Breaking 90?

[Big Lex]

Don't worry, friend, breaking 90 isn't hard. You will do it. It took me a couple of years of trying, but once I did, it became easy.

For some perspective: I'm currently an 11.8 index, and I break 90 about half the time or a bit more, and my lowest scores are low 80s. I've broken 80 twice in my life. I almost never shoot over 100, but usually do it once or maybe twice in a season. I play 90% of my golf on a 6700 yard course with a rating of 73.1, slope of 135.

Breaking 90 depends on many things, all of which have been touched on. You have to keep some detailed scoring for a couple of rounds to see where you're losing the strokes. It could be putting, it could be driving, wedge shots, etc. Golf Digest did a nice piece on this, and you can access it at their website. You need to work on your specific deficincies first.

In general, breaking 90 can be done with pretty lousy ball striking, provided you don't have blow up holes like 8s and 9s. One way of looking at it is that bogey is your "par," so every par has you "one under" and every double is one over.

The advice to play conservative is good for hard holes, but for easy holes, you have to be careful not to be too conservative. You generally aren't going to avoid doubles and triples altogether, which means you need a few pars to break 90. To do that, you have to play aggressively on some holes, and it's best to do that on the easy ones. In other words, taking a chance with a driver on a long hole with a hazard or OB because you think you need the distance of the driver is stupid. On a hole like this, you can play 3 7 iron shots if you want and if you're lucky still have a par putt, and generally bogey or no worse than double is assured.

But on some holes - maybe a short hole or something downhill or wide open or whatever - you need to take a chance to give yourself a short approach and a shot at a birdie putt.

But really, go to golfdigest.com and check out there website. Track your scores to determine your long game and short game handicaps, and then work on your weaknesses. You'll be breaking 90 within a very short time if you do, I promise.

JP

[gaz d]

Haha i ruined it!
I just went out the day after and had a 98!!!

[is 120 respectable]

I am also in the breaking 90 club, it's been my goal since 07 started. I have been following this thread and all the great advice religiously, and today I shot a 90. I'm so close.

The culprit hole: A long par 4-- #1 handicap. There is no room on the left side of this hole, there are about 5 yards of rough on the left. Sure enough I start my drive down the left side of the fairway with some draw action. Thanks to some wind it ends up WAYYY left and drills a house (houses are right next to the course). I hit my provisional to the right, of course right behind a ton of trees. I punch out for my 4th shot. I get my 5th pin high but off the green. Chip and 2 putt for a nice 8. That killed my score along with a couple triples.

I will be playing again tomorrow on a course I know better so tomorrow might be the day.

[Mhinderaker]

Don't worry, friend, breaking 90 isn't hard. You will do it. It took me a couple of years of trying, but once I did, it became easy.

I agree, once you get over the hump for the first time, it becomes extremely easy.

When you shoot that first 85 or 80 or whatever you happen to shoot to break 90, it becomes clear what you did correctly and what you need to do next time to replicate that score. I am still looking for my first score in the 70s for 18 holes, but I feel like I am getting close, just need to keep my driver in play a bit more and it will be easy.

[Chairman7w]

The culprit hole: A long par 4-- #1 handicap. There is no room on the left side of this hole, there are about 5 yards of rough on the left. Sure enough I start my drive down the left side of the fairway with some draw action. Thanks to some wind it ends up WAYYY left and drills a house (houses are right next to the course). I hit my provisional to the right, of course right behind a ton of trees. I punch out for my 4th shot. I get my 5th pin high but off the green. Chip and 2 putt for a nice 8. That killed my score along with a couple triples.

No, my man - that there is a par 5. Just put it in your mind that it's par 5 and play smart. 5-wood (or utility wood) off the Tee, a mid-iron to get you to within 100 or so, and a nice wedge to the green. Two-putt for an easy 5.

If you start planning your rounds, keeping mistakes to a Bogey, treating LOOOONG par 4s as 5s, and playing accordingly, the strokes will literally fall off. You'll be looking at 80 in no time.

[Leek]

I am also in the breaking 90 club, it's been my goal since 07 started. I have been following this thread and all the great advice religiously, and today I shot a 90. I'm so close.

What is on the right? Are you dead there? We have several holes like that, OB very close to the fairway. I play the rough opposite the trouble and hit the shot that will give a slight curve towards the fairway. (Trouble right- aim down left rough hit a very tight fade, trouble left- aim right rough, hit a very tight draw) If the draw or fade goes straight- I'm in the rough but very safe.

[norcalgolf]

Don't worry, friend, breaking 90 isn't hard. You will do it. It took me a couple of years of trying, but once I did, it became easy.

Big Lex is right.

Once you break it, it does become easier. I am similar in handicap to Big Lex, and even bad rounds for me can be high 80s/low 90s now. The first time I broke 90 was a little over 2 years ago at a local muni. I shot an 83. Great round. I was so happy at the time. I played there 4 weeks ago and shot an 83, and I walked away totally disappointed. I had lost a ball right off of the fairway on the 3rd hole. Saw it land, saw it stop, never found it. 2 strokes right there, and I 3 jacked a couple holes, and I was pissed, because I felt like I had hit the ball well enough to score 75-77, and here I was walking off with an 83. It just goes to show that as you improve your perspective will change. I have been following this thread and all of the suggestions are good. Basically find your weak areas and improve them. I am going through the same thing as I try to break 80 consistently. I feel like I am just that close to the next level of my game. My "bad" scores are much lower. I shot an 87 two weeks ago, and I was fighting the hooks all day long. A year ago the score would have been a 95 if I had the same problems. Just keep working at it, and you will get there :)

[GolfAddict]

I've been playing well this summer until the last two weeks. What killed me was how erratic I was with my driver. In one round of 18 holes, I hit only one fairway. The tee balls don't need to be huge, they just need to be straight and in play. Also, try to eliminate the three-putts, that can lower your score by a few strokes per round. Before a round I'd hit a few wedges just to get a feel for the swing and putt for about 15-20 minutes. Also get in a few baby chip shots too.

[is 120 respectable]

What is on the right? Are you dead there?

Sorry this reply took so long Leek, but there are just really big trees on the right of this particular hole. I went with driver because I felt extremely confident with it that day. The drive was crushed (for me), and would've been perfect, if only it had not been hit 15-25 yards offline to the left lol. Anyhow in hindsight I should've hit a low 3-wood, a shot I can consistently keep in play. Also as an update, the next day I ended up with a 91 . This time I'll blame hole #17. It was a 218 yard Par 3. I went for my 4-iron, once again it HAD been the best club in my bag all round. Sure enough I hit a terrible terrible pull hook. Shot ended up behind a massive pine, but suprisingly I could see the green, and all I had to do was hit about a 25 yard pitch/chip to the left of the tree. Sure enough though I clipped the left side of the tree and it goes right into it. A few disasters later and I have a triple bogey 6. Once again, if I bogey this hole I end up with an 89. I kept all of the advice from this thread on my mind again. Unfortunately, I don't think I had the "game" to do it that day. Actually, probably the confidence, seeing as how I missed at least 6/7 putts inside of five feet. The good news is that my course management (besides 17) had never been better. That was my only "tree" shot with no OBs, which is amazing for me. Sorry this was so long, but hopefully I can get there this weekend.

[waynem80]

Breaking 90 can be hard, but breaking 80 is even harder, I would work on the fundamentals of your game, and make sure my swing form is right... Practice makes perfect. Good luck.

[King Cobra II]

Play smart, hit 3-irons off the the tee box if you're not driving straight, don't take un nessacary chances. I've only broken 90 once this summer (my first year playing), and i just didn't do anything really stupid. Play within your own game, don't try to kill it.

[Logie]

I will tell you what stops me shooting under 90. Hopefully you can relate to some.

Driving off the tee:

Driving OB or into a Hazard of lossing a ball which results in dropped shoots

Second Shot:

This for me is a key point in breaking 90. You have to give yourself the best chance of one or two putting. So, if you good with chipping from around the green why not shoot to the front of green?

Personally i rather come up short by a few feet, then risk doing a 60ft putt or flying over the green into a hazard, bunker or rough etc

Within 100 yards:

Again, how good are you within 100 yards? I love using my wedges, so have no problem whipping out the gap wedge, sw etc.

From 100 yards, my pro advised me that you really need to get within 15ft. Putts after 15ft start to have luck involved, unless your a great putter. Get to 10ft thats its really about how well you read the green to get the ball in the hole, or close!

Putting:

I went through a phase, which happened to me on the weekend. Putting! 3 putting was killing me. I had about 7 putts hit the lips, some on my first putt, some on my 2nd which = 3 putt

I was turning my hands when stroking the ball which was putting it off the line, and they were going just left or just right. Missing the middle of the hole. That killed my score a bit, reckon i dropped about 5 shotts on putting!

[ericm]

If you are close, as some of the posters I read are, then you might try something I have used in the past trying to get over the hump. Change the goal. Make up your mind to shoot 85 rather than break 90. It changes the pressure point. Back when I used to be good, I would use that to break 75, which was a very difficcult number for me until I hit on this.

[blagrange]

Breaking 90 has been my goal for this summer. Up until this summer I would play about 12 rounds a year and shoot anywhere from low 90's too low 100's. This summer I cought the bug and have already played about 45 18 hole rounds ( at many different courses ) and another 15 9 hole rounds.

I have been tinkering with my swing/grip/stance all summer mostly by reading this board and magazines and finally I feel I am at a point where the mental game is hurting me.

In the last two of weeks I have posted 90, 41, 89, 91 , 42 all at different courses. My problem has become one to two-three holes per a round that hurt my scoring. On both of my 90+ scores I was heading for a high 80's score and was aware of it and promptly tripled a hole.

I think I am close and my ball striking and play off the tee has been way more consistant the past couple of weeks. Due to the amount I have played this year I can not fault my putting and Chipping. I have been two putting allot have not been flubbing my chips ( I may leave some short though resulting in a long putt but my lag has been good enough to make up for it )

At this point I feel I just need to manage my game better to get in the 80's consistantly. I think the advice about not score watching would probably work wonders for me. Especially since I am aware of my score at all times on the course this year due to my goal.

[azgreg]

I have been struggling for the last 6 months, low to mid 90s. Today was a different story. Went out in 40, eagled the 507 yard par 5 10th. However I did limp in with a 42 on the last 8 holes for a crowd pleasing 85. Played from the blues (because my playing partners wanted it that way), however, they were playing at just under 6700 yards. I think the difference was I made a slight change in my take away that put my club on a slightly more upright palne (I'm 6'3" 235 lbs). The end of the round it was getting hot and muggy (Phoenix, Az gets that way this time of year ) and I was walking, just got tired.

[is 120 respectable]

Now that this thread has opened up again, I will repost my experience of yesterday's round since I'm still ecstatic. I hadn't been able to accomplish my goal of breaking 90 all summer long. My last 3 rounds had been 90, 91, and 90. Finally yesterday I broke through with an 85 (par 72). I went 43-42 and was very consistent playing bogey golf. The greens were like rocks and I found it amazingly difficult to get my ball to stay on the green. I had at least 5 shots I thought were perfect only to hear a sound like concrete and watch my ball fly off the green. The majority of these were high pitch shots, too. Regardless, my putting was solid and I had about 3 or 4 of my best drives ever. My game is finally coming around.

Final stats: 30 putts, 3 fairways hit, 5 GIR, 3 up and downs, and ZERO OBs.... 2 double bogeys, 7 pars

[mailman]

I'm getting close to breaking 90 "officially" but my problem is putting two 9's together in the same round! Last weekend I was going sweetly and in the front nine had no three putts, no lost balls, no blow ups and 3 pars to but then things fell apart. Four three putts, blow up holes, lost balls, the works! Same thing on Wednesday. Hammered the front 9 to be eight over at the turn and though I was in with a shot at breaking 90 as I pared and bogeyed the next two holes. And then once again Real Life (tm) got in the way! A 6 on the next par three followed by an 8 (par 4), 8 (par 5), 6 (par 3), 8 (par 4) coupled with 2 three putts meant I went from cracking 90 to struggling to keep things under 100 (98 in the end)!!! The most encouraging part though of these two rounds is that I had no 3 putts on the front 9 and was managing to keep things together for 13 or 13 holes! Just need to keep it together for the full round! Regards Mailman

[mailman]

So another medal round on Sunday and this time it was 14 holes of rubbish and only a bogey, par, bogey, par on the last four holes saved me from going over 100 shots (99)!

Just another disappointing round! However, fast forward to yesterday and I was out playing with a couple other chaps from the club and it was like night and day!

I shot an 86 (42 out, 44 in), one birdie, five pars, only three double bogeys (with a seven on the second to last hole being my worst of the day), 28 putts (EIGHT 1 putts and NO 3 putts!!!) and 3 lost balls! It was just one of those days where everything was going my way. I couldn't do any wrong on the greens and for the first time ever instead of trying to hit every green in regulation I instead went for distances where I knew I could get in with a 52, PW, 9i or 8i. When I hot those distances I was fine. Actually, this was the only reason I managed to stay under 100 on Sunday on the last four holes, I finally tried to hit distances I knew I could get up and down from!

This was the first time I had ever broken 90 while out with other members of the club! I guess the trick is to do this consistantly!

Regards

Mailman