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

[Swungover]

Despite a driver that came and went today, I was able to scramble enough to get on the GIR or nGIR for a 48. Yesterday was a pitiful struggle with long irons for a 58, but drove like a champ. Day before that was a 48 on a new to me course. Let's see what tomorrow brings...

[Hiway1tele]

It was cooler than anticipated, so I played my regular course..another lousy day of crap swings with long clubs..left pulls, left pull hooks, I should have just walked off after a few holes and went home..Played a +12 on the front side...and a +8 on the back side...Par is 72, so I took home a 92...no thanks to my sh%t of a swing...fortunately my decent short game save many Bogeys and a few pars...

[bweiss711]

New to the forums, and this looks like the topic for me.  I've been playing on and off since high school (15 years ago now... yikes), but started to take the game more seriously last summer.  

I have shot under 50 for 9 holes plenty of times... 44 is my best for 9 holes, but 18 holes is just enough to get me into trouble with one or two extra disasters to keep me from breaking 100.

For me, I know there are two areas I need to improve.  One is off the tee, and the other is touch around the greens.  My irons in between are good enough, I believe. The disasters happen when I'm wild off the tee, and then fumble away extra shots around the green on the same hole.

I've been practicing a lot lately on my full swings using wiffle balls in my back yard.  Been reading Ben Hogan's 5 lessons and mostly been focusing on my grip and address thus far.  Seems to be working a little bit and have been eliminating the total mishits.

My last couple rounds have been a 109 (55,54) on 18, 53 on 9 holes, and this morning i shot a 49 for 9 holes.  This mornings round was probably the best as far as having no total mishits on full swings.  But my biggest problem was accuracy.  My long irons went slightly to the right off the club face, and then also had a slight fade.  For example, i had one 4 iron shot from 210 out that ended up basically pin high, but about 10 yards off the green to the right.  It started a little right, and then faded further away, but not in a crazy extreme manner. Its something I need to figure out and correct.  Also, my wedges were really short, and also to the right.  Not sure if the two issues are related, but i'm hoping to figure it out.

Playing 18 holes this Saturday, and am hoping its the day I finally break through 100.

[Dornenglanz]

Hit 50 today! .... on a minuscule par 3 9 holer... :D

Long way to go.  Two bogies, three double bogies, and the rest 6 and 7.  A few putting mistakes (mostly putted in 2 but in 3 twice).  The rest were thinned chips or pitches that went far too far.

[Tod]

Since my last update, I think all but one round has been in the 90s, including a 95 and 96 this week. Things are finally starting to come together with a little a less chaos in a round. My handicap is now down to 22.2 and trending to 21.1 based on this week. 

Sometimes I play a hole like I actually know what I am doing.

[bweiss711]

Took a couple steps back yesterday.  After shooting a 49 over nine holes earlier in the week with no mishits only accuracy issues, I shot a 114 (56, 58) on Saturday.  Really disappointing from the standpoint of having at least 8 total mishits.  A couple shots were pulled on the ground off the heel of the driver, a few iron shots were just shanked almost 45 degrees to the right off the club face.  I haven't had these issues with this frequency all summer, but they popped up yesterday.  I know I have to work a lot on my physical swing, but the problem yesterday was just as much mental.  Not being able to slow myself back down, and get back to the fundamentals of how my swing had improved prior to yesterday.  

There was some positive though.  Only 34 putts, and my short game was pretty decent.  Got out of a bunch of traps, and my chips/pitches from 50 yards in left me with make-able putts.

From here, its just back to the basics and slowing myself down.  Much of my issues stem from overswinging, especially when my mechanics are off whack.

Edited July 24, 2016 by bweiss711

[Dornenglanz]

I've noticed that if I mishit one, I often mishit the next two or three.  I agree that this is partly mental.  Today I traced it to tension in my hands.  Having hit a bad one, and moved a few feet down, I found that I was gripping the club very tightly.  Consciously relaxing that grip made a big difference... the image I have is that of holding a small animal: you want to be holding it firmly enough that it won't escape, but not so firmly that you squash it.

[RFKFREAK]

Golf's taken a back seat this season thus far and, as a result, in 18 rounds, I've only broken 100 twice.  

I suppose those results aren't too surprising given I haven't been able to play or practice much.

[Swungover]

Shot a 49 and 45 for a 94 today. Combination of new clubs and better ball striking did it. Made some fundamental changes to my longer iron play in the fairway. My short game is decent as is, and driving is OK, too. We'll see what tomorrow brings on another course.

[dave s]

Gents,

I'm no scratch golfer, but think some the info below that has helped me over the past few seasons can help those hovering right around the century mark shave enough strokes to consistently keep scores in double digits.

1. Issue: Part 3 scoring.  Three seasons ago I recorded scores on every par 3 played for an entire season.  Scoring average was an abysmal 4.4 strokes.  that's about 6 shots thrown away over 18 holes.  Remedy:  Lots of range work hitting balls off short tees with 8-iron through #5 hybrid.  Yardage ranges 130-170.  I can usually hit a green with a 9i or wedge most of the time.  Anything 170+ on a par-3, I'll gladly take bogey on the card and move on.  Results:  Scoring average 3.5 strokes at worst last season and probably a tad lower this season.

2. Issue: No 'long-game' on par 5 second shots and long par 4s 375 and longer. Looked over par 5 and 4 scoring and it was pretty bad as well.  Most of my woes were caused by an inability to hit a long club consistently solid and eat up 180-200 yards when I needed them to get into 'scoring range.'  Remedy: Added a 7-wood to my bag and ditched the long 3 and 4 hybrids.  Just a much easier club to hit, IMO. Result: Reduced par 5 hole scoring to < 6 shot average; make pars regularly; occasional birdie; still make bogies but doubles and 'others' on par-5s are extremely rare anymore.

3. Issue:  I can miss greens with the best of them.  When I do, getting up and down from anywhere in 3 or fewer strokes is the goal.  Remedy:  I take 3 balls to a local course practice green.  I'll use my 58* SW and PW mostly to hit short-side shots with the 58 and take on shots that require pitch-and-run rollout with the PW to get close to the hole.  If I don't get up and down in 3 shots, I lose a ball.  I record how many 'holes' I can play before losing all 3 balls.  Sometimes I play for 90 minutes until I lose all three. If I hole a chip or pitch, I get a ball back!

4.  Issue:  Not making what I call 'makeable' putts during a round.  I consider anything 5 feet and closer a makeable putt.  If you count up the number of those putts you miss during an 18-hole round, it's probably 3-5.  Those simply HAVE to go in for you.  Remedy:  Before I tee off each round, I take two balls to a hole on the practice green and hit both balls from 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock positions around the hole from 2 feet, then 3 then 5 feet.  Takes about 5 minutes.  I usually don't miss a single putt until I hit the 5 foot range.  Since I'm hitting 2 balls from 4 positions, that's 8 chances to make the 5-footers.  I might miss one or two.  Result:  I usually miss one makeable putt during an 18 hole round.  If I miss 2, I'm not happy.  Missing 3 would be a horrible putting day for me.

5. You drive up to the left side of a tee box that has OB right.  Walk as FAR TO THE RIGHT of the teeing area as you can, tee your ball and hit AWAY from the OB right.  Driving a ball into the left rough laying ONE is much preferable to teeing up another and laying 3.

6. Read an interesting 'strategy tip' in golf digest.  240 to the hole?  Split the difference and hit two shots.  What club can you hit consistently 120 yards?  9-iron or wedge?  Put AWAY the 3-wood, pull your short iron and hit it twice. Trust me when I tell you, I'd rather have a bogey on the card using a short iron twice than scrambling to make double or worse hitting myself into trouble with a 3-wood MOST of the time.

Understanding where I was losing strokes allowed me to focus on areas of practice that would help gain back those strokes being needlessly thrown away every round.  I still do stupid things that lead to the occasional blow-up hole.  But by-and-large, working on deficiencies in my game means I'm playing to low- to mid-80s most of the time now.

Hope this helps someone break 100 more consistently this season.

dave

[RFKFREAK]

3 minutes ago, dave s said:

Gents,

I'm no scratch golfer, but think some the info below that has helped me over the past few seasons can help those hovering right around the century mark shave enough strokes to consistently keep scores in double digits.

1. Issue: Part 3 scoring.  Three seasons ago I recorded scores on every par 3 played for an entire season.  Scoring average was an abysmal 4.4 strokes.  that's about 6 shots thrown away over 18 holes.  Remedy:  Lots of range work hitting balls off short tees with 8-iron through #5 hybrid.  Yardage ranges 130-170.  I can usually hit a green with a 9i or wedge most of the time.  Anything 170+ on a par-3, I'll gladly take bogey on the card and move on.  Results:  Scoring average 3.5 strokes at worst last season and probably a tad lower this season.

2. Issue: No 'long-game' on par 5 second shots and long par 4s 375 and longer. Looked over par 5 and 4 scoring and it was pretty bad as well.  Most of my woes were caused by an inability to hit a long club consistently solid and eat up 180-200 yards when I needed them to get into 'scoring range.'  Remedy: Added a 7-wood to my bag and ditched the long 3 and 4 hybrids.  Just a much easier club to hit, IMO. Result: Reduced par 5 hole scoring to < 6 shot average; make pars regularly; occasional birdie; still make bogies but doubles and 'others' on par-5s are extremely rare anymore.

3. Issue:  I can miss greens with the best of them.  When I do, getting up and down from anywhere in 3 or fewer strokes is the goal.  Remedy:  I take 3 balls to a local course practice green.  I'll use my 58* SW and PW mostly to hit short-side shots with the 58 and take on shots that require pitch-and-run rollout with the PW to get close to the hole.  If I don't get up and down in 3 shots, I lose a ball.  I record how many 'holes' I can play before losing all 3 balls.  Sometimes I play for 90 minutes until I lose all three. If I hole a chip or pitch, I get a ball back!

4.  Issue:  Not making what I call 'makeable' putts during a round.  I consider anything 5 feet and closer a makeable putt.  If you count up the number of those putts you miss during an 18-hole round, it's probably 3-5.  Those simply HAVE to go in for you.  Remedy:  Before I tee off each round, I take two balls to a hole on the practice green and hit both balls from 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock positions around the hole from 2 feet, then 3 then 5 feet.  Takes about 5 minutes.  I usually don't miss a single putt until I hit the 5 foot range.  Since I'm hitting 2 balls from 4 positions, that's 8 chances to make the 5-footers.  I might miss one or two.  Result:  I usually miss one makeable putt during an 18 hole round.  If I miss 2, I'm not happy.  Missing 3 would be a horrible putting day for me.

5. You drive up to the left side of a tee box that has OB right.  Walk as FAR TO THE RIGHT of the teeing area as you can, tee your ball and hit AWAY from the OB right.  Driving a ball into the left rough laying ONE is much preferable to teeing up another and laying 3.

6. Read an interesting 'strategy tip' in golf digest.  240 to the hole?  Split the difference and hit two shots.  What club can you hit consistently 120 yards?  9-iron or wedge?  Put AWAY the 3-wood, pull your short iron and hit it twice. Trust me when I tell you, I'd rather have a bogey on the card using a short iron twice than scrambling to make double or worse hitting myself into trouble with a 3-wood MOST of the time.

Understanding where I was losing strokes allowed me to focus on areas of practice that would help gain back those strokes being needlessly thrown away every round.  I still do stupid things that lead to the occasional blow-up hole.  But by-and-large, working on deficiencies in my game means I'm playing to low- to mid-80s most of the time now.

Hope this helps someone break 100 more consistently this season.

dave

I like 1, 3, and 4 and will see about integrating them.

Thanks!

[Hiway1tele]

It all comes down to a good fundamental, consistant swing with the bigger clubs...without that, you play high scores...the best short game wont cover a consistantly crappy swing from the big clubs...on the rare days when I can keep my Driver and Hybrids straight in front of me, and not hit 10 degree Pull Hooks or open shots, I play a great round...Most days, when the swing sucks, so does my score...as others in this thread have all agreed on, to get from 100 to 90, you need a consistant accurate swing...if your swing is inconsistant, the scores will be that way also...I have never had a double or triple because of my short game...I have had many due to a crappy swing...

[Warren Zevon]

I've been on holidays for the past two weeks, and aside from getting one lousy chip in birdie, it's been a forgettable ten rounds of golf or so.  Scores have ranged from  109 to 101, with the exception of today.  

 

Despite the the fact that my tee shots have been very weak I managed to shoot 48-47 for a 95 today.  I hit a five wood tee shot on an 180 yard par three within  two inches or so.  Putting has been a big issue, but that will get better with practice.  

So far this season I've broke 100 twice and had five birdies, that's five more than I had last year.  

[Swungover]

One bird and a handful of pars gave me a 96 today. Great driving and putting made up for struggles with the long irons.

[Dornenglanz]

On 25/07/2016 at 10:21 PM, Hiway1tele said:

It all comes down to a good fundamental, consistant swing with the bigger clubs...without that, you play high scores...the best short game wont cover a consistantly crappy swing from the big clubs...on the rare days when I can keep my Driver and Hybrids straight in front of me, and not hit 10 degree Pull Hooks or open shots, I play a great round...Most days, when the swing sucks, so does my score...as others in this thread have all agreed on, to get from 100 to 90, you need a consistant accurate swing...if your swing is inconsistant, the scores will be that way also...I have never had a double or triple because of my short game...I have had many due to a crappy swing...

On the hole my putting is reasonable.  It's rare, once I am actually on the green, for me to put in 3.  If my shot onto the green is really great, I might put in 1, but it's usually 2, with the occasional 3.

Once I am within 100 yards of the green, I stand a fair chance of getting onto the green.  So that's 3 shots.  4 if I screw up my short shot, or put in 3.

Most of the points, for me, are lost in getting to being within 100 yards of the green.  I'll hit the ball into rough, or out of bounds, or top it, or whiff it, or slice it or hook it wildly.  If I hit a good one or two iron/hybrid shots to get me to where short game and putting takes over, I'll be in with a chance of a bogie, double bogie, or even sometimes a par.  But my inconsistent swing, and lack of confidence off the tee, is what causes me to turn in the horrible scores... 7, 8, 9 on a hole.

[Hiway1tele]

39 minutes ago, Dornenglanz said:

On the hole my putting is reasonable.  It's rare, once I am actually on the green, for me to put in 3.  If my shot onto the green is really great, I might put in 1, but it's usually 2, with the occasional 3.

Once I am within 100 yards of the green, I stand a fair chance of getting onto the green.  So that's 3 shots.  4 if I screw up my short shot, or put in 3.

Most of the points, for me, are lost in getting to being within 100 yards of the green.  I'll hit the ball into rough, or out of bounds, or top it, or whiff it, or slice it or hook it wildly.  If I hit a good one or two iron/hybrid shots to get me to where short game and putting takes over, I'll be in with a chance of a bogie, double bogie, or even sometimes a par.  But my inconsistent swing, and lack of confidence off the tee, is what causes me to turn in the horrible scores... 7, 8, 9 on a hole.

I dont turn in that high per hole, but the issue is the same...an inconsistant long swing, and I am going to take Double on the whole...my goal is +9 on 9 holes...2 doubles or more ruins that goal...Like your self, I chip on and 2 putt most every hole for 3 shots..sometimes for two if my chips are dialed in...the difference in a Single or double is an errant long swing..when its on, life is good...when its off, I may as well walk away...

[Lloyd Martinez]

Well, the lessons are paying off.

I was not able to finish the round due to rain, but I was only +3 thru 7.  I had a bad 8 and the rain started at 9.  I did not tee off with anything longer than a 7i, so I know I have room for improvement, but things are going well!  I ended with a 46 on the front (+10)

https://dashboard.golfpadgps.com/round/R8THT7#1

[RFKFREAK]

4 Pars on the front 9 on Friday and then shot 13 over on the other 5 holes for a total 49; disheartening.  

Shot a 101 total.