legitimate strategy to break 100?

[RIduffer]

kilbyman, is a majority of your practice time spent on the range? Is it possible for you to play some practice rounds (ideally in the evening, when the course is not crowded and you can hit a few balls off each tee)?

IMO, this has alot of benefits: you get comfortable on the course; hit shots from different lies and angles; get to practice every aspect of your game like putting and bunker shots. Most importantly, it helps you focus on playing the game and getting the ball in the hole, rather than swing mechanics. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for grooving a swing on the range, but learning how to score is another thing.

[Shindig]

Shindig, the swing thought in my sig is supposed to be sarcastic, I don't honestly think "don't screw up."

Good to hear. I know people who have that as their actual swing thought.

When I get down to it, most of the shots I leave on the course are putts and short game shots.

Well, what kind of shots do you leave within these? Are your chips short, long, or just not close to the hole? What kind of putts are you missing, and how often?

[tm22721]

Glad to see somebody else has discovered how to get their handicap down by playing within their limitations.

Two years ago I got down to a 10 handicap using a 7i to keep it in the fairway.

Four weeks ago I discovered how to harness opposing forces for consistency. My longer clubs are finally coming under control.

[kilbyman]

So played one 9 hole round with 5i idea, played another 9 hole with driver (used 4i, 3h, and 4w as well). Difference? 2 strokes -- 56 and 58 (2nd hole OOB due to some poor alignment). I also had 24 putts. Chipping shots were pretty good. Chunked a couple of full 60 degree shots (next time I'll just open up a PW and hit a pitch... same distance, much greater margin for error). Hit some irons off the toe and chunked the toe (still waiting on irons to come in-- playing with irons an inch too short and almost 2 degrees too flat). Can I be breaking 100 with the putting the way it is?

[Brakkus]

The key is execution of that strategy.I played a tricky 9 hole course that is set into the side of hill. Holes 1-4 are fairly flat,then it's a climb 5-7,and downhill 8-9.It's short but there's gorse bush,small greens etc.Opening hole par 3 on in 2 then 3 putt for a 5.Hole 6 uphill par 3 lost the first ball got down in 4 for another 5. dead mans hill the previous hole a 307 yd uphill monster.Tee shot over the first rise goes down some 30-40 ft into a valley then second shot is about 90-100 yd wedge,but it's so steep that if you miss the elevated green which is already elevated from the climb upwards the ball rolls all the way to the bottom.Took a 7 because I missed it first time.Triple bogey there.

At the end of the day you will break 100 when you are good enough to break it.Most times I shoot 100-105 at the moment.I seemed to come home and feel that I had hit it really well.I had but it was missing targets first time that adds the score.You wedge it and it drops off the green or you don't chip it close enough,or the missed 6 foot putt,or the approach shot misses the green.You may strike all these shots cleanly but miss the target.
Position of the golf ball finds you out once you can hit it well.

I would stick with a gameplan come hell or high water.Lots of good advice here.Follow it and when you hit it consistent enough,breaking 100 will happen.

[zeg]

So played one 9 hole round with 5i idea, played another 9 hole with driver (used 4i, 3h, and 4w as well). Difference? 2 strokes -- 56 and 58 (2nd hole OOB due to some poor alignment). I also had 24 putts. Chipping shots were pretty good. Chunked a couple of full 60 degree shots (next time I'll just open up a PW and hit a pitch... same distance, much greater margin for error). Hit some irons off the toe and chunked the toe (still waiting on irons to come in-- playing with irons an inch too short and almost 2 degrees too flat). Can I be breaking 100 with the putting the way it is?

If your chipping was good and you still had 24 putts, I think you could probably improve. I find I average right around 2 putts per hole, slightly less on my worse rounds, slightly more on better (since I hit more greens on the better round). Sounds to me like either your chipping or your putting could get you down close to 50 without any other changes.

Overall, it sounds to me like you just need to practice and get rid of the flubs. I am (cross my fingers, knock on wood, and throw salt over my shoulder) finally getting out of the mode where I can count on 3 or 4 throw-away shots per 9-hole round. I've really just focused on picking my shot and then forgetting about anything except executing. All I want to think about is hitting the ball during my stroke. After all, any stroke that moves you appreciably toward the green is a good shot when you're playing the kind of game we've got---no need to get hung up on the details.

[pittpanther]

So played one 9 hole round with 5i idea, played another 9 hole with driver (used 4i, 3h, and 4w as well). Difference? 2 strokes -- 56 and 58 (2nd hole OOB due to some poor alignment). I also had 24 putts. Chipping shots were pretty good. Chunked a couple of full 60 degree shots (next time I'll just open up a PW and hit a pitch... same distance, much greater margin for error). Hit some irons off the toe and chunked the toe (still waiting on irons to come in-- playing with irons an inch too short and almost 2 degrees too flat). Can I be breaking 100 with the putting the way it is?

OK, now I'm not sure if you're pulling our leg...

Your HC is 32, yet you talk about using a 60-degree wedge, and suggest a better option is to open the face on your 56. What 32-HC can pull off either of these shots consistently? Then you blame your iron chunks and toe shots on your equipment, when again it's likely that a 32-HC will hit chunks and toe shots - regardless of the fitting. And finally you hit 24 putts in 9 holes, meaning you (almost) 3-putted every hole! Yet you ask us if your putting is good enough to break 100? Have you read the tips in this thread? More than one of us have said "no three putts." You won't break 100 with 3-putts (unless you're hitting GIR!). I also said "put the wedges away and use a bump-n-run technique." Tell us about your drives and your second shots. Are you losing any strokes there?

[zeg]

Your HC is 32, yet you talk about using a 60-degree wedge, and suggest a better option is to open the face on your 56. What 32-HC can pull off either of these shots consistently?

For the record, I'm currently a 33 and I can generally get away with a flop by opening my 56 and swinging hard through the ball. Pops straight up and lands gently. My distance control isn't great, but I do use it about once per 18 holes. I very rarely do worse with this shot than hitting a bit farther or shorter than I'd like. I just got my 60 degree, so I can't say much yet about my ability to use it. At any rate, these shots are very difficult for some folks, but not for everyone.

[kilbyman]

My problems are not that I am not a poor shot maker, and I can execute different types of short game shots when I need to. My strokes are mainly lost when I just absolutely flub a shot. Hit a fat shot, or shank a drive, or something like that, when my old habits seem to creep in. I feel like I have one flub per hole. And I have lots of three putts. It's just consistency across the board. By the way, the opened up pitch shot with the wedges is by far the easiest shot for me to consistently execute.

[JetFan1983]

My problems are not that I am not a poor shot maker, and I can execute different types of short game shots when I need to. My strokes are mainly lost when I just absolutely flub a shot. Hit a fat shot, or shank a drive, or something like that, when my old habits seem to creep in. I feel like I have one flub per hole. And I have lots of three putts. It's just consistency across the board. By the way, the opened up pitch shot with the wedges is by far the easiest shot for me to consistently execute.

Those types of messed up shots are just simply going to happen at this stage. One of the things that I find so hard about being bad at this game is remembering to have fun and laugh those things off. Out of all my playing buddies, I'm the worst one by a pretty big margin, so it would be really easy for me to fall into that "ugh, why aren't I better yet??" debate with myself. I'm not saying that this is what you are doing- I can only speak from my own experience here. When I swing mad, I swing bad. It doesn't take that many shanked iron shots for me to start getting really down on myself.

As long as you continue to put in the time reading about the game away from the game, and practicing the game (if you're lucky to have the time) twice a week, you will improve.

[pittpanther]

OK, here's the mental process I used to get consistently under 100.

To be a bogey golfer (to shoot 90), I have my own GIR - for par-3 I need to be on in 2, for par-4 I need to be on in 3, for par-5 I need to be on in 4. Couple with a two-putt, I would be shooting 90, so some three-putts and I can still break 100. So the goal is to become a "bogey-and-a-half" golfer - 9 bogeys, 9 double-bogeys per round. This will give you a 99.

So to wrap up, your goal is GIR+1, followed by 2-putt or occasional 3-putt. If you cannot get GIR+1 on most/all holes, you won't break 100. If you cannot limit your 3-putts to 6 or fewer per round, you will not break 100.

There's your recipe. Tell me what you think about this strategy?

[kilbyman]

I think it sounds great. My biggest problem now is just getting that second shot to hit near the green (no flub on drive or approach). The three-putting also needs to stop, I agree.

[BallStriker]

A few years back I used this same strategy when I was first learning the game and trying to break 90 -- I used a 3 iron off of every tee and was pretty successful shooting in the upper 80s. To do so, I really had to be solid around the greens and I worked at it.

Ultimately, I think the confidence I gained from my consistency led me to work hard with the driver to "take the next step".....Keep plugging along....all the fun is in the journey, not the destination.

[sean_miller]

I think it sounds great. My biggest problem now is just getting that second shot to hit near the green (no flub on drive or approach). The three-putting also needs to stop, I agree.

Try old man golf for a while. Fairway wood or hybrid onto the short grass. Another hybrid to pitching distance (or onto the green on holes that allow you to run it up). Try to get it up and down in less than 3 strokes.

Keep the ball in play. 3 or even 5 strokes off a few tee boxes is bad news - it's like playing 24 holes.

[mutadayen]

Make a mental note that just because you have a club in your bag doesnt mean you have to use it. My worst clubs by far the driver, 3 iron, and 4 iron. My strengths are the 3 wood, and 6 iron on down, so this past weekend I played a little mental game with myself. The front 9 I used my driver on the par 4's and 5's, and that was en route to losing 7 balls and amassing a high score of 52 on the front 9. On the back 9, I put away the driver and stuck with the 3 wood on par 4's and 5's, and shot a 44 with 2 lost balls only (still not good, but a huge improvement). From this point moving forward, until I ever feel comfortable with my driver, I dont plan on using it. I'm going to the range to work and gain confidence with it, but my mindset is to do that next weekend when im out playing a round. Try eliminating your problem clubs for now and stick with what works for you. So a friend might put it out there 270 yards and you only get it out there 220 or so. At least your second shot is in the clear and you have a much better chance than say hitting from under trees...

[Shanks A Million]

Make a mental note that just because you have a club in your bag doesnt mean you have to use it. My worst clubs by far the driver, 3 iron, and 4 iron. My strengths are the 3 wood, and 6 iron on down, so this past weekend I played a little mental game with myself. The front 9 I used my driver on the par 4's and 5's, and that was en route to losing 7 balls and amassing a high score of 52 on the front 9. On the back 9, I put away the driver and stuck with the 3 wood on par 4's and 5's, and shot a 44 with 2 lost balls only (still not good, but a huge improvement). From this point moving forward, until I ever feel comfortable with my driver, I dont plan on using it. I'm going to the range to work and gain confidence with it, but my mindset is to do that next weekend when im out playing a round. Try eliminating your problem clubs for now and stick with what works for you. So a friend might put it out there 270 yards and you only get it out there 220 or so. At least your second shot is in the clear and you have a much better chance than say hitting from under trees...

Yeah, of course those clubs are causing you problems. You have impossibly hard to hit long irons and a driver. 8.5° X flex driver? Most tour pros don't even carry a driver with so little loft, and the VR is a more workable driver. Many many pros carry hybrids and many of the Nike guys have VR full cavity long irons. I notice that most of the 15-25 handicaps around here feel the need to play blades and other impossibly hard to hit clubs. That's one thing that will help you break into lower handicap, proper fitting of equipment to your abilities.

I'm not trying to be insulting or anything, but I am saying that if Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood, and guys like that rely on forgiveness, we should too.

[Keep It Simple]

Not a bad plan. Stick to it for a while and see what results you get. I suggest NOT practicing your driver at the range in the meantime. Get as good as you can with the short sticks and groove a swing. Then carry that swing over to your driver when you have it well committed to muscle memory. A lot of instructors like to see a certain amount of progression with the irons before they focus on the driver.

[kilbyman]

Thanks guys, I'll post my next round... maybe start a blog on TST. Now that I think about what I've improved upon and what I still struggle with, many of my poor swings come from the old habit of swaying my hips backward. I'm hoping the more reps I can get in without a backwards sway in the swing, the less often I will flub it.