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

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonMA1

Don't know that I could break 100 with just my irons but I don't think it's ego that's kept me from trying.

Yeah man, I feel your pain. And apologies. I didn't mean to imply that I actually thought that ego was the reason people can't break 100.

It wasn't clear from my comment (was having trouble quoting a post on my phone), but my "ego" comment was meant to be a tongue in cheek response to other posts saying that one could relatively easily break 90 just by sticking to playing with irons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by golf-noob-bruce

Yeah man, I feel your pain. And apologies. I didn't mean to imply that I actually thought that ego was the reason people can't break 100.

It wasn't clear from my comment (was having trouble quoting a post on my phone), but my "ego" comment was meant to be a tongue in cheek response to other posts saying that one could relatively easily break 90 just by sticking to playing with irons.

No, I didn't take it as anything negative.

I understood your point and I completely agree. If breaking 100 were as easy as changing clubs, this thread wouldn't exist.

There seems to be a lot of folks who play far better with their irons than their driver and woods. I'm just not one of them (I suck at both). My point was that if I was, I'd still prefer to sacrifice lower scores now in order to improve with the clubs that might provide better scores in the next couple of years. That's the plan anyway.

Not trying to put a damper on your commiseration, but once you guys gain some full swing keys I can almost guarantee that you will shoot through the 100 barrier.

[JonMA1]

Not trying to put a damper on your commiseration, but once you guys gain some full swing keys I can almost guarantee that you will shoot through the 100 barrier.

That's what I like about you Lihu - always the optimist. Thanks, those types of comments really are encouraging.

I agree. Everyone in this thread who puts in the effort will eventually work their way to lower scores.

[RFKFREAK]

Fairly simple answer to that.Bad ball striking,mental errors and bad putting.You have to make decent contact with ball by advancing it forward and not sideways or chunking shots.Cant be 3 putting and trying things you shouldn't.If you are getting the ball within 10-20 yards of green on your approach shotys then 90 shouldn't be too much trouble.

I know for me it's definitely a combination of bad ball striking and the mental game. I would say in probably 90% of my rounds I either top a wood/hybrid. Then there's also the fact because I don't have a good, repeatable, consistent swing, I don't have my distances locked down. On more than one occasion I have accidentally made good contact on the sweet spot and the balls gone over the green. Then you add in the numerous amounts of time I duff a chip or pitch shot and don't get it on the green. And then of course there are the penalty strokes whether off the tee or on approach shots. Inconsistent contact are definitely a contributor to bringing my scores up. On the mental side, when I am in the process of putting up a big number on a hole, I have to fight myself from trying a hero shot. If I don't, then way more often than not, a big number becomes a huge number and then I have to combat, "woe is me syndrome," because otherwise it'll snowball into a monstrous round.

[RFKFREAK]

Not trying to put a damper on your commiseration, but once you guys gain some full swing keys I can almost guarantee that you will shoot through the 100 barrier.

Considering I've only broken 100 five times in two years of playing, I'm sincerely hoping so!

[straightslice]

Is there an official break 90 thread?  I don't see one on my search?  I can break 100 but not every round.  Looking for the next thread.

[Lihu]

Is there an official break 90 thread?  I don't see one on my search?  I can break 100 but not every round.  Looking for the next thread.

The bogey golfer thread, of course! ;-) Start posting there! :-)

[straightslice]

I was searching for "Break 90".  I knew I was doing something wrong.

[ChrisPietersen]

Finally found the thread I was looking for! :-D I've been sitting around 110 for 6-7 rounds or so, but I'm looking to break the 100 soon! :-)

[RFKFREAK]

Finally found the thread I was looking for! :-D I've been sitting around 110 for 6-7 rounds or so, but I'm looking to break the 100 soon! :-)

Good luck! I remember the first time I did it. It really is a satisfying feeling!

[mcanadiens]

To my experience, hitting a 7-iron is actually less reliable than a wood or driver. Popular opinion seems to suggest that driver and 3W are the toughest clubs to hit. For me, the 3W is often the only club I hit well.

Based on the past couple of weekends, I back into bad. A 94 on a really short course on Friday and then a flippin 104 on Sunday. I thought I'd made some progress this year with a handful of rounds in the upper 80's. That seems like ages ago now.

[ChrisPietersen]

Not such a good start to my journey. Played 2 rounds in 3 days. Scored 123 and 117, not near close to my best (109). At least my back 9 today was only 56 (Best of 51). My tee shots are killing me. Wicked hooks with my hybrid (usual tee club). I tried teeing off with different irons, but I get bad shanks! Only hit 1 FIR on the front 9. Luckily I tried to compensate for the hook, Changed to my 3 wood off the tee, and lined up to the right. Hit 4 FIRs on the back 9, 2 of which were HUGE push draws that ended up straight. I also feel that my iron play on the fairway has some trouble. Been hitting mostly bad hooks or shanks. Don't really know where to change. I believe I'm lacking on the mental side of the game. Before I play, I know exactly what I need to do when I get in certain spots, but when I get there I either mess up the shot with a shank or I hit it thin/fat. And this happens because I stress myself out before the shot. One positive to take away from it all. My putting is improving. From ±40 per round I've got down to 31, 34 and 34 in the past 3 rounds! Any advice would be much appreciated!

[Lomax]

Hi all,

Definitely the thread for me here. Have played the odd casual round or three each year over the past 5 years or so, but have taken it more seriously this year - managed to fit in around 15 or so rounds this year and progressed from the 130's(!) to around 110 the last couple of times out. My putting and irons have improved considerably since the start of the year, have backed away from using the driver as much but still getting the blow up holes - particularly in the middle 6.

Got a couple of lessons to improve my swing mechanics, have a voucher for three more in the new year and have spent a lot of time reading these boards and watching YouTube to find tips to try and improve my consistency. I've recently joined a club that's 15 minutes from my house which has golf throughout the winter, and invested in some decent Mizuno improver irons so really looking to break 100 in fairly short order.

Best to be specific, have a time limit and write the goal down somewhere, so: My goal is to break 100 (with no gimme's or mulligans) on my home course by end of April 2015.

[mcanadiens]

Not such a good start to my journey. Played 2 rounds in 3 days. Scored 123 and 117, not near close to my best (109). At least my back 9 today was only 56 (Best of 51).

My tee shots are killing me. Wicked hooks with my hybrid (usual tee club). I tried teeing off with different irons, but I get bad shanks! Only hit 1 FIR on the front 9. Luckily I tried to compensate for the hook, Changed to my 3 wood off the tee, and lined up to the right. Hit 4 FIRs on the back 9, 2 of which were HUGE push draws that ended up straight.

I also feel that my iron play on the fairway has some trouble. Been hitting mostly bad hooks or shanks. Don't really know where to change.

I believe I'm lacking on the mental side of the game. Before I play, I know exactly what I need to do when I get in certain spots, but when I get there I either mess up the shot with a shank or I hit it thin/fat. And this happens because I stress myself out before the shot.

One positive to take away from it all. My putting is improving. From ±40 per round I've got down to 31, 34 and 34 in the past 3 rounds!

Any advice would be much appreciated!

If that's your first few rounds ever, that's not that bad. Many people start a lot rougher than that, myself included.

There's a ton of golf advice out there and I'm not qualified to give any, but I'd say that patience is the biggest key. It doesn't happen overnight. Some people seem to expect instant gratification in everything. Golf just doesn't work that way for most of us.

[ChrisPietersen]

If that's your first few rounds ever, that's not that bad. Many people start a lot rougher than that, myself included. There's a ton of golf advice out there and I'm not qualified to give any, but I'd say that patience is the biggest key. It doesn't happen overnight. Some people seem to expect instant gratification in everything. Golf just doesn't work that way for most of us.

Well, I've played about 14 rounds of golf (9 hole rounds included) since I've started. So I have been at it quite a bit now. But only the last 4-5 have been serious, no mulligans or gimmes. This is probably why I dipped down a bit too.

[mcanadiens]

Well, I've played about 14 rounds of golf (9 hole rounds included) since I've started. So I have been at it quite a bit now. But only the last 4-5 have been serious, no mulligans or gimmes. This is probably why I dipped down a bit too.

Sorry, misunderstood your first post. Still nothing to hang your head about.

I've been at it for 2 1/2 years, and only started counting all the strokes this past year. It was hard to look at some of those scorecards that included all the penalties. It was even harder when some of the guys I play with were still hitting multiple tee shots, fluffing lies, taking dodgy drops and talking about how they beat me. So I know how that goes.

[ChrisPietersen]

Sorry, misunderstood your first post. Still nothing to hang your head about. I've been at it for 2 1/2 years, and only started counting all the strokes this past year. It was hard to look at some of those scorecards that included all the penalties. It was even harder when some of the guys I play with were still hitting multiple tee shots, fluffing lies, taking dodgy drops and talking about how they beat me. So I know how that goes.

I believe it is taking a step in the right direction. Playing honestly lets you know where you really stand. Now I can only improve! What are you shooting now?

[mcanadiens]

Really I'm all over the place and it depends heavily on the course.

I've had a handful of scores between 85-90 on the easier courses in my area and as bad as 105 on the more difficult. I guess it would average into a 95 or 96. This year, I'll get the handicap going and have a little more precision on these kind of numbers.

[RFKFREAK]

Not such a good start to my journey. Played 2 rounds in 3 days. Scored 123 and 117, not near close to my best (109). At least my back 9 today was only 56 (Best of 51).

My tee shots are killing me. Wicked hooks with my hybrid (usual tee club). I tried teeing off with different irons, but I get bad shanks! Only hit 1 FIR on the front 9. Luckily I tried to compensate for the hook, Changed to my 3 wood off the tee, and lined up to the right. Hit 4 FIRs on the back 9, 2 of which were HUGE push draws that ended up straight.

I also feel that my iron play on the fairway has some trouble. Been hitting mostly bad hooks or shanks. Don't really know where to change.

I believe I'm lacking on the mental side of the game. Before I play, I know exactly what I need to do when I get in certain spots, but when I get there I either mess up the shot with a shank or I hit it thin/fat. And this happens because I stress myself out before the shot.

One positive to take away from it all. My putting is improving. From ±40 per round I've got down to 31, 34 and 34 in the past 3 rounds!

Any advice would be much appreciated!

If you haven't already done so, I would start a my swing thread in this forum (http://thesandtrap.com/f/4180/member-swings) and I'm sure someone with some knowledge will help out.