I finally broke 80!! (and made some realisations along the way)

[rossvanwyk]

Hey guys

SO I finally broke the magic 80 mark!! Yay! On the weekend I shot a 78 in a local competition and it feels like a huge weight off my shoulders.

I've been shooting low 80's consistently for a while now and the 80 mark was a mental barrier that would cause me to fall apart round after round at the end. I would often shoot a great first 9, in at 38 or 39 and then let it all go in the 2nd 9.

I shot two double bogeys, which normally break my heart in two, especially if it's a stupid error and suddenly I feel like I've thrown shots away and I have to make it back etc etc. Generally I struggle to shrug off the bad holes and focus on my next shot, beating myself up over stupid errors. But on saturday i managed to hold it together. Both double bogeys I followed up with birdies on the following par 5. One of the 5's I hit a massive drive and had a 9 iron into the green which I somehow pulled way left into the trees. Normally I would be complaining about what-ifs and what I should have done but I chipped it out really close and drained the birdie.

Basically, I am understanding never to give up in this game. Sam Snead says exactly the same thing in his book. Never ever give up. The first 9 I could have easily shot 45 in the past but I came in with a 39 because I didn't let it get away like I normally do.

Now I have a couple questions with the few things I'm having trouble with in my game :

1) Sometimes I block my irons to the left of target. They don't draw, its a straight shot left. I have a feeling I am overswinging on my backswing. Could this be the reason? I generally crunch my irons so well but I think every now and then I get a little over eager.

2) I have a real problem with anything inside of 120m (130 yards?)

My pitching wedge is dead on 120. Anything inside this range I struggle to choke and gauge distances well. My sand wedge goes pretty much 100m and have the same problem if I have a distance inside 100m. WHat sort of wedge should I look for to be more consistent on these shorter shots? (what degree loft). Or should I rather control the distance with my backswing?

Cheers guys. I am well chuffed that I finally got there and to those who haven't, don't give up cos it WILL come! :)

Peace.

[Golf Ghost]

First off, congratulations on the accomplishment.

I can't really answer you first question, but as far as the second question, practice is the main thing. With your wedges you should have three different distances. Three different swing lengths with your wedges will help do this. With lots of practice, you should be able to develop and become consistent with these distances.

The best thing to do when it comes to knowing which lofts you should have, find out the loft differences between your 8i-9i-PW, then depending on those differences, you should be able to determine the differences in loft for you wedges.

If your PW is 120, three other wedges with three distances for each, will give you nine different distances inside that 120, this does not include the two other distances you should be able to come consistent with with your PW.

Wedges are a all about the practice. Best of luck with them.

[Mattplusness]

Congrats on breaking the 80 mark man, big step.

My PW goes about 120, I also have an auxiliary wedge which goes about 100. It is 51* loft.

[TourSpoon]

Originally Posted by rossvanwyk

Hey guys

SO I finally broke the magic 80 mark!! Yay! On the weekend I shot a 78 in a local competition and it feels like a huge weight off my shoulders.

I've been shooting low 80's consistently for a while now and the 80 mark was a mental barrier that would cause me to fall apart round after round at the end. I would often shoot a great first 9, in at 38 or 39 and then let it all go in the 2nd 9.

I shot two double bogeys, which normally break my heart in two, especially if it's a stupid error and suddenly I feel like I've thrown shots away and I have to make it back etc etc. Generally I struggle to shrug off the bad holes and focus on my next shot, beating myself up over stupid errors. But on saturday i managed to hold it together. Both double bogeys I followed up with birdies on the following par 5. One of the 5's I hit a massive drive and had a 9 iron into the green which I somehow pulled way left into the trees. Normally I would be complaining about what-ifs and what I should have done but I chipped it out really close and drained the birdie.

Basically, I am understanding never to give up in this game. Sam Snead says exactly the same thing in his book. Never ever give up. The first 9 I could have easily shot 45 in the past but I came in with a 39 because I didn't let it get away like I normally do.

Now I have a couple questions with the few things I'm having trouble with in my game :

1) Sometimes I block my irons to the left of target. They don't draw, its a straight shot left. I have a feeling I am overswinging on my backswing. Could this be the reason? I generally crunch my irons so well but I think every now and then I get a little over eager.

2) I have a real problem with anything inside of 120m (130 yards?)

My pitching wedge is dead on 120. Anything inside this range I struggle to choke and gauge distances well. My sand wedge goes pretty much 100m and have the same problem if I have a distance inside 100m. WHat sort of wedge should I look for to be more consistent on these shorter shots? (what degree loft). Or should I rather control the distance with my backswing?

Cheers guys. I am well chuffed that I finally got there and to those who haven't, don't give up cos it WILL come! :)

Peace.

Congrats on 78.  You are now on your way and you have the confidence that you are never out of it.  Saturday I shot 76 with 41-35, and had two doubles as well so it can be done if you don't panic and play it one shot at a time.

1).  If you are over-eager you could be over-swinging.  If you are really trying to jump on it you probably are swinging faster than normal and starting your swing with your shoulders.  This leads to an over-the-top move which will cause you to pull it.

2).  For the wedge shots, you have to know your distances.  My smooth PW is 125, 130 jumping on it, 120 choked down an 1" and hands shoulder high, 115 griped down an inch and hands chest high, and 110 griped down and hands to waist high.  This is at least my swing keys, whether it is really this is not important, what is important is knowing my distances.  The other part is that you have to use your body through the shot.  It is not enough to swing the club to waist high, you have to hit the ball with your body turning.

I hope this gives you something to think about.

[Lofty Lefty]

Dave Pelz' clock system is what you should check out. Another thing to think about is leaving yourself a distance. Eg, if you're on a 360yd par 4, and hit driver 250 leaving 110, don't hit driver! Hit 3W to leave yourself a 140 or so. If half shots and tough distances aren't your strength, don't play to them. Play to your strengths, and <80 should become a lot easier.

[rossvanwyk]

Lofty you're totally right. I do try to gauge sometimes where I can leave myself 120 to the pin and I can hit a PW with no worries. Another thing is I actually don't carry a 3-W at the moment. I just haven't found one I can hit really. But I'm going to my local store today cos a sale started today and I'm gonna see if there's some that I like. Currently if I can't hit driver, I have a driving iron that hits like a beast but is tough to be consistent with. Otherwise I often go 4i off the tee. But a 3W I could depend on would be amazing. Hopefully I'll find one today :) Cheers for the tips.

[Steel]

Congrat's Ross

80 is a tough one to break for the fist time!  Some quick advice that I hope helps your game, I see you have already discovered how important it is to not let bad shots/holes bother you.  Take it one step further, only concentrate on the shot you are about to make.  Don't think about the last hole, the last nine holes, or the next series of holes coming up, only concentrate on the shot your going to hit, think it through and fully commit to your decision.  I think this will help with your mental game a little.  As far as your play from inside 120 I am also most comfortable when making a full swing or a half swing.  Having only 2 basic swings for me is an important key for my play inside 100 yards, I carry the ball about the same distances as you do, pitching wedge 110-120, I also carry a 50 deg 90-100, 54 deg 80-90, in combination with a half swing this gives me enough of a variation in lofts to cover all my short distances, hope this helps, good luck with the continued success to your game.

[Jameshooper]

Congratulations!!  It's a nice accomplishment, and it makes playing so much fun when you play well.