How to break 70 with the stats I have?

[rebby]

A huge difference I see between nearly scratch golfers and scratch golfers, is as saltman said, [b]giving yourself birdie opportunities[/b]. A nearly scratch golfer can hit the GIR a good amount of the time, but the birdie putts may not be close enough to make a higher percentage of the time.  A scratch golfer puts the ball close a good chunk of time, giving them the highest percentage of making birdie.  This comes down to two things I think, being confident and able to make putts within 20ft a good chunk of the time, and secondly being able to put your second shots within/around that 20ft.

This. When I was playing to the + side of things I was making a lot of birdies/eagles. For me though, it had more to do with my chipping than anything else. Getting up and down was almost automatic, to the point that there wasn't a pin that I wouldn't shoot at. When you're playing to stick every pin because you [i]know[/i] that you'll make par even if you miss the green, you leave yourself with a lot of good birdie opportunities.

[Bryan SD2]

Hit more greens... and make more putts/more one putt greens.  Once yout get to single digit handicappers... the fastest way to improve is undoubtedly these two.  If you are playing Tour level courses, or just below that level, with severe penalties for missing the fairway, then hitting fariways becomes #3 in importance instantly.  If you are playing typical courses, some public, some private or semi-private... then greens and one putts it is.

[longball87]

There are many different ways to approach this and so this is how i view it. I am 23 years old, ive played D2 golf for college and ive played with some of the best amateurs around. I think it mainly depends on what type of player you are. If you are like Tiger or Phil, the "go for broke", "grip and rip", "power player", fairways are really not a concern because you are strong enough to get it out of the rough, unless its like U.S. Open rough ha, but a lot of courses do not have that. And then you have the straight shooters that hit every fairway and are on or around the green all the time and just play "boring" golf which is cool too. I am a power player, but i do have touch around the greens where i can scrap it around so I've came up with an analogy that may work for you, but it helps me and shows me what i need to work on. I do the 12, 8, 4, 50/50, no charity golf routine. What that means is; I try to hit 12 greens, have 8 of those 12 greens within 25 or less, and try to convert 4 of those 8 GIR for birdies. Now the 50/50 part is the other 6 greens if you do hit the 12 out of 18 greens, for 50/50 on up and down. And the charity golf is, no three putts, no penalties such as OB and water hazards. The reason i came up with that analogy is bc when you three putt or can try to avoid an OB or water hazard, your "giving" strokes away like a charity. So when you come to think of it, if your playing a par 72, and you have 12 greens, with 8 of those greens out of the 12 with 25 feet or less of a putt and convert 4 of those 8, you are 4 under for those holes. Now, that is with no three putts of those 12 GIR. I think you can get the picture. And if your 50/50 is perfect, which means out of the 6 greens you missed you got up and down 3 out of the 6 times, then thats 3 bogies if you did not three putt the par attempt for the up and down so that puts you 3 over on that department and your overall score is at 1 under every time. So it depends on what Par your course is. My home course, is a par 71 and i try it and it works great!! The more greens you hit the better you are off and the more fun you are having. So i would work on trying to hit more greens, keep it in play, (rough or fairway), know the course and where to miss at ya know and that all has to deal with playing a lot and it will come. Being a 10 or under handicap is great accomplishment and that is great man you are striving to break 70. But, that is what i do to my home course and also to other courses. If i do not know the course that well, i am a little bit more tentative, and play the course management and try to from my point of view put it in a general area where i have a shot at making birdies and getting to the green with ease. Good players take the course in parts and dissect every hole and that is what i would tell you to do. If you play a course 3 to 4 times a week consistently then you know where to hit it and get away with it if you do hit an arrant shot and you know where you can score well ya know? Overall, just keep it in play, play to your strengths, try not to "give strokes away", and manage the course to your advantage. Every golfer is different and has a different view on things and i hope this helps!

[cody west]

1. work on tee shot placement...be able to put your driver exactly where you want it to set up the distances and lines you want on approach shots

2. work with your wedges...you should be almost 100% within 135, if you want to break 70 you cant afford to miss a green on short approaches

3. think birdie, turn with your hips...if you have a short approach you have to have the game and confidence to attack the pin and leave yourself a tap in birdie

4. get your body involved...even with your mid-irons and through your wedges (6,7,8,9,P,G,S,L) you need to be able to pick the part of the green you want and hit it. Don't leave yourself putts that are across ridges or down hill down grain.  You do this by hitting shots that take 1 hop then stop because when your trying to break 70 just hitting the green isn't enough.

5. hit your putts...work on a consistent putting stroke that you can trust when lag putting and short putts.  You should be making more putts inside of 8 feet and getting up and down more than half the time (at least on the days when you are shooting below 70)