Breaking 80 in 99 Days...

[WesTyler]

Last week I shot a 130 at my home course... it is my goal to score 80 or better at that home course by Labor Day.

To do this, I will play 18 holes every day from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

That's 99 days. 1782 holes.

I'm going to update this thread every day and release a new vlog video every Sunday.

The stats I will be tracking include my total score, fairways in regulation, greens in regulation, shots off the green (is there a specific term for that?), putts, and, to remember the fallen, balls lost. Any other stat suggestions are welcome.

Now, I'm off to bed before I play my opening round tomorrow. It's supposed to be a rainy one...

And... since it's Sunday...

[Stretch]

Good luck. There's a guy doing something similar around here -- albeit even more ambitious. I've bumped into him a few times at the course he mostly plays at. Can't say he looks like a happy man.

http://mygreenjacket.com/wordpress/

[JoeC36]

Good Luck

[delav]

Best of luck on your goal.

Breaking 80 isn't typically something most golfers aspire to until they know the challenges of breaking 100, then 90, etc...  While shooting a 79 will eventually feel great, don't deprive yourself of celebrating small hurdles along the way.  Shooting an honest round under 90 in 99 days (starting at 130) is a huge task in itself.

[inthehole]

What kind of shape are you in ?    I recently shot 3 rounds in 4 days & was so broke down afterwards, took me 2 weeks to recouperate.     Totally overdid it.     Granted, I walked all those holes.     Unless you are in exceptional physical condition, I don't think there are many bodies that could handle what you are proposing ... but good luck anyways.

[Yukari]

Mini-Golfer is right.  Golf is physically demanding sports especially when you walk.  I played three days this weekend (Fri-Sun), and shot 79, 82, and 92!  The courses I played were hilly with a lot of elevation changes.  I walked all three days carrying the club--I don't like riding at all, it doesn't feel like playing golf when I ride.

Even though I work out 5 or 6 days a week (weight lifting and running--on the days I run, I usually run 8-12 miles per day) and am in a great physical shape, I was tired after the second day.  I could tell my swing was getting a little loose on the third day because I was tired.

[iacas]

Good luck.

I think you have a better chance if you play once for every three days you practice, rather than playing every day, but maybe that's just me...

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by Yukari

Mini-Golfer is right.  Golf is physically demanding sports especially when you walk.  I played three days this weekend (Fri-Sun), and shot 79, 82, and 92!  The courses I played were hilly with a lot of elevation changes.  I walked all three days carrying the club--I don't like riding at all, it doesn't feel like playing golf when I ride.

Even though I work out 5 or 6 days a week (weight lifting and running--on the days I run, I usually run 8-12 miles per day) and am in a great physical shape, I was tired after the second day.  I could tell my swing was getting a little loose on the third day because I was tired.

My swing gets a little tired around the 15th hole when walking ( mainly because I have sciatica ). My fitness is a joke these days. But I have walked 4 of the 5 last rounds, so hopefully it gets better.

To the OP, track every STAT on the coyrse

Misses left, misses right, misses short, misses long, putts, greens hit, fairways hit.... do your irons need work? your driver? fairway woods? pitching? chipping? Putting?

Don;t go to the range and just blast balls working on all aspects, personally I would focus on one part at a time...just find the weakest link

[Yukari]

To follow up my post earlier...

I thought about playing today, but after what happened yesterday, I decided to rest up instead.  Believe me, it was hard forcing myself to not to play today.

[WesTyler]

Day 1 Stats

• Score: 134
• Shots off the green: 90
• Putts: 44
• FIR: 6/12
• GIR: 0
• Lost balls: 5

---

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I appreciate the encouragement, the advice, and the reality checks.

I went out today and was greeted by about the most tripolar weather I've seen this year. It was sunny for a minute, then it rained for a minute, then it hailed for a minute. Putting across a green littered with pea-size ice balls? Awesome!

True to form, I shot a 134, scoring only a single par. My putting was worse than usual, but if I wasn't skulling the ball with my wedges, I was hooking it with my long irons. Pebblebrook has some tight fairways that brutalize if you can't shoot straight.

Priority one, then, is straightening out the irons. I'll play tomorrow with that focus.

[Yukari]

44 putts???  You really need to get that number down to low 30's or lower.  Granted putting through pea-sized hail probably didn't help, but that is no excuse as you could have cleared your putting path.

Just looking at your stats, looks like your short game needs a lot of work.  If the course has tight driving holes, leave the driver in the bag and tee off with a fairway wood or even an iron.  You are giving up way too many strokes with the lost balls (that is 10 strokes: stroke + distance penalties).

Just my 2 cents.

Edit:  those two items alone will save you about 20 strokes.

[walk18]

If you're shooting 130, there are things that need fixing, and you do that on the range not the course. If you just keep playing and doing what you're doing without any instruction or practice, well, there are a lot of golfers who have played 20-30 years and they've never broken 100. Don't be afraid to practice.

[johnclayton1982]

I recently dropped a ton of strokes off the game in a relatively short period, but what you are trying here is (1) silly and (2) unrealistic.  I love the idea of charting progress, but playing 18 holes every day is not a good way to improve.  You will become incredibly course-biased (unless these rounds are spread out among different courses), picking up bad habits in your swing to fit it to particular holes.

In Febuary, I was shooting about a 125.  I just played a round with 100% legitimate scoring at TPC Louisiana.  I shot a 96.  It was my first round at the course, and from the men's tees.  Additionally, that included a 9 on a par 5 on the front where I became trapped in a fairway bunker for several shots (a shot I have yet to learn).  I did not lose a single ball. Without that score, it could have been significantly lower.  That is much better than 125 at your home course (about 30 strokes).  As detailed in other posts, I broke a legit 90 at the home course about a week ago (just barely, but still)  I made a committment to getting better, but what did I actually do, and what actually worked?

1.  Took 5 lessons from a PGA Pro - ~$750

This was by far the most valuable and best return on investment.  In the first lesson, the pro changed everything, including my grip, stance, posture, routine, etc... and taught me the basics.  After that, he helped with putting and ballstriking.  We did a lesson on the driver.  We did a lesson on hitting hybrids hard from the fairway on long par 4s / par 5s to get close for the 3rd.  We did a lesson on how to hit a pitch and where to aim (when to hit at flag, when to go middle of green, etc...)  It was invaluable.

2.  Bought a striking bag

This was pretty important.  i practice driving in my living room and checking to see if I hit hard and what my impact position is.  It is very effective and training you to hit square with your driver.  My driver goes pretty straight now.

3.  Started using the same ball all the time

This really helped my putting.  Different balls don't matter out on the course now, but on the green they do.  Sticking with one putter and one ball has made it much easier to improve.

4.  Bought new clubs (set of irons and driver)

Made no difference at all.  For a lark the other day, I went back and hit the old cobras I had replaced.  Hit them almost exactly the same as the new ones.  Same with the driver.

5.  Started going to the range 4 days a week and developing a 'go to" shot / club

This was the big one.  The range is where you get better / get good.  Period.  Pick a shot and a club you like, and make it your go-to shot.  For me, its my Nike SQ 4 hybrid.  I hit it about 200 even, and its very consistent, especially off the tee.  I hit 200 per week off the tee and out of various lies.  Since I have a short driver (my best ever is 260, and average is around 225), and I can't yet hit a fairway wood off the grass, I hit my 4 hybrid more in a round than my putter.  Get a "go to" scoring shot so you can think "ok, if I can just get it to ____ position, I can get really close".

6.  Tracked my rounds really close (you are doing this)

Made me realize my long irons were terrible and to get to the range to practice them.

Not only will you frustrate other golfers at your club by being out there every day playing a 130 (that can't be a fast round), you will lose a fortune in greens fees and lost balls.  Go see a pro and make a commitment to the range.  Play maybe 2-3 times a week and hit the range 3 times a week, with a rest day.  That worked for me.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by WesTyler

Day 1 Stats

Score: 134

Shots off the green: 90

Putts: 44

FIR: 6/12

GIR: 0

Lost balls: 5

So Sorry to tell you that I have my doubts, at the state your game is in now you are going to need a LOT of practice, it makes no sense at all playing a round of golf before you can hit any decent balls, so I suggest you start with spending 5 hours per day at the driving Range instead of spoiling 5 hours at the course.

After a week of practice and maybe getting a lesson or maybe two, so you have an idea on what to practice at.....

After a few weeks of progress you will know if breaking 80 is a real goal in future or.

For the time being ..... breaking 100 or even breaking 90 might be a fair in between goal.

Breaking 80 involves about 55 shots off the green and 34 or less putts ........ and believe me ..... even a 5 index player doesn't break 80 in every round !

Yesterday I played a really decent round : 8 pars, 2 birdeys, 7 bogeys and 1 double just inside 80...... and that were only 28 putts and one lost ball in a waterhazard (where I made the double, by missing the bogey putt aswell).

So, pratice a lot, play less and I wish you all the good luck you will need !

[Shorty]

If you were a pianist who started playing yesterday, would you be saying that you plan to play Beethoven Sonatas in 99 days? Just wondering why you have set yourself a goal that is clearly not achievable. Golf isn't a game where you drop a few shots each round and continue to improve naturally. You might go from a 130 shooter to a 100 shooter in a month, but a lot of guys might get stuck in the 90s and rarely shoot in the 80s and never in the 70s after years. I suggest that you plan to break 100 3 times in a row after 3 months.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Shorty

If you were a pianist who started playing yesterday, would you be saying that you plan to play Beethoven Sonatas in 99 days?

Just wondering why you have set yourself a goal that is clearly not achievable.

Publicity.

[jamo]

I'm sorry man, I just don't see it happening. To shoot below 80 you need to improve every aspect of your game, and fast. I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who could do that, especially from just playing 18 holes a day.

But, hey, best of luck of course.

[delav]

Originally Posted by Gerald

Breaking 80 involves about 55 shots off the green and 34 or less putts ........ and believe me ..... even a 5 index player doesn't break 80 in every round !

Great post above, but the math is a little bit fuzzy here.