Breaking 80

I've broken 80 a total of 3 times now. Have yet to do so this year but i'm wondering...

What did you do in order to start consistently shooting in the 70s?

My current issue seems like its probably just consistency. I played a round this past week where i had 5 doubles on the front nine, but starting on number 9 i played the next 8 holes at 1 under par. Often times in 9 holes I will par or birdie 7-8/9 holes and then have a triple or quad on the others. I am capable of hitting every shot i need to on the golf course, just not every time i guess.

Do any of you remember what it took to consistently break 70?

Why are you making double's or bigger?  Driving it OB or into trouble, or is it iron play, sounds to me like you have to keep the ball in play instead of blasting away.  I rarely go for par 5's in 2, I find I can make more birdies with a wedge from 100-130 and it takes the big numbers out of the equation, same on shorter par 4's I will often hit 3 wood or 2 iron to make sure it stays on the short grass

Yea generally it is driving it OB or into water. Or even just into the trees. Sometimes it might be caused by 2 bad shots in a row. I am still trying to dial in my irons but it is certainly not my biggest problem and i hit them straight just don't have my distances worked out really well.

It may be a good idea for me to hit irons which i'm more accurate with if i'm in competition but when i'm just trying to get better i feel like I might as well try to get better at driver.

I am in exactly the same position as you. Its frustrating.

I know i am capable of hitting almost any shot. Like you said, its just consistency.

Ive been trying to keep the ball in play more, try hitting a hybrid off the tee. Think about it

You hit a hybrid, you have about 160 yards in, your gonna be somewhere near, chipping or putting for birdie and you should be getting a par.

Sounds like if you can just turn the doubles into bogeys, you're pretty much there. Keep the ball in play. And if you do go deep in the cabbage off the tee then don't compound the error by automatically trying the hero recovery shot. Play smart and settle for GIR + 1.

When I am trying to score I will often just try to get it inside 150 yards for the approach, unless its a fairway I am very confident I can hit.  350-390 yard par 4's I will use 2 iron or 3 wood, par 5's I almost never go in 2 unless its wide open around the green, greenside sand traps are no big deal but well protected greens with water and tree's are a no go, risk reward is too high.  I can pin my wedges inside 15 feet 50% of the time, and from inside 130 I almost never miss the green, so there is no need to go in 2 risk putting it in the water or trees, pitching out and making a bogie or worse on a par 5, thats an easy 4 strokes per round, if you bogie par 5's if you make double or worse on them you cannot recover.  I average 2-3 birdies per round

It sounds too me you are playing with risks too often, your drive is setting you up for an easy par or even birdie OR you are lost and make a double at least.

I would suggest to make a game plan for each hole of your course and stick to it, don't go for the low percentage shot on a dogleg, trying to cut the corner by hitting 1 out of 3 over the trees, etc.

If you are at a 350 yds. par 4 ...... why would you go for a drive and a 7/8 wedge ....... if a hybrid plus 8i means an easy no risk par.

So I would suggest to make a plan for the best way to play each hole at your course, playing from safe locations in the course, think form green to tee ........ don't think 250 yds tee, oops 80 yds to the green over that tree, along the ditch, on the fore green hoping for the best.

NO ...... DO IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND ...... !!!

In other words ...... if you are lethal with your PW from 100 yds. figure out from where you want to hit that shot and then figure out what is needed to get you from the tee to that spot. Don't be shy to take out a totally different club from your bag at the tee, than your buddies trying to split the fairway ....... all that matters is the score you fill in after playing the hole.

Those are certainly good ideas that I should be using a lot of the time and I don't. But the main holes i'm having trouble with are the number 1 and 2 handicaps on the course I play most.

One of these has a fairway that slopes steeply from right to left with OB on the right which makes the fairway tiny, if you hit the center of the fairway you will end up close to the trees on the left because of the strong slope.  At the same time as sloping from right to left it is bowed up in the middle and its a fairly long hole. If i don't land at the top of the bowed up part i land on an uphill slope leaving me about 180-200 yard second, and I find i can't get anything but driver up to the top of that slope.

The number 2 handicap is similar in length with water on the left making it a thin fairway. Without a good drive I can easily be over 175 out which is certainly not an ideal approach but not horrible.

I guess that my point is on these holes I am at least a stroke, really more like a half a stroke, out if I don't hit a solid and playable driver. I suppose that choice is better than trying to hit a solid driver and instead hitting it in the trees or OB since I have a chance to get up and down, and may even hit the green from 200 out.

play those 2 holes as par 5's take your bogie and move on, some holes you have to take your lumps on, just don't make doubles or bigger and you will be better off

Yup. You are a lot better off playing your second from the fairway with a hybrid than you are playing your third off the tee with the driver, again.

So if I'm deducting correctly, you need a more reliable tee shot for that dangerous situation?

Remember when Tiger used to talk about his stinger shot all the time?  (It's not actually that fancy)  Give that a try with the driver.  Just tee the ball a little lower, and chip at it with control.  My thought is just pop it down the fairway.  The ball will curve less due to being lower, probably travel about 75% of the distance or more, and the club is huge and forgiving, let it work.  Learning to make this my stock tee shot last season had me breaking 80 about 80% of the time and got me under a 5 index.  Having the ability to hit the green in regulation every hole takes a whole factor out from the game.

That, and don't mess up two shots in a row.  You gotta work on that, it's more a mental thing.  Take your time, figure it out first, and hit a good shot.

I am similar to the OP. I've only broken 80 2 or 3 times this year. My index is so low because I play a very difficult course for my home course. An 80 is like a 6 differential. Anyways, last weekend on the front 9 I had 7 pars, a bogey, and took a 9 on a Par 5. I was kicking myself the rest of the round when I shot 40 on the back for an 80. If I had just played it smart and laid up with a 6 or 7 iron instead of hitting my 3 wood in the water, then my 4th shot OB, I could have shot a career round of 76. Its these little dumb mental errors that separate 80 from 79.

I feel like im the same way.. Ill go the front 9 and shoot a 2 over par, but then play the back and shoot 6-8 over. Like i was mcilroy choking under pressure. What ive honestly that found out that has helped me alot is working on putting. Another thing think about the courses you play. Think about how many holes you really need to pull the driver out. Now im a long driver, when i hit my driver straight atleast 295+. Now thats 50% of the time it goes in the fairway. So when your on the tee box think about what will keep you in play. Say 380 par 4 you hit something thats 230 your 150 out. For me anything from 150 in 90% sure hitting the green. So instead of wacking driver every hole. Hit 3 iron 3h something that you can hit consistently straight.