Breaking Bad Club - A Thread for Golfers Trying to Break 100

[Gipper]

I shot a 51 tonight with two penalty shots ... For me at this juncture, its just trusting what I know I can do and not hanging on ... or trying to look up to see how I did at the beginning of my swing instead of the end.

How did you putt? It has to be nice knowing you are that close.

[hackinTyler]

I shot a 51 tonight with two penalty shots ... For me at this juncture, its just trusting what I know I can do and not hanging on ... or trying to look up to see how I did at the beginning of my swing instead of the end.

I had the same trouble and still do with looking up to early causing me to stand up and top the ball... wait to hear the sound of impact then look is what helped me... but not all the time lol.

[isukgolf]

@Gipper my putting is the only thing that works consistently and my average is 1.80 (I have a putting green in my backyard)  Yesterday was just not making solid contact ... but I was the king on the range ...

@hackinTyler I like that suggestion ... now if I can actually make myself use it ...

[Gipper]

1.8 is great. I need to keep better track of mine as I know I leave a lot of strokes on the greens.

[hackinTyler]

I think vision can be more pre-emptive with trying to see the ball leave the club face you need to look forward in advance. Sound is more reative the way I think about it so I always hear the sound then look for my ball :)

[Gipper]

Another sub par bucket.... I play 9 tomorrow, 18 on Saturday and next lesson on Monday. My ball striking with my 8-5 irons are brutal. Pretty frustrating.

[PJCdude]

Haven't played in about a month (thanks to my new son! Not complaining) but I have the opportunity to hit the range tomorrow during a break at work and am playing a delayed Father's Day round saturday morning with my Dad and brother at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. (Short but tight.) My last round was a 101 at the same course. It seemed like I wasn't playing well at all, but I limited my Triples and Quads to mostly doubles. Wish me luck! I also got a 150 dollar gift cert to global golf for my birthday. Already received my new driver, a Nike Covert VRS which I intend to set to 12.5. Waiting on a TM White Smoke putter, a Baffler T Rail 16* FW and T Rail Plus 19* Hybrid. I already have a 18* T Rail that I love off the tee and turf and hoping the 2 extra degrees will give me more distance without sacrificing too much distance. The hybrid will replace my 18* Burner Superfast 2.0. I just cannot hit that club straight and I hope the forgiveness Cobra is known for will help. The putter was more or less an impulse buy. Also, got a 200 gift cert to a range by me for lessons/club fitting. What would you guys recommend as far as how much money to spend on each? I don't have a ton of free time, but I'd like at least 1 or 2 lessons to have my swing analyzed (they use video and will send it to you) and learn some drills to make my limited practice time more effective. Sorry for the rambling, but just thought I'd just keep my fellow 100 hitters updated.:-)

[hackinTyler]

Booked me a 9 hole tomorrow night after work. Picked up a new 3wood on sale at golftown too. Excited to put it to work.

[RFKFREAK]

Congratulations, however be prepared to go backwards again! I got 103 then 100 before breaking 100 by getting a 93. I was confident I could stay below 100 but my last rounds have been 123, 115 and 112. Golf makes no sense to me!

Haha, I experienced something similar last year.

First time I broke 100 I shot a 96 (52/44, IIRC) and then thought I a lightbulb had gone off and that it'd be better from then on it.

Then the next weekend I posted a 122 I think it was.

Haha.

[late347]

My pga instructor told me, that I gotta minimize the effects of miss shots to improve scores, strokes gained if you will...

I don't get very many penalty shots anymore per round, but these mishits are just critical failure for the score. (especially if all mishits are occuring on the course)

The problem sofar is that I'm hitting following miss shots:

-thins

-topps

-fats

-slices

-push slices

It feels like I gotta minimize some of these off the list so to speak. Then it's just a question of tweaking the swing it seems. But, I got a groin injury sadly this week from golf. So it takes two weeks healing time until golf again and it frigging painful to even walk even with the doc's pain medications...

[dchoye]

Things that work for me to lower score. No particular order, thought I find this is order of what i spent time most .

1) putting and chipping

2) mental side

3) course management

4) short game

5) ball striking.

[late347]

with better chips and lob shots, and better putts, I would break 100 for sure... I think... But not get much below that without better ballstriking.

But for more consistency, I agree also that I gotta try to get rid of topped shots, and get rid of fat shots somehow. These really kill your score. You  advance the ball about 20 yards with a topped or duffed shot, afterall...

I get less penalty shots these days, but more of these "wasted shots" around the greens and sand (not even particularly difficult bunker, sometimes I just get stuck in, can't get out to the green). Sometimes I just thin hit, the ball from the sand, sending it wayoff in the distance, LOL

I can't just get up on the green sometimes with wedge / chip (If I barely hit short of the green, or roll slightly off the green at the back)

So I'm often looking at "difficult" chip shots or putts from the foregreen/ rough...

[mcanadiens]

I broke 100 last year and now shoot in the 90's roughly half the time. I found the single biggest thing was not letting bad shots snowball into bad holes. Don't try to thread the ball through the trees after a wayward tee shot. Try to let the anger and embarrassment of the shank or duff go before you hit that next shot. Keeping calm is a huge challenge for me, but that's usually the difference maker.

[hackinTyler]

I am getting excited for my 9hole tonight. Hit the range yesterday with a nice draw to my driver but fade to my wood and irons. Anyone know what would cause the difference with draw/fade with different clubs? The swing feels the same but the angel is different I guess.

[trey3d]

I started playing 10 months ago. Went from 115 to 96 on average after 2 months. Key things that helped: 1 get fitted for you clubs. Very important, if the lie is up or down on the club it will cause it to open up or close when you hit the ground. Causing a bad slice or hook. 2 Keep your head and feet still 3 Take a shorter back swing with a good tempo. If your wrist are hurting it is probably from to fast of back swing. I have seen so many people with a faster back swing than there actual swing. 4 Have a pre shot routine. Even on the range. Don't keep just hacking balls. Walk back and reset every shot. You don't hit 10 balls back to back on the course. This one thing got me into the 80s for the first time a month ago. 5 relax. To many mind will cause bad shots. Don't walk up to the green and say "well this is for bogie" you will end up 3 putting for a triple. Same if you duff a swing. Don't go right up to the ball and just swing out of anger. It's never going to be a good shot. And try to get rid of that "o shit what am I doing?!" On your downswing. Pretend like the ball is a ghost or something. Swing thru not at it. 6 have fun and be loose. It is just a game, we aren't playing for millions. I've been a lurker for awhile but this post made me sign up to hopefully share some knowledge. I haven't had any lessons (yet) and I hope I can help some people out here. I also practice my chipping everyday on my lunch break. Before I go to play I do some dynamic stretches while watching golf. Watching pros before I go out gets me in the mind set. Also as some one else said. I played without a driver and 3 wood for a couple months and brought them in slowly. You don't have to kill the ball 250-300yds every time. 180-190 will get you there in 3 for a 1 putt.

[DoubleTee]

I've been reading this forum for a couple weeks now....

Just broke 100 today for the first time. Shot a 94...with a 44 on the front nine.

Rating from the white tees was 69.7/122.

I felt like I was going to break it soon....my 3 previous 9 rounds were all 50s.

Here is the funny thing.....I felt unsatisfied with my total score at the end of the round. Wonder if that's normal...always wanting to do better I guess.

[Lihu]

I've been reading this forum for a couple weeks now....

Just broke 100 today for the first time. Shot a 94...with a 44 on the front nine.

Rating from the white tees was 69.7/122.

I felt like I was going to break it soon....my 3 previous 9 rounds were all 50s.

Here is the funny thing.....I felt unsatisfied with my total score at the end of the round. Wonder if that's normal...always wanting to do better I guess.

Welcome to TST.

Hope that reading some of the many posts on this site will improve your game.

[Gipper]

I started playing 10 months ago. Went from 115 to 96 on average after 2 months. Key things that helped: 1 get fitted for you clubs. Very important, if the lie is up or down on the club it will cause it to open up or close when you hit the ground. Causing a bad slice or hook. 2 Keep your head and feet still 3 Take a shorter back swing with a good tempo. If your wrist are hurting it is probably from to fast of back swing. I have seen so many people with a faster back swing than there actual swing. 4 Have a pre shot routine. Even on the range. Don't keep just hacking balls. Walk back and reset every shot. You don't hit 10 balls back to back on the course. This one thing got me into the 80s for the first time a month ago. 5 relax. To many mind will cause bad shots. Don't walk up to the green and say "well this is for bogie" you will end up 3 putting for a triple. Same if you duff a swing. Don't go right up to the ball and just swing out of anger. It's never going to be a good shot. And try to get rid of that "o shit what am I doing?!" On your downswing. Pretend like the ball is a ghost or something. Swing thru not at it. 6 have fun and be loose. It is just a game, we aren't playing for millions. I've been a lurker for awhile but this post made me sign up to hopefully share some knowledge. I haven't had any lessons (yet) and I hope I can help some people out here. I also practice my chipping everyday on my lunch break. Before I go to play I do some dynamic stretches while watching golf. Watching pros before I go out gets me in the mind set. Also as some one else said. I played without a driver and 3 wood for a couple months and brought them in slowly. You don't have to kill the ball 250-300yds every time. 180-190 will get you there in 3 for a 1 putt.

Thanks for the advice and info!