (three putt is my theme this year).  In 10 rounds this year I have two birdies already (had three all of last year) but the best I have done is a 108. The key to all of this is getting the mind right.  The biggest breakthrough I have had in golf was after reading "Zen Golf" by Dr. Joe Parent.  It made me realize how important the mind game was.  After that I read "Golf is not a Game of Perfect" by Dr. Bob Rotella.  This book is a MUST.  By getting your mental game right you will be astonished at what you can accomplish on the golf course.

I will get on amazon and the iPad book store and check those out.

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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Im in the same boat, yet Ive made a lot of progress over the last year.

Instead of a goal of breaking 100, I use the goal of breaking 50 for 9 holes. Cuz I often have something like a 48 out then 55 in.

I don;t want to say I didnt reach my goal of 100, rather I had one good 9 hole round out of 2.

I ignore the par numbers on the scorecard 3,4 or 5. I will even black them out if not sharing a scorecard, and fill in my

own "pars" based on my handicap. My GHIN is 24.5 so my course handicap will give me one or two strokes per hole for net par.

I want to feel excited and proud when I make a "net par" or "net birdie".

As they have said Out-of-Bounds and Lost Ball penalties are killers cuz they cost stroke AND distance. Hazards cost a stroke but

usually not all the distance.

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I like the idea of refilling out your score card with your handicap adjusted score.

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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I just started play again late last year and was aiming for below 100.  I scored a 99 this year on Bethpage blue course and I was over the moon.  I have also got my 9 hole score below 45 three times which I am happy about.  For me the biggest thing is realizing that I do not need to get a par on every hole.  On many holes for me to get a GIR I have to hit full drives and that can get me in trouble.  I have learned it is better to club down off the tee and get it in play.  On Par 4 this means I am usually looking at a 5-7 iron for my second as oppose to a wedge.  If I like the green and the risk is low I might try and hit the green if not I will lay up somewhere that I know I have comfortable wedge.  This way I have at least a chance at par with an up and down but will be fairly safe getting a bogey.

Some of the rules I have been trying to follow

No OB

No 3 putts

Par 5's- green in 4

Par 4's- green in 3

Par 3's - Aim for the middle go for par.

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From experience playing with people of all skill levels, here's what people who shoot triple digit scores do on a regular basis and how what they do can be quantified:

1.  From the tee box: 2-3 balls OB or into unplayable (woods and lose ball) situations.  Cost to round 4-6 strokes.

2.  From the fairway: 2-3 balls into hazards or other unplayable situations.  Cost to round 4-6 strokes.

3.  Mishit 2-4 chip shots short or over green.  Cost to round 2-4 strokes.

4.  Miss 4-6 putts inside 5 feet.  Cost to round 4-6 strokes

Add up just these simple errors and it costs a 100+ shooter 14 strokes a round MINIMUM

Help with these errors

1a.  If you have water, OB or other hazard from the tee box, move as close to the trouble side as the tee markers allow and hit AWAY from the trouble area.  Laying 2 in the rough is a real stroke saver over rehitting 3 from the tee!

2b.  Same thing, look at what a fairway shot has to offer and layup short of a hazard, play AWAY from the hazard or simply play a shot with a club that you have the most confidence in even if it means playing a 7-iron as a second shot on a par-5.

3b.  Practice your short game (pitching and chipping) wherever and whenever you can.  Practice goal for a 100 shooter might be getting those greenside pitch and chips up and down in THREE shots instead of 4 or 5.

4b.  Same thing with putting.  The best way to reduce missing the short makeable putts is practice, practice and more practice.  Before each round, I take 2 balls and make both balls from all 4 sides of the hole from 2, 3, and 5' range.  One stat I always look at after each round is how many 'makeable' putts did I miss?  It's usually 1 or 2 at worst for an 18-hole round.

Finally, lets say you can correct these errors at an 80% success rate by playing smarter and some practice.  The 14 shots of errors are correctable at a rate of 11 shots per round.  Your typical 106 round is now a 95.

My biggest concern when playing is to eliminate all unforced (self-inflicted) errors in a round.  This is pretty much the only way I can keep the scores in the mid- to high-80s anymore.  It works for me.  It can work for you.

dave

The ultimate "old man" setup:

Ping G30 driver
Ping G Fairway woods - 5 and 7 woods
Callaway X-Hot #5 hybrid; Old school secret weapon
Ping G #6-9 irons; W and U wedges
Vokey 54 and 58* Wedges
Odyssey Versa Putter
Golf Balls

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Yes, the self inflicted errors are the most frustrating and painful to ones score. I have seen a couple people now mention Tee'ing up on the side of the hazard and hitting away from it. This makes so much sense I have no clue why I always set up as far away from it before.

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
The first night of our golf league was canceled due to rain... Pretty bummed... Will have to get in 18 this weekend.

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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I just wrapped up walking 9 holes. Par was just 35 and I shot a 55 but I was excited because last time I played here i shot a 63. I hit 4 fairways and had 20 puts(two 3 putts). My weakness by far was my irons. I drove good for me and my short game was much better than normal. I have been practicing pitching and chipping in the yard a lot. I need to eliminate my blown shots between my drives and around the green.

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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Yes, the self inflicted errors are the most frustrating and painful to ones score.

I have seen a couple people now mention Tee'ing up on the side of the hazard and hitting away from it. This makes so much sense I have no clue why I always set up as far away from it before.

A lot of what we do/don't do in the game of golf isn't obvious.  Try teaching proper chipping technique to someone who thinks they have to scoop the ball into the air to get it to fly onto the green.  It's just not an obvious thing until a

I just wrapped up walking 9 holes. Par was just 35 and I shot a 55 but I was excited because last time I played here i shot a 63. I hit 4 fairways and had 20 puts(two 3 putts). My weakness by far was my irons. I drove good for me and my short game was much better than normal. I have been practicing pitching and chipping in the yard a lot.

I need to eliminate my blown shots between my drives and around the green.


Ha!  You must play on Thursday nights.  We were rained out over in NE Ohio as well last night.  And thank goodness!  Who wants to play in a swamp.  Ugh!

One more tip from one hack to another:  Find a club you have confidence in and can hit well consistently from the fairway.  For instance, on par-5s, my go-to second shot is a #5 hybrid.  I'm trying to get to 100 yard range to green/pin.  I'm really confident in my ability to hit a solid and on-line shot with a 8-iron (pushing 130 yards) or any of my wedges down to about 60 yards.  So a 500 yard par 5 looks like 210 off the tee, 160-170 and a short iron into the green.  I don't pull out a 3 or 5 wood and roll it anymore.  I just stick with what works.

Find a 'go-to,' 'move it down the fairway' club.  Even if it's a SEVEN-iron, you have to have a club that can eat up yards on long par 4s and for sure on the par-5s.  If you can get to short iron range to play your 3rd shot onto a par 4 or 5 hole, you're looking at 5 or 6 on the par 4s and maybe par or bogey on the par 5 provided you can 2-putt.  If you regularly miss greens with your short irons, this would represent a good practice opportunity for you.

My midrange game sucks.  On a few occasions, my 'eat up the yards' club has actually been a 7-iron.  Still gets me into the short(er) iron range where I'm pretty confident of hitting the green on next shot.  Now, I'm able to hit the 5-hybrid consistently straight and move it down the fairway at around 160-170.  Next up is getting the 5-wood working in an effort to move the ball more like 190 down the road.

Always something to work on.  Keep at it and I hope you have a positive league year.  Ours has been going since the first week of April!  We've already been rained out twice, played in some pretty cold weather but have had a couple of really summer-like rounds as well.  Gotta be ready for anything.

dave

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The ultimate "old man" setup:

Ping G30 driver
Ping G Fairway woods - 5 and 7 woods
Callaway X-Hot #5 hybrid; Old school secret weapon
Ping G #6-9 irons; W and U wedges
Vokey 54 and 58* Wedges
Odyssey Versa Putter
Golf Balls

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A lot of what we do/don't do in the game of golf isn't obvious.  Try teaching proper chipping technique to someone who thinks they have to scoop the ball into the air to get it to fly onto the green.  It's just not an obvious thing until a  Ha!  You must play on Thursday nights.  We were rained out over in NE Ohio as well last night.  And thank goodness!  Who wants to play in a swamp.  Ugh! One more tip from one hack to another:  Find a club you have confidence in and can hit well consistently from the fairway.  For instance, on par-5s, my go-to second shot is a #5 hybrid.  I'm trying to get to 100 yard range to green/pin.  I'm really confident in my ability to hit a solid and on-line shot with a 8-iron (pushing 130 yards) or any of my wedges down to about 60 yards.  So a 500 yard par 5 looks like 210 off the tee, 160-170 and a short iron into the green.  I don't pull out a 3 or 5 wood and roll it anymore.  I just stick with what works. Find a 'go-to,' 'move it down the fairway' club.  Even if it's a SEVEN-iron, you have to have a club that can eat up yards on long par 4s and for sure on the par-5s.  If you can get to short iron range to play your 3rd shot onto a par 4 or 5 hole, you're looking at 5 or 6 on the par 4s and maybe par or bogey on the par 5 provided you can 2-putt.  If you regularly miss greens with your short irons, this would represent a good practice opportunity for you. My midrange game sucks.  On a few occasions, my 'eat up the yards' club has actually been a 7-iron.  Still gets me into the short(er) iron range where I'm pretty confident of hitting the green on next shot.  Now, I'm able to hit the 5-hybrid consistently straight and move it down the fairway at around 160-170.  Next up is getting the 5-wood working in an effort to move the ball more like 190 down the road. Always something to work on.  Keep at it and I hope you have a positive league year.  Ours has been going since the first week of April!  We've already been rained out twice, played in some pretty cold weather but have had a couple of really summer-like rounds as well.  Gotta be ready for anything. dave

Great info, thank you Dave. I am working on developing that go to mover club.

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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I just hit a large bucket with my daughter. This was by far my best bucket of the year. I am still getting used to my irons but I am at least getting the ball in the air now. I am pushing a lot of shots right so I or my instructor will have to figure that one out.

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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with it going to the right make sure your hips are rotating and you're shifting your weight also make sure you get all the weight on your front foot to make it go straighter with a full swing.
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with it going to the right make sure your hips are rotating and you're shifting your weight also make sure you get all the weight on your front foot to make it go straighter with a full swing.

I will try to look up some drills that help me shift my weight quicker

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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Just hit my worst bucket of the year. I could not get the ball in the air. Pretty discouraged right now:-(. I have my next lesson on Wednesday and am not sure if i should hit another bucket before then or not.

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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Just hit my worst bucket of the year. I could not get the ball in the air. Pretty discouraged right now:-(. I have my next lesson on Wednesday and am not sure if i should hit another bucket before then or not.


You might want to take the balls out of the bucket and hit them. They don't fly very far when you hit the bucket. ;-)

- Shane

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You might want to take the balls out of the bucket and hit them. They don't fly very far when you hit the bucket.

This gave me a good laugh.  Thanks!

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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This gave me a good laugh.  Thanks!

Anytime.

I would say that you should hold off on hitting balls if it is frustrating you. Just my .02.

- Shane

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I had a great lesson last night. My church league starts tonight. Goal for this next week will be to continue to work on rotating me hands through the swing. If anyone has a good drill for this let me know.

Driver: Taylormade RBZ :tmade: Irons: Titleist AP1 :titleist: PW-4 All other clubs are needing upgrading as I am able to afford it.

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Note: This thread is 3595 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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