How to Break 100?

[BuckeyeNut]

Avoiding the unnecessary and silly duffed and bladed shots is the key to breaking 100.   IMO.....   I suppose not 3-5 putting every green will help the cause too.....

When I was struggling to break 100, what I remember most were all the wasted duff/bladed shots................

[Phyllislee]

I think the best advice I can give is for you to go ahead and invest in Evolvr and give them a shot.

They will study your swing and help you fix the priority piece that by fixing you will see the biggest margin of improvement.  What more can you ask for?

Freestyle Motocross Gloves

[PirateJim]

.....

Really?  I feel on 400+ yard Par 4's, 200 yards just doesn't seem like enough.

Really.

Remember, the topic at hand is breaking 100.  On a 430 yard par 4 a 200 yard drive into the fairway with a nice open view in front of you leaves you 230 out.  You pull a 6 iron because you hit it pretty well and knock it 150 yards straight toward the green.  Now you're still 80 yards out, but that's a pretty comfortable wedge shot, even for short hitters.  So you plunk it into the center of the green because you know that it is best at this point in your game development to aim at the fat part of the green.  Two putts later you have a 5.  That's bogey golf, and that's knocking on the door of breaking 90!  Bogies are mission accomplished on the way toward breaking 100 and remain the norm until you're starting to worry about breaking 80.

Part of keeping your brain on the right track is having reasonable expectations of yourself for that particular round . If you're still struggling to break 100 consistently, beating yourself up for not hitting greens in regulation is going to leave you very frustrated.  Becoming frustrated leads to making poor decisions.  Poor decisions usually add even more strokes to your score card.

[Meltdwhiskey]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I feel as though I was hitting my driver better off the tee and for those long par 4's, I feel the only way I have a chance at par is to be able to get it 230 yards which I can't do with an iron.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

The main one to break 100 for me was not making any critical mistakes.

200 yards off the tee is already a long way, and seems pretty much long enough for bogey or better golf.

Every time I score over 100, it's because of OB tee shots or many putts. The cause is a little more tense playing. I started playing sub-100 overnight when I used a relaxed swing.

Really?  I feel on 400+ yard Par 4's, 200 yards just doesn't seem like enough.

Lihu and Pirate Jim already addressed this, but I'll beat the dead horse anyway b/c I don't believe the point can be hammered home enough.

A longer hole makes you feel like you need to hit it farther, but it's a trick.  Don't be baited!  You say, "for those long par 4's, I feel the only way I have a chance at par...". You don't have a lot of chance to make par on a long 4 no matter the strategy.  But a par strategy can actually be counterproductive.  Play for bogey and maybe you hit a couple good ones and end up with par.  Not likely, but at least you protected bogey.

You (and I) don't get many GIR's on short holes - why now the expectation to get one on long holes?  At a 32 cap, you are probably scoring on average around 108 maybe?  That is a double bogey average.  Why would you expect to get a par on a long par 4 when you can't average bogey on short par 4's? or any hole of any par for that matter?

Also, if you want to shoot 99, you are going to have some pars, a bunch of bogeys, several doubles and a blow up hole or two.  The 400+ par 4 would be one of your doubles.  Your bogeys and pars are going to come on par 3's and 5's anyway.

If you are playing tees that have par 4's over 400 yards - you are out over your skis.  Play a shorter set.  But even if you do encounter one - think of it this way:

340 yards: whatever iron / whatever iron / chip on / 2 putt.  You get a bogey

400 yards: 5i / 5i / short wedge / 2 putt.  You get a bogey.

And if you don't get on with that wedge or you 3-putt, then you get double.  This would be in the plan for shooting 99 anyway.  But pulling driver because you MUST get a lot of distance off the tee so you can get on in 2?  This can lead to OB or lost balls or maybe even mishits that don't go as far as 5i.  Now you are 3 off the tee or hitting sideways out of the woods.  You took the bait.  If you are truly trying to shoot a number, don't be afraid to think outside the box.

Consider all factors including the hazards, the width of the hole, the trouble if you miss the fairway, your likelihood of pulling off the shot you are trying, how well you hit each club, etc.  Not just the distance of the hole.  Distance is only one of the many factors.  In my opinion, almost all of these factors are much more to consider when choosing a tee shot than distance.

[BENtSwing]

Great advice in this thread...I wish I would have read this when I first started, instead of basically wasting 6 months trying to play outside my limits. Once you learn to just "stay in your lane" on the course and work on things at the range, your scores really start dropping without even much thought.

[RFKFREAK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RFKFREAK

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I feel as though I was hitting my driver better off the tee and for those long par 4's, I feel the only way I have a chance at par is to be able to get it 230 yards which I can't do with an iron.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

The main one to break 100 for me was not making any critical mistakes.

200 yards off the tee is already a long way, and seems pretty much long enough for bogey or better golf.

Every time I score over 100, it's because of OB tee shots or many putts. The cause is a little more tense playing. I started playing sub-100 overnight when I used a relaxed swing.

Really?  I feel on 400+ yard Par 4's, 200 yards just doesn't seem like enough.

Lihu and Pirate Jim already addressed this, but I'll beat the dead horse anyway b/c I don't believe the point can be hammered home enough.

A longer hole makes you feel like you need to hit it farther, but it's a trick.  Don't be baited!  You say, "for those long par 4's, I feel the only way I have a chance at par...". You don't have a lot of chance to make par on a long 4 no matter the strategy.  But a par strategy can actually be counterproductive.  Play for bogey and maybe you hit a couple good ones and end up with par.  Not likely, but at least you protected bogey.

You (and I) don't get many GIR's on short holes - why now the expectation to get one on long holes?  At a 32 cap, you are probably scoring on average around 108 maybe?  That is a double bogey average.  Why would you expect to get a par on a long par 4 when you can't average bogey on short par 4's? or any hole of any par for that matter?

Also, if you want to shoot 99, you are going to have some pars, a bunch of bogeys, several doubles and a blow up hole or two.  The 400+ par 4 would be one of your doubles.  Your bogeys and pars are going to come on par 3's and 5's anyway.

If you are playing tees that have par 4's over 400 yards - you are out over your skis.  Play a shorter set.  But even if you do encounter one - think of it this way:

340 yards: whatever iron / whatever iron / chip on / 2 putt.  You get a bogey

400 yards: 5i / 5i / short wedge / 2 putt.  You get a bogey.

And if you don't get on with that wedge or you 3-putt, then you get double.  This would be in the plan for shooting 99 anyway.  But pulling driver because you MUST get a lot of distance off the tee so you can get on in 2?  This can lead to OB or lost balls or maybe even mishits that don't go as far as 5i.  Now you are 3 off the tee or hitting sideways out of the woods.  You took the bait.  If you are truly trying to shoot a number, don't be afraid to think outside the box.

Consider all factors including the hazards, the width of the hole, the trouble if you miss the fairway, your likelihood of pulling off the shot you are trying, how well you hit each club, etc.  Not just the distance of the hole.  Distance is only one of the many factors.  In my opinion, almost all of these factors are much more to consider when choosing a tee shot than distance.

I've never thought about it like that.

You're pretty spot on when you brought up what I score.  I'm usually in the 105-115 range.

I've always thought that I should try and do everything I could to make par but you're right - on holes that I have minimal change of making par, I should probably be thinking about playing higher percentage shots and aiming for bogey.

Just looking at the course I played on last month, on the par 4's that were 400+ yards I shot:

414 yds - 7 (3 putts)

412 yds - Par (one putt)

420 yds - 6 (2 putts)

445 yds - 6 (3 putts)

I played the same course a few weeks prior to that and shot on 400+ yards:

414 yds - 5 (2 putts)

412 yds - 6 (2 putts)

420 yds - 8 (3 putts)

445 yds - 6 (2 putts)

In September 2013, my best round of the year, which was on a different course, where I shot a 96, I had 5 pars, 6 bogeys, 4 doubles, and 3 blowup holes.  On the 400+ yard holes there I did:

422 yds - 5 (2 putts) - 1 penalty stroke

432 yds - 5 (2 putts)

430 yds - 7 (3 putts)

419 yds - Par (1 putt)

What is apparent to me is that I'm getting on in 3 or 4 shots and had 0 GIR's.  Part of me feels that if I drove it further than my average of 18-230, I'd have a better shot of getting on in 2.

That being said, I'm not sure if it's not hitting driver off the tee would be better or maybe not using my wood on my second shot and instead hit my 5 iron (my longest iron which I don't hit that great anyway but it's not like there's a club that I do hit well).

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meltdwhiskey

Quote:

Originally Posted by RFKFREAK

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I feel as though I was hitting my driver better off the tee and for those long par 4's, I feel the only way I have a chance at par is to be able to get it 230 yards which I can't do with an iron.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

The main one to break 100 for me was not making any critical mistakes.

200 yards off the tee is already a long way, and seems pretty much long enough for bogey or better golf.

Every time I score over 100, it's because of OB tee shots or many putts. The cause is a little more tense playing. I started playing sub-100 overnight when I used a relaxed swing.

Really?  I feel on 400+ yard Par 4's, 200 yards just doesn't seem like enough.

Lihu and Pirate Jim already addressed this, but I'll beat the dead horse anyway b/c I don't believe the point can be hammered home enough.

A longer hole makes you feel like you need to hit it farther, but it's a trick.  Don't be baited!  You say, "for those long par 4's, I feel the only way I have a chance at par...". You don't have a lot of chance to make par on a long 4 no matter the strategy.  But a par strategy can actually be counterproductive.  Play for bogey and maybe you hit a couple good ones and end up with par.  Not likely, but at least you protected bogey.

You (and I) don't get many GIR's on short holes - why now the expectation to get one on long holes?  At a 32 cap, you are probably scoring on average around 108 maybe?  That is a double bogey average.  Why would you expect to get a par on a long par 4 when you can't average bogey on short par 4's? or any hole of any par for that matter?

Also, if you want to shoot 99, you are going to have some pars, a bunch of bogeys, several doubles and a blow up hole or two.  The 400+ par 4 would be one of your doubles.  Your bogeys and pars are going to come on par 3's and 5's anyway.

If you are playing tees that have par 4's over 400 yards - you are out over your skis.  Play a shorter set.  But even if you do encounter one - think of it this way:

340 yards: whatever iron / whatever iron / chip on / 2 putt.  You get a bogey

400 yards: 5i / 5i / short wedge / 2 putt.  You get a bogey.

And if you don't get on with that wedge or you 3-putt, then you get double.  This would be in the plan for shooting 99 anyway.  But pulling driver because you MUST get a lot of distance off the tee so you can get on in 2?  This can lead to OB or lost balls or maybe even mishits that don't go as far as 5i.  Now you are 3 off the tee or hitting sideways out of the woods.  You took the bait.  If you are truly trying to shoot a number, don't be afraid to think outside the box.

Consider all factors including the hazards, the width of the hole, the trouble if you miss the fairway, your likelihood of pulling off the shot you are trying, how well you hit each club, etc.  Not just the distance of the hole.  Distance is only one of the many factors.  In my opinion, almost all of these factors are much more to consider when choosing a tee shot than distance.

I've never thought about it like that.

You're pretty spot on when you brought up what I score.  I'm usually in the 105-115 range.

I've always thought that I should try and do everything I could to make par but you're right - on holes that I have minimal change of making par, I should probably be thinking about playing higher percentage shots and aiming for bogey.

Just looking at the course I played on last month, on the par 4's that were 400+ yards I shot:

414 yds - 7 (3 putts)

412 yds - Par (one putt)

420 yds - 6 (2 putts)

445 yds - 6 (3 putts)

I played the same course a few weeks prior to that and shot on 400+ yards:

414 yds - 5 (2 putts)

412 yds - 6 (2 putts)

420 yds - 8 (3 putts)

445 yds - 6 (2 putts)

In September 2013, my best round of the year, which was on a different course, where I shot a 96, I had 5 pars, 6 bogeys, 4 doubles, and 3 blowup holes.  On the 400+ yard holes there I did:

422 yds - 5 (2 putts) - 1 penalty stroke

432 yds - 5 (2 putts)

430 yds - 7 (3 putts)

419 yds - Par (1 putt)

What is apparent to me is that I'm getting on in 3 or 4 shots and had 0 GIR's.  Part of me feels that if I drove it further than my average of 18-230, I'd have a better shot of getting on in 2.

That being said, I'm not sure if it's not hitting driver off the tee would be better or maybe not using my wood on my second shot and instead hit my 5 iron (my longest iron which I don't hit that great anyway but it's not like there's a club that I do hit well).

230 is a very good drive. I presume that your shots are off line, unless your irons are just horrible. So, let's say you sacrifice 20 yards distance to gain accuracy, and your new drive is only 210 yards. That's still very respectable.

I know others have mentioned it. If your average par 4 is a true 420 yards, it is probably too long for your handicap. These are the championship (blue) tees at most courses. Consider this: http://thesandtrap.com/t/27234/average-par-4-yardage-on-the-tour#post_341831.

The standard men's tees are typically 375 yards or even less. On these tees you have a chance to use driver-iron, even with a 210 yard drive.

[Meltdwhiskey]

I've never thought about it like that.

You're pretty spot on when you brought up what I score.  I'm usually in the 105-115 range.

I've always thought that I should try and do everything I could to make par but you're right - on holes that I have minimal change of making par, I should probably be thinking about playing higher percentage shots and aiming for bogey.

Just looking at the course I played on last month, on the par 4's that were 400+ yards I shot:

414 yds - 7 (3 putts)

412 yds - Par (one putt)

420 yds - 6 (2 putts)

445 yds - 6 (3 putts)

I played the same course a few weeks prior to that and shot on 400+ yards:

414 yds - 5 (2 putts)

412 yds - 6 (2 putts)

420 yds - 8 (3 putts)

445 yds - 6 (2 putts)

In September 2013, my best round of the year, which was on a different course, where I shot a 96, I had 5 pars, 6 bogeys, 4 doubles, and 3 blowup holes.  On the 400+ yard holes there I did:

422 yds - 5 (2 putts) - 1 penalty stroke

432 yds - 5 (2 putts)

430 yds - 7 (3 putts)

419 yds - Par (1 putt)

What is apparent to me is that I'm getting on in 3 or 4 shots and had 0 GIR's.  Part of me feels that if I drove it further than my average of 18-230, I'd have a better shot of getting on in 2.

That being said, I'm not sure if it's not hitting driver off the tee would be better or maybe not using my wood on my second shot and instead hit my 5 iron (my longest iron which I don't hit that great anyway but it's not like there's a club that I do hit well).

That is actually some pretty interesting numbers.  You averaged 5.75, 6.25 and 5.25 respectively on these really long par 4's.  For a 32 cap, you are playing these well.  I think of long par 4's as the toughest holes on the course.  A bogey golfer can make double on a 430 yard par 4 and never really hit a particularly bad shot.

I would think that if you are around double bogey average on holes of this length, that you would score better on the shorter par 4's, the 3's and the 5's.  Are these holes maybe way more open and the others have a lot more trouble?

[Lihu]

That is actually some pretty interesting numbers.  You averaged 5.75, 6.25 and 5.25 respectively on these really long par 4's.  For a 32 cap, you are playing these well.  I think of long par 4's as the toughest holes on the course.  A bogey golfer can make double on a 430 yard par 4 and never really hit a particularly bad shot.

I would think that if you are around double bogey average on holes of this length, that you would score better on the shorter par 4's, the 3's and the 5's.  Are these holes maybe way more open and the others have a lot more trouble?

This is more or less why I thought (incorrectly) that he was playing off the championship/back tees and it was the average hole length.

My average par 4 hole is 389 yards with a minimum of 301 yards and a maximum of 466 yards, under winter conditions (44 degrees to 55 degrees) I need a hybrid to reach the 441 and above holes. This is for a course distance of 6732 yards. I do not think that the true distances are what are listed in the course yardages. In only one case was it longer, a 441 yard hole was at 458 yards today. All the other ones measured out (rangefinder) to 20 yards shorter than the listed yardages. So, a 447 yard hole was actually 427 yards and 466 yard was only 446 yards. These are comparable to the longer holes that RFKFREAK listed. The holes I used as an example are on Brookside Course 1 back tees.

What I am getting at is that I think the tees he is using are harder than a bogey golfer like us usually plays. Yes, I admit I should NOT be playing from the championship/back tees, and maybe my GIR stat will go up.

I also wanted to note that @RFKFREAK 's putting stats are about the same as mine. The only difference between us is that I am most likely closer to the hole after 2 shots.

One more thing, Meltdwhiskey really does analyze the statistics pretty well.

[marvin]

Thanks for the advice here!

Finally I broke 110 this morning. 109 is my lowest score so far. 9 more to go!

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	OUT	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	IN	Total	Strokes
Par	5	4	4	3	4	4	4	3	5	36	4	4	4	5	3	4	4	3	5	36	72
Player	7	6	6	5	6	7	6	5	7	55	6	7	7	6	5	6	5	5	7	54	109	39
Putts	3	2	3	2	2	3	2	3	2	22	2	3	2	2	2	2	1	2	1	17	39

Overall, I'm quite happy with my game. I'm able to not overswing my iron. As a result, I reduced my mishit (fat shot/grounded/topping/etc) from 10-15 shots per round to only 5-7. However, I'm still finding it difficult not to overswing my driver and woods. Only half of my tee shot (driver and woods) went fine, the rest were still suffering from overswing. Any advice to overcome this particular issue?

I only lost 1 ball (previously I lost 2-3 balls per round). I played safe this morning. No more "heroic" shot. Just keep the ball in play. I also didn't use my woods off the ground. I feel I'm much more in control with my iron/wedge. As a result, no more +4 or +5. Next, I'm trying to focus on not doing triple bogey and hopefully get some bogeys (or even some pars).

As you can see from the table above, I have a terrible putting. No distance control. Failed to read the green appropriately. I practice my putting at home (carpet) but it seems not helping my game at all. Any tips on improving my putting? I believe that if I can eliminate 2 putts, breaking 100 seems very do-able.

Any other tips would be very much appreciated indeed.

[joekelly]

" I believe that if I can eliminate 2 putts, breaking 100 seems very do-able."

If you mean eliminate the 2-putt greens and have only 1-putt greens, then you will be in very select company and will probably break 100.  But i would venture to say that such a round of golf, only 1-putt greens, was played in North Korea about 5 years ago by the illustrious leader who also made 3 or 4 holes in one that round.

But seriously, chipping and pitching close enough for one putt will help greatly towards lower scores. But even the best elite golfers average about 1.9 putts per hole per round.

[marvin]

"   I believe that if I can eliminate 2 putts, breaking 100 seems very do-able."

If you mean eliminate the 2-putt greens and have only 1-putt greens, then you will be in very select company and will probably break 100.  But i would venture to say that such a round of golf, only 1-putt greens, was played in North Korea about 5 years ago by the illustrious leader who also made 3 or 4 holes in one that round.

But seriously, chipping and pitching close enough for one putt will help greatly towards lower scores. But even the best elite golfers average about 1.9 putts per hole per round.

My 3-putt is usually a result of long put (more than 15 feet).

My chip and pitch is quite good and often ended up only 3-5 feet from the hole, but then followed by stupid 2-putt. If only I can eliminate those stupid putt. :(

[inthehole]

Marvin - I went to the PGA show last year & MIchael Breed from the golf channel gave a seminar on putting.     He no less than 20 times professed to the crowd that the most important aspect of putting beyond a shadow of a doubt for the amateur golfer is distance control .    Sure you need to read the breaks, but don't get carried away with that - put 99% of your focus on SPEED - not leaving it short or running it way by the hole.    I'm probably the worst putter thats ever held a 15 hcp ... my putting absolutely kills me, but it did improve towards the end of this year after I started thinking far more about distance.

[saevel25]

Marvin - I went to the PGA show last year & MIchael Breed from the golf channel gave a seminar on putting.     He no less than 20 times professed to the crowd that the most important aspect of putting beyond a shadow of a doubt for the amateur golfer is distance control.    Sure you need to read the breaks, but don't get carried away with that - put 99% of your focus on SPEED - not leaving it short or running it way by the hole.    I'm probably the worst putter thats ever held a 15 hcp ... my putting absolutely kills me, but it did improve towards the end of this year after I started thinking far more about distance.

Actually its 50/50. Break and speed are so intertwined that one can not be with out the other. If you have poor reading, you will adjust your speed to that. Meaning if you constantly read to little break then you will end up hitting putts that go to far. If you read to much break you will leave putts shorter.

Actually I think reading the greens is much more important. Since the order of operations on putting is reading the greens first, that will give the putter a predisposition to the speed they will hit the putt. Most putters wont adjust both break and speed. If they read a putt with to little break they will end up hitting it past, but they probably assume they hit it to hard. Then the next time they end up missing the putt way left or right because they didn't account for the change in break do to the change in speed.

[hopefulhacker]

 

Thanks for the advice here!

 

Finally I broke 110 this morning. 109 is my lowest score so far. 9 more to go!

 

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1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

OUT

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

IN

Total

Strokes

Par

5

4

4

3

4

4

4

3

5

36

4

4

4

5

3

4

4

3

5

36

72

 

Player

7

6

6

5

6

7

6

5

7

55

6

7

7

6

5

6

5

5

7

54

109

39

Putts

3

2

3

2

2

3

2

3

2

22

2

3

2

2

2

2

1

2

1

17

39

 

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Overall, I'm quite happy with my game. I'm able to not overswing my iron. As a result, I reduced my mishit (fat shot/grounded/topping/etc) from 10-15 shots per round to only 5-7. However, I'm still finding it difficult not to overswing my driver and woods. Only half of my tee shot (driver and woods) went fine, the rest were still suffering from overswing. Any advice to overcome this particular issue?

 

I only lost 1 ball (previously I lost 2-3 balls per round). I played safe this morning. No more "heroic" shot. Just keep the ball in play. I also didn't use my woods off the ground. I feel I'm much more in control with my iron/wedge. As a result, no more +4 or +5. Next, I'm trying to focus on not doing triple bogey and hopefully get some bogeys (or even some pars).

 

As you can see from the table above, I have a terrible putting. No distance control. Failed to read the green appropriately. I practice my putting at home (carpet) but it seems not helping my game at all. Any tips on improving my putting? I believe that if I can eliminate 2 putts, breaking 100 seems very do-able.

 

Any other tips would be very much appreciated indeed.

Nice thread and best of luck with this.

I'm playing golf about 3 years now and this year was my first year of regular golf.

I still remember the day I broke 100, a great feeling.

I am now averaging 85-87 strokes around in our weekly club comps, played of the tips at 6,800 yards.

Breaking 100 was a struggle for me, but once I did it, I broke 90 within 3 months.

What kind of course are you playing, could you post the yardages up with that scorecard?

I ask because if you are playing a course circa 6,000 yards, I firmly believe that you would be able to record a PB and maybe even break 100 with by carrying 3 clubs in your bag very soon!!!!

A 7 iron, PW and putter.

Now, you're never going to attempt this, but I promise you, you would beat your PB if you did.

The only assumption is that you the 7iron is a club that you can hit consistently well about 150 yards.

If you're playing a 6,000 yards course then lets say it's

4 Par 3's @ 150 yards = 600 yards

4 Par 5's @ 500 yards = 2,000 yards

Leaving 3,400 yards for the remaining 10 Par 4's .... lets round it up a bit and say the average Par 4 is 350-360 yards.

If you're playing a course like that, you only need to be hitting 3 clubs well to break 100.

1st Shot: 7 iron 150 yards into safe zone

2nd Shot: 7 iron 150 yards into safe zone

You're at 300 now so a half PW 50-60 yards onto the green

2 putt for Bogey.

If you do the maths that's actually 90 strokes/bogey golf.

You can afford to 3 putt half of the holes and still score 99.

I got the above advice and I'm not going to lie, I never attempted to do it

(We have a different handicap system here in Ireland and your handicap only reflects competitions and they are all of f the tips, so the course was a bit too long for this method.

Casual rounds off forward tees don't count towards our HC, bit of a pain really)

But what I did do was take it on board and got really conservative with my golf, I broke 100 without the driver in my bad, 3 hybrid being the longest club I used.

You're on the right track as you say you are not playing the "heroic" shots anymore, I'd say that you can become even more of a wimp and score better as a result.

Just to pull you up on a point re the putting:

You have focused in on it as being bad or a real problem area.

You had 39 putts, ok that's not great I'll admit. But if you knocked 9 putts off your total (to bring you to 30) you still wouldn't have broken 100.

And 30 putts is the very good side of average!!!

Bad putting stats can easily hide bad short game stats.

Considering that you're not hitting GIR's then in theory you should be left with quite a lot of short chips.

I would guess that you need to look at this area of your game ahead of putting.

Leave shorter putts to become a better putter....SIMPLE

Are you getting lessons as well? It's vital to get these IMO, but I maintain that 100 can be broken without them.

Best of luck with it, hope that 99 is just around the corner.

[Brakkus]

For me it is split into three things. Mental Highly recommend reading Dr Bob which ever one you chose read em all if you can same basic message. Physical Practice more than you play. A crap swing will produce the same results wherever you play. I broke 100 barely playing 6-8 rounds a year because I hit balls at home in a net,range,and chipping&pitching; on the lawn. Strategy You can still shave strokes by smart play but you have to be really humble. The number on your card is just a number. Even if you keep stats it is just numbers. I sat myself down and really evaluated how I wanted to play and what shots I could repeat over and over again. You can shoot pretty low with a few basic shots if you are playing a course within your abilities. I have added some variation with my short game to get me out of jams but iron game and long game I don't change. I just hit the same shots because yardage is more important than shape unless it calls for it. In most situations you can take a yardage call over shaping anyway. This is a basic blueprint but the principle for me is to simplify it all. I love reading all the technical stuff and the different thoughts of all. However no one here or on the tour is me with my life and my body and mind etc... Decide plan and play and fully commit and 100 is a very achievable target in fact you don't have to be a super talented golfer to shoot sub 90 scores.

[saevel25]

Physical

Practice more than you play. A crap swing will produce the same results wherever you play. I broke 100 barely playing 6-8 rounds a year because I hit balls at home in a net,range,and chipping&pitching; on the lawn.

Practice "With Purpose"

Just hitting golf balls will not produce a good swing or good results, unless the swing is already a good one.

[RFKFREAK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RFKFREAK

I've never thought about it like that.

You're pretty spot on when you brought up what I score.  I'm usually in the 105-115 range.

I've always thought that I should try and do everything I could to make par but you're right - on holes that I have minimal change of making par, I should probably be thinking about playing higher percentage shots and aiming for bogey.

Just looking at the course I played on last month, on the par 4's that were 400+ yards I shot:

414 yds - 7 (3 putts)

412 yds - Par (one putt)

420 yds - 6 (2 putts)

445 yds - 6 (3 putts)

I played the same course a few weeks prior to that and shot on 400+ yards:

414 yds - 5 (2 putts)

412 yds - 6 (2 putts)

420 yds - 8 (3 putts)

445 yds - 6 (2 putts)

In September 2013, my best round of the year, which was on a different course, where I shot a 96, I had 5 pars, 6 bogeys, 4 doubles, and 3 blowup holes.  On the 400+ yard holes there I did:

422 yds - 5 (2 putts) - 1 penalty stroke

432 yds - 5 (2 putts)

430 yds - 7 (3 putts)

419 yds - Par (1 putt)

What is apparent to me is that I'm getting on in 3 or 4 shots and had 0 GIR's.  Part of me feels that if I drove it further than my average of 18-230, I'd have a better shot of getting on in 2.

That being said, I'm not sure if it's not hitting driver off the tee would be better or maybe not using my wood on my second shot and instead hit my 5 iron (my longest iron which I don't hit that great anyway but it's not like there's a club that I do hit well).

That is actually some pretty interesting numbers.  You averaged 5.75, 6.25 and 5.25 respectively on these really long par 4's.  For a 32 cap, you are playing these well.  I think of long par 4's as the toughest holes on the course.  A bogey golfer can make double on a 430 yard par 4 and never really hit a particularly bad shot.

I would think that if you are around double bogey average on holes of this length, that you would score better on the shorter par 4's, the 3's and the 5's.  Are these holes maybe way more open and the others have a lot more trouble?

The course where I played my last two rounds has a rating/slope of 69.0/116 and is 6066 total yards.

The course where I put up my best round in 2013 has a rating/slope of 69.0/113 and is 6216 yards.

On my best round of 2013, where I shot a 96, I felt I was hitting the ball well and not making monumental mistakes.  It was the first time I shot under 100.  I had 5 pars, 6 bogeys, 4 double bogeys, and 3 blowup holes where I shot a 9 on a 280 yard par 4, 8 on a 460 yard par 5, and 7 on a 430 par 4.

On average on Par 3's I shoot 4.69, Par 4's I shoot 6.63, and Par 5's I shoot 6.84.

I feel Par 3's are one of my biggest of many weaknesses because I don't feel like I ever really hit the ball well with my 5 or 6 iron and sometimes that's extended to my 7 iron.  My GIR on Par 3's averages to 10.58%, whereas for Par 4's it's 4.96% and for Par 5's it's 9.9%.

Just typing this out and looking at it, Par 4's seem to be the toughest for me which obviously is not good since most of the holes on a course are Par 4's.