Breaking 100

[Ian]

Work on your bump and run shots, instead of going with the flop shots all the time.

[vpw]

When I was trying to break 100, my aim was to play even bogey +1 per hole, that simply means I shouldn't play too aggressively.
On narrower holes, I'd tee off with my 3-5 irons, I seldom hit my drivers.
Also a simple course management, I know I'm weak hitting anything shorter than 80m so I try to leave about 100m for my approach.
As for putting, I practice lag putting as so that I won't have too many 3 putts.
Chipping n pitching, I usually practice the strokes in my backyard as for me as a beginner, the problem wasn't really distance control but rather the smoothness of the swing.
When I got the thing consistent n not jerky (ground, topped...etc) I started playing better.
Now my target is to break 90 consistently, recently I've been hitting between 91-93. My best score was 88, and that was from a 42 + 46.
I'm lacking consistency, and I'm working on it :)
Gluck.

[trageserk]

Hey everyone so I figured I'd give an update, so here goes...

I played 18 holes today at a local course after taking a break from golf for about a week or so. It was the first time I played alone; Anyone else find that they score the best playing solo? I shot extremely better then normal and I ended up shooting a 102- A 14 stroke drop from the last time I played (which was at the same course). I had a legitimate chance at breaking 100, I had ten strokes for a 99 when I teed off on 17. I hit my 64 from a 55 yard shot and it went 75- I didn't skull it or anything, it was perfect flight, but it was something that I've never seen out of that club distancewise.

I teed off with only my hybrid today (except for one hole in which I used my driver and paid with a penalty stroke). My ball striking was so much better today. Off of the tees when I would hit irons, I teed it a bit higher then usual and it made a huge difference. On a few of them it felt like I had barely even hit the ball, it felt so smooth. My chips were pretty bad however, but it could be attributed to the fact that I had a few buried lies in rough. I actually had my first "fried egg" today in the bunker, but I got out and put myself in great position for a bogey. I had a bunch of opportunities for birdies (4) and I couldn't convert. I haven't had one yet. I had three pars however, which is an extremely good day for me.

I averaged two putts legitimately today (no gimmies or anything). What is a good average?

My approaches were much better, I had one shot with my 8i in a horrible lie (in some sort of divot) about 160 out, I hit it kind of low (maybe because of the lie) but it rolled to within 5 feet of the cup to set up for birdie.

Also, I started putting from the fringe and I found it much, much more accurate then attempting to bump and run; I'll continue to do that I think.

I played smart golf today and it definitely paid off. At first I was fuming that I shot a 102, but then I reexamined it and I realized I played probably my best round ever, on a perfect day weatherwise- I can't complain much I guess.

Thanks everyone for sticking through with the thread and for the continued support/advice- it's greatly appreciated.

[Shindig]

I played 18 holes today at a local course after taking a break from golf for about a week or so. It was the first time I played alone; Anyone else find that they score the best playing solo?

It depends on who I'm with, really. I'm "alone" with three other people most of the time (solo + random pairings).

I shot extremely better then normal and I ended up shooting a 102- A 14 stroke drop from the last time I played (which was at the same course). I had a legitimate chance at breaking 100, I had ten strokes for a 99 when I teed off on 17. I hit my 64 from a 55 yard shot and it went 75- I didn't skull it or anything, it was perfect flight, but it was something that I've never seen out of that club distancewise.

Yeah, that happens sometimes. I've flown a few greens lately with my 56° that should've stopped in the middle. It happens.

I teed off with only my hybrid today (except for one hole in which I used my driver and paid with a penalty stroke). My ball striking was so much better today. Off of the tees when I would hit irons, I teed it a bit higher then usual and it made a huge difference.

Yeah. This isn't a bad idea if you aren't a very accurate driver of the ball. Eventually, you'll get a good idea of which holes you can hit your driver on and which you can't. And on those where you can, you'll just have to remember "put it in play" and not "hit this as far as it goes." I bet part of why your hybrid shots were good was you figured how far it would go, and gave it a normal swing so it would go that far. Once you accept your normal driver distance as the desired distance with that club, you'll probably gain some accuracy. But all of us - myself included - pull that club and think "bomb it out there" sometimes.

On a few of them it felt like I had barely even hit the ball, it felt so smooth. My chips were pretty bad however, but it could be attributed to the fact that I had a few buried lies in rough. I actually had my first "fried egg" today in the bunker, but I got out and put myself in great position for a bogey. I had a bunch of opportunities for birdies (4) and I couldn't convert. I haven't had one yet. I had three pars however, which is an extremely good day for me.

I'm still happy with rounds with 5-6 pars, and I'm scoring a bit better than you. This is to say: 3 pars is excellent! Congratulations. Just a term so you'll know it if we haven't said it already: if you have a putt for birdie from on the green, it's said to be a "green in regulation." I like the term because it's more emotionally neutral: when I called them "birdie opportunities," I got too excited, and usually didn't get my birdie.

I averaged two putts legitimately today (no gimmies or anything). What is a good average?

Well, Tiger would be a bit upset if he 2-putted every green, but for you, it's just fine

Seriously, if you're green-side in regulation, chip on, 2-putt, and do this every hole, it's a 90. So, as long as you're able to play smart golf - as you did today - 2 putts on average is fine for now. You'll want to improve that later, but that's going to come from improving on short putts and on your chipping. We'll cross that bridge when the time comes.

My approaches were much better, I had one shot with my 8i in a horrible lie (in some sort of divot) about 160 out, I hit it kind of low (maybe because of the lie) but it rolled to within 5 feet of the cup to set up for birdie.

Sweet! Not only for the good shot, but because it was also positive karma. Lots of people regularly take a "free drop" from a divot, declaring it ground under repair (when it isn't marked as such). The debates on this are long and tedious and in other threads, so I'll spare you that. But, let me say: your birdie opportunity came from playing by the rules. And that makes it an even more awesome shot.

Also, I started putting from the fringe and I found it much, much more accurate then attempting to bump and run; I'll continue to do that I think.

Right. A large part of that is you hit your putter solidly more often than just about any other club in your bag. It's a good strategy, and I'm glad to see it is paying off for you.

I played smart golf today and it definitely paid off. At first I was fuming that I shot a 102, but then I reexamined it and I realized I played probably my best round ever, on a perfect day weatherwise- I can't complain much I guess.

Thank you for taking our advice to heart and for keeping us updated. Congrats on the 102. That's well under double-bogey average, and is a great starting point.

By the way, I'm going to take a joke from The Simpsons Movie (and from many other places) to say: That wasn't your best round ever. It was your best round ever so far .

[Brakkus]

I would like to thank Shindig for finally making up my mind on how to approach a round when you're a high handicapper.My 4 rounds so far 6000+ courses were,121,116,112,and110.

I finally bit the bullet and stopped hitting longer clubs,even when the fairway was wide.I played for position.I took the strategy of any hole under 400 yds,I would use my 5 iron off the tee,whatever the hole looked like,hence I had lots of chances to hit 8,9,and PW approaches to greens.

Worked because I shot 100 exactly.This was with around 6 holes where I three putted.I'm getting good at chipping,and pitching,need more control of my wedge distances though.Long putting is my weakness in the short game area.

I have a driver that I love hitting,but any movement off line even if it's a tiny amount of fade seems to always find rough.That means for the second shot you are playing out first,whereas in the fairway you would setting yourself up to hit the green for your third shot.

I pulled the driver out twice,hit it out of bounds,and later faded into the fairway next door,but got away with it when I hit my iron shot over the trees back in play.So from now on I will let everyone else I play with smash their drivers all over the place trying to work out what's wrong with their swings,while i'm going to stick with nailing it down the middle with a less ambitious club selection.

[Shindig]

I would like to thank Shindig for finally making up my mind on how to approach a round when you're a high handicapper.My 4 rounds so far 6000+ courses were,121,116,112,and110.

Cool! I'm glad I was able to help you.

This was with around 6 holes where I three putted.I'm getting good at chipping,and pitching,need more control of my wedge distances though.Long putting is my weakness in the short game area.

For what it's worth, long putting is my weakness too. Still, some three-putts are acceptable at this stage. That you're getting good at chipping is a great thing - it will help you as you progress. I got better at chipping before I broke 100 and it has saved me immensely - I wouldn't have broken 90 without some of the chipping skills that I was developing before I could break 100.

I have a driver that I love hitting,but any movement off line even if it's a tiny amount of fade seems to always find rough.That means for the second shot you are playing out first,whereas in the fairway you would setting yourself up to hit the green for your third shot.

Here's the thing, and it's a bit weird to say: you're going to get better with your driver before you hit it too much. You're going to get used to making a good swing with the other clubs, and you're going to get used to seeing your ball hit the fairway, and sure enough, that will carry over to the driver.

And that you are already learning to play your own game and not that of the people you're playing with shows great mental management. In short: congrats on the 100 and good going for your work so far!

[Brakkus]

Yeah I'm just going to confine it to the bag until I get used to constructing holes confidently.Each time I play i'm starting to ignore the distance of the whole realising I can hit 3 good shots and reach the green still.All mental tactics it isn't it?



Here's the thing, and it's a bit weird to say: you're going to get better with your driver before you hit it too much. You're going to get used to making a good swing with the other clubs, and you're going to get used to seeing your ball hit the fairway, and sure enough, that will carry over to the driver.

And that you are already learning to play your own game and not that of the people you're playing with shows great mental management.

In short: congrats on the 100 and good going for your work so far![/QUOTE]

[lookimtigerwoods]

Short game

[Shindig]

Yeah I'm just going to confine it to the bag until I get used to constructing holes confidently.Each time I play i'm starting to ignore the distance of the whole realising I can hit 3 good shots and reach the green still.All mental tactics it isn't it?

It's mental tactics and course management, yes. It's playing within yourself and going for the lowest score you can expect to get. And it's smart golf.

[trageserk]

Well, I went out and played the same course that I shot a 102 on yesterday. I was only able to get 9 holes in due to the light. I ended up shooting a 48 on the front 9 there. I didn't believe it and neither did my dad when I added up my scores- I didn't strike the ball that well, but I somehow scored really well. I putted 16 times which is an improvement from the last time I played. Considering the condition of the greens (pretty wet) I'm pretty happy about my putting.

I stuck once again with the hybrid the whole way through and it helped me a lot. It's nice to know that I can hit that club consistently well off of the tee, still have decent distance (210-220 yards) and be pretty accurate. Overall it's been a pretty big confidence boost for me.

My best hole of the game was on the 5th which is a par three and is 160 yards long, but downhill. I teed off with my 9i, hit it nice and high to the pin which was in the middle (right above this HUGE mound that I think is a boulder covered in grass due to the area that I live in) of the green. I overshot it a few feet, but I saw it land and then spun back about a foot and a half- I was pretty damn impressed with myself there. I was left with about a 10 foot putt, but I ended up two putting for my only par of the day.

So I ended up with a 48- I really wish I could have played another nine, I'm sure I would have finally broken 100 there, but I guess I'll have to wait until next time.

Has anyone else ever been really shocked by their score after seeing the way they played in the round and then comparing it to the scorecard? While I wasn't tremendously shocked, I was expecting around a 55-57, not a 48.

Thanks again everyone for the input and staying with the thread.

[Marc Fraser]

When I shot my first round under 100, I was 11yr old - it was a 96.. To say the least, I was very shocked - so was the people I was playing with.

By the way, congradulations with your 48 - hopefully there is more to come from you, but dont get too carried away, this happens to my mates all the time - get a decant score then the next round they go out and shoot a really bad score!

[swingcoach]

You're going to miss greens on your approach so, to get par, you have to ship and putt well. Practice chipping to specific distances - 5 yards, 10 yards, 15 yards, 20 yards. This is the fastest way to lower your scores especially if you can hit the driver 270+.

[trageserk]

Swingcoach- I realized about a month ago that 270-280 was towards the higher end of my driving. When I was using my driver (which I've since substituted for my hybrid off of the tee thanks to the helpful suggestions of everyone) it was averaging more around 250-260. I guess I should edit that first post so it's not misleading.

The chipping practice is a great idea. Mrsandman has a great thread about short game practice and one of his suggestions was to play an 18 hole round on the practice green. I'm dying to try that out, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

[trageserk]

Hey everyone, I've had the opportunity to play twice (9 holes each time) since I've last posted.

The first was horrible. I shot a 58 with 20 putts. Horrible round, but in all fairness it was a pretty emotional day for me due to other circumstances. I had decided to play with my dad again to try and get my mind off of the stuff that was bothering me. However, it somewhat backfired as on about the third hole I was met with this horrendous 3 some of 15 year old kids (no offense to anyone who is at that age I myself am 17) who had no etiquette whatsoever. My dad and I play VERY fast and these kids took at least 2 and a half hours to play nine on a really easy course that's wide open. They would hit at least 4 balls off of the tee each (no exaggeration here) and play each and everyone of them- even if it was off in the woods. There was no way that I could call a ranger, as the course is so small that it doesn't even have one. So sorry about that mini rant, but it was just not a great day for me.

Today however, I shot a 51, with my first birdie ever. Once again, my shots were not great, but i managed to score pretty well and I only had 15 putts over 9 holes. My hybrid (that I've grown pretty fond of over the past few rounds) broke today on the third hole. I teed off and the first shot got pushed right and had an extremely weird feeling at contact. The the next shot I hit the club head just snapped right off of the shaft. Any suggestions on what to do? The club is less then a year old and is a nike CPR 4/24 hybrid.

thanks everyone.

[Shindig]

Well, I went out and played the same course that I shot a 102 on yesterday. I was only able to get 9 holes in due to the light. I ended up shooting a 48 on the front 9 there. I didn't believe it and neither did my dad when I added up my scores- I didn't strike the ball that well, but I somehow scored really well. I putted 16 times which is an improvement from the last time I played. Considering the condition of the greens (pretty wet) I'm pretty happy about my putting.

Cool! 48 is a great score for 9 holes - and it should show you that you're quite capable of doing it. This doesn't mean you'll always get 48 for 9 holes, but this should help immensely!

You mention that you didn't strike the ball all that well, but you evidently did well on the putting and chipping. Good! I love it when I can scramble out a great score on a day when my ball striking is off. And it means when your iron striking is on, you may well get an even better score.

I stuck once again with the hybrid the whole way through and it helped me a lot. It's nice to know that I can hit that club consistently well off of the tee, still have decent distance (210-220 yards) and be pretty accurate. Overall it's been a pretty big confidence boost for me.

Awesome shooting! You took the right lesson from this - shock after the fact. You've also realized something important: you can have a great score and not realize it when you're on your way to it. I didn't realize I was going to break 100 until I added up a 95. I did have a few rounds that were 56-44 or 44-56 for an even 100. It's amazing how well you can do on some holes when your expectations are out the window, and it's amazing how poorly I did when I had the score floating through my mind instead of the shot at hand. Your score from the post I'm quoting tells me you're getting better at thinking about the shot at hand rather than the result. That's a great strength to have.

Hey everyone, I've had the opportunity to play twice (9 holes each time) since I've last posted.

Yeah, we've all been there.

Today however, I shot a 51, with my first birdie ever. Once again, my shots were not great, but i managed to score pretty well and I only had 15 putts over 9 holes. My hybrid (that I've grown pretty fond of over the past few rounds) broke today on the third hole. I teed off and the first shot got pushed right and had an extremely weird feeling at contact. The the next shot I hit the club head just snapped right off of the shaft. Any suggestions on what to do? The club is less then a year old and is a nike CPR 4/24 hybrid.

Horray for the first birdie!

Some people have had great experiences on this board with Nike customer service. I've never had to deal with them, so I don't know. Contact the store you bought the club from and/or Nike directly, and see what they can do.

[sonicblue]

I'd like to add a story here about a round yesterday. I played with three guys; two of which probably rarely break 100, one guy has the game but plays very rarely.

Guy #1: He kept hitting multiple balls fat, like Orca-fat, as a result of - you could see it - gripping and grunting down on the club like he was trying to drive a stake through a hay bale. He was so wrapped up in his "swing," and generating power, all contact and alignment were out the door. When he connected, it was rarely in the right direction. In addition, on short shots, where power was not an issue, he was truly lost, and multiple flubs resulted.

Guy #2: An athletic, lean, strong guy. He was very "loose." I think he has a goal of good rhythm, which is great, but he never finished a swing. Nearly ever shot was a quick lookup to where it was going. As expected, this technique on short shots is death, and there were many flubs.

Guy #3: technically, not very sound, but he has great rhythm and control. You can tell he knows that an easy backswing with an accelerating downswing is the way to go. Puts a lot of club on the ball just about every time. However, driver is no good, 3-wood is straight but only like 220, and short game is out of practice, so he just ended up scrambling bogeys or more every hole.

None of these guys came close to breaking 100.

Me: I had a lot of bad swings work out. I had thin ones, toppers, pushes. I was nearly as erratic as everyone else in terms of non-good shots, but my misses didn't usually find trouble (first hole I did go into a creek!). I was punching out frequently, and even from dead in the fairway, I couldn't hit a damn green. But, I chipped a ton of balls inside 6 feet, and made a bunch of putts. Shot 84. I did play some good recoveries, but nothing mind-boggling, but I could have taken an extra approach shot on eight holes, and missed seven of my made putts and broken 100.

The moral is: first off, scoring and "swinging well" are two ENTIRELY different things. The bottom line is, none of the guys I was playing with were going to suddenly drop an 85. It's just not in their cards. When they were in the rough 190 yards away, they should have just punched a 7I out and up, but instead they had 3I and 3W in there, hacking it up. Ironically, the 7I play would have given them better chances at par than what they tried. It's not about sacrificing strokes by playing "outs" like that, it's about PRESERVING them.

Secondly, breaking 100 is NOT about fairways and greens (apparently, neither is breaking 90, as I displayed). It is about planning and course management, based on the swing you have that day, and short game. On your long shots, you need to be in control and keep it inside the stakes. No matter what swing you have that day, when you're inside 50 yards, it doesn't matter. When you get close, you have to figure out how to get it in the hole, and believing that anyone can roll in a 10-footer.

I would encourage anyone trying to break 100 to keep an actual log of each shot. After the round, I bet you could clearly mark a shot as "waste" or "real." The 3W out of the fairway bunker, the chunked 4I, the wildly swung driver on the par 5.... If you just had the discipline, on the next round, to anticipate when you're about to waste one, to throttle back and play a safer shot, I bet your scores would react quickly. After that, you'll then be able to figure out how to play "more aggressive safe shots" as your game improves.

[trageserk]

I would encourage anyone trying to break 100 to keep an actual log of each shot.

That's a really interesting idea- I would really like to do that, but to carry around a notebook or something would probably be a pain. I've got to try that next time I get a cart though then I could see it possible. Thanks for the suggestion.

So I played today without my hybrid and I felt it that loss pretty hard. My total penalty strokes for the round was 12- and I shot a 114. I'm not saying I wouldn't have hit the occasional errant shot with the hybrid, but I bet 10 or so of those penalties wouldn't have happened, plus I would have hit a lot more fairways. I sent the club to nike and apparently I don't have to pay for anything other then shipping, so I'm pretty excited about that. I'm thinking about going to the local golf store though and getting another hybrid, probably the SUMO 2 in 17 Deg, for a little bit more length off of the tee and also as another option off of the deck. Just a funny story that some people might get a laugh out of- At the UPS store the lady was packaging the pieces to my hybrid and kept making jokes about it being a pool cue. I laughed a few times and said something to the effect of "that was my favorite golf club". I got home, looked at the receipt and sure enough listed under Description of goods: Pool Stick. Thanks everyone for staying with the thread and the repeated posts/comments/advice

[sonicblue]

Maybe if you did it at home immediately after the round, with the help of your scorecard next to you, you'd be able to reconstruct the round? Alternatively, maybe just come up with some quick shorthand, some kind of code you could scribble on your card during the round. The idea is basically, just discern which bad shots lead to subsequent bad shots, and then realize, e.g., "if I had punched out of that rough instead of ripping a 3W, I could probably have gotten to the green in 4 instead of the 6 I actually did." Compile those enough, and you'll find the "easy" strokes you can eliminate, not by some miracle swing fix, but simply by your decisions (and humility ).