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

[pipergsm]

having started just recently, I can only speak for myself.

my major problem on the course was not my putting, but my long game.

i constantly failed to transfer my accuracy from the driving range to the course, and because of that, my first

15 rounds gave me ridiculous scores between 130 and 180!

on the range, less than 15% of all my strokes (driver+irons) resulted in topping, fatting, slicing or hooking.

on the course however, it was the complete opposite (less than 10% accuracy)!

once I realized what I was doing wrong and managed to reach (only) 70% of my range accuracy (long game!), my very next

score decreased to just over 100, and I'm sure my next round will clearly break it!

although I believe every person's situation is different, I don't see too many golfers averaging more than 3 puts per hole.

therefore, I think indeed that most golfers who can't break 100, should focus more on the accuracy of their long game than the accuracy

of their putting. (which is not to say they should ignore it off course!!!)

I completely agree with the quote I read before: "accuracy is more important than distance", and that's something many golfers don't seem to understand.

hitting relatively short but accurate will make your score lower than hitting far, but constantly OB and in the water or bunkers!

[dsc123]

100 in May 2008--A couple of months.

90 on July 27, 2009-- about a year and a half.

80 yesterday--about 4.5 years.

My first lesson was in October 2011 via evolvr.  I imagine this all would have happened a lot sooner if I had taken lessons.

Also, I am going from the date that I began playing full sized courses.  I first picked up clubs in high school, probably around 1999.  No instruction, no family member teaching me to play, just picking up clubs and going to the local 9 hole par 3 course.  From 2002-2007 I didn't play, or played VERY rarely.  In 2008 I started playing regularly and trying to improve, and this is what I generally consider my starting point if asked how long i've been playing.

[Fine Chammy]

Broke 100 and then 90 in my first year or year and a half playing and shot a lot of rounds in the 80's for a few years after that.  80 on the number once actually, but never cracked it.

Then I stopped playing for a few years and was lucky to break 100 on the rare occasions I played.

I have been playing more this year (and actually practicing) and have it back in the 90s pretty comfortably, but haven't broken 90 yet this year.  Did shoot 91 Sunday though so maybe I will before it gets too cold.

[mailman]

My first round in 10 years was on the PGA Course at the Belfry last year, where I shot 116. Prior to this Id never played golf seriously at any stage of my life.

Didnt play another round until April this year when I played three 9 hole rounds over two months at a local goat track and shot 12, 4 and 13 over par. It was during the second of these rounds that I shot the second birdie of my life, along with 4 pars :)

Then in June I played a round at Brent Valley Golf Course in London...which is a perfect course for beginners! Big open straight fairways only thing is I think they have a couple 450 yard par 4's! Par is 67 and I shot 84 with 6 pars but no birdies.

Then in July I discovered Brampton Park Golf Course (par is 71) here in Cambridgeshire, UK...what an absolutely AMAZING course that is! The 4th hole is a devil of a hole to play and the 16th is just stunning! Anyway Ive played the course 7 times since July and have 6 scores in the 90's and 1 score in the 80's (Ok, it was an 89 but with some luck/skill and no lost balls would have pushed a sub 80 round!).

The thing that is killing me though is lost balls! Three puts have become a rarity in my last three rounds but when they do pop up it just kills my round!

As winter is pretty much here now I think Im done for the year but will look to get serious next spring.

Regards

Mailman

Par Three Fourth Hole (SI1) at Brampton Park.

[Ooger]

Started playing about a 1 1/2 ago.  Didn't take long to break into the 90's.  I've been playing 3-5 times a week this past summer and my scores have slowly came down.  Last August I finally scored in the 80's.  Right now I'm averaging around 90-92 on my home course.

Best round of the year (or ever actually) was an 85.  I felt like the priest on Caddy Shack that round and could do no wrong.  My worst shot for the day was hitting a t shot into the swamp on a par 3.  Dropped my ball in the drop zone (about 85 yds from the pin) and sank it from that distance and saved par.

[slodsm]

I broke 100 within my first 2 weeks. Took me 6 months to break 90 and I shot about 8-10 87-89 rounds. Now I am stuck in the mid 90's again because a different part of my game collapses every time I'm at the course so maybe I'll break 80 around 2020.

[pipergsm]

Wouldn't it be more correct to ask:

How many hours of practice did it take you (off-course) before breaking 100/90/80... and did you take any lessons?

The answer to that would give a more realistic view on peoples performances.

After all, someone who practices only 2 hours a month will usually take much longer than someone practicing 2 hours a day (and getting lessons 3 times a week!).

[Lihu]

2nd game to break 100, only broke 90 a few times and it took 2 years. Have not broken 80. I had been using game improvement irons for 2 years, but can't get any kind of consistency with them. Now that I am using a better club, my distances and flight are consistent but not far. I would imagine that once I settle into them, my scores can move down to mid 80s. The issue I have now is that I hit much shorter than with my game improvement clubs. Break 80? Not on my horizon. Let you know when I get to the mid-80s. Take frequent lessons, practiced 1-2 hours per day 3 times a week before, but am starting to ramp it up this last couple months to 4 hours per day. Initially, this aggressive schedule was for weight loss and exercise, but now I am trying to pick up some tips from folks on this site to maybe convert that time to improving my game. My weak point is the 120 to 170 yard approach shot. I mess this up and I end up adding one or two strokes. Since I drive 250 to 270, I am left with this frustrating shot on almost every par 4. Really frustrating.

[divot dave]

I broke 100 back in June, 90 probably a couple weeks later... 80 just the other day, best round yet!

We're talking about number of consecutive, uninterrupted curse words after shanking shots into the trees... right?...

no? well s#@t god$#%&* fu@!$^* nevermind then!

[Lihu]

I broke 100 back in June, 90 probably a couple weeks later... 80 just the other day, best round yet! We're talking about number of consecutive, uninterrupted curse words after shanking shots into the trees... right?... no? well s#@t god$#%&* fu@!$^* nevermind then!

Impressive. Btw, how long between the 90s to below 80? I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough :-O No? oh well, it's for only recreation and exercise.

[mailman]

Originally Posted by divot dave

I broke 100 back in June, 90 probably a couple weeks later... 80 just the other day, best round yet!

We're talking about number of consecutive, uninterrupted curse words after shanking shots into the trees... right?...

no? well s#@t god$#%&* fu@!$^* nevermind then!

Haha...out of good shots and down to the harsh language and spit eh? :)

Regards

Mailman

[slodsm]

Originally Posted by pipergsm

Wouldn't it be more correct to ask:

How many hours of practice did it take you (off-course) before breaking 100/90/80... and did you take any lessons?

The answer to that would give a more realistic view on peoples performances.

After all, someone who practices only 2 hours a month will usually take much longer than someone practicing 2 hours a day (and getting lessons 3 times a week!).

I work 14 days and off 14 days...... when I'm at work I don't pick up a club, no chance, nowhere to do it etc (drilling rig in the desert). The 14 I'm home I probably play 180 holes and practice at least 14 hours off the course. I'll get there eventually.

[dsc123]

Originally Posted by pipergsm

Wouldn't it be more correct to ask:

How many hours of practice did it take you (off-course) before breaking 100/90/80... and did you take any lessons?

Sure.  But I doubt many people have counted the number of hours they have practiced since they first picked up a club.

[Daemon]

Been playing about five years now and get to pick up the clubs once a week on average. Broke 100 after about 6 months, then 90 about 2 years later. Not yet broken 80 - current lowest score is 84.

[davistd]

I broke 100 a month ago after playing for two years. Where is the break?

[turbosdad]

I started playing in June of 11, and find this to be the most frustrating...........and addicting game there is.  The harder I try the worser I do !!!

Anyway, I think I was actually practicing too much, almost everyday.  Took lessons weekly and have found that there really are a lot of poor "teachers" out there, at least for me.  I need to know the how and why of everything.  Anyway, it took about a year to break 100 and I have only done that maybe twice.  Six months into all of the practice and lessons I was hitting in the 1-teens regularly.  I now hit in the 103 to 105 almost everytime.  My last round I had five bogeys, three pars, but my first 4 holes were +3, +2,+4, and a +5.  14 over for the first 4 holes, finished 19 over on the first nine.  Always have 3 or 4 "blowup" holes per round.  +4 on a par 4, +5 on a par 5, and +4 on a par 3.

Playing Bogey golf seems easy enough on paper, but I would love to shoot in the 90's regularly...............then the 80's  ;-)

[BuckeyeNut]

It's all a bit vague.........

Breaking 100:  at the end of my first year playing

Breaking 90: during my 2nd year

Breaking 80: my 3rd year

Breaking 70: after about 15 years...LOL

[teamroper60]

I started playing a year ago this month.  I broke 100 early this year and broke 90 once (an 85).    Haven't broke 80 yet.  My goal for my first year was to be shooting 90's consistently.   I reached that goal over the last 5 months or so.   Breaking 90 was an added bonus I hadn't planned on but was glad to get.    My goal for next year is to shoot a lot of rounds in the 80's with an average score in the high 80's to low 90's.  Ideally, I would like to get a round in the 70's but I am not going to fret over that just yet...