Six Weeks to Breaking 80?

[dsc123]

I would assume that most people on here read Golf Mag and Golfdigest.  Has anyone seen Brady Riggs' six week plan to breaking 80 in Golf Magazine?  Basically, it involves four elements:

1. Dial in your wedge distances

2. Develop a go to drive

3. Pitch and Chip

4. Putting

Then its got a six week plan, with three hours of drills each week.  So for example in week two, you're supposed to spend an hour at the range working on either a fade or a draw, and commit to that as your go to shot.  Then spend an hour doing a cross the line drill with that drive, then an hour practicing your wedge distances, trying to get them to drop within 10 yards from the target.  The following week you develop a new skill and practice the old ones.

Anyway, I'm going to give it a shot starting next week.  If nothing else its a decent practice strategy to work on all aspects of my game.  I'll have to tweak it some; i.e., I already know my wedge distances so there's no reason to spend an hour figuring that out.

Anyone else planning on giving this a shot?

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by dsc123

I would assume that most people on here read Golf Mag and Golfdigest.  Has anyone seen Brady Riggs' six week plan to breaking 80 in Golf Magazine?  Basically, it involves four elements:

1. Dial in your wedge distances

2. Develop a go to drive

3. Pitch and Chip

4. Putting

Then its got a six week plan, with three hours of drills each week.  So for example in week two, you're supposed to spend an hour at the range working on either a fade or a draw, and commit to that as your go to shot.  Then spend an hour doing a cross the line drill with that drive, then an hour practicing your wedge distances, trying to get them to drop within 10 yards from the target.  The following week you develop a new skill and practice the old ones.

Anyway, I'm going to give it a shot starting next week.  If nothing else its a decent practice strategy to work on all aspects of my game.  I'll have to tweak it some; i.e., I already know my wedge distances so there's no reason to spend an hour figuring that out.

Anyone else planning on giving this a shot?

I'm giving it a try - I've broken 80, but want to do it every time out. Don't disregard quality time with your wedges.

[Kieran123]

I've been doing similar things...haven't practiced putting at all this off season minus the living room carpet, which is pretty much useless

IMO wedges are the funnest thing to practice. I will fill a bucket of balls and use my 52 GW for the entire bucket....by the end of it you are so dialed in, you feel pretty good about knowing where the ball is going to land.

I have broken 80 ONCE with a 79....and shot 80 on my last round last year...I really wanna shoot in the low 80's and 70's consistently

[Hollister]

Interesting, guess it depends on the individual skill level. A poor swing won't get you there in 6 weeks. I like the planning worksheet (PDF). Gives you an idea on what to practice! Structured practice makes sense.

I surely can not believe that every golfer is able to break 80 in 6 weeks with 18 hours total practice. Mr. Riggs is always good for a headline...

Good luck, everybody! Count me in - I would like to break 80 by the end of April, too.

Please do report about your progress right here!

[dsc123]

My best round thus far is an 85.  Last year i was typically 88-93.   I haven't broken 90 this year, but I think I've worked off the rust and can expect to do that anytime now.  I'd really like to get my scores in the 83-88 range this year.  Hopefully this will help me achieve that, and maybe a couple sub 80 rounds faster than would have happened without this structure.

I've got a golf trip with some friends this weekend, and i'm away the weekend after, so my quest for 79 will have to wait until April, with a goal of breaking 80 by Mid-may.

I worked hard on my wedges last year and probably dropped 6 or 7 strokes off my game.  But now I find it frustrating to practice wedges.  Really, the only option I have is to hit them at the driving range, which I do quite often; I do not ignore this aspect of my game.  But I mean, there's a pin that's about 110, and I shoot for that with my AW, and there's a pin thats about 125 and I shoot for that with my PW, but what about my sand and lob wedges?  I hit them and try to find discolored grass or some sort of market and hit it consistently, but all I can really do is guess as to how far that is.

I've been toying around with the idea of getting a practice mat and heading up to a nearby football field.  Stand at the goal line and hit some balls.  I would guess that this is frowned upon.

[Gioguy21]

for me, i'm a feel player which means i hardly ever figure what spot on the 'clock' my backswing is at for measuring how far to hit certain shots. anything from 110 and in is all feel for me. usually i'm in good shape, it's the approach shots from 140-175 that are killing me. (obviously anything over that isn't so hot either since i average 6-7 GIR)

[Puttsalott]

Quote:

.  So for example in week two, you're supposed to spend an hour at the range working on either a fade or a draw, and commit to that as your go to shot.

this part sounds good but is dependent on you being able to knowingly create a draw or fade shot with your driver.  I've been working that for over a year and I still never know what's gonna happen till I hit the shot.

[dsc123]

yeah, i know what you mean.  For me, i think its more dangerous.  Trying to hit a draw or a fade results in a lot of bad shots.  I think i'll try to hit it straight, knowing that my most common fault is a fade/slice, and aim for the left side of the fairway to allow for it.  I'm better off doing that than trying to hit a fade and hoping it doesn't take a big slice into the woods.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by dsc123

yeah, i know what you mean.  For me, i think its more dangerous.  Trying to hit a draw or a fade results in a lot of bad shots.  I think i'll try to hit it straight, knowing that my most common fault is a fade/slice, and aim for the left side of the fairway to allow for it.  I'm better off doing that than trying to hit a fade and hoping it doesn't take a big slice into the woods.

Isn't that what the author was recommending?

[kilbyman]

I'm in. I've only broken 100 twice, so I will be a good test case :)

[dsc123]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Isn't that what the author was recommending?

Maybe I'm just splitting hairs, but I don't think his instruction on this point is consistent.

Actually, at one point he says to develop "An anti-slice shape to avoid trouble on the right or an anti-hook shape to avoid trouble on the left."  I think that's a good description of what I was doing.  Hitting it so that it will either go straight or fade, but won't draw.  That would be the anti-hook shot.

But then he says "If you're going to use an anti-right shot (draw) as your go-to drive, for example, your goal should be to start every drive right of the centerline and draw it back toward the line without crossing over it."  Which isn't quite what i'm doing, because I'm not trying to develop a consistent fade--I'm trying to hit it straight, knowing that if i don't hit it right, its going to move right, but NOT left.

Like I said, I'm probably just splitting hairs.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by dsc123

Maybe I'm just splitting hairs, but I don't think his instruction on this point is consistent.

Actually, at one point he says to develop "An anti-slice shape to avoid trouble on the right or an anti-hook shape to avoid trouble on the left."  I think that's a good description of what I was doing.  Hitting it so that it will either go straight or fade, but won't draw.  That would be the anti-hook shot.

But then he says "If you're going to use an anti-right shot (draw) as your go-to drive, for example, your goal should be to start every drive right of the centerline and draw it back toward the line without crossing over it."  Which isn't quite what i'm doing, because I'm not trying to develop a consistent fade--I'm trying to hit it straight, knowing that if i don't hit it right, its going to move right, but NOT left.

Like I said, I'm probably just splitting hairs.

I see what you mean. You're trying to play the ball straight, but since your most common miss is a slice, you're starting the ball down the left side.  You're allowing for a slice (maybe even promoting it) but haven't done anything to eliminate the hook, or pull draw.

I think the author is suggesting learning how to bend the ball both ways so you can decide which way is more natural for you (probably left to right). Work on hitting more or less bend until you can reliably hit a very slight controlled fade. Start it left of centre and fade it just slightly right of centre. It's worth a try.

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I see what you mean. You're trying to play the ball straight, but since your most common miss is a slice, you're starting the ball down the left side.  You're allowing for a slice (maybe even promoting it) but haven't done anything to eliminate the hook, or pull draw.

I think the author is suggesting learning how to bend the ball both ways so you can decide which way is more natural for you (probably left to right). Work on hitting more or less bend until you can reliably hit a very slight controlled fade. Start it left of centre and fade it just slightly right of centre. It's worth a try.

The only issue I see in this is that in 6 weeks getting a consistent draw and fade going is tough.

I can fade a drive fine, but my draw is usually overdone and becomes a snap hook sniper

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Kieran123

The only issue I see in this is that in 6 weeks getting a consistent draw and fade going is tough.

I can fade a drive fine, but my draw is usually overdone and becomes a snap hook sniper

Is he suggesting doing both? I thought he suggested trying both, deciding on one, then owning it. But I could be wrong.

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Is he suggesting doing both? I thought he suggested trying both, deciding on one, then owning it. But I could be wrong.

Maybe he is just suggesting having one......which is weird. Not good to have a nice fade around a dog left left.....even hitting a straight drive with a dogleg can be weird.

Anyway...I own my snap hook.

For someone to be shooting in the 70's they should be able to do both.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Kieran123

Maybe he is just suggesting having one......which is weird. Not good to have a nice fade around a dog left left.....even hitting a straight drive with a dogleg can be weird.

Anyway...I own my snap hook.

For someone to be shooting in the 70's they should be able to do both.

A lot of successful professional golfers only have one standard driver ball flight. I'd never compare myself to a pro's consistency, but driving is the strongest part of my game nonetheless. When I play a left to right dogleg I evaluate whether or not I can carry it, then my next play is going as far left on the teebox as possible, starting the ball down the middle/right side of the hole (don't hug the tree line in case you don't hit it clean - don't want to stymie yourself) then bending it very slightly back to the middle. I have more faith in a 200 yard approach from the middle of the fairway than a 150 yard approach from the trees. Could I score better on left to right dog legs? Probably, but there aren't as many 90 degree dog legs as people think there are. Most are closer to 45 degrees and accept any shape of drive. Basically, if  my ball curves left to right off the tee, then I made a mistake.

[dsc123]

yeah, he's just saying pick one, get good at it, and hit it consistently to stay on the fairway.  I think.

I'll give learning to curve it consistently a try.  Last time out I had a huge slice that I couldn't shake.  Reading a post on here, suddenly I had one of those eurika moments where suddenly swing path and club face and how they affect the ball flight finally clicked.  I went to the range and started hitting them pretty straight sometimes with a mild fade, without making much of a change to my mechanics (just concentrated on the part of the ball i wanted to hit) .  I didn't try to shape it because i wanted to really groove what i was working on and I was afraid of complicating things.

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

A lot of successful professional golfers only have one standard driver ball flight. I'd never compare myself to a pro's consistency, but driving is the strongest part of my game nonetheless. When I play a left to right dogleg I evaluate whether or not I can carry it, then my next play is going as far left on the teebox as possible, starting the ball down the middle/right side of the hole (don't hug the tree line in case you don't hit it clean - don't want to stymie yourself) then bending it very slightly back to the middle. I have more faith in a 200 yard approach from the middle of the fairway than a 150 yard approach from the trees. Could I score better on left to right dog legs? Probably, but there aren't as many 90 degree dog legs as people think there are. Most are closer to 45 degrees and accept any shape of drive. Basically, if  my ball curves left to right off the tee, then I made a mistake.

You're right, no doubt. But pros can work the ball both ways nonetheless. Maybe this season you can teach me how to drive the ball.....