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

[oudrees]

I finally did it, I went 48/44 for a 92 today. I left my driver and woods in the bag and went 5i or 4i off the tee. I didn't lose a single ball and had 1 bad tee shot that ended up with a triple because I tried making it up in one swing. If I could get the short game figured out, I would of been in the low to mid 80's

[shooter]

5 iron off the tee. On par 4s. You tha man.

[oudrees]

Well due to my handicap, I get to play from the white tees with my Saturday group.  The course was 5513 yards today from the white.  My distance should have me further back, but I am maxed out on strokes on the white so moving back wouldn't gain me anything.  I was hitting my 4 iron 220-230 off the tee, so I it was leaving me decent distance in from there.  Normally my big problem is losing balls off the tee and being greedy on shots.  I tried to play smarter today.

[Judah Ben-Hur]

Congrants on the 91 and the hole in one!  That is great!

We'll get this game figured out one way or another.

Well due to my handicap, I get to play from the white tees with my Saturday group.  The course was 5513 yards today from the white.  My distance should have me further back, but I am maxed out on strokes on the white so moving back wouldn't gain me anything.  I was hitting my 4 iron 220-230 off the tee, so I it was leaving me decent distance in from there.  Normally my big problem is losing balls off the tee and being greedy on shots.  I tried to play smarter today.

Congrats on the 92!!!!

I'd be happy getting my driver out to 220-230 on a consistent basis. Right know my 5 is the lowest iron in the bag and then it skips the 4i/4h and goes to a 3 hybrid.  I should swap the 3h for a 4h but haven't for unknown reasons.  I'm sure it would be easier to hit and probably would go just as far with my swing.  Lately the 3 hybrid has been going for a ride because I seem to be grabbing the 5w or possibly 3w if I'm feeling frisky.   I don't need to hit them a mile, just as long as they are reasonable and somewhat straight then I can go from there.

[shooter]

Sounds like you know your game. Ever try to game a hybrid. Same swing as the 4 irons boat loads more distance+forgiveness

[oudrees]

I have a 4 hybrid. I was hitting my 4 iron further and with more control today so I stuck with it. On Tuesday I managed to put my hybrid OB twice off the tee so I bagged it today too. It was an experiment today to see what would happen. To get low 80's, I'll eventually have to bring the driver back into play but for the courses and tees I'm playing now I think I could get to an 85 without it.

[stealthhwk]

Hey guys, sorry for being late to the party but this is a great thread. I love the fact everybody is supporting each other. Breaking 100 is such an accomplishment. Dont let anyone tell u otherwise. Ive broken 100 a bunch and 90 a few times and my advice is two fold. 1: play the right tees, which is the first set you see behind the ladies tees on most courses. 2) do what i did; google plugged in golf how to break 100. They have one thats great for breaking 90 too that u should read. It blew my mind so much that the 2nd time i did it i broke 90. Its a simple plan and you dont have to hit it far, u just have to be disciplined. Good luck.

[Sante TwoGloves]

Been shooting between 46 and 53 all year no matter what clubs I take. I've been playing every two weeks with a different set of clubs each time and today was no different. My new set of old irons were awesome. Struggled off the tee again and shot 52.

[Silent]

YES, I did it! Shot 99 (!) today at a club unfamiliar for me. Started very good at the front nine, got it in 47 shots including 3 PARs. The back nine the first four holes I continued at a good level, but after that I lost it and played a few very bad holes. In the end the 52 was just enough, and I saved my score with a nice bogey at the 18th (par 4 including water in play). Very happy :-)

[pecos24]

YES, I did it! Shot 99 (!) today at a club unfamiliar for me.

Started very good at the front nine, got it in 47 shots including 3 PARs. The back nine the first four holes I continued at a good level, but after that I lost it and played a few very bad holes. In the end the 52 was just enough, and I saved my score with a nice bogey at the 18th (par 4 including water in play). Very happy

Congrats @Silent

[ChrisPietersen]

I also finally made the break two days ago! Played my first round in 2 months and scored a 98 (51/47)! Was a great day, 10 bogies and 1 Par, with nothing worse than triple! Did miss a 5 foot birdie putt though, but I'm still very chuffed. Was also my first round with my new-to-me MX15s, and they played like a charm! Hoping to play under 47 on 9 holes on Saturday before leaving for university again. Then it'll be a long wait till Mid-November before I get another round in!

[JonMA1]

Congrats @ChrisPietersen !

What you said about not having any blowup holes ("nothing worse than a triple") seems to be the key for breaking 100 - at least for me.

Good luck Saturday, but don't get too discouraged if you happen to miss the mark a bit.

[JonMA1]

YES, I did it! Shot 99 (!) today at a club unfamiliar for me.

Started very good at the front nine, got it in 47 shots including 3 PARs. The back nine the first four holes I continued at a good level, but after that I lost it and played a few very bad holes. In the end the 52 was just enough, and I saved my score with a nice bogey at the 18th (par 4 including water in play). Very happy

[pecos24]

Good luck Saturday, but don't get too discouraged if you happen to miss the mark a bit.

Good advice.

I shot a 95 not too long ago but the closest I have been since is 101.  A little discouraging but overall my average score has been trending down.

[JonMA1]

I played today using nothing but irons with a few exceptions and shot a 98 (49/49). The four times I did pull the driver (3x) and 3 wood (once) resulted in poor shots. This isn't the best round I've had with my irons, but it wasn't bad. I hit a lot of greens with longs, mids and wedges. Unfortunately, my putting turned par chances into bogeys.

Had some really weird results with the long irons - specifically the 4i. Most of the time, I had decent contact, distance and direction. But then I'd duff one, and follow that up by hitting a green from over 150 yards (once at 180+ from a crappy lie, and another from 160 to a tight green).

Mid irons, short irons, and wedges were pretty solid. I no longer take full swings from within 125 yards. Instead, I keep weight on my front foot throughout the backswing and downswing. The distance I have determines how much backswing I take. It's kind of a weird setup, but there's nothing like busting out the pitch mark tool and putter after hitting an approach shot.

While it's always nice to break 100, it bothers me that my fairway woods play has gone to hell. They used to be so easy to use - almost automatic. I'll get them dialed in at the range, but have no confidence with them on the course.

[ChrisPietersen]

What you said about not having any blowup holes ("nothing worse than a triple") seems to be the key for breaking 100 - at least for me.

This is very true. I believe for guys at our level it is important to learn how to use damage control to avoid blow up holes. We don't necessarily have to play it safe, but rather play it smart. Realising what your strengths and weaknesses are on the day and taking calculated risks with that in mind could be the key to get the best possible score out of yourself that day. For example, in my last round it was quite clear to me on the first few holes that my iron play was saving me some strokes, but my short game was kicking me (causing my triples on the 5th and 8th). Come the second 9 I knew what I had to do to lower my score. I didn't hesitate to try a bit of a risky shot with my irons, as I knew I could pull it off, but still always taking the shot which had the safest alternative outcome if I had a miss hit. I'm probably not one to give advice, as I'm still new to golf myself, but I'm just dishing out what my common sense has to offer!

[oudrees]

I'm figuring out that smart thing slowly. On my last round I shot a 92, along with not losing a ball off the tee I played smarter iron shots. On a par 5, instead of trying to hit it 180 over water out of thick rough, I layed up and bogied. Normally I would of gone for it, into the water and maybe tried again.

[JonMA1]

This is very true.

I believe for guys at our level it is important to learn how to use damage control to avoid blow up holes.

We don't necessarily have to play it safe, but rather play it smart.

Realising what your strengths and weaknesses are on the day and taking calculated risks with that in mind could be the key to get the best possible score out of yourself that day.

For example, in my last round it was quite clear to me on the first few holes that my iron play was saving me some strokes, but my short game was kicking me (causing my triples on the 5th and 8th). Come the second 9 I knew what I had to do to lower my score. I didn't hesitate to try a bit of a risky shot with my irons, as I knew I could pull it off, but still always taking the shot which had the safest alternative outcome if I had a miss hit.

I'm probably not one to give advice, as I'm still new to golf myself, but I'm just dishing out what my common sense has to offer!

I think on this thread especially, any kind of discussion is valuable. I can certainly relate to everything you posted here^^^^, especially the bolded text.

I'm figuring out that smart thing slowly. On my last round I shot a 92, along with not losing a ball off the tee I played smarter iron shots. On a par 5, instead of trying to hit it 180 over water out of thick rough, I layed up and bogied. Normally I would of gone for it, into the water and maybe tried again.

With my average score, I don't have a problem playing for bogey when the situation arises... a poor shot, longer par 4 or difficult hole, crappy lie, etc. I think knowing your limitations and strengths really plays into my decisions. Also, asking the question "can I live with the consequences?" matters as well.

Not that I'm trying to plug the book, but I bought Lowest Score Wins last year and it really helped with playing a bit smarter. Even though some of the book may be for more advanced players who are consistent with their shot patterns, I think most of it is useful for high cappers like us. There's a section dedicated towards "decision mapping". For me, it removes the emotional decision-making such as playing too aggressively or too conservatively, and helps you decide what to do based on logic.  Of course, what @ChrisPietersen stated about feeling better from one day to another factors in as well.