How long to break 100/90/80...?

[jl923]

For the ones who get better so quickly, can you describe your practice regimen? I haven't broken 100 in over a year of playing, but I can only play once a week or even every other week. How good can i possibly get by playing so infrequently?

[PaladinsPhotographer]

I started golfing in January of 2009 (age 23)...

-In three trips shot 103, 103, 103 at a 128 slope course. Shot 98 the fourth time out and have only shot over 100 on one other occasion.

-I broke 90 in March of 2010 (14 months later) at a 130 slope course. This came after about 40 rounds, 20-25 driving range sessions, and 20-25 chipping sessions.

I broke 80 in October of 2010 (21 months after start) at a 126 slope course. This came after about 80 rounds(total) 50-60 range sessions, and 50-60 chipping sessions. (If I was smart...... I would have worked on putting occasionally.....)

I'm now a 7 handicap, and shoot between 77-82 consistently at a 127 slope course. For me, my scores dropped in 5 stroke increments....Below a 100, by simply never "duffing" the ball. Always move the ball considerably on every swing. Below 90 by eliminating drops, learning to play my driver ball flight of the day, and avoiding bunkers. Below 80 by practicing chips from 5-30 ft off the green (the best part of my game)....even when I have bad iron day (or windy conditions), I have the confidence to get up and down for par from anywhere. I played 9 on Tuesday in gale force winds...Only had 2 GIRS, but up and down for par 5 times.....

Working diligently on putting now to hopefully play to a 2-3 hdcp by end of Summer. On the opposite side of the ball, I have a buddy who has been playing twice a week for a year......And only breaks 100 every 7 or 8 rounds..

[sc0braj]

It's different for me... I started 3 years ago. NEVER played an 18 hole until 1 year into my game. Stayed on 9 holes until i was confident to go out to the 18s. Shot 96 the first time on a 18. now i'm shooting in the 80's..

[nuck81]

Originally Posted by jl923

For the ones who get better so quickly, can you describe your practice regimen? I haven't broken 100 in over a year of playing, but I can only play once a week or even every other week. How good can i possibly get by playing so infrequently?

Like anything to get good you have to practice.  Last year I was a total beginner but hit balls every single day.  I went from hack to breaking 90.  This year due to weather and moving, I haven't hit as much and am not scoring as well as I did at the end of last year.

Practice and your scores will go down....

[Mattplusness]

Broke 100 my first season, broke 90 with an 89 the next season. This season I've already shot a 90, so I'm hoping 80 will be this season.

[msbeebe]

I started playing golf consistently in January of this year and was scoring 105-112. After solid practice and many rounds I broke 100 in February and 90 in April. I am consistently between 86-92 now. My new goal is to break 80 by the end of the Summer.

[darkhunter139]

Just broke 100 for the first time today.  I played about 3 months at the end of last year and about a month so far this year.  So it took me about 15-20 rounds (I have 13 rounds logged online but I got disgusted and stopped keeping score a few times so I have played more then that).

[max power]

For the first 13-14 years of my golfing life I played frequently in short spurts (3-6 months), went to the range once in a while, and stopped playing three times for periods of time from 3-4 years.  My first rounds were all 9 holes, I broke 100 by the time I played 18, and consistently shot high 80's/low 90's during the time frame described above (with the occasional low 80's or high 90's round).  My first golf was played on two tiny pitch 'n putt courses, and this short game competency kept me from ever shooting over 100 even when I took the game back up after long layoffs.

Breaking 80 was actually kind of flukey.  I moved across the country (Tucson to Buffalo) and hadn't played or practiced in 19 months.  I visited my family in San Diego and played a round with my dad and my brother, and proceeded to shoot 76.  That renewed my interest in golf, and during the last two years I've played a lot more. More importantly, my practice has increased exponentially, and I've dropped about 9-10 strokes off my handicap.  Even if I don't play a round for two months I still get to the range once or twice a week, and I usually putt in my living room at least 5-10 minutes every day.  I think the ease of taking up golf and having some measure of relative success is largely tied to physical instincts and general sporting experience.  I was hitting baseballs in the backyard with my dad as far back as I can remember, and I also played football, basketball, tennis, table tennis, bowling, badminton, darts, etc. during my formative years.  Any improvement beyond this stage requires focused practice.

[Gravity]

Originally Posted by Drifterland

I feel kind of bad posting this. I started on a par three course. The course had a long par 3 of 210 yards and I had a five wood that I would choke up on. I played 6-10 hours a day for 7 months. Then I got invited to a little course in little rock called Hindman. I didn't have a driver so i used that 5 wood off the tee and shot 76. your proabably thinking to yourself, oh impossible! But I did it. On the way back to Hot Springs a drive of about an hour, all my friends would talk about was my score. The kept saying "you broke 80, you broke 80!" I was like, "Huh? is that good?" I soon learned after I joined Belvedere CC what all the hype was about.Took me 2 years to break 70.

I started golf end June (2011) (actually for an alumni golf clinic). Thought I'd go there for beers, burgers and some friendly chat. Played for the first time and fell in love with the game.

Been going almost every week for the last 4 months. Practiced a lot at the driving range too. Spent a bit of money on it.

Broke 100 August (so 2 months). Then I did some reading, watching, thinking and reconstructed a lot of my driving, swing, iron play and short game (believe me, if anyone says the swing stays the same, I can't believe it).

Couple of horrid rounds of golf followed (due to all the confusion) and was making between 110-120.

After ironing out my restructuring, I hit a 91 yesterday (4months).

Played a new course today and hit an 88, so finally broke 90 (4 months).

Modestly speaking, I do believe that's better than the average time, because I sense I play better than a lot of people who have been playing years. A lot could do with the fact that I used to play field hockey in school and college (though that also gave me a natural slice, due to which I had to reconstruct my hits), I guess it helps. Also, I've noticed a lot of people say they play 100, but they just fool themselves by taking Mulligens, cleaning their balls halfway, nudging to better lies, taking drops beyond water ways, not counting over 3 over...its a bit pathetic.

[DublinMeUp]

Originally Posted by Gravity

I sense I play better than a lot of people who have been playing years.

Why do i have a feeling everyone new to the game feels this?

Originally Posted by Gravity

Also, I've noticed a lot of people say they play 100, but they just fool themselves by taking Mulligens, cleaning their balls halfway, nudging to better lies, taking drops beyond water ways, not counting over 3 over...its a bit pathetic.

mmk.. nice

[MbolicGolf]

Break 100- Three Months

Break 90- Three Months

Break 80- I'm guessing next year sometime (que laughter)

[zipazoid]

I started playing when I was 10. I probably broke 100 within my first year of playing cuz I was hooked. I broke 90 by age 13, broke 80 by age 15. Played on my high school golf team.

But actually, this thread has given me an excuse to pimp one of my blog posts that is in the same vicinity of this topic -

http://zipsclips.blogspot.com/2011/04/secret-to-golf.html

Wanna break 100? Learn to putt.

Wanna break 90? Learn to chip.

Wanna break 80? Learn course management.

Wanna break 70? Play tournaments.

[Andrew24]

Took me 2 months to break 100 legitmately, took me 3 to break 90. Will hopefully break 80 next year.

[johnclayton1982]

Here is some stuff that worked for me: http://thesandtrap.com/t/49746/post-mortem-130-to-88-in-6-months-what-worked-what-did-not

I'm writing the high-80s to 70s one now.  I shoot in the 70s pretty consistently now.  The best advice I can give is this:

Getting into the 80s requires consistent contact and long clubs not to be horrible with OK short game and putting.

Getting into the 70s requires consistent contact and long clubs not to be horrible with good short game and putting.

But, I will hopefully post the thread in about two weeks.  Some interesting stuff hopefully.  I found most of getting to the 70s is within 100 yards.

[DoGolf Jonathan]

I'm stil trying to consistently break 90!  and i've been playing on and off for years!

[DoGolf Brian]

I broke 100 for the first time in my mid-teens (after around 2 years of playing once every couple of weeks). I broke 90 a couple of years thereafter, but I've slowly played less and less golf, which has resulted in higher scores. I'd love to get out more often!

[johnclayton1982]

Quote:

Wanna break 100? Learn to putt.

Wanna break 90? Learn to chip.

Wanna break 80? Learn course management.

Wanna break 70? Play tournaments.

This doesn't make sense to me.  Are you suggesting that if someone who is over 100 tracks their rounds, most of their strokes will be lost to the putter?

There is no way.  Over 100, most holes 3-putt.  Even assuming you improve to the point where you 2-putt every green (doubtful, thats cutting 18 putts off your game for a duffer), that's 36 putts.  That leaves you 63 strokes for non-putt shots.  That means that to break 100 by improved putting, you need to get on the green in 3.5 shots per hole.  There is no way you can do that as an over 100 player if you "concentrate on putting".  The math doesn't work.  Putting matters, but it is clearly not the most efficient way to break 100, and is certainly not the "secret to golf".  Same with breaking 90 by "learning to chip" - the numbers don't add up.  Even if you assume you chip and one-putt to EVERY HOLE (a perfect chipping round - impossible, not to mention being accurate enough with your irons to chip to every hole) - you still need approximately 3.2 shots to a chipping position per hole.  That is way too low for someone who is in the 100s and has "concentrated" on chipping and putting.  The math doesn't work.  This actually steams me up a bit because I've spent alot of time thinking (and posting here) on how beginners improve the fastest.  One peantly for water or OB erases TWO shaved putts.  The math can't work.  Its not efficient to break 100 by putting better.

Did you do any testing or anything before you announced these rules?  Did you measure any beginners?

I am prepping a very long post on this, but I recently went from 130 to 76-79.  It was a long, hard trip, and here is what the *data* tells me:

Break 100: Eliminate penalties and fat shots.  Double bogey every hole but par 3s is a 104.  W/o penalties and fat shots its relatively easy to break 100.  Nothing to do with putting.

Break 90: Consistent contact, consistently get on the green from within 100 yards in 1 shot, consistently 2-putt when on the green.  Putting begins to matter, but only in not 3-putting.  The most efficient way to break 90 is to bogey alot of holes and grab 2-3 GIR 2-putts per round.

Break 80: Scoring matters.  All about consistent long game, excellent short game.  Putting and chipping absolutely vital to break 70.

Break 70: Don't know yet, but I doubt its play in tournaments, as I know a TON of people who play under 70 who don't play tournaments beyond scrambles.

[johnclayton1982]

From reading the blog post (which I don't think the math works on - You REALLY think the easiest way to go from a 102 to a 92 is by putting 10 fewer times per round?  Really?), I see you have a different definition of "chipping".

Quote:

Learn how to chip. This also includes pitches & greenside bunker shots.

I don't think that is a chipping definition.  But after reading, I will agree that "chipping" by your definition does help you break 90.