Breaking 80!!!

[8.5_Drive]

Par is 70 at my course. Still yet to break 80. Im usually around 84 ish.

I could be more than on track to break it then ill go and double boyey 2 holes in a row. VERY frustrating because i know i am capable of hitting par on every hole.

How did you break 80 for the first time?

[dtb300]

When I have shot my best rounds, it has always been with people I enjoy playing with. Those rounds I just play and I do not really worry about the score - I just let my game happen. Seems the harder I try to score the worse it gets.

Last night on Playing Lessons with the Pro's they had Colin Montgomery on. And the whole show was about being positive about your game and swing. When any little negative thought came into his head, he started he pre-shot routine again. With this in mind, maybe when you get close to your goal/score and you are trying too hard - or getting some negative thoughts going???

[TN94z]

Par is 70 at my course. Still yet to break 80. Im usually around 84 ish.

I used a much smoother slower swing on my woods to make sure and get no penalties with them. And then I just played for par on the hole. I weighed out percentages on my shots and went from there. It did seem that once I broke 80 the first time, it came more frequently after that.

[8.5_Drive]

When I have shot my best rounds, it has always been with people I enjoy playing with. Those rounds I just play and I do not really worry about the score - I just let my game happen. Seems the harder I try to score the worse it gets.

Yeah i think it is a pressure thing. Typically ill be about 5 over with 4 to play, knowing bogey will do, then start duffing chips and bottling putts

[sean_miller]

Yeah i think it is a pressure thing. Typically ill be about 5 over with 4 to play, knowing bogey will do, then start duffing chips and bottling putts

That's the thinking that I had to get away from. If I'm 5 over with 4 holes to play, I want to get down to 3 or 4 over. It might not happen, but finishing with 4 straight bogeys is not a success.

[JML22]

What's causing the doble bogeys?

[saevel25]

Break 80, hit alot of GIR's.. I usually play par 72, so thats 7 over par.. My break 80's are usually about

2 Scrambles
9-10 GIR's, Which i usually get 1-2 birdies out of. When i break 80, i am really steady, not in trouble off the tee, hitting center of greens, sometimes hitting very good wedge shots. No double bogeys, maybe a three putt once. Its just boring golf ;b

[chrisronline]

My first time breaking 80 meant I didn't have a single double on the scorecard. I hit a fair number of greens, but I scrambled extremely well. The great thing about golf is that breaking 80 can mean totally different things for some people, but for me, I know I will score well when I scramble well.

[TN94z]

That's the thinking that I had to get away from. If I'm 5 over with 4 holes to play, I want to get down to 3 or 4 over. It might not happen, but finishing with 4 straight bogeys is not a success.

Exactly! When you let up like that, it gets you out of your normal playing level....you all of the sudden have an "out." The best thing is just to continue to play more aggressive...but not stupid aggressive. I try to not think about my score from par or whatever. I know that is hard when you are only a few over, but some of the guys I play with are counting their scores after every hole and trying to figure out what they can shoot for the day, etc....that's just too much on your mind.

[$2 Nassau]

the couple times I broke 80 I hit fairways, lots of them. Be safe off the tee.

[Gerald]

Breaking 80 at a par 70 course, you only have to make 9 pars and 9 boogies ......, but I think you lost pars are doubles and worse ..... so it is interesting to find out what is causing the doubles ..... if it is happening at the same holes .... maybe it is best to make a conservative game plan (course management) for these.

I had similar problems with a few holes making a double or worse ...... if you play a short (let's say 500 yds) par 5 and you don't intend to go for a second shot to the green, maybe it is better to hit a 3W or 5W or even a long iron from the tee.

If your driver has 8.5* loft as your forum name suggests, maybe it is better to go for a 10-11* driver, maybe a little shorter, but in the fairway more.

Further you really need to be positive on going to make a par at each tee, don't think on what could be going wrong, a positive attitude is at least half the par.

When I need to scramble (a lot .....) I really focus on getting it inside 3 ft from the hole...... if you cannot ....... practice-practice-practice-practice !

[TourSpoon]

That's the thinking that I had to get away from. If I'm 5 over with 4 holes to play, I want to get down to 3 or 4 over. It might not happen, but finishing with 4 straight bogeys is not a success.

Lately, I've been thinking the same way...more about birdies and quit trying to see how many bogeys I can afford to beat a score (that never works). My biggest key is to eliminate the doubles, make a few putts, and to stay focused on every shot.

[8.5_Drive]

Its just a consistency thing i think... Like today i hit alot of good shots. Chipped in from 50 yards. Putted well. Then hit 2 chips fat from 40 yards and 2 putted on the 7th.. lol

Scorecard

[rwfastrax]

Yeah i think it is a pressure thing. Typically ill be about 5 over with 4 to play, knowing bogey will do, then start duffing chips and bottling putts

this was EXACTLY my problem until this year. I'd have a good round going and after 9, start figuring out what it would take to break 80. I'd invariably fall apart. I started looking at my score only twice per round. Once at the turn and once after 18. A few rounds later I shot a 75. Play one hole at a time, one shot at a time and you'll be there. This summer I've followed that round with 6 more in the 70s and only twice since July have I not been under 80. Par, you're next.

[mcgriff]

There is a certain swagger you gotta have to stay in the 70s. Like the 85 Bears, the Steel Curtain of the 70s, or the Buckeyes this year you just can't let up. Instead of worrying about when I will make a bogey after a bunch of pars, I have to stay focused on making birdies. It doesn't work always, but it takes the heat off. That is the mental part for me. Positive plan of attack with the lowest risk possible.

As to athletic parts, I do what I can to not make that one stupid mistake that snowballs into a run of bad holes. When I do make a lousy swing (happens plenty) I totally switch gears on the next shot. Clubbing down for a few shots works.

If the round is total garbage I forget about the score entirely and enjoy myself.

[wrx_junki]

Have someone else keep your score and keep playing your best instead of looking back. Hopefully you will be in for a surprise at the end of the round.

[Gerald]

Its just a consistency thing i think... Like today i hit alot of good shots. Chipped in from 50 yards. Putted well. Then hit 2 chips fat from 40 yards and 2 putted on the 7th.. lol

Didn't understand the 1Hy from the tee of hole 5 ?

Strange course .... with 6 par 3's !

[8.5_Drive]

Didn't understand the 1Hy from the tee of hole 5 ?

That par 3 is massive! Huge uphill elevated green. It was actally a 3Hy i hit. Also, number 11 is the second longest par 3 in england