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

[mburton]

oh yeah i definately agree. that used to be a major problem for me, refusing to punch out or take a safe shot.  i was constantly trying to make shots way out of my skill level right now.  it's amazing the difference it makes when you really make an effort to play high percentage shots.

[EZPZ]

It feels wrong and lame to do, but its the right choice. On the course i played the other day, the trees are fairly short so it can kind of trick you into thinking its no biggie to go over a bunch of them if you go wide with your tee shot. The one time i tried it, it backfired. I punched out the other 2 ( maybe it was 3 more) times and stopped the bleeding at bogey on each.

[indykappa]

It feels wrong and lame to do, but its the right choice. On the course i played the other day, the trees are fairly short so it can kind of trick you into thinking its no biggie to go over a bunch of them if you go wide with your tee shot. The one time i tried it, it backfired. I punched out the other 2 ( maybe it was 3 more) times and stopped the bleeding at bogey on each.

Yeah man, my ego has done me in a few times.  Punching out allows you to play from the short grass...and the game is ALWAYS more fun (and easier) from the short grass.

[Gipper]

Yeah man, my ego has done me in a few times.  Punching out allows you to play from the short grass...and the game is ALWAYS more fun (and easier) from the short grass.

Great advice. Punching out has been a huge part of eliminating the blow up holes for me.

[indykappa]

Exactly Gipper!  Here's the way I look at it...I spray a drive into the 240yds down the side of the fairway that rolls into the rough.  I can ATTEMPT a 150yd approach shot, but the truth of the matter is that I may hit a GIR on 1 out of 25 shots (I may be grading a little too harshly, but you get the point).  The reality is that I won't make crisp contact, the ball won't go as far, or as straight.  Heaven forbid I just puke on myself and smack this second shot back across the fairway.  Oh yeah...I forgot about that water hazard that is calling for my ball.  And if I end up in a bunker, that's a whole 'notha ball of wax.  I'm looking a blowup hole squarely in the eyes at this point.

Soooooooo, the smartest thing for me to do is to punch the ball out.  Perhaps I can even punch it out TOWARD the green (assuming I'm not directly behind a tree).  Make a good third shot at the green, and have a fighting shot for a nice chip or long putt.  At this point in my golf game development, bogey golf is great golf (72+18=90)

[isukgolf]

Exactly Gipper!  Here's the way I look at it...I spray a drive into the 240yds down the side of the fairway that rolls into the rough.  I can ATTEMPT a 150yd approach shot, but the truth of the matter is that I may hit a GIR on 1 out of 25 shots (I may be grading a little too harshly, but you get the point).  The reality is that I won't make crisp contact, the ball won't go as far, or as straight.  Heaven forbid I just puke on myself and smack this second shot back across the fairway.  Oh yeah...I forgot about that water hazard that is calling for my ball.  And if I end up in a bunker, that's a whole 'notha ball of wax.  I'm looking a blowup hole squarely in the eyes at this point.

Soooooooo, the smartest thing for me to do is to punch the ball out.  Perhaps I can even punch it out TOWARD the green (assuming I'm not directly behind a tree).  Make a good third shot at the green, and have a fighting shot for a nice chip or long putt.  At this point in my golf game development, bogey golf is great golf (72+18=90)

I agree, but I try to advance the ball as far as I can in a "controlled" fashion ... the above case, it might be a PW, and then a SW in ... rather than shanking a 7i into more trouble ...

[pecos24]

Played league last night and shot a 50.  I had one 8 and 3 6s on the night.  The rest of the holes were bogeys and 1 par.

On the 8 it was my classic 1st hole jitters, I topped my tee shot with my 5 wood, laid up in front of the ditch, then proceeded to top a 6i into the ditch, then my next shot went long and into the pond by the green.  Probably lucky I scored an 8! This seems to be a problem for me when playing a competitive round, I have trouble getting started on that first hole.

One of my issues on the night was I seemed to be hitting my clubs about 10 yds further than usual for the year. That put me in some tough spots as far as long putts/chips on multiple holes.  I think I did pretty well on my decision making, the only one I want back is that I pulled out a fairway wood on one of the par 3s and pulled my approach into a sand trap.  I wish I would have laid up with an iron and pitched onto the green.  Live and learn I guess.

[late347]

-I played excellent front-9 (with stableford of course). I got 20 points in front nine, and 13 points on back nine.

-sadly I lost focus on the back-9. Honestly I felt really tired at the end of back-9 holes, maybe a little bit dehydrated / not much energy.  It was a hot day for sure!

- I was trying out the so-called mike austin swing style at the golf course for the first time.

-I made my first birdie since restarting golf last season. It was a good tee shot with 105meter 52deg wedge. Followed by dead straight but medium distance birdie putt. Sank the putt for the birdie.

-course rating / slope was 67,2 / 130

-powerful iron shots kept me in the game, and helped me a lot. Wedge shots were also ok (full swing).

-many chip shots were duffed sadly costing me a few holes, also failure to get out of bunker on one hole.

-putting was normal level, 3- putt is expected for me, 2-putt is good result for me of course, but rarely happens. Even more rare is 1-putt !

-proximity to the hole could be better of course, with chip shots especially, and wedge shots accuracy needs to be practiced more, to get cloesr to the hole)

-driver penalty strokes costed me two holes if I remember correctly.

-I played 12 holes quite well receiving points from them. But, 6 holes were zero points for me.

[Gipper]

I played very poorly tonight but was able to manage a 51. I had multiple list balls but was able to recover on most of them decently. I had two birdie putts of about 10-12 feet but I missed both of them. Still chasing my first birdie.

[isukgolf]

I played very poorly tonight but was able to manage a 51. I had multiple list balls but was able to recover on most of them decently. I had two birdie putts of about 10-12 feet but I missed both of them. Still chasing my first birdie.

@Gipper you are close! I am headed out for 18 tomorrow here in Phx ...

[RFKFREAK]

Swing change has me hitting the ball with a closed face resulting in almost all my shots going left of where I'm aiming. That said, after a really rough start on the first four holes where I put up a double bogey, a triple bogey, and two quad bogeys, I finished the last five holes with two pars, two bogeys, and a double bogey so only four over on the last five holes. An interesting 53 on 9 holes to say the least. Have to stop hitting the ball with a closed face, though, before I see lower scores.

[late347]

I played very poorly tonight but was able to manage a 51. I had multiple list balls but was able to recover on most of them decently. I had two birdie putts of about 10-12 feet but I missed both of them. Still chasing my first birdie.

you gotta be able to hit straight putts, in my opinion, if the situation calls for them. Were those difficult putts with lot of slope or how were they?

I have had birdie putt opportunities within makeable distance, but I think poor contact with putter sweetspot (not straight putt) was the cause for miss. So, I''ve made pars and bogeys thusfar. With that one birdie newly made that I talked about.

If the putt is straight, no lag no slope in any way, only a straight putt can go in the hole. I think dedicated putting practice can be helpful, focusing on the putting speed and clean contact with putter sweetspot

[Gipper]

Both were down hill with break putts but my effort could have been better on both.  I am spending an hour a week on putting and that is helping but I still struggle with my take back.  Over all my putting has improved greatly but I have a ways to go to be consistent.

[PJCdude]

For the third time in my short career I shot 100 on the nose and like the times before it was 50-50 on each 9. 36 putts, 2 GIR, 3 Pars, 3 penalty strokes. I chipped in from about 30 yds away over a bunker with my brand new Cleveland 58* wedge (holed one on the practice green before the round too....love this club) Going into the last 2 holes it looked like I was finished. 93 with a Par 3 and a long dogleg Par 4. Hit the middle of the green and 2 putt on the par 3. Sweet, Birdie for a 99. I've only gotten 4 birdies in my life (all on Par 3s) so this should be easy. Hit my best drive of the day. Approach comes up about 20 yds short. I say "well I guess if I pitch in again I break 100." Ball lands 5 ft from hole and I tap in for Par

[isukgolf]

For the third time in my short career I shot 100 on the nose and like the times before it was 50-50 on each 9. 36 putts, 2 GIR, 3 Pars, 3 penalty strokes. I chipped in from about 30 yds away over a bunker with my brand new Cleveland 58* wedge (holed one on the practice green before the round too....love this club) Going into the last 2 holes it looked like I was finished. 93 with a Par 3 and a long dogleg Par 4. Hit the middle of the green and 2 putt on the par 3. Sweet, Birdie for a 99. I've only gotten 4 birdies in my life (all on Par 3s) so this should be easy. Hit my best drive of the day. Approach comes up about 20 yds short. I say "well I guess if I pitch in again I break 100." Ball lands 5 ft from hole and I tap in for Par

Sweetness!

[Moppy]

I shot a 54 on Thursday, best 9 ever. I am in on this thread now. I had a lesson last week that help with my slice a lot. The first bucket after the lesson I hit pretty good, mostly straight or a slight draw, but not very  long. The second bucket I was hitting much longer and better than any I had ever hit in my life, then about halfway through, I started swinging harder, hit a couple great shots, then it fell apart almost completely. Now if I swing easy, I can hit one with a slight fade about 150 yds, but it will almost always go where I point it. Any harder than that and it pop flies or sometimes even slices :^ (

So I took it to the course and since it is a short course, the distance wasn't a huge problem, but I am sure that if I got back that first post lesson form, I would get a lot of birdie opportunities. Anyway, the first hole my drive was short but in the middle of the fairway, and my approach shot was the right length, but went seriously left, pitched on the green and lipped out the par put, but I was very happy with the bogey.  This is the only hole I have ever parred that wasn't a 3.

The second hole I hit a lousy tee shot, 140 yds and in the rough to the right :^O  Hopes are starting to fade but I hit a great 3 wood shot out of the rough and got close, pitched to within ten inches of the hole, tap in par!

This is the best two holes I have ever put together.

Then it was double bogey, due to a very bad 3-wood, shot, which turned out to be the common thread of all my troubles. Then triple bogey, recovered for a bogey, par on the 3 despite a crap tee shot that was short and right(I got up and down a few times), then a quad on a par five due to playing field hockey instead of golf on my way to the hole, with my three wood.  Another lousy three wood shot.  Why I just didn't put that club in the bag and stick to the 4 hybrid, is a mystery, except when I hit it good, it is great. Stopped the bleeding at this point, except took a penalty when I hit the 3 wood into the weeds.

Anyway, I have finally gotten to the point where I can expect a bogey on a hole, even with one bad shot, as long as there is no penalty  involved. Two bad shots and forget it, no terrible shots and I am looking at par, or at least bogey. So from now on it is strict score keeping and 49 or 99 is my goal.

I have a lesson scheduled for today, and I am going to do a refresher on driving, and talk about the three wood.  The rest of my clubs are good enough to break 100, I think. I three putted once, one putted three times (tap in, 4 footer, and 12 footer with significant break). The greens are small on this course compared to what you see on TV. Pitched onto the green a few times better than I ever have, which is really what has gotten me thinking I can break 100.

[Bridge]

I started playing golf last year at the age of 51 and play the game of golf for the enjoyment of the game, I don't keep score. It's about being outside and enjoying the experience. Went golfing yesterday, on a whim I kept score.  Played okay for me, when all was said and done added up the numbers = 104 for a par 72.

Now I'm on a mission! The score was with two 9's, one 8 and included 3 penalty strokes.

I'm on vacation next week, time to have at it

[Gipper]

I shot a 54 on Thursday, best 9 ever. I am in on this thread now. I had a lesson last week that help with my slice a lot. The first bucket after the lesson I hit pretty good, mostly straight or a slight draw, but not very  long. The second bucket I was hitting much longer and better than any I had ever hit in my life, then about halfway through, I started swinging harder, hit a couple great shots, then it fell apart almost completely. Now if I swing easy, I can hit one with a slight fade about 150 yds, but it will almost always go where I point it. Any harder than that and it pop flies or sometimes even slices :^ ( So I took it to the course and since it is a short course, the distance wasn't a huge problem, but I am sure that if I got back that first post lesson form, I would get a lot of birdie opportunities. Anyway, the first hole my drive was short but in the middle of the fairway, and my approach shot was the right length, but went seriously left, pitched on the green and lipped out the par put, but I was very happy with the bogey.  This is the only hole I have ever parred that wasn't a 3. The second hole I hit a lousy tee shot, 140 yds and in the rough to the right :^O  Hopes are starting to fade but I hit a great 3 wood shot out of the rough and got close, pitched to within ten inches of the hole, tap in par! This is the best two holes I have ever put together. Then it was double bogey, due to a very bad 3-wood, shot, which turned out to be the common thread of all my troubles. Then triple bogey, recovered for a bogey, par on the 3 despite a crap tee shot that was short and right(I got up and down a few times), then a quad on a par five due to playing field hockey instead of golf on my way to the hole, with my three wood.  Another lousy three wood shot.  Why I just didn't put that club in the bag and stick to the 4 hybrid, is a mystery, except when I hit it good, it is great. Stopped the bleeding at this point, except took a penalty when I hit the 3 wood into the weeds.  Anyway, I have finally gotten to the point where I can expect a bogey on a hole, even with one bad shot, as long as there is no penalty  involved. Two bad shots and forget it, no terrible shots and I am looking at par, or at least bogey. So from now on it is strict score keeping and 49 or 99 is my goal. I have a lesson scheduled for today, and I am going to do a refresher on driving, and talk about the three wood.  The rest of my clubs are good enough to break 100, I think. I three putted once, one putted three times (tap in, 4 footer, and 12 footer with significant break). The greens are small on this course compared to what you see on TV. Pitched onto the green a few times better than I ever have, which is really what has gotten me thinking I can break 100.

Good work, congrats!