Goal for 2015: Break 80 by February (three weeks of short game work)

[SoundandFury]

So my goal for the year is to break 80 by the time the year is only a month old.   While I shoot sub-40 9 hole rounds every couple of weeks, I'm yet to put it together for 18 holes.  My ball striking has been good for months now, but my damn putting, chipping, short wedge, etc. is holding me back.  Just an example, Saturday I played a pretty easy muni (at least compared to my club).  Shot 83, with 13 fairways and 10 greens hit.  I was on in two on two of four par 5's...both of which I three putted.  I must have had at least 5 three putts, a few wedges from <110 that wound up 30' or more from the pin, and so on and so forth.

I have two questions:

1.  Is this a reachable goal in the very short time frame I've set?

2.  How would you do it?  How much time between putting, chipping, wedges from 40-120?  What type of drills? I'd love to hear it all.  Full disclosure: my chipping/pitching isn't atrocious.  I rarely chunk or thin a chip or pitch or anything, I just leave myself 5+ feet instead of 2 or 3 (at which point my crappy putting leads to bogey).

Looking forward to everyone's thoughts/ideas.

[golfbarefoot]

Question. What was the proximity before and after your first putt on the five times you three putted? After the first putt ...too strong, leaving way short, or bad read offline?

[Dave2512]

I have a different take. The need for short game at all suggests you miss a lot of greens. That is the root of the problem. Hit better approach shots and it will get better, even the putts.

[Patch]

Every golf goal is reachable, and the time it takes to reach a goal it dependent on the individual's ability, and how much "quality" practice is involved. As for you breaking 80, per your post, I would say you need to work more on your all around short game, with more emphasis on your putting, while at the same time, not neglecting your long game.

First thing I would do if I were you would be to make sure I am actually hitting straight putts. Get on a some what level surface, drop a dime 2 feet in front of the ball and practice rolling the ball over the dime. If you are rolling the ball over the dime, your alignment and putting stroke are on the money. After that I would practice on distance control, while still using the dime. Once you have that down, then work on your green reading. Of course all of this assumes you, and your putter are a good mach for each other.

I keep a short game handicap on every hole where I miss a GIR.  It's also been called a an up and down handicap. Years ago I read that the pros up,and down handicap was under 2. A good amateur's handicap would be 2.5 or less. A 3.0  up and down handicap is an overall average for missed GIRs. Me,  I am trying to get to a 2.25 to get my overall handicap into single digits. I am at 2.89 right now. Most of that 2.89 is due to poor putting. I am not a very consistent, good putter due to lack of practice. Right now when do I putt very well, I can break 80, or at the very least scare the heck out of it.

[Lihu]

I have a different take. The need for short game at all suggests you miss a lot of greens. That is the root of the problem. Hit better approach shots and it will get better, even the putts.

10 greens seems pretty good for his handicap.

[Dave2512]

10 greens seems pretty good for his handicap.

It's just one day, we all have strange days. He probably averages 4-6ish.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

10 greens seems pretty good for his handicap.

It's just one day, we all have strange days. He probably averages 4-6ish.

If I could just be a little bit more accurate. . .

[SoundandFury]

Question. What was the proximity before and after your first putt on the five times you three putted? After the first putt ...too strong, leaving way short, or bad read offline?

Good question.  I'd like to say most were probably 5' - 7' away.  I don't think my reads are terrible, but of course they could be improved.  Mostly it was leaving them way short or way long.  It's all sort of tied together of course: the 2 three putts on par 5's I reached in two aside, I leave my 100 and in shots way too far away.  Usually on the green (but definitely not all the time, which is another issue), but often 20, 30 feet away.

[SoundandFury]

It's just one day, we all have strange days. He probably averages 4-6ish.

Like I said, it was an easy muni that plays to about a 118 slope. I don't think it's a stretch to hit 10+ greens.  My club is a different story, more like 4-6 there (133 slope).  If I always had a 6i or 7i in my hand, it would bother me as much.  Problem is I hit the ball pretty long; won't say how much, since pretty much everyone who says they hit the ball over 220 hear is considered full of shit :), but I will say that except on very long par 4's I generally have something between a SW and PW in.  Hence why I know I need work from 130ish in.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave2512

It's just one day, we all have strange days. He probably averages 4-6ish.

Like I said, it was an easy muni that plays to about a 118 slope. I don't think it's a stretch to hit 10+ greens.  My club is a different story, more like 4-6 there (133 slope).  If I always had a 6i or 7i in my hand, it would bother me as much.  Problem is I hit the ball pretty long; won't say how much, since pretty much everyone who says they hit the ball over 220 hear is considered full of shit :), but I will say that except on very long par 4's I generally have something between a SW and PW in.  Hence why I know I need work from 130ish in.

Just out of curiosity, which municipal course did you play?

Yeah, 220 seems to be the magic number here unless you're scratch.

[SoundandFury]

Just out of curiosity, which municipal course did you play?

Yeah, 220 seems to be the magic number here unless you're scratch.

Course called Woodley Lakes in Van Nuys, CA.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Just out of curiosity, which municipal course did you play?

Yeah, 220 seems to be the magic number here unless you're scratch.

Course called Woodley Lakes in Van Nuys, CA.

Not too far from me, I've heard it is in nice condition? It sounds like this is the course on which you will be making your goal? Which sounds doable.

BTW, is your country club "Woodland Hills"?

[SoundandFury]

Not too far from me, I've heard it is in nice condition? It sounds like this is the course on which you will be making your goal? Which sounds doable.

BTW, is your country club "Woodland Hills"?

Oh yeah? where are you?  I mean, it's an LA City muni.  It's fine/playable.  It's super close to my house so I try to play it once/month to make myself feel good about my game.  There are much better semi-private courses (obv more expensive though) like Robinson Ranch, Angeles National, etc.  Rustic Canyon out in Simi is probably the best valley in the greater LA area.

I'm at Braemar CC in Tarzana.  Just a few miles east of Woodland Hills CC.  Sort of similar though: OB on pretty much every hole, extremely tricky greens that border on unfair...

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Not too far from me, I've heard it is in nice condition? It sounds like this is the course on which you will be making your goal? Which sounds doable.

BTW, is your country club "Woodland Hills"?

Oh yeah? where are you?  I mean, it's an LA City muni.  It's fine/playable.  It's super close to my house so I try to play it once/month to make myself feel good about my game.  There are much better semi-private courses (obv more expensive though) like Robinson Ranch, Angeles National, etc.  Rustic Canyon out in Simi is probably the best valley in the greater LA area.

I'm at Braemar CC in Tarzana.  Just a few miles east of Woodland Hills CC.  Sort of similar though: OB on pretty much every hole, extremely tricky greens that border on unfair...

Angeles National is really hard, and I can't seem to stick any of the rock hard greens.

I would play Woodley Lakes to make your goal. Seems like you should be able to do it this month? Play from the whites

[Dave2512]

Like I said, it was an easy muni that plays to about a 118 slope. I don't think it's a stretch to hit 10+ greens.  My club is a different story, more like 4-6 there (133 slope).  If I always had a 6i or 7i in my hand, it would bother me as much.  Problem is I hit the ball pretty long; won't say how much, since pretty much everyone who says they hit the ball over 220 hear is considered full of shit :), but I will say that except on very long par 4's I generally have something between a SW and PW in.  Hence why I know I need work from 130ish in.

I wasn't trying to insult you just that data shows 10 GIR is the realm of golfers playing in the 0-5 range. I think PGA Tour avg. is in the 65% range. You may be an outlier. Not sure if you track stats or not.

[SoundandFury]

I wasn't trying to insult you just that data shows 10 GIR is the realm of golfers playing in the 0-5 range. I think PGA Tour avg. is in the 65% range. You may be an outlier. Not sure if you track stats or not.

No offense taken at all.  Last I heard the tour average is 12 greens, which if you don't think is high, go try to to play a course set up for a Tour event from the tips.  Good luck.  I think the difference is in the course we play vs those the pros play.  I would bet my house that any pro on the Tour would hit 18/18 GIR or under at Woodley.  No question. They'd also probably shoot 55.  Give me and most high single/low double digit hdcper's a course like this and 10, even 12 greens doesn't surprise me.  Take that same group and put them on Riviera, Torrey, Augusta, etc., and we'd be damn lucky to hit 3 or 4 in regulation.

[Dave2512]

No offense taken at all.  Last I heard the tour average is 12 greens, which if you don't think is high, go try to to play a course set up for a Tour event from the tips.  Good luck.  I think the difference is in the course we play vs those the pros play.  I would bet my house that any pro on the Tour would hit 18/18 GIR or under at Woodley.  No question. They'd also probably shoot 55.  Give me and most high single/low double digit hdcper's a course like this and 10, even 12 greens doesn't surprise me.  Take that same group and put them on Riviera, Torrey, Augusta, etc., and we'd be damn lucky to hit 3 or 4 in regulation.

More like zero .

[SoundandFury]

More like zero .

....agreed.