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

[RandallT]

4 hours ago, Hiway1tele said:

where are the high scores coming from ?

Not sure this exactly answers your question, but a bunch of 90/100 shooters compared our shots from 30 different rounds last season to analyze where we loststrokes. On average we lost 24+ strokes to the pros per round- 16.5 were from drives (7.5) and full swings (9.0). That's 2/3 of the damage done.

Of the remaining 1/3, that was roughly split between short game (<60yds) and putting.

Anecdotal, but that generally matches what is emerging as a new conventional wisdom that our high scores are coming from lack of full swing fundamentals. You'll hear lots of folks advocating cleaning up strokes around the green, and I see their point, but from my own analysis of my game (and from the rounds of a bunch of folks here on TST), I am seeing full swing as the major area where we are blowing it.

[Hiway1tele]

2 hours ago, RandallT said:

Anecdotal, but that generally matches what is emerging as a new conventional wisdom that our high scores are coming from lack of full swing fundamentals. You'll hear lots of folks advocating cleaning up strokes around the green, and I see their point, but from my own analysis of my game (and from the rounds of a bunch of folks here on TST), I am seeing full swing as the major area where we are blowing it.

Randall,

On The Pro side I would say its the short game..DJ, Bubba, Rory can all punch it long, but dont necessarily play position courses very well..In The amateur 90/100 players world I agree with you totally..a good short game can only cover a bad swing so far...when I sucked at the full swing, was right and left in trees and ponds, my better than avg short game maybe allowed me a +36...now with a consistant straight or in/out swing and a good short game, I play a +18-20..I played this evening and had +7 front side, a + 8 back side..My tee shots landed on all 14 fairways..I par'd and Birdied a Par-3..I did take a +7 on a par-4, after a great tee shot, only because I looked up before impact..Stupid human error..an improved consistant swing has saved me minimally 10-12 shots per round...now I need to correct the Hybrids that are going further left than I would like..

Edited June 11, 2016 by Hiway1tele

[RandallT]

On 6/10/2016 at 10:47 PM, Hiway1tele said:

On The Pro side I would say its the short game..DJ, Bubba, Rory can all punch it long, but dont necessarily play position courses very well..In The amateur 90/100 players world I agree with you totally..a good short game can only cover a bad swing so far..

I was strictly talking about 90/100 players, yes (as that's the point of the thread).

Regarding pros, that's   for this thread, but if you'd like to discuss that, there's plenty of opinion on that here in this recent thread:

 

[Hiway1tele]

Sorry I'll refrain from straying...my bad...

[RandallT]

Just now, Hiway1tele said:

Sorry I'll refrain from straying...my bad...

No apology needed! Just thought you'd be interested. It's a hot topic from time to time, and easy to get people discussing it. Since that was a recent thread, just wanted to make sure you saw it! Lots of good point-counterpoint, so make up your mind after digesting it.

[Tod]

I shot a 99 today, after a disappointing 107 on Friday. Basically simply got off the tee better with some decent drives and most of the bad ones were recoverable. Two blow up holes, one on each side, of +4 each. No triples, mostly doubles, with two birdies on the front. Progress of sorts.

[Hiway1tele]

Congrats Tod...a step in the right direction....

another rain day...oh well, saved me from more push Hooks I guess...Played a bunch of practice rounds on the Golf-Sim...at least two Hooks per round...gets old quick having a nice swing end up 40 yards to the left...

[xcott]

yep, gettting off the tee and hitting full swings is likely the biggest problem for 100+ golfers. The damage done is so much greater. A bad chip will likely leave you at worse about where you were either in the same place or on the other side of the green. A bad drive leaves you in the same place but with a 1 stroke penalty, or in tall rough behind trees. 

[Lloyd Martinez]

Well, played nine yesterday and absolutely hacked the ball around for the first 5 holes.  I hit very few shots clean and I was fortunate to finish the first five holes without losing a ball.  Going straight to the first tee box without going to the range was not wise, but weather was coming and the window was tight.

On hole 6 my drive pushed to the right and the ball rested about 20 yards behind two trees (10 yards wide) with a single branch (18' up, 1' in diameter) obstructing the path to the green.  I pulled out the 6i and focused on making clean contact intending to punch the ball under the obstruction and towards the green.  As luck would have I struck the ball very well and the ball hit the branch squarely and bounced back past me resting 3 yards further from the green.  I quickly addressed the ball and took an second shot with the same mechanics and once again caught the ball clean only to hit the same branch and watch the ball squirt left back on the fairway.  Ironically, after these two well struck shots I continued to strike the ball exceeding well for the rest of the round.  If I clean up my putting (23 putts) and continue to strike the ball well, then a sub 100 round is in my future.

I now have a sense of confidence in my irons and I cannot wait to get back out and play again.  

Lloyd Martinez - Stumpy Lake (9) - 2016/06/12

Edited June 13, 2016 by Lloyd Martinez

[Swungover]

Good topic, and I'm trying to break 100 a second time. Just coming back to the game after a 23 year layoff. Back then I was starting to break 95. 

Starting over, just hitting buckets and playing executive courses. 

[Pete F]

On 6/13/2016 at 3:39 PM, Lloyd Martinez said:

 

On hole 6 my drive pushed to the right and the ball rested about 20 yards behind two trees (10 yards wide) with a single branch (18' up, 1' in diameter) obstructing the path to the green.  I pulled out the 6i and focused on making clean contact intending to punch the ball under the obstruction and towards the green.  As luck would have I struck the ball very well and the ball hit the branch squarely and bounced back past me resting 3 yards further from the green.  I quickly addressed the ball and took an second shot with the same mechanics and once again caught the ball clean only to hit the same branch and watch the ball squirt left back on the fairway.

I've always wondered why I can do things that I don't want to happen twice in a row, that I could not do in five tries on purpose!

[RandallT]

On 6/13/2016 at 3:39 PM, Lloyd Martinez said:

Well, played nine yesterday and absolutely hacked the ball around for the first 5 holes.  I hit very few shots clean and I was fortunate to finish the first five holes without losing a ball.  Going straight to the first tee box without going to the range was not wise, but weather was coming and the window was tight.

On hole 6 my drive pushed to the right and the ball rested about 20 yards behind two trees (10 yards wide) with a single branch (18' up, 1' in diameter) obstructing the path to the green.  I pulled out the 6i and focused on making clean contact intending to punch the ball under the obstruction and towards the green.  As luck would have I struck the ball very well and the ball hit the branch squarely and bounced back past me resting 3 yards further from the green.  I quickly addressed the ball and took an second shot with the same mechanics and once again caught the ball clean only to hit the same branch and watch the ball squirt left back on the fairway.  Ironically, after these two well struck shots I continued to strike the ball exceeding well for the rest of the round.  If I clean up my putting (23 putts) and continue to strike the ball well, then a sub 100 round is in my future.

I now have a sense of confidence in my irons and I cannot wait to get back out and play again.  

Lloyd Martinez - Stumpy Lake (9) - 2016/06/12

I like the GolfPadGPS link with your scores. I have not heard of that, and their interface is simple and clean.

Hilarious re: the branch! 

[Lloyd Martinez]

I decided to play the same 9 again yesterday and I struck the ball much better.  I had two blow up holes with a triple or worse and ended with a 50!  5 less putts and much better shots from the tee left me with a great chance to shoot lower than I have been.  I am happy with a 50, but I really feel like I had a shot at a 45 if I can get rid of the occasional shanked iron.

I have a swing analysis tomorrow and I hope to play a full round this weekend.  I am very optomistic that a sub 100 round is in my future!

Lloyd Martinez - Stumpy Lake (9) - 2016/06/15

[xcott]

49/55 today, which was disappointing because I typically play the back under 50 and it's the front that gets me. a 4 put on a GIR certainly doesn't help. Iron striking was awesome, just could not get off the tee. Every other part of my game was working at a mid 90s level, but trouble off the tee put me in the hole to start. I really need to warm up the driver/5w before I hit the  course. Just didn't have time.

[Vinny Cap]

This thread is great.  I read through the whole thing and it had me thinking more when I was out playing.

I have only been out 3 times this year, sad I know, with a 3 week span in between.  With no practice at all I was able to shoot 100, 94 and a 90 on Sat.

I paid a lot more attention to my bad drives and not going for the hero shots or dumb shots.  When I was in trouble, punch it out sideways, take the stroke and finish the hole looking to make a bogey.  This helped out a lot.  I had 3 pars on both sides so I was pretty happy with the day and my score.  Only 1 3 putt so I was good with the chicken stick.  The driver was ok as I hit many straight, a couple of draws and only 1 slice.  Of course 2 ugly snowmen didn't help... one on each side.  I think if I can not do that, I can get the score under 90. 

[Tod]

Disaster of a round yesterday of 107. Very little worked right. Timing and balance was way off. Went to the range afterwards, didn't seem to help.  Today, turned around after an uneven start (tournament starting on 11) and I ended up with a 92 (41-51). When I got to the front nine I just felt like I was cruising.

[Hiway1tele]

1 minute ago, Tod said:

Disaster of a round yesterday of 107. Very little worked right. Timing and balance was way off. Went to the range afterwards, didn't seem to help.  Today, turned around after an uneven start (tournament starting on 11) and I ended up with a 92 (41-51). When I got to the front nine I just felt like I was cruising.

some days you just dont have it...happens to all of us..congrats on your terrific round...

I had a lesson Friday..the Video shows for the first time ever , there is no over the top in my swing any longer...its starting to be consistanly in-out..all the hard work is paying off...

[paininthenuts]

I recently said to my pro "I can drive well, I can play good fairway shots, my chipping is good, and putting is excellent" so why is it at best only two of these four things ever happen on the same day ?