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

[rrives]

Great job!   Don't you love it when your drives are good.

[pecos24]

You think I would start learning the importance of practice, as bad as I am, but apparently I am a slow learner...

I had league last night. Before my round started I did some chipping and sand trap practice but avoided the range. (I haven't been to the range since last week, though I did play 18 on Sunday)  It was a freakin' disaster.  2 OBs, multiple mishits, and when I did strike the ball well it seems that half the time I would find a trap or other such trouble.  I shot a 62(61 ESC).  The only thing that saved me is my opponent played about as bad as I did.

Hopefully I learned my lesson!  I will definitely be hitting the range before my next round.

[mcanadiens]

Hopefully I learned my lesson!  I will definitely be hitting the range before my next round.

That's a good reminder for yours truly. I've got two days to get a range session in before vacation starts (3 rounds in OBX).

[808hacker]

Don't be so hard on yourself. I've tried it both ways and some days you are just off. One time I went to the range and couldn't hit anything. I mean, every single ball was topped or shanked. Even some pros felt bad and tried to help me. It was one of the worst days of playing I have had. So going to the range may make things worst because all it does is make you feel defeated before you hit the tee.

I always do the same thing now - check tempo, sweep the ground. Try and hit as controlled as I can with balance. It works for me.

[pecos24]

Don't be so hard on yourself. I've tried it both ways and some days you are just off. One time I went to the range and couldn't hit anything. I mean, every single ball was topped or shanked. Even some pros felt bad and tried to help me. It was one of the worst days of playing I have had. So going to the range may make things worst because all it does is make you feel defeated before you hit the tee.

I always do the same thing now - check tempo, sweep the ground. Try and hit as controlled as I can with balance. It works for me.

I guess I didn't mean hit the range just before the round.  I have been kind of avoiding that because I think most times it does me more harm than good.  But I do try to hit the range over lunch a couple times of week just to get some good practice in and I did not get that done this week.

[rkim291968]

"Practice is a key"  ... that's what Poon said a few posts ago and he is absolutely right.   I have to get at least two range sessions per week just to keep up with my current form.    Yesterday at range, it took 70 golf balls to "remember" my swing.   I was hitting everywhere but straight until then.  The culprit?  My back swing path was all screwy.   These days, I get a long range session in on Friday, before a Saturday round.   That seems to help with my score on Saturday rounds.

[mcanadiens]

Blah. Stupid life intervened and denied my practice session last night and it ain't looking good for today either.

I got to sort out my priorities here.

[PooN]

"Practice is a key"  ... that's what Poon said a few posts ago and he is absolutely right.   I have to get at least two range sessions per week just to keep up with my current form.    Yesterday at range, it took 70 golf balls to "remember" my swing.   I was hitting everywhere but straight until then.  The culprit?  My back swing path was all screwy.   These days, I get a long range session in on Friday, before a Saturday round.   That seems to help with my score on Saturday rounds.

I almost joined the 100+ club again yesterday... I played Whistling Straits - Straits course and had a heck of a time managing a 48 48 (and I was even par through the first 3!).  Fatigue had a lot to do with it since it is a walking course (and I'm no walker ) but I always have the mentality to not get (too) upset and forget about the last shot and focus on the next - even the toppers, worm burners, chilli-dips, etc.

There is another couple of good points to be had here... practice is key, yes.  But too much practice can be detrimental too.

Just going out and banging away at a large bucket of balls doesn't always equate to better ballstriking (even at the low handicap level).  If and when your swing starts to feel awkward it's probably a good idea to put away the 'go far' clubs and pull out a wedge, and hit 20 or so balls with a little 1/4 swing pitch shot motion.  This can really get your swing path corrected since you are focused on taking it back 3 feet instead of the full arc.  Then hit 10 or so balls with a 1/2 swing, then 10 or so with a 3/4 swing.  All the while focus mainly on your takeaway.  Getting the club in the right position at the peak of your backswing is the most important part of the swing IMHO.

Also, practicing before a round can really wear you out.  If the course has a range, maybe hit 20 or 30 balls just to warm up and see what kind of swing you have for the day, or again, hit a bunch of those 1/4 1/2 3/4 pitch shots to get your swing path going instead of banging through a bucket with your driver or 7i.  Whichever swing you have that day isn't going to miraculously change from 8:30am on the range to 9:00am on the teebox.  Focus more on chipping and putting on the practice green before getting on the course.  You'll get a feel for the greens and shave a couple strokes by (hopefully) not 3 putting all day.

Remember, 100 is broken all the time.  You guys on this forum take golf more seriously than the 'average joe' golfer so it's really only a matter of time and practice.  You'll do it, and eventually do it with relative ease.  I promise.

GOOD LUCK!

[mcanadiens]

I almost joined the 100+ club again yesterday... I played Whistling Straits - Straits course and had a heck of a time managing a 48 48 (and I was even par through the first 3!).  Fatigue had a lot to do with it since it is a walking course (and I'm no walker) but I always have the mentality to not get (too) upset and forget about the last shot and focus on the next - even the toppers, worm burners, chilli-dips, etc.

Straits. I might join the 150 club if I played that sucker. I had enough trouble on that course playing the bloody Tiger Woods video game.

[PooN]

Straits. I might join the 150 club if I played that sucker. I had enough trouble on that course playing the bloody Tiger Woods video game.

It would be a wonderful 150... maybe I would liken it to having the most intense hour-long sex of your life with Salma Hayek [or insert your preferred smokin hottie here] and having a heart attack right at the final moment.

Here's my thread if you guys are interested:

http://thesandtrap.com/t/81866/whistling-straits-straits-course-trip-2015-pic-heavy#post_1139418

[rkim291968]

Also, practicing before a round can really wear you out.  If the course has a range, maybe hit 20 or 30 balls just to warm up and see what kind of swing you have for the day, or again, hit a bunch of those 1/4 1/2 3/4 pitch shots to get your swing path going instead of banging through a bucket with your driver or 7i.  Whichever swing you have that day isn't going to miraculously change from 8:30am on the range to 9:00am on the teebox.  Focus more on chipping and putting on the practice green before getting on the course.  You'll get a feel for the greens and shave a couple strokes by (hopefully) not 3 putting all day.

Yeah, I know what you mean about wearing out.   This year, I started to work out, and got into good physical shape.   I found that I can now have a long range session on Friday, hit 20 - 30 balls like you described above just before the round, and still play a round without getting tired.

[9wood]

Just 2 years ago I could only dream of breaking 50 for nine holes. I thought that the only way I would ever break 50 is if I played a par 3 course. Yesterday I shot 42 on a regular course. Could have been a 40 if I hadn't of left a birdie putt inches short and also missed a 2 1/2 foot putt on another hole. I attribute this score to the fact how much my short game has improved over the last year.

[Judah Ben-Hur]

It is going to be hard for me to break 100 because lately I have been doing nine.  I have been trying to walk as much as I can.  The front nine is a mountain climbers dream so it really gets the heart pumping.  The heat was especially brutal yesterday so I decided to head for the parking lot at the turn.  I had two water bottles with me and made sure to take a few swigs while waiting on people ahead of me.  I did sneak out later in the day to ride in the cart for 18 but it was painfully slow going ahead of me.  I tee'd off from number 10, looked at my watch and decided to go pick up the ball.  It was 7:30 and they might be sending out a posse.

The last three rounds have been 53, 52, and 50.  The 50 was painful on two occasions.  I sliced my 3 wood off the tee on a par 3.  I was 90 yards away next to the cart path....lol.... and then pitched it into the sand bunker on my hole.  It took 2 to get out of there and the long putt came up woefully short.  I escaped with a 6.  I did not get mad and moved on.  I wasn't keeping a running total in my head but knew I had some good holes beforehand with a couple of pars and bogies.  I was waiting on a threesome ahead of me.  One guy whiffed 4 times from the fairway and 3 others went about 10 feet to the side.  I was just taking slow practice swings until it was time to hit.  I took a nice easy swing and hit a 244 yard drive in the fairway.  It was waiting time again.  The wait wasn't worth it because my 3 wood topped 30 yards down the fairway.  The next 3 wood shot was a weird lie and it screamed about a foot off the ground for 145 yards.  That's what happens with this high handicapper when trying to reach the green from 291 yards out.  lol  I then hit my 7 iron next to the sand bunker in the high grass.  My sand wedge then proceeds to twist in my hand from a light grip.  The ball squirts out at a 45 degree angle and rockets as far as it can away from the hole.  The good part was I was on the green.  I came up short on the long putt so it was going to test my "two putt and get out of here routine".  It seems hard to believe a man could miss 3 putts from a distance the length of a driver.  It was a little depressing adding up the scorecard and seeing a 50 after that little debacle.  Don't get mad, move on.

I also played smart (for me) on number 8.  My drive was really short, like 169 yards short.  Late in the afternoon, you are looking right into the setting sun.  I've hit some really great drives by contact on this hole but never find the ball.  One of the downfalls of playing solo.  My new "keep the head down"  method will be put to the test because you want to look up quick to track the flight.  The swing was a little too easy and it landed in the rough with a 10 foot tall pine tree directly in front and other bigger trees that have kicked my arse before with woods and hybrids.  This time I 7 ironed over it and into the fairway.  Take your lumps and move on.

I don't know if you will be able to see this but here is the round on Game Golf..... let me know if it isn't viewable.

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/srx700xxx/round/314926

[JonMA1]

It is going to be hard for me to break 100 because lately I have been doing nine.

I don't know what's official, but I don't think there's anything wrong with counting two rounds of nine as 18 even if played on different days - as long as they're sequential and you plan ahead of time which two you are counting (if that makes sense).

The last three rounds have been 53, 52, and 50.  The 50 was painful on two occasions.  I sliced my 3 wood off the tee on a par 3.  I was 90 yards away next to the cart path....lol.... and then pitched it into the sand bunker on my hole.  It took 2 to get out of there and the long putt came up woefully short.  I escaped with a 6.  I did not get mad and moved on.

That seems to be half the battle.

I don't know if you will be able to see this but here is the round on Game Golf..... let me know if it isn't viewable.

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/srx700xxx/round/314926

Yes, it viewed fine. I'll have to look into getting a Game Golf system once my "golf fund" gets back in the black.

[No Mulligans]

I don't know what's official, but I don't think there's anything wrong with counting two rounds of nine as 18 even if played on different days - as long as they're sequential and you plan ahead of time which two you are counting (if that makes sense).

Per the USGA rules, for HI calculation that's exactly what you do.  So, I'd say we can count them as official.

[JonMA1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonMA1

I don't know what's official, but I don't think there's anything wrong with counting two rounds of nine as 18 even if played on different days - as long as they're sequential and you plan ahead of time which two you are counting (if that makes sense).

Per the USGA rules, for HI calculation that's exactly what you do.  So, I'd say we can count them as official.

That's good to know. It's how I interpreted the information I'd read a while back.

Last year I had really good round going but ran out of daylight before I could play the last hole. I had to wait a week before I could finish that hole and record it on my scorecard. That's probably not official because I didn't go right to hole 18 and play that one first. It just wouldn't have been practical.

[uitar9]

A few tips for the 100 club... these are the things I did to get past the hurdle.  (I've gotten past the 90 and 80 hurdle as well, but that takes time and practice to stop duffing and slicing so many shots)

Being a 100+ shooter means you are having more issues with contact than anything else, so practice is key.  Remember to not grip the club too tight (think of holding a sparrow hard enough not to let it flap its wings but also not suffocate it), slow your tempo down (think One... Two... Swing), keep your backswing short (think of your arms only getting to the 9 o'clock position), remember to turn your upper body back with your arms (so you are not just swinging your arms back), and remember to get your hips involved (the swing is actually a hip turn, not an arm swing).  Plenty of other specifics of the swing to work on, but those are the absolute main ones.

So other than the obvious tips like go to the range and practice, here are a couple things I keep in mind to try to keep the ball in play and hopefully score a little better (they'll change a little as you get better, but these still hold true for me now):

1.  Remember 100 is just a number, it has no significance to the score on a par 70, 71, 72 golf course - 100 is not from bogeying every hole, or 3 putting every green... it is a totally arbitrary number.

2.  Minimize mistakes.

a)  Choose the right club: When you slice one into the trees, don't try to go for the green on your next shot.  Hit a soft shot back out into the fairway and again, if you are too far back, don't try to go for the green... just hit your 6 or 7 iron to get the ball advanced into a more manageable approach area and resume from there.  Each person likes a different distance to approach from.  I don't like leaving my ball 20-80 yards of the green.  I would rather be within 15 or so or at 100 or more.  The 100 or more allows me to choose a club that I can give a full swing, instead of guessing how much to take off a wedge.  Plus, I find it easier to chunk a 60 yard wedge shot than a 130 yard PW.

b)  Aim away from trouble.  If there is water, bunker, trees, etc on the right, you want your ball to be on the left.  (Careful not to fall into the 'aim left so you don't go right' mentality though, as that usually actually promotes a slice).  Or, if there is a stream that you have to cross and you are 200 from the green and the stream is 150 yards away, don't try to blast your 5 or 6 iron over the water (and 9 times out of 10 end up in the water)... just hit a nice 7 or 8 iron to layup before the water and take your (shorter, read: easier) approach from there.

c)  Aim for center green ALWAYS (NO MATTER WHAT) on approach shots.  You will get your ball on the green more often.  Putting is way easier than chipping.  Once you get under 100 consistently, you can change this to 'aim for the correct quadrant'.

3.  Make mental notes of what's ahead on each shot.  I always make note of the 150 mark as that is where I would want my ball to be if I had a choice, since my go-to clubs are 8-6 irons. I also make note of where the dangers are, where the meaty parts of the fairway/safe area/green, where the bunkers and hazards are, etc.

4.  Putting.  Do NOT try to make putts over the length of a flagstick.  You will generally send the ball too far past the hole.  Try instead to lag putt into a circle the size of a garbage can (put that image in your head as you look at the hole).  Figure out which area is under the hole.  A 9 foot uphill and straight putt is way easier to make than a 3 foot right-to-left breaker.

5.  Chipping.  Learn to chip with 3 clubs.  Your most lofted club to fly the ball over a greater distance, your PW to chip over shorter distances, and your 8 iron to chip just over the fringe.  The point is to get the ball on the green and roll it to the hole when you have the chance.  Sometimes you have to fly it to the hole, but that will usually make a 100+ golfer fly it over the green.

6.  Sand.  Learn to play a bunker shot.  It's easier than you think.  Dig in, choke down, open the face (so that you could lay a coin on it) and 3/4 swing behind the ball.  I've seen 100+ shooters literally spend 3-5 strokes just trying to get out of 1 bunker.

All that being said... keep at it and have fun.  Don't get (too) discouraged.  It's only a game and a very hard one at that.  Getting better does not come quickly or easily and there is never a magic pill to make it happen overnight.  It will take practice and play.  The more you practice and play, the less you will mis-hit the ball.  (Think about what your score would be if you didn't have all those extra stokes from topping a 7 iron, chipping over the green, slicing into the trees, etc.)  Seriously, the more you play the less that happens.  Then you put 100 in the rear view and focus on 90 (keeping your score at 5 on every hole).  This is where you will spend years to figure out where to shave the next series of strokes to get to the next hurdle (the dreaded 80).

One last thing... if you are having a really hard time getting your ball to go where you want it to, take lessons.  It will be money well spent, I promise.

I took lessons at GolfTec (not affiliated in any way) and it turned my game around in a season.  I went from a 25 handicap to a 15 in 3 months (the bulk of a Wisconsin 'season').  Since then I've gotten as low as an 8 and the game has gotten really really really fun.

Poon, thks for this, especially 2 a, b and c.

Played a longer (for me) 18 hole muni yesterday with a business associate. Shot  a front 9-44, back 9-50, first time breaking  a nine hole 45 and first time breaking 100.

Stopped shooting for the pin on approach shots and tried to aim for that safe place (for me) that allowed an easy chip to the putting surface.

Thought about the next shot-only hit one drive ob and then  half swung a 5 iron back onto the fairway rather than trying to get a 150 yard risky shot through a set of trees.

Seems crazy-such simple advice but never entered my thought process.Gotta remember this thought process through every shot

The most fun yesterday-Hit a tee shot on a par three-wth a greens keeper watching us tee off-hit the flag stick and birdied the hole.

Thanks again

[Duke Lonald]

Whose Golfing today?