How to Break 100?

[muskovardo]

Hey iv been playing around 6 months and managed to get sub 100 2 times now. I found the time i did this was when i just thought about hitting 5 a hole. Luckily when going over on par 5s i usually made up for it on par 3s. Probably not the best philosophy to go by but it helped me bring my scores down and my confidence up. Also scoring stableford is a confidence boost

[JonMA1]

Hey iv been playing around 6 months and managed to get sub 100 2 times now. I found the time i did this was when i just thought about hitting 5 a hole. Luckily when going over on par 5s i usually made up for it on par 3s. Probably not the best philosophy to go by but it helped me bring my scores down and my confidence up. Also scoring stableford is a confidence boost

IMHO, if you were able to break 100 in your first 6 months I'd say whatever philosophy you used was pretty good.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by muskovardo

Hey iv been playing around 6 months and managed to get sub 100 2 times now. I found the time i did this was when i just thought about hitting 5 a hole. Luckily when going over on par 5s i usually made up for it on par 3s. Probably not the best philosophy to go by but it helped me bring my scores down and my confidence up. Also scoring stableford is a confidence boost

IMHO, if you were able to break 100 in your first 6 months I'd say whatever philosophy you used was pretty good.

Ditto. That's pretty good.

[Ho Chi Chi Vinh]

Try making bogey your Par....plan on 2 shots to reach Par 3s....3 shots to reach Par 4s....4 shots to reach Par 5s...will teach you course management skills and allow you to play within yourself....any Par you make is a bonus

[Lihu]

Try making bogey your Par....plan on 2 shots to reach Par 3s....3 shots to reach Par 4s....4 shots to reach Par 5s...will teach you course management skills and allow you to play within yourself....any Par you make is a bonus

Never can learn too much about course management.

[DougJ]

Just an update......

took 3 lessons from my course pro,  finished mid July.

went over my swing and gave me instruction on how to cure my fades..... has helped but still  have  some issues.

played 4 holes with him and gave me insight on course management.   Very helpful added a lot to my knowledge.  Key was bogey max.

worked on my short game with chipping 10-20 yds out.    Also from 30-50 yds out.   Putting.

Helpful piece of advice.......    70% of practice should be chipping/putting.    30% off tees.    Which I was doing the exact opposite.

For the last 3 games of this week   I shot

89....... my driving/ chipping was very good.       106   my driving was terrible,  numerous double/triple  bogies......  ,     87   driving,  chipping ,  putting was good.  In fact,   I par'd with a 60 ft chip.     Numerous 10+ ft putts were made.

I believe I am on the right track

[golf-noob-bruce]

Originally Posted by DougJ

Helpful piece of advice.......    70% of practice should be chipping/putting.    30% off tees.    Which I was doing the exact opposite.

Where are you picking up most of your shots? 70% on chipping/putting seems like an awful lot.

[Crim]

Helpful piece of advice.......    70% of practice should be chipping/putting.    30% off tees.    Which I was doing the exact opposite.

Unless your putting/chipping is ungodly awful...I believe most pros disagree with this piece of advice.

If you're pretty average in all areas, full swing should be main priority.

[BrownCoast]

My buddy taught me the bogey golf theory to break 100 but it wasn't till later that I figured out how the course management tied into that. Another buddy told me to play a round without my driver, I only had a 5 wood. I didn't hit it very far but it was almost always in play and that makes for an easier second shot and much more fun round.

Hi all,

I've been playing golf since mid-late 2012. I took 5x2 hour lessons with a pro in late 2012 and it gave me a solid fundamental. I'm going to the range 1-2 times per week and play in the course 1-2 times per month. I usually hit 110-115. Here are my problems:

(1) My drives only reach 180-200 yards on a decent strike off the tee.

(2) I'm finding it difficult to strike a wood off the ground. I'm also finding it difficult to hit 3/4 iron. I can't get any height on them whatsoever. I also hate hybrids. I just can't stand the looks.

(3) I'm confident with my short game. 100 yards inside is quite accurate. I also have no problem to get out of the bunker. But, I have an awful putting and putted 2-3 times.

(4) I usually lost 1-2 balls per round, either it went out of bounds or end up in the pond/lake.

(5) Sometimes I also hit a couple of fat iron shots. I think this is more "mental" because I always hit my iron (5-pw) decently in the range.

Any tips on improving my score and not losing a ball anymore?

Any other tips would be very much appreciated.

180-200 yards really isn't all that bad but do your drives fly low? you might just need a 10.5* driver. same goes with the irons maybe get a more forgiving higher launch irons. If its just breaking 100 that you're after try and play every hole as an added par. i.e par 4, play it like a par 5. Don't think of your second shot as having to get on the green and don't think you have to crush drives. On shorter par 4's try using a 5 or 6 iron off the tee and use your second shot to get within 100 or 80 or even 50 yards. As for the putting, get to the course early and spend 15-20 mins on the practice green. work on 3-5 foot putts and get further away after you feel comfortable at that distance.

[dkolo]

I've been fortunate to not have shot over 100 in a few months, and I'm knocking on 90 more than I am pushing up against 100, but a few things:

1) Your distance off the tee is certainly serviceable, but you would do yourself a favor if you could get up to 220 on average. I gave up on driver and switched to 3 wood. I would only hit it 215ish, but in the fairway and be happy. The more I practiced hitting 3 wood, the longer I got by virtue of improved, repeatable strike. I'm up to about 240 with it now, which is longer than I was with my driver when I was still playing it. Only over the course of about a month and a half, too. But regardless, being closer to the hole is a huge help. If you can work on getting those extra few yards, even if it costs you some fairways and accuracy (within reason) it'll help you.

2) Very closely related to #1: develop and actively practice recovery shots. Particularly punch shots. They're a life (and score) saver. Last week I played a round where I had to hit a low, punchy 5 iron 10 times in a round because I overran doglegs or just missed fairways too much. Still managed a 92. It's really helpful to your score if you can make something of your misses (note: this doesn't mean hero shots; totally the opposite. Being able to go under tree limbs to get 150 yards when you're 200 from the hole instead of chipping out or just clipping a branch because you went for it is big. Be able to maximize how much you can recover from your punch outs. It used to be a shot I only worked on on the course when I needed it and it was erratic and unpredictable [and unhelpful]. Learning some technique and putting time in on the range to get a feel for it has been big for me).

3) Learn to play around with your clubs. This isn't so much advice for breaking 100 as it is for golf in general. When I'm at the driving range before a round, I try to hit the same yardages with different clubs. It helps me get a feel for creative shots I might need while playing. Last week, I had trouble hitting full wedges for some reason (started hitting the fat) one day, so I gave up on them for the round and started pitching long irons instead. Play away from your weaknesses! It's so stupid, but just having the epiphany that X yardage doesn't necessarily mean I HAVE to hit Y club was huge for me. As a bonus, it makes golf a bunch more fun, in my opinion

4) Really, really try not to give away shots. Duffs are score killers. I still fail to catch myself sometimes, but do your level best to swing 80% all the time. When you try to reach back and muscle that extra 10 yards out of a club, you get into trouble and top it or shank it. Think of how often you wish you'd just hit that shot 100 yards instead of trying to get all 160 out of it (or whatever) and remember that next time. You're better off settling for not reaching the green and having a little chip instead of maybe getting there but also maybe whiffing and hitting it 10 feet in front of you, leaving you nearly the same shot again. A few times on par 5s, I've gotten into the habit of just hitting a punch shot with my second shot. I know it'll go 150 yards or more and forward with little to no effort or thought. I know I'll have a pitch or chip to get on in regulation. I'll take that over a hybrid or wood that I top 50% of the time when I'm trying to go for that green. Ditto while putting. Don't lose focus.

I'm trying to break 90 and I played a little mind game last time with myself where 5 is par on every hole. If I get 4 or better, it lowers my net, if 6 or over, it raises it. It really relaxes me knowing I can make a 5 on a par 4 and not feel like a disappointment. I feel like I did what I had to. Lower your expectations and the stress you put on yourself. Par is a recommendation you don't need to bother with right now. Worry about putting up low scores when the opportunity presents itself and keeping them as low as you can when you've gotten in trouble. Side benefit: you feel like a better golfer than you are when you can think "I'm one over [bogey] so far. If I make a 4 on that last par 3, I can get back to even." Set the baseline realistically and your confidence surges. I tried this system last time and shot literally my best score ever (91; damn putt just didn't break on 18!). Godspeed.

[joekelly]

Nice goin'.

. For most of us, skill level is only adequate, not great. Thus, confidence level also needs improvement, esp round the green. One bum chip can turn a 5 into a 7 damn fast.  And the first bad chip was often  tied to insecurity, or uncertainty. What to do?  Generally, use lower lofted club, 9i not 56*, accept a 10 foot radius, not tap-in for OK and get out of the sand first shot and count that as 'very good'.

Remember, for all except kids, we go thru long agonizing golf up/downs so best to tie your pleasure to something besides low score only.  And i do  not believe 'Winning is everything'.

[PJCdude]

I just broke 100 recently. Two things I did that helped: 1) PRACTICE Driver I like so many of you have a love/hate relationship with the big stick. Over time, I probably would have a better score if I didn't use one and went straight to a fairway wood, but I also recognize the value of working on my driver at the range. The days leading up to that round I felt really good with my drives on the range. I hit 3 drives all over 250 (GPS verified) and in the fairway. A bunch more were 220+ in light rough and I didn't lose any balls off the tee (did shank a hybrid on a par 5

[AmazingWhacker]

I just broke 100 recently. Two things I did that helped:

1) PRACTICE Driver

I like so many of you have a love/hate relationship with the big stick. Over time, I probably would have a better score if I didn't use one and went straight to a fairway wood, but I also recognize the value of working on my driver at the range. The days leading up to that round I felt really good with my drives on the range. I hit 3 drives all over 250 (GPS verified) and in the fairway. A bunch more were 220+ in light rough and I didn't lose any balls off the tee (did shank a hybrid on a par 5

[SafeBogey]

if you're hitting driver straight you're hitting your irons straight, too.

Not necessarily. I have had days where the driver was fine and the irons were all over the course.

[DougJ]

Crim,

I appreciate your opinion.   But I stand by my opinion.     Just got through watching Morning Drive on Golf Channel.   They were watching Rory McIlroy practice chipping.   The commentator said that amateurs practice more on tees than they do chipping.   Which is the opposite of what the pros do.   He was emphasizing the importance of practicing chipping.  Now this is only an opinion of that commentator.

For me  I will continue to  practice the 70% - 30% ratio.

[FooFader]

Crim,

I appreciate your opinion.   But I stand by my opinion.     Just got through watching Morning Drive on Golf Channel.   They were watching Rory McIlroy practice chipping.   The commentator said that amateurs practice more on tees than they do chipping.   Which is the opposite of what the pros do.   He was emphasizing the importance of practicing chipping.  Now this is only an opinion of that commentator.

For me  I will continue to  practice the 70% - 30% ratio.

On the other hand though, us mere mortals can become almost (e.g 90%) as good at chipping as the guys on TV rather quickly with a few hours a week practice for a few months. Whilst for us to get even half as good a long game as the pros would require 1000s of hours of practice with the best coaches around.

So as people have said, you can shave strokes off your game very quickly by practicing chipping but you'll never save more than 5 i would bet. Where as with long game practice, you could save as many shots as you wanted but it will just take longer. Also, in the off season the pros spend more time every year working on the long game than you or I will do in an entire lifetime.

[Crim]

Crim,

I appreciate your opinion.   But I stand by my opinion.     Just got through watching Morning Drive on Golf Channel.   They were watching Rory McIlroy practice chipping.   The commentator said that amateurs practice more on tees than they do chipping.   Which is the opposite of what the pros do.   He was emphasizing the importance of practicing chipping.  Now this is only an opinion of that commentator.

For me  I will continue to  practice the 70% - 30% ratio.

Yup yup, that's cool. Whatever works for you and keeps you confident.

I'll just throw this here though.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/58816/65-20-15-practice-ratios-where-to-devote-your-practice-time

[dchoye]

I'm also I believer of 70:30 ratio in favor of the short game particularly chipping and putting I been able to break 90 and 80 consistently with a strong putting and chipping and this putts less pressure on my long game I think it's foolish to believe there's a certain ratio that fits for everyone. Everyone has certain strengths and weakness in their game. For me it's chipping and putting that I need to practice more often to get my scores lower