Woohoo! Broke 80!

[jlh1508]

Just got back from the course and broke 80 for the first time.

37/42 = 79
6/18 - gir
7/15- fir
30 putts
5/12 up and down

Absolutely on top of the world, want to go play 18 more. The front 9 was the best 9 I ever played. I am now going to share hole by hole how my day went. So stop reading here if you don't care.


Hole #1 - 440 yard par 4
Striped a good drive that just caught the right rough. 110 yards from the pin I push my pitching wedge right of the green. Lob wedge hits about 2 feet on the wrong side of the ridge and rolls 20 foot past the hole. 2 putt for an opening bogey

Hole #2- 300 yard par 4
Put the driver away and hit my 3 hybrid into the right rough about 100 yards out. Gap wedge balloons a little and leaves me short of the green. Hit a nice chip to 6 foot and 1 putt for par.

Hole #3- 353 yard par 4
Solid drive find the middle of the fairway. From 120 yards out I have a great look at the green but hit it fat and come up short. I fail to get up and down and 2 putt for a bogey.

Hole #4- 340 yard par 4
This hole plays down hill and slants left. Start my drive out down the right side of the fairway and knew it was good as soon as it left the club. When i get to the ball its 80 yards from the green on the left hand side of the fairway. Bunkers are in front of the green. Hit a 3/4 gap wedge, that hits by the flag but rolls to the back fringe. The putt from the back fringe is an uphill left to right breaker that misses on the high side by 6 inches. Tap in par

Hole #5- 342 yard par 4
Straightaway par 4. Drive is hit solid and into the middle of the fairway. 9 iron approach into green is pulled and lands left of the green pin high. Ball is sitting up nicely and i have a good opportunity for a chip in. Hit the chip just where I wanted and its stop 2 feet short of the hole. Tap in par

Hole #6- 145 yard par 3
8 iron is struck nicely and lands pin high 12 left of the hole. Getting over anxious for a birdle, I pull an easy straight putt and again tap in for par.

Hole #7- 496 yard par 5
Frustrated from not sinking the birdie putt on the previous hole, I stripe the drive right down the middle and find myself 235 yards from the hole. I am tempted to go for the green but I would need to hit a cut around the dogleg, so I wisely choose to lay up to 100 yards with a 9 iron. My layup is in the middle of the fairway and the middle of the dog leg. I nail the gap wedge and thought for a second it was going to hit the flag. When I get to the green I see my ball mark a foot left and short of the hole and the ball has stopped 8 feet past. Hit the putt perfect speed and watch it drop center of the cup for birdie.

Hole#8- 169 yard par 3
6 iron is pulled slightly left and lands in the rough on the side of the green. Hit a good chip that stop 4 feet from the hole and I 1 putt for par.

Hole #9 - 481 yard par 5
Driver is hooked left and leaves me behind trees. With no shot to the green, I choose to pitch out and I find the fairway with a 170 left to hole. My 6 iron is approach is hit solid but again pulled left. Just off the left of the green pin high, I hit a chip that lands at the pin and rolls 8 feet past. Putt breaks to the left and is downhill, barely tap the putt and got the break right to finish the front with a solid par.

Hole #10- 315 yard par 4
Stripe the drive down the middle, gps measurement said 256 yards. With 60 yards left to an elevated green I hit a lob wedge that lands short of the flag and never rolls out. A nice 2 putt par to open the back 9.

Hole #11 291 yard par 4
This hole is short but dog legs right and is guarded by a forest of trees on the right hand side. Hit a 3 hybrid off the tee into the middle of the fairway. 90 yards out to an elevated green the gap wedge lands right of the flag pin high. My birdie putt breaks left and I don't put enough break into it and miss on the low side. Make the 5 foot come backer for another par.

Hole #12 396 yard par 4
Fairway is guarded by trees on the left and right. Hit a nice drive the finds the center of the fairway and leaves me 160 yards out. I have an uphill lie to a blind flag and hit a smooth 6 iron that lands just left of the green. Unfortunately just left is a grouping of trees and I find my lie in some hard dirt with no grass to be found. From the lie I can't get under the ball and the pitch hits the front of the green and rolls 25 feet past the hole. From there I 2 putt for bogey.

Hole #13- 373 yard par 4
This drive is hit dead straight but I didn't start it on the right line and it finds the right rough. I hit an 8 iron approach that lands center of the green. 2 putt for par.

Hole #14- 487 yard par 5
Catch the group in front of me on the tee and they offer to let me play through. As usual when I around strangers I overswing and hook my drive deep into the left rough. With no shot from where I am at I pitch back to the fairway. I am now 230 yards from the green in the middle of the fairway. Instead of going for the green and compounding my mistakes I decide to layup. Hit a 9 iron that leaves me 100 yards out. Gap wedge finds the green just left of the flagstick and from there a 2 putt bogey.

Hole #15- 365 yard par 4
Slice the drive into a grouping of trees, but get a lucky bounce back out into the rough. From 150 yards I chunk a 7 iron and find myself with 70 yards left to the green. Hit a lob wedge that hits the back of the green and rolls off and down a slope. Pitch back up the slope and 2 putt for a double bogey.

Hole #16- 130 yard par 3
This hole plays uphill but about 3 feet past the green is a cliff so go longing is not a good option and the green slopes front to back. I decide to hit a 9 iron which lands short and left. From deep rough I hit a bad chip shot and 2 putt for a bogey.

Hole #17- 398 yard par 4
Another drive that hooks to the left. When I get tired I begin to hit hooks. Have no shot from the left rough as I am behind trees, so I pitch out to the fairway. With a 140 yards left to the green I hit an 8 iron that finds the green but is a long way from the hole. Hit a good a putt from 25' that lips out on the left hand side and I tap in for bogey.

Hole #18- 321 yard par 4
The fairway is uphill from the tees and there is a giant oak tree in the middle of the fairway. I aim left of the oak and hit the drive dead perfect. With a 100 yards into the green I go pin hunting and find my ball mark 5 feet short of the flag but the ball has rolled to 25' feet past. I give the birdie putt a good run but it breaks right at the end of the putt and I tap in for par.


All in all I struck the ball solid and eliminated my stupid chunks and skulls. Difference between the back and front 9 was a failure to get up and down and knock down putts.

[ITgolfHack]

Good read man, and congrats. It gives those of us struggling to get under 100/90/80 a good look at what it takes.

[Deryck Griffith]

Congratulations! There is no better feeling than breaking a level for the first time - especially the 80 barrier. Build on this as much as you can!

[jlh1508]

  ITgolfHack said:

Good read man, and congrats. It gives those of us struggling to get under 100/90/80 a good look at what it takes.

I use to laugh at the notion that the short game is where scoring comes from. I broke 80 only because of short game. I was 5/7 getting and up and down for par on the front 9 and that made the difference in my scoring.

It helps that I no longer slice the ball 30 yards, and that my misses are in better position, but working on my short game has improved my scoring

[Dad-2-3]

Very nice blow by blow account. Congrats on a great round!!

[Mizuno Junky]

Congrats! I hope my day comes soon!

[bpschmid]

Outstanding...nice recap too...I call next!

[Par Fore]

  jlh1508 said:

I use to laugh at the notion that the short game is where scoring comes from. I broke 80 only because of short game. I was 5/7 getting and up and down for par on the front 9 and that made the difference in my scoring.

I hate you......because I am a jealous punk and very impressed with your new level of performance....

Congratulations and make sure to post up when you post a 75! Hope to break 80 soon, thanks for your post and write-up....

[BallStriker]

Congrats...what a great feeling...nothing better than coming down the stretch of a really good round, where you can feel it in your stomach and you have super-focus on every shot.

Great read, and the best part is that you had to sack up and make a par on the final hole after leaking a bit of oil -- that is a great finish!!!!!!!

[jlh1508]

  Big Perm said:

I hate you......because I am a jealous punk and very impressed with your new level of performance....

Haha not even thinking of breaking 75 at this point. Would be happy to break 80 again. Everything came together on the front 9 to make it possible. 5/7 up and down is not normal for me. Need to start hitting greens more consistently now and keep working on the short game.

[jlh1508]

  BallStriker said:

Congrats...what a great feeling...nothing better than coming down the stretch of a really good round, where you can feel it in your stomach and you have super-focus on every shot.

Yeah about the 16th hole I stopped thinking about breaking 80 and decided I was just happy with the front 9, and that no matter how i finished it was going to be a good round. Helped to calm me down playing the last 3 holes. Would have been fantastic to post a 76 or 77, but I am just not a good enough golfer at this point, I doubt I will break 80 again anytime soon

[Doctorfro]

OMG! you posted the whole round! That's hilarious. Congratulations! I remember my first time. 1979 at some course in the midwest while traveling cross country. Unfortunately, I can't remember the last time I shot in the 70's. Actually, it was January. Anyway, enjoy. If you don't do it next time you're gonna be disappointed. Once you get a taste, you don't want anything else.

[IlliniDrillSgt]

Congratulations, that's great. I hope to be there some day myself.

[senorchipotle]

well played old boy. sounds like you made some clutch putts.

[jamo]

80 is probably the toughest mark to break. Until you get to 70.... Good luck!

[jlh1508]

  jamo said:

80 is probably the toughest mark to break. Until you get to 70.... Good luck!

Haha 70 isn't even in my mind at this point. I would be thrilled to break 80 again

[doctork]

You da man!

Sorry, had to do it.

Glad you didn't have the same experience as a poster from a few days back, who walked off the course thinking he'd broken 80 for the first time, only to tally his scorecard and realize he'd shot 80 on the number.

Cheers,
DoctorK

[Doctorfro]

  jamo said:

80 is probably the toughest mark to break. Until you get to 70.... Good luck!

Oh man! I had the chance to go 69 once and I bogeyed the last hole. My son who was playing with me that day gave me such a hard time about that. He gives me crap to this day about it.