Bogey Golfers Only (Index 16-22) / Breaking 90 Topic

[Hazsa]

This game!!! Was playing solid golf yesterday, arrived on the 8th +5 and that was after a couple of scrappy 3 putts so I felt like a good mid/ low 80s score was possible. Finished with a 92.

The wheels came off approaching the turn. I went quadruple, triple, double, double. It wasn't just one part of my game that went, it was everything! Snap hooking drives, pushing irons, duffing pitch shots, and one of those horrendous missed putts from about 6 inches too.

I eventually recovered to end up with a respectable 44 coming in, aided with a lovely birdie on the par 5 18th to help convince me to go back and waste more time on this cruel game.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Hazsa

[dennyjones]

I went to chip and putt tonight and tried putting one handed.   My distance control was much better from within 6'.    I tried lead hand low and believe I'm on to something for me.    I'm playing tomorrow and going to use lead hand low putting from within 10'.    My chipping... distance control is still an issue, I think I have the chipping yips.    I believe many moons ago, Eric had an exercise trying to chip several balls in line at once.   I may revisit that video.

[rkim291968]

14 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

I'm playing tomorrow and going to use lead hand low putting from within 10'.    

I switched to this about 6 months ago.  It helped my putter to be square to the ball at impact.  Putting stat improved slightly.  

[Fairway_CY]

I went out to play 18 this morning in preparation for my tournament this coming weekend.  The course I played is not the greatest, but also not the worst.  Despite the course being in 'not the greatest' shape, the greens were very receptive... but they were also very shaggy.  

It was another opportunity to try out the new driver and wedges, so... I was happy just to be out there.  

It was a mixed bag with the driver.  I had 3 bombs (300, 295 and 295)... 5 average drives (257, 268, 242, 268 and 241)... 3 poor drives (178, 221 and 204)... and 2 lost balls (1 left and 1 right).  The poor drives were a pop-up on the first tee (no warm-up), a running worm burner on the third tee and a push-fade that clipped a pine tree and dropped down late in the round.  

Through the first 2 rounds I've used that club, I'm averaging 255 yards... and when I hit the fairway, I'm averaging 266 yards... both about 20 yard increases over my average with the old driver.  

My worst holes today were when I was rushed.  

On the 5th tee, I was waved through by a father and son who were just out to take their time.  I rushed and hit a pitching wedge right of the green.  It hit something hard and took off deep into the woods.  I ended up with a quadruple bogey.  

On the 12th tee, I was waved through by a threesome of older gentlemen.  I rushed to hit my shot there and pulled it left.  I never found the ball and dropped where I last saw the ball in play.  I took a triple bogey there.  

Otherwise, it was a pretty solid round.  

42 - 45 = 87

It could have been a much better round, in all honesty.  I didn't line up putts at all throughout the round because I was just trying to get through before the 98 degree temperature had a chance to get to me.

Tomorrow, I'll keep the clubs in the house and then I'll head to the course about 2 hours early on Saturday to get in some practice time before the first round.

CY

[uitar9]

Shot a 91yesterday. Lack lustre driver. Gonna keep it at home this weekend, use the 3 wood. Just want to see what happens to the score. Have never done that. 

[Fairway_CY]

Despite going in with high hopes, I played very poorly this weekend during the two-day tournament.  At the last minute, the tees were changed from 6500 yards to 6000 yards.  The problem was that I was feeling very confident in my driver... and much less confident in my hybrid and 4 iron.  

For the weekend, I hit only 8 of 28 fairways.  Most of my misses weren't by much, but it was enough that I was hitting longer clubs in from heavy rough.  The winner of the tournament shot 83 - 82 = 165 while I shot 93 - 91 = 184.  

I kinda felt like 170 had a good shot this weekend, but I didn't even sniff that.  

To add to my struggles, I couldn't make a putt.  I made only 2 putts over 5 feet all weekend.  I consistently left putts short and just never got the speed of the greens correct.  

My index is trending upwards to 16.0 as of the next revision on Friday.  I won't touch a club until probably Tuesday of next week, at the earliest.  It'll give me a nice little rest from the game and let me reset my brain!

CY

[Braivo]

23 hours ago, Fairway_CY said:

Despite going in with high hopes, I played very poorly this weekend during the two-day tournament.  At the last minute, the tees were changed from 6500 yards to 6000 yards.  The problem was that I was feeling very confident in my driver... and much less confident in my hybrid and 4 iron.  

For the weekend, I hit only 8 of 28 fairways.  Most of my misses weren't by much, but it was enough that I was hitting longer clubs in from heavy rough.  The winner of the tournament shot 83 - 82 = 165 while I shot 93 - 91 = 184.  

I kinda felt like 170 had a good shot this weekend, but I didn't even sniff that.  

To add to my struggles, I couldn't make a putt.  I made only 2 putts over 5 feet all weekend.  I consistently left putts short and just never got the speed of the greens correct.  

My index is trending upwards to 16.0 as of the next revision on Friday.  I won't touch a club until probably Tuesday of next week, at the earliest.  It'll give me a nice little rest from the game and let me reset my brain!

CY

Shake it off. Hope you had a good time playing in a tournament like that, sounds like fun. 

[stealthhwk]

Hi all. I follow this thread frequently but dont think Ive ever posted as My handicap had risen from 21 to 24 not long after joining tst. Now its back down to 22 so thought Id join up. Ive broke 90 about 15 times. But I havnt broke 90 on a regulation course in more than a year and my handicap has been way up. Ive been fighting like heck and trying to learn more to drop my scores and my handicap. Ive been improving and been shooting lots of low 90s including a 92 at one of the two toughest courses in my rotation. My biggest frustration is being able to really hit my irons well looking like a solid player only to hit a driver or 3 wood off the tee and looking like Im playing my first round ever. It just seems I cant physically hit woods. Tried a round with just my hybrids and irons and pured all my tee shots save one. But each of those tee shots with my 4 hybrid went only 185-195 and a 6000 yard golf course ate me alive as I left the course with a 101 on my card. Lsw was right, distance trumps accuracy period. 

[Lihu]

46 minutes ago, stealthhwk said:

Tried a round with just my hybrids and irons and pured all my tee shots save one. But each of those tee shots with my 4 hybrid went only 185-195 and a 6000 yard golf course ate me alive as I left the course with a 101 on my card. Lsw was right, distance trumps accuracy period. 

Welcome to this thread, and you should stay in it even if you creep up higher than 22 or lower than 16.

As to hitting your hybrid 185-195 on a 6000 yard course. It seems like that's enough to shoot mostly pars because you have relatively solid irons? The average par 4 on a 6000 yard course is going to be less than 350 yards with the longest ones being in the 420 yard range.

What's your strategy on the long holes? I'm thinking that you don't need to make the greens in regulation on the 4 or 5 longer par 4 holes that range from 360 to 420+ yards, but get as close as possible "safely".

I know it looks intimidating to hit your hybrid on a longer hole and there is a temptation to try to kill it, but when you break down a hole that's let's say 400 yards with a 190 yard tee shot. You can simply hit your second shot with the longest reliable club for the remaining distance, your hybrid. You just hit if off the tee, so you even got a practice swing within a few minutes ago. So, let's say your average off the deck is only 170 to 180 yards with your hybrid due to mishits and such, you definitely don't need to kill it. You should be within 35 yards of the green, or pretty much right on top of the green. Up and down is very possible from that distance.

As to a recommended strategy for you other holes, just hit naturally and don't try to kill anything on the course. You just have to relax and trust the distances you hit your clubs.

The reason I would not really suggest that you play a shorter course than 6000 yards is that you do not hit your driver only 200 yards where the recommended course length is only 5200 yards. Your irons should be long enough to get you the remaining distances for most of the holes. 190 average hybrid average off the tee, implies that you probably hit your 6i 145 to 150. If you are capable of hitting 190 off the tee + 150 6i that's roughly the average par 4 at 6000 yards.

You shouldn't be being eaten alive by a 6000 yard course, even though a shorter 5200 course will be substantially easier. 5200 yards might even be too easy for you.

[stealthhwk]

8 minutes ago, Lihu said:

Welcome to this thread, and you should stay in it even if you creep up higher than 22.

As to hitting your hybrid 185-195 on a 6000 yard course. It seems like that's enough to shoot mostly pars because you have relatively solid irons? The average par 4 on a 6000 yard course is going to be less than 350 yards with the longest ones being in the 420 yard range.

What's your strategy on the long holes? I'm thinking that you don't need to make the greens in regulation on the 4 or 5 longer par 4 holes that range from 360 to 420+ yards, but get as close as possible "safely".

I know it looks intimidating to hit your hybrid on a longer hole and there is a temptation to try to kill it, but when you break down a hole that's let's say 400 yards with a 190 yard tee shot. You can simply hit your second shot with the longest reliable club for the remaining distance, your hybrid. You just hit if off the tee, so you even got a practice swing within a few minutes ago. So, let's say your average off the deck is only 170 to 180 yards with your hybrid due to mishits and such, you definitely don't need to kill it. You should be within 35 yards of the green, or pretty much right on top of the green. Up and down is very possible from that distance.

As to a recommended strategy for you other holes, just hit naturally and don't try to kill anything on the course. You just have to relax and trust the distances you hit your clubs.

The reason I would not really suggest that you play a shorter course than 6000 yards is that you do not hit your driver only 200 yards where the recommended course length is only 5200 yards. Your irons should be long enough to get you the remaining distances for most of the holes. 190 average hybrid average off the tee, implies that you probably hit your 6i 145 to 150. If you are hitting 190 + 150 that's roughly the average par 4 at 6000 yards.

You shouldn't be being eaten alive by a 6000 yard course.

THANK U SOOO MUCH!!!! I thought I had lost my mind. Thats exactly how I broke it down in my head, which is why I left my woods at home. Ive been shooting very low 90s even with hitting woods all over the place and had 5-7 greens inregulation. I played without my woods and had two girs ( both par 3s ) and shot a 101. I just dont get why I didnt score lower. I know I wouldnt shoot 70s that way but I keep thinking I should be able to shoot mid 80s with nothing longer than a hybrid 4 but it sure didnt pan out this time around.

[Braivo]

3 minutes ago, stealthhwk said:

THANK U SOOO MUCH!!!! I thought I had lost my mind. Thats exactly how I broke it down in my head, which is why I left my woods at home. Ive been shooting very low 90s even with hitting woods all over the place and had 5-7 greens inregulation. I played without my woods and had two girs ( both par 3s ) and shot a 101. I just dont get why I didnt score lower. I know I wouldnt shoot 70s that way but I keep thinking I should be able to shoot mid 80s with nothing longer than a hybrid 4 but it sure didnt pan out this time around.

I recently played an 18 hole par 3 course where they longest hole is 100 yards. This is the equivalant of starting every par 4 with a 300 yard drive straight down the middle. I still played bogey golf. This game is hard we can give shots away anywhere on the course. 

[stealthhwk]

Only thing I can come up with is for whatever reason they have really long par fours and really short par 4s. They dont seem to have any par fours around 360 ish. 

[divot dave]

Just now, stealthhwk said:

THANK U SOOO MUCH!!!! I thought I had lost my mind. Thats exactly how I broke it down in my head, which is why I left my woods at home. Ive been shooting very low 90s even with hitting woods all over the place and had 5-7 greens inregulation. I played without my woods and had two girs ( both par 3s ) and shot a 101. I just dont get why I didnt score lower. I know I wouldnt shoot 70s that way but I keep thinking I should be able to shoot mid 80s with nothing longer than a hybrid 4 but it sure didnt pan out this time around.

well, don't forget, we're not robots. its also possible you just had a bad round. Based on what you said earlier, about puring all of your tee shots save one, it sounds like you might have had issues with other aspects of your game that day. short game woes? mis-hit irons? putting? 

I agree with @Lihu, a 6000 yard course shouldn't eat you up with hybrids going 180-190 off the deck. I forget where I read it, but someone once said you should be able to play decent bogey golf if you can learn to become consistent with your 150 yard club. 150 off the tee, + 150 from the fairway + 150 to the green = green in regulation on a 450 yard hole... + 2 putts = bogey. 

Concentrate on playing the golf that is at your disposal that day. Stay away from hazards, and take a little pressure off yourself by planning to get on the green in 3 instead of 2... stuff like that. Manage the skills that you bring to the course with you that day... not the skills that you wish you had on your best day.

[Lihu]

8 minutes ago, stealthhwk said:

Only thing I can come up with is for whatever reason they have really long par fours and really short par 4s. They dont seem to have any par fours around 360 ish. 

The short par 4s should be relatively easy pars, while the longer ones (maybe 400 yards?) could be played to an almost near green situation.

There should be no reason other than you were intimidated using the shorter clubs for whatever reason. Just trust that you can hit your hybrid 190 yards off the tee and roughly 180 off the deck. Trust your distances in general "to get you there".

 

3 minutes ago, divot dave said:

well, don't forget, we're not robots. its also possible you just had a bad round. Based on what you said earlier, about puring all of your tee shots save one, it sounds like you might have had issues with other aspects of your game that day. short game woes? mis-hit irons? putting? 

I agree with @Lihu, a 6000 yard course shouldn't eat you up with hybrids going 180-190 off the deck. I forget where I read it, but someone once said you should be able to play decent bogey golf if you can learn to become consistent with your 150 yard club. 150 off the tee, + 150 from the fairway + 150 to the green = green in regulation on a 450 yard hole... + 2 putts = bogey. 

Concentrate on playing the golf that is at your disposal that day. Stay away from hazards, and take a little pressure off yourself by planning to get on the green in 3 instead of 2... stuff like that. Manage the skills that you bring to the course with you that day... not the skills that you wish you had on your best day.

Yes, I heard and experienced the same thing.

[RandallT]

4 minutes ago, divot dave said:

well, don't forget, we're not robots.

I'm not so sure about @Lihu.  I know he works in robotics, so it's possible he has a cyborg component or two to enhance his golf abilities. Plus, he's very analytical about getting nGIR with two easy swings of a hybrid. That's something a robot would say, not a human like us, who are liable to duff just about anything.

[Lihu]

Just now, RandallT said:

I'm not so sure about @Lihu.  I know he works in robotics, so it's possible he has a cyborg component or two to enhance his golf abilities. Plus, he's very analytical about getting nGIR with two easy swings of a hybrid. That's something a robot would say, not a human like us, who are liable to duff just about anything.

That was just my strategy, humans are always prone to more error executing those strategies than robots.

[divot dave]

2 minutes ago, RandallT said:

I'm not so sure about @Lihu.  I know he works in robotics, so it's possible he has a cyborg component or two to enhance his golf abilities. Plus, he's very analytical about getting nGIR with two easy swings of a hybrid. That's something a robot would say, not a human like us, who are liable to duff just about anything.

lol, that might explain his 9.3 index....

 

[natureboy]

10 hours ago, Braivo said:

I recently played an 18 hole par 3 course where they longest hole is 100 yards. This is the equivalant of starting every par 4 with a 300 yard drive straight down the middle. I still played bogey golf. This game is hard we can give shots away anywhere on the course. 

Yeah, but greens are likely proportionally smaller too.