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

[Lihu]

It's called Evergreen Public Course (Par 70) and is in Castleton, NY

There are no search results at USGA in the link I included above.

However, the pope of the slope estimates (I also included another link for you to look at in your spare time) are probably not that far off target. 4781 yards gives you a slope rating for men at about 62.6/81

This thread gives me the warm and fuzzies. Over the summer I had the 37 going on the back 9 on 17 and shot a 10 on 18 to make it 47. I had a 53 on the front 9. That would have been the first round of the year I'd have broken 100, but no. It couldn't happen. I had to hit a tree with my drive, then pushed my second shot across the fairway into the lateral water hazard, then hitting four, I grounded my shot to about 100 yds, and hit a fat wedge shot into the water hazard, got on the green with my next shot and three putted. Previous and following wk I parred this hole to reach the 100 mark.

I was on the 43 to 45 + 59 program for a long time. Still struggle with the 48 + 48 program.

I know exactly how you feel.

Once you gain some confidence in your irons, you will gain confidence off the tee box. Try teeing off with your irons some time and play entire holes (par 4 and 5) with just irons. This helped open up my eyes this last season.

[DrvFrShow]

There are no search results at USGA in the link I included above.

However, the pope of the slope estimates (I also included another link for you to look at in your spare time) are probably not that far off target. 4781 yards gives you a slope rating for men at about 62.6/81

I know exactly how you feel.

Once you gain some confidence in your irons, you will gain confidence off the tee box. Try teeing off with your irons some time and play entire holes (par 4 and 5) with just irons. This helped open up my eyes this last season.

I did this on the first hole after duffing my drive to the area behind the old ladies tee box (it was moved back about 40 yds.) The rough was long and I hit a 7 iron out of it, and hit a 7 iron for my next shot. Then a wedge. 410 yd par 5. I was on in 4 and one putted for a par. It was in a match tournament. My match that day was giving no strokes. I lost confidence in my driver, and I used my 5 iron off the tee the rest of the round because I was able to control it, and I won my match.

I made bad shots, sure, but I kept the ball in play and I don't recall taking any penalties that round. I played a very conservative round picking clubs that would leave me short of trouble, or that I knew I could hit well. But I still made mental errors at times trying to make up that distance and would duff a shot. This made the round very difficult.

I know I've been criticized for not playing the ball far enough forward, but the reason I'm playing it back a bit in my stance is that i don't like the ball to go too high in the air. I like it to stay lower with my irons. I like to hit a penetrating drive because it's less likely to get me in trouble, and a fast low shot with my hybrids and 17 FW. My problem comes when I top these shots or hit the "s" word, lol.

I'm convinced I could take a 6 or 7 iron + PW + putter and break 90. I'd have close to 100% FIRs. Probably about 4 GIRs. Maybe get up and down on a few holes. There'd be a couple DBs in there. But there'd be mostly bogeys.

But it's no fun to play like that, is it?

Avg par 4 = 294 yds for me.

7 iron = 150

This includes three par 4s that are 250 or 7 iron + PW.

The other par 4s are two 7 irons. or two 7 irons + a chip.

The par 5s are two 7 irons + a PW.

One par 3 is a PW.

One par 3 is a 7 iron.

Two par 3s are a 7 iron + a 15 yd chip.

This is for my home course. Who needs to hit a long drive?

For other courses, a 200 yd drive is sufficient, and you're left with an 8 iron or less on the long par 4s. So for me a controlled 200 yd drive > than an uncontrolled 230-240 yd drive.

I've seen an idea about how to play a 400 yd par 4. It's nice and all that. I wouldn't hit a three wood for my second shot because it's not a par 4 for me. It's a par 5. I'm looking at 180 yds to the pin. I'd hit a 23.5 hybrid, and lay up. If the ground is hard, I'm on. There are no 400+ yd par 4s for senior amateur women. There may be for the younger women, but not us old ladies.

[MacTS]

I managed to do my first duoble digit a few weeks ago (98), I had actually not counted strokes earlier, only points, but for fun I counted the strokes based on this thread just to see how far I was to reach 100...and got very surprised when I read the score of 98. Nice feeling. I have only played since late this summer so I am happy with that score.

On that round I must say that I played a bit over my ability with my driver (made fairway with all drivers except one). After that round I have only played 9 hole rounds, but my score have been around 47-48 each time, so I guess (at least on that place) that is where I am in my golfing so far....now I will try to think of a strategy to reach 90. Winter is coming here in Sweden, so I will have a lot of time to think until spring :-(

[JonMA1]

I was going to start a new thread but I thought this may be a more relative one. I was able to break 100 twice in 2014 (92 and 96) and broke 50 a bunch of times. My handicap index had dropped below 26 but I hit a slump and then started playing from longer tees. I ended the season with my scores going the wrong way. Still, 2014 was the most educational year yet.

What (I think) I learned in 2014:

1. Golf is in no way like riding a bike (In fact, once you learn it, you’re sure to forget it).

Learning a successful iron swing only sticks if you know how you got there and can find your way back when the inevitable slump happens. I don’t know what it’s like to be good, but I have to believe that good players practice the fundamentals and keys even when their game is on - maybe a preventative maintenance kind of thing???

If ever there was an argument for learning swing mechanics the way Erik and Mike teach, this is it. Had I been more familiar with why my swing had improved, I could have gotten back to that point much quicker.

2. Your game is as good as it is.

Before you call me Mr. Obvious, let me explain. One of my pet peeves in sports - spectator or participatory - is the use of phrases like “could of”, “should of” and “if only”. The Tampa Bay Bucs could of gone undefeated this year if only they had made that field goal against the Rams, or stopped Atanta's offense in week 3… you get the picture.

Earlier in the season, my iron swing was pretty good, my long clubs not that great and my putting absolutely horrid. It was not uncommon to hit a GIR or a green with +1 in regulation, hit a 15’ putt to within 2' or 3’ and then miss the short putt. It got so ridiculous that I stopped getting pissed and became more amused. I had the mindset that my overall game had improved. If only my putting was better, I'd be shooting in the 90's. Well, putting is part of my game and the score doesn’t lie. It’s one thing to have a couple bad rounds in a row - that in itself doesn’t indicate your skill level. But when your scores are the same for a couple of months, that is your game.

3. Learned how to hit draws with the driver.

It took me a while dealing with a slice followed by a hook leading to lots and lots of penalty strokes. The technique I used to fix it may be a bit unorthodox, but it comes down to the ball flight laws that I learned about on this site. Will I still have it for 2015? See #1 above.

4. Learned how to execute a flop shot. Nice shot to have confidence with.

5. Learned how to re-grip my clubs (again, thank you TST).

6. Learned a lot by reading Lowest Score Wins .

[RFKFREAK]

I was going to start a new thread but I thought this may be a more relative one. I was able to break 100 twice in 2014 (92 and 96) and broke 50 a bunch of times. My handicap index had dropped below 26 but I hit a slump and then started playing from longer tees. I ended the season with my scores going the wrong way. Still, 2014 was the most educational year yet. What (I think) I learned in 2014:

1. Golf is in no way like riding a bike (In fact, once you learn it, you’re sure to forget it).

Learning a successful iron swing only sticks if you know how you got there and can find your way back when the inevitable slump happens. I don’t know what it’s like to be good, but I have to believe that good players practice the fundamentals and keys even when their game is on - maybe a preventative maintenance kind of thing???

If ever there was an argument for learning swing mechanics the way Erik and Mike teach, this is it. Had I been more familiar with why my swing had improved, I could have gotten back to that point much quicker.

2. Your game is as good as it is.

Before you call me Mr. Obvious, let me explain. One of my pet peeves in sports - spectator or participatory - is the use of phrases like “could of”, “should of” and “if only”. The Tampa Bay Bucs could of gone undefeated this year if only they had made that field goal against the Rams, or stopped Atanta's offense in week 3… you get the picture.

Earlier in the season, my iron swing was pretty good, my long clubs not that great and my putting absolutely horrid. It was not uncommon to hit a GIR or a green with +1 in regulation, hit a 15’ putt to within 2' or 3’ and then miss the short putt. It got so ridiculous that I stopped getting pissed and became more amused. I had the mindset that my overall game had improved. If only my putting was better, I'd be shooting in the 90's. Well, putting is part of my game and the score doesn’t lie. It’s one thing to have a couple bad rounds in a row - that in itself doesn’t indicate your skill level. But when your scores are the same for a couple of months, that is your game.

3. Learned how to hit draws with the driver.

It took me a while dealing with a slice followed by a hook leading to lots and lots of penalty strokes. The technique I used to fix it may be a bit unorthodox, but it comes down to the ball flight laws that I learned about on this site. Will I still have it for 2015? See #1 above.

4. Learned how to execute a flop shot. Nice shot to have confidence with.

5. Learned how to re-grip my clubs (again, thank you TST). 6. Learned a lot by reading Lowest Score Wins .

I'm suffering with this off the tee myself, recently. What unorthodox method did you do to help you stop hooking the ball?

[JonMA1]

I'm suffering with this off the tee myself, recently.

What unorthodox method did you do to help you stop hooking the ball?

Are you getting both hooks and slices?

The ball is positioned just inside my left foot, tee'd up so I'm hitting up a little as is prescribed here at TST.

I align my feet, shoulders and the line on the ball towards the right side of the fairway or even a bit out of bounds. I don't open the club face as we are taught to do to hit a draw but instead align it towards the target. This should create a hook but It works I think due to a swing flaw in that I often have trouble getting the face back to where it was at address.

Anyway, the rest is feel so take it for what it's worth.

I try to concentrate on keeping my head from swaying back, go wide on the backswing, bring the club from an inside to out path (try to move the hips forward). All of these moves up to this point are very methodical. I probably have better tempo with the driver than any other club right now. One swing thought I have is to maintain what feels like the proper plane on the BS.

The really critical part of all this is how much control I have with the club face at impact. If I don't close the club face slightly I'll slice it. If I close it too much I'll hook it.

Through impact, I'll extend both arms in the direction of the ball alignment towards the right. If I don't do this, I'll likely come across and slice it.

Remember the line on the ball pointing towards the right? I think that helps me maintain a consistent inside-out swing path and simply provides a target to swing through on the ball. Kind of stupid I know, but it really helped throughout the second half of the season get the ball to go straight or right to left (even push draws).

One more thing, I don't have a lot of distance and that likely is due to poor mechanics. So I would never try to convince anyone this is a good swing. It's just better than what I was doing before.

[RFKFREAK]

Are you getting both hooks and slices? The ball is positioned just inside my left foot, tee'd up so I'm hitting up a little as is prescribed here at TST. I align my feet, shoulders and the line on the ball towards the right side of the fairway or even a bit out of bounds. I don't open the club face as we are taught to do to hit a draw but instead align it towards the target. This should create a hook but It works I think due to a swing flaw in that I often have trouble getting the face back to where it was at address. Anyway, the rest is feel so take it for what it's worth. I try to concentrate on keeping my head from swaying back, go wide on the backswing, bring the club from an inside to out path (try to move the hips forward). All of these moves up to this point are very methodical. I probably have better tempo with the driver than any other club right now. One swing thought I have is to maintain what feels like the proper plane on the BS.  The really critical part of all this is how much control I have with the club face at impact. If I don't close the club face slightly I'll slice it. If I close it too much I'll hook it. Through impact, I'll extend both arms in the direction of the ball alignment towards the right. If I don't do this, I'll likely come across and slice it. Remember the line on the ball pointing towards the right? I think that helps me maintain a consistent inside-out swing path and simply provides a target to swing through on the ball. Kind of stupid I know, but it really helped throughout the second half of the season get the ball to go straight or right to left (even push draws). One more thing, I don't have a lot of distance and that likely is due to poor mechanics. So I would never try to convince anyone this is a good swing. It's just better than what I was doing before.

In 2013 I had according to the picture below, for most of the season I had a straight fade. In the spring and beginning and middle of summer of this year, I was hitting it straight and then towards the end of summer and autumn, I starting hitting mostly straight draws and the occasional pull draw. There is the odd occasion when I hit a push draw and hopefully I'll fix this issue soon and have a push draw off the tee be my stock shot. [IMG]http://thesandtrap.com/b/imgs/playing_tips/nine_ball_flights.jpg[/IMG]

[JonMA1]

In 2013 I had according to the picture below, for most of the season I had a straight fade.

In the spring and beginning and middle of summer of this year, I was hitting it straight and then towards the end of summer and autumn, I starting hitting mostly straight draws and the occasional pull draw. There is the odd occasion when I hit a push draw and hopefully I'll fix this issue soon and have a push draw off the tee be my stock shot.

Same here.

Ironically, finding that chart online is exactly what led me to The Sand Trap. In the absence of good instruction, understanding what needs to be done is essential. How we accomplish that is still the hard part but it's also what makes the game so fun - when you can pull it off anyway.

Good luck, I think you'll get there.

[mcanadiens]

My bruv managed to lose his passport the day before a trip to Mexico. In tearing apart the house I found a bunch of scorecards from my first year playing golf (two years ago). At the time I was stewing over a 97 that I shot on a pretty tame course here in Troy. Looking at the huge numbers on those cards reminded me of how much progress I really have made. It's easy to get caught up in the short-term. You compare the round you shot today with last week's round. You think of trends as being one month long. Sort of not seeing the forest through the trees.

Now that it's cold and crappy for a lot of us, take a look back. It might change your perspective a little.

[Gipper]

My hunting season is over and I am ready for some warmer golfing weather. My wife and I are in the process of moving to Avon In and I am looking forward to trying some new courses.

[RFKFREAK]

My bruv managed to lose his passport the day before a trip to Mexico. In tearing apart the house I found a bunch of scorecards from my first year playing golf (two years ago). At the time I was stewing over a 97 that I shot on a pretty tame course here in Troy. Looking at the huge numbers on those cards reminded me of how much progress I really have made. It's easy to get caught up in the short-term. You compare the round you shot today with last week's round. You think of trends as being one month long. Sort of not seeing the forest through the trees.  Now that it's cold and crappy for a lot of us, take a look back. It might change your perspective a little.

Troy, NY?

[JonMA1]

My hunting season is over and I am ready for some warmer golfing weather. My wife and I are in the process of moving to Avon In and I am looking forward to trying some new courses.

I hope your hunting season went better than mine.

Good luck with the move. I have no idea of what the weather is like in Pittsburgh or in Avon, but a longer golf season would be nice.

[mcanadiens]

Troy, NY?

No. Troy, OH. I have a buddy from around that area if memory serves.

[RFKFREAK]

No. Troy, OH. I have a buddy from around that area if memory serves.

Ahhh. I was going to say I'm always down to meet and golf with folks in the area that are on TST. Just ask @colin007 haha

[colin007]

Ahhh. I was going to say I'm always down to meet and golf with folks in the area that are on TST. Just ask @colin007 haha

Don't do it! @RFKFREAK is super sketchy! Lol!!

[mcanadiens]

We do a bit of that around here as well. Out of the three TSTers I've played, all seem like good dudes.

[RFKFREAK]

We do a bit of that around here as well. Out of the three TSTers I've played, all seem like good dudes.

Yeah, I'm hoping @iacas does another golf weekend next year to meet more folks from TST as I couldn't make it this year.

[iacas]

Yeah, I'm hoping @iacas does another golf weekend next year to meet more folks from TST as I couldn't make it this year.

It is likely, but not necessarily definite… we may just have the Newport Cup in CA. But I can probably do both.