legitimate strategy to break 100?

[kilbyman]

Since lately I have been shooting way higher than my handicap (shot a horrid 129 today) and realizing that my push fade off the tee isn't likely getting too tamed, would using only 5i and lower be a legitimate strategy to consistently stay in the 90s? I feel confident in my ability to hit straight shots with these clubs every time I step over the ball. I'm going to probably exclude pars on longer par 4s, but so what? If I hit OOB, the best I'm going to do on those holes is a double anyways. I'll keep practicing the longer sticks at the range, but for now, I just want lower scores. Opinions?

[bananas]

No penalty strokes, 36 putts.

[nlowplacez]

yep, give it a shot with the 5 or higher. i bet you find you shoot a lot lower. let us know how it goes. how far can you hit a 5I btw

[max power]

Hit the longest club you can that will always stay in bounds, preferably near the fairway. Take a 515 yd par 5 with some water and tree issues. Arrow strait 160 yard irons shots get within a pitch of the green with your 4th. possible par, probably bogey, db at worst. With driver or 3 wood and some ob and water time you're limping away with an 8 or 9.

[Shanks A Million]

Something important to remember, is that a bogey on every single hole is still a 90. A bogey on every hole but one is an 89. Not bad scores. If you can get a bogey on every hole, then you're already shooting 90.

On the par 3s, tee it up, and take some extra club, then make a nice easy swing. You should be able to make the green and par these more often than not, unless they're really long.

On the par 5s, hit 5 iron, 5 iron, then approach. You can often par these if you can hit 3 decent iron shots.

The par 4s are going to be the hardest for now. All you do, is play them like 5s. Take 3 to get home.

Now, if you do all that, and manage to par all the 5s and 3s, and bogey every 4, you've just shot 82.

[amccarroll]

I'd been using a similar strategy and I've also been looking to break 100, I've decided to change this now because I want to improve and don't want to be scared of pulling out a wood on the tee.

I did this yesterday and despite quite a few bad drives on the first nine that I could've hit further than with a pitching wedge it got better on the back nine with three fairly long drives in the fairway which felt very satisfying.

[Dad-2-3]

Since lately I have been shooting way higher than my handicap (shot a horrid 129 today) and realizing that my push fade off the tee isn't likely getting too tamed, would using only 5i and lower be a legitimate strategy to consistently stay in the 90s? I feel confident in my ability to hit straight shots with these clubs every time I step over the ball. I'm going to probably exclude pars on longer par 4s, but so what? If I hit OOB, the best I'm going to do on those holes is a double anyways. I'll keep practicing the longer sticks at the range, but for now, I just want lower scores. Opinions?

Definitely sound strategy. When I got into the game seriously last year I couldn't hit a driver without slicing it into oblivion, so I didn't even carry one. 5W was the longest club I carried. I played par 4 holes like they were par 5, and par 5 like they were par 6. This took a lot of pressure off the tee shot.

[kilbyman]

I hit my 5 iron 170-180 yds. I have a good iron swing, am working with a pro who can't believe I shoot above the low 80s. My home course has TONS of trees though, usually right around where a faded driver (230 yds for me) would land.

[mizuno_md]

Here is what helped me:
First, be honest with yourself and your game. Know how far you hit your clubs. Not the furthest you have ever hit it, but the furthest you can depend upon it each time you take that club out. At one time, I was hitting my five iron 180-190 yards. I don't anymore. Know your limitations.

If you want your score to drop, with very little investment, learn to putt. It costs no money except for having 2 balls and a putter that feels good to you. Honestly count all of your putts when you play. How many 3 or 4 putts are there? I would guess more than 6. If you can't putt, you cannot cut your score down, unless you can hole out from chips and holes in one. I went from the 130s to the low 100s just by working on putting.

Know the course. Based upon your skills and swing tendencies, use your fall flight to your advantage. If you hit a fade, then play a fade. If you hit straight, then play that. Plan your shots by what conditions (wind, lie, lie angle), what abilities (are you in the zone or not) and how far you hit. Also, you do not have to hit the longest club in the bag to make it there under regulation. Know the yardages of the course and how far the hazards are. I use a GPS to do that.

You need to count on your irons. You hit them more than you ever hit the driver. You will hit your wedges even more than your irons. If you cannot hit shots from 100-200 yards, you're in for a long day.

Work on the short game. You need to be able to chip, pitch and hit the target from 110 yards in. You need to know how to get out of greenside bunkers and get close to the hole.

Lastly, don't focus too much on your equipment. Let your technique, not your clubs, lower your score. If you cannot hit long irons (3-5), then replace them with hybrids or long woods. However, focusing on the newest clubs year after year get you nowhere. Since the drivers have hit the 460 cc mark, aside from the sdjustability, a hit on the driver face goes just as far and straight. A slice with an R5 is the same as an R9. Fix the swing first. focus on your higher numbered woods from the tee box, instead of resorting to the driver.If you really want to improve after working on fundamentals, get fitted by a certified Master Clubfitter.

Typed on my iPhone.

[RobS]

What types of things does your pro have you working on? Just curious.

[pittpanther]

Kilby, here's some advice from someho has recently crashed through the 100-stroke barrier, and now consistently shoots in the 90s:

1. You won't break 100 if you can't drive . I don't mean you have to drive 280, but you need something off the tee that can go 200 yards. Without that skill, you will leave too much remaining yardage on those par 4's and 5's. You'll see a lot of 7's on your par 5's and 6's on your par 4's, which will not get you to 100.
2. Leave the duffs at home . With your HC, I assume you duff a lot of your shots. If your attempt at an approach with a hybrid often results in a 50yard duff, then don't pull the hybrid until you have improved enough to not duff with it.
3. Forget chipping, use a bump-n-run approach . When around the green, instead of automatically pulling the 56-degree wedge, pull your 7-iron, use a putting stroke and roll up onto the green. Again, this replaces a higher-risk shot, with a shot that you almost can't duff (the putting-stroke 7-iron).
4. No three-putts . Need I say more?
5. When in the woods, get back on the fairway . FORGET THE HERO SHOT THRU THE TREES!!!
6. There's nothing wrong with laying up . You're 200 yards out, with water at 160. You're typical 7-iron goes 150. I guarantee you will hit the best 7-iron of your life, right into the creek.
7. Stay off of tight, narrow courses until you're better . Lost balls and penalty strokes do not help you improve. Learn to break 100 at wide-open tracks with fewer leaf-covered woods waiting to hide your ball.

It's all about smart golf.

[ericstamper]

Hit full shots all the way around the course.........short par 4 like 360......hit a iron that you will hit twice.....keep it in play....no three putts........fairways no matter how far back u are............i shot 78 with a seven iron off the tee one day.......the goal was to hit every fairway, missed the last hole by a yard but still made par..........7 iron was in my mind the straightest stick in bag so i hit it off the tee box all day 13 of 14 fairways and a hit green on the 12th hole that played 165.....

[Shindig]

Since lately I have been shooting way higher than my handicap (shot a horrid 129 today) and realizing that my push fade off the tee isn't likely getting too tamed, would using only 5i and lower be a legitimate strategy to consistently stay in the 90s? I feel confident in my ability to hit straight shots with these clubs every time I step over the ball. I'm going to probably exclude pars on longer par 4s, but so what? If I hit OOB, the best I'm going to do on those holes is a double anyways. I'll keep practicing the longer sticks at the range, but for now, I just want lower scores. Opinions?

First things first: change your swing thought. Make it something positive that means the same thing. Our brains are amazingly bad at processing negations. You say "don't screw up," your brain hears "screw up." Same with "stay out of the water."

I'm going to guess that you are a long and wild hitter by your description. If I'm inaccurate, please correct me. Next up: find the longest club you can hit off the tee such that the ball will be playable for the next shot. If your 5-iron fits the bill, use it. If your 4-iron does this, great. If you can hit your driver just fine, that works too. I hit my driver 14 times the first time I broke 100 -- but then again, I'm a generally straight driver, and incredibly short. I wasn't even getting 200 yards off the tee back then. Par-3s: if you need more than your normal tee club, and hazards aren't an issue, consider a lay-up. Billy Casper won a major doing this on a certain famous par-3, making par on it each day. If the distance requires a hybrid for you, and you're hitting 5-iron off the tee for the reasons above, but there's some nice fairway short of the green, or even better, a chipping area, hit your 5-iron. You won't win closest to the pin prizes, but you could reach your scoring barrier. Giving shots: you mention that you're effectively ruling out anything beyond a lucky par on a long par-4. That's fine. Give yourself one shot per hole, and seven mobile shots (before the round, if you're inclined to make a game plan, or just on whichever seven you feel you're most likely to need an extra shot. Probably those long par-4s are some of these). If your score minus the shots you're getting is bogey or better, be accepting. If it's par or better, you win that hole. If it's worse than net bogey, forget it until after the round, then figure out how you're going to play that hole next time. Finally, play the hole backwards. Do you have a favorite club? See if you can have that for your approach shot as often as possible. Time was that I would try to have my gap wedge (UW in your set) as a shot as often as I could.

[riverc0il]

I haven't played anything over a 6I this past year. I came close to breaking 100 but still have not gotten there yet. Though that is because I always have a blow up hole or two. As noted above, you can still get 9 double bogey's and break 100!

And it is important to remember that if you can hit at least one club 160ish yards, you always have the potential of making the green in regulation except on the long par 4s and 5s. Even if you only hit your longest club 125 yards, you could still get to a 500 yard green in four strokes and two putt for a bogey. Think about that for breaking 90, let alone 100!!!

As I know too well though, inconsistency and missed shots hurt more than lack of distance. HOWEVER, that said, I have played irons only long enough to know that not having a 200+ yard tee shot does put me at a big disadvantage. My best shots on a par 4 or 5 might barely get me into position for a par at best though more likely a bogey. Whereas an additional 50 yards off the tee would likely put me into position for a bird at best and a par more often than not pending good putting. Lack of a long tee shot HURTS but good golf can still be played without using a driver if you are consistent. Which I am still not! :)

[JetFan1983]

Keep reading the forum and practice regularly at your range, preferably off grass. Get a pro to film your swing and work on the things he asks you to. Educate yourself as much as you can about the game so you can quickly interpret information as it is given to you, whether that be through reading, a lesson or feedback off a shot.

You do that, and you'll break 100 in 1 to 3 months depending on factors such as athletic ability and good luck.

[CalBoomer]

You really have to ask yourself if your goal is to lower your score or learn to play golf. Because they are not really the same. If you play with no clubs other than 5 iron and shorter. your score will be lower, but that does not mean you will be a better golfer. I realize I am in the minority in saying this, but it is almost impossible to learn the basics of golf on a golf course. You just don't hit enough shots with each club. If you are really serious about learning to golf, your percentage of practice time (on a turf driving range) to playing time should be at least 3 to 1, no matter how much time you have available. Serious golfers actually enjoy practicing almost as much as playing. And, if like most people, you have other responsibilities, it is usually easier to carve out 1 or 2 hours of practice time compared to the 4-5 hours needed to play a round.

[anthony]

My keys to breaking 100, were shots within 100 yds! Especially chipping and putting. Getting rid of as many 3 putts as possible and learn how to chip. Also, as someone else mentioned, don't pull out your sand wedge to automatically to chip. The rule I live by with chipping is get it rolling as soon as possible. I use every club down to a 9 iron regularly and sometimes even a 7 or 8 iron. Depends on the green. You could also use this method with pitch shots.

[kilbyman]

I've been working mostly on ball striking in my lessons with irons. Shindig, the swing thought in my sig is supposed to be sarcastic, I don't honestly think "don't screw up." When I get down to it, most of the shots I leave on the course are putts and short game shots.