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

[lee34]

1 hour ago, Kalnoky said:

Great story, I enjoy reading these (and especially now since I haven't been able to play).

You would have not only broken 90 but probably sniffed 85. What went wrong on 15? Water hazard?

 

Glad you enjoyed it mate the weather in U.K. Over winter is usually ok as it was today. I will be playing again Sunday so will post another report after that.

hole 15 well, it's a fairly straightforward 364 yard par 4. Playing for the fairway safely again I went with my trusty 6 iron, great strike but sliced out of bounds for a penalty. Hit 3rd shot off the tee which landed right of fairway near some small trees. Thought I had a shot to the green but really I didn't and with hindsight should have just advanced it safely up the fairway. However I was stupidly trying to get back shots and my 4th shot hit a tree, 5th went a yard out of heavy rough. 6th shot went opposite side of fairway. 7th I sliced but was about 30 yards from the green. By now my head had gone as I knew I had just blown a great round. Fluffed my 8th into a bunker 9th out and 2 putts for an 11.

[Strat-Pack Rick]

59 minutes ago, Hategolf said:

I am no instructor,  but...If your set up is correct, meaning your butt is out, making room for your arms while they hang down and you try to stay "connected", that should make your right elbow stay in the right place.  1,try to stay connected by keeping your elbows together like Hogan shows in his book and 2, turn on one piece trying to keep your right elbow somewhat on your upper right ribs. I think eventually, you can lift your elbow a little higher for more power but I think you add an element of timing to bring it down and it can be tricky. 

I would not suggest pushing your elbow away if you are already setup properly. I noticed pushing the elbow away can lead to a hook or big draw that could get you out of play...and worse of all..a SHANK!....How do I know? because I had all those problems for pushing away..The elbow, goes out, then it pushes the arms and is bad.  

I had to work on turning my chest and arms while staying connected so I wouldn't just turn my shoulders, that keeps everything in front of your chest and is easier to clear. 

Then again, I am trying to get rid of the 90's. 

Good luck.

@Hategolf  Thanks alot for that detailed advice. I really appreciate it. I am working on staying connected and my take away is on point right now. I just seem to maybe turn too far when i really am trying to step on it. I will get it dialed, haha. Its a mental thing , I rear back and try to hit hard sometimes instead of staying within myself and being smooth. The elbow position in the vids are showing how to not get stuck which i think im doing when i try to hard. Golf is great isnt it ? Thanks a lot for your help and thanks to all of you out there. Hit Em Good Yall !!

[Hategolf]

9 minutes ago, lee34 said:

Glad you enjoyed it mate the weather in U.K. Over winter is usually ok as it was today. I will be playing again Sunday so will post another report after that.

hole 15 well, it's a fairly straightforward 364 yard par 4. Playing for the fairway safely again I went with my trusty 6 iron, great strike but sliced out of bounds for a penalty. Hit 3rd shot off the tee which landed right of fairway near some small trees. Thought I had a shot to the green but really I didn't and with hindsight should have just advanced it safely up the fairway. However I was stupidly trying to get back shots and my 4th shot hit a tree, 5th went a yard out of heavy rough. 6th shot went opposite side of fairway. 7th I sliced but was about 30 yards from the green. By now my head had gone as I knew I had just blown a great round. Fluffed my 8th into a bunker 9th out and 2 putts for an 11.

Hahaha....I am sorry, that is just how it can happen to me too. 

What did you learn from it? other than not going for the green on your 4th shot. 

Is there anything you could have done differently?

Edited December 7, 2016 by Hategolf

[lee34]

19 minutes ago, Hategolf said:

Hahaha....I am sorry, that is just how it can happen to me too. 

What did you learn from it? other than not going for the green on your 4th shot. 

Is there anything you could have done differently?

Hmmmm it's a tricky one mate, I was playing on my own which I do most of the time I play. This can get hard work at times with nobody else to chat too have a laugh with etc. 

I had also been following a slow four ball that took ages to let me play through so had been getting frustrated constantly waiting.

I think 4th shot rather than go for green I should have laid up and maybe escaped with double bogey. It was stupid and I was just trying to make back the shots I had wasted getting off the tee.

The other shots were just shots played very dejected and fed up.

Edited December 7, 2016 by lee34

[rkim291968]

1 hour ago, lee34 said:

 

I had also been following a slow four ball that took ages to let me play through so had been getting frustrated constantly waiting.

You may be much better off by taking that time to hit a few more balls, practice short game, etc..  That's what I do these days.   

[Strat-Pack Rick]

@lee34 Ive learned the hard way that you CANT make up shots. You have to settle down and save shots. Once they are gone they are gone. Trying to "make up shots" leads to an even bigger number and will leave you just frustrated and mad. I like to go through my Shot Zones options when pace of play is slow. Managing the course is a great way to slow down and get back on track. Golf is so much fun, haha. I highly recommend LSW !!! I just got mine a couple days ago and Ive read it twice. Very helpful with saving shots before you hit the ball . Great for strategy and focus.Good Luck Bud and Hit Em Good !!

[lee34]

11 hours ago, Strat-Pack Rick said:

@lee34 Ive learned the hard way that you CANT make up shots. You have to settle down and save shots. Once they are gone they are gone. Trying to "make up shots" leads to an even bigger number and will leave you just frustrated and mad. I like to go through my Shot Zones options when pace of play is slow. Managing the course is a great way to slow down and get back on track. Golf is so much fun, haha. I highly recommend LSW !!! I just got mine a couple days ago and Ive read it twice. Very helpful with saving shots before you hit the ball . Great for strategy and focus.Good Luck Bud and Hit Em Good !!

Yeah I think you are right. Key is to settle down and play every shot with the pre shot routine rather than just whacking it quickly after a bad shot.

My problem at the moment is my best score is 93, however I don't go out like I should and try and beat that best round. I go out expecting to break 85.

Looking forward to reading LSW.

[Fairway_CY]

I was supposed to play a different course today but 2 of the guys in our group had to back out, so I went back to my club with a friend of mine.  Unfortunately, with the cold temperatures moving in this weekend, the club is covering the greens, so only the front nine was open for us.

I didn't play horribly the first time around, but I had a few questionable holes that led to a 49.  Nothing really stood out from that nine.  I didn't drive the ball very well and I took a 9 on a par 4 midway through that side.  Beyond that, I had a handful of pars, a couple of bogeys and bookend doubles.  

The second time around, we played for $1 a hole.  I played better that time but still threw in a double and a triple.  The triple was just a poor decision off the tee that got me in trouble.  There's no need for anything more than an iron off that tee.  It keeps all the trouble out of play.  I tried to be aggressive and hit my driver, but I put it beneath a tree on the left side and it took me entirely too long to find the green from there.  A 44 on that side could (should) have been better.  

I ended up winning $1 from my buddy and got out before the cold moves in, so... all-in-all, it wasn't a bad day!

CY

[Strat-Pack Rick]

11 hours ago, lee34 said:

Yeah I think you are right. Key is to settle down and play every shot with the pre shot routine rather than just whacking it quickly after a bad shot.

My problem at the moment is my best score is 93, however I don't go out like I should and try and beat that best round. I go out expecting to break 85.

Looking forward to reading LSW.

Ive been really trying to think course management starting at the first tee. Ive noticed that in sets the tone for the round and my scores have gotten lower !! Mid 80's is where im at right now but 92 is where i was. So give it a try and hopefully that will get you in the 80's too. I still have rounds that blow up on me but im getting better. Thats the goal, ya know ? Just get a little better than yesterday. Good Luck to you man. You got this !!!HAHA

[Fairway_CY]

4 minutes ago, Strat-Pack Rick said:

Ive been really trying to think course management starting at the first tee. Ive noticed that in sets the tone for the round and my scores have gotten lower !! Mid 80's is where im at right now but 92 is where i was. So give it a try and hopefully that will get you in the 80's too. I still have rounds that blow up on me but im getting better. Thats the goal, ya know ? Just get a little better than yesterday. Good Luck to you man. You got this !!!HAHA

I agree 100% with what @Strat-Pack Rick said here.  The two things that have helped my game the most have been course management and taking fewer penalties from the tee box.

I was infatuated with hitting it further than everybody I played with and I would go all-out with a driver on almost every hole.  If the hole had trouble at 260 yards, I'd hit a full-swing driver even knowing that I could get there about 15% of the time and then I'd get upset that my ball 'found' the hazard.  Even worse, I'd play a hole that was only about 340 yards and had trouble down both sides and I'd hit a driver trying to leave myself a wedge.  

Now... I hit driver at about 95% of my full-swing speed.  I focus on keeping it in play.  My in play percentage with the driver has gone up from 82% to almost 94% since the middle of June.  I also hit a lot more 4 irons off the tee than I have in the past.  I typically hit that 185 to 210 yards from the tee, so on a hole of less than 350 yards (especially if it's a tight driving hole), I'll take a 4 iron and try to leave myself a 7 iron or less into the green.  I can almost guarantee no worse than a bogey that way instead of bringing triple bogey into play with a poor tee shot with the driver.  I don't have the exact number, but I'd venture to guess that on holes like that I've probably made twice as many triples as I have birdies and pars combined when I hit driver.  The gamble just doesn't pay.  

So, yeah... course management is the easiest place to start cutting strokes from your game and I believe LSW will help you with the quickly.  

CY

[lee34]

23 hours ago, Strat-Pack Rick said:

Ive been really trying to think course management starting at the first tee. Ive noticed that in sets the tone for the round and my scores have gotten lower !! Mid 80's is where im at right now but 92 is where i was. So give it a try and hopefully that will get you in the 80's too. I still have rounds that blow up on me but im getting better. Thats the goal, ya know ? Just get a little better than yesterday. Good Luck to you man. You got this !!!HAHA

Yeah I'm really looking forward to reading this LSW book, never thought about course management before. 

"Progress not perfection". 

Breaking 90 is in my sights and will be playing Sunday morning so maybe that will the day, if not hopefully beat my personal best of 93......

Nice work on progressing into the mid 80s. What's your goal now, breaking 80 ?

[Strat-Pack Rick]

3 minutes ago, lee34 said:

Yeah I'm really looking forward to reading this LSW book, never thought about course management before. 

"Progress not perfection". 

Breaking 90 is in my sights and will be playing Sunday morning so maybe that will the day, if not hopefully beat my personal best of 93......

Nice work on progressing into the mid 80s. What's your goal now, breaking 80 ?

@lee34 Absolutely breaking 80 is on my radar !!!! 83 is my best ever but I usually shoot an 86-88. Course management is what im working on too, as well as just hitting the ball better. When you play this weekend, try to put yourself in good positions on the course. Its easier said than done but its better than HIT and HOPE !!! Going in to the round looking at very small targets and trying to put yourself in good position sets a tone for the day. Its like doing work instead of messing around. Good luck man and hit me up !! Let me know how you did. I will do the same. This is the best place to be man, everybody on this thread is pulling for you. Hit Em Good Bud !!

[808hacker]

Here's one. If you really want to have a good day - warm up before playing. There's nothing more frustrating than playing a municipal course with no range and having a difficult first hole. Nothing kills your day like a double or triple on the first hole due to not being warmed up. You can do all the aiming/"smooth swing" etc... on the first tee, but if you are not warmed up - who knows where the ball will go. Actually I do -- behind the same stupid tree!!!!!!!

We should have a rule - if you didn't warm up, give yourself a bogey on the first hole max.

[Shark9]

My course in the winter is on yellow tees, which are 6000 yards.

The par is 71 instead of 72, and CSS is 68, which is what a scratch player is expected to play at.

I have broke 90 a few times now, but not sure if it counts due to the course playing so easy!

 

Main thing that helped me break 90? scrambling! I get so much praise about my short game, chipping around the green I am deadly and several times a round I leave 1 inch putts now.

[lee34]

47 minutes ago, Strat-Pack Rick said:

@lee34 Absolutely breaking 80 is on my radar !!!! 83 is my best ever but I usually shoot an 86-88. Course management is what im working on too, as well as just hitting the ball better. When you play this weekend, try to put yourself in good positions on the course. Its easier said than done but its better than HIT and HOPE !!! Going in to the round looking at very small targets and trying to put yourself in good position sets a tone for the day. Its like doing work instead of messing around. Good luck man and hit me up !! Let me know how you did. I will do the same. This is the best place to be man, everybody on this thread is pulling for you. Hit Em Good Bud !!

Yeah will do, have to say this is a great forum.

will give the small targets strategy a try.

20 minutes ago, Shark9 said:

My course in the winter is on yellow tees, which are 6000 yards.

The par is 71 instead of 72, and CSS is 68, which is what a scratch player is expected to play at.

I have broke 90 a few times now, but not sure if it counts due to the course playing so easy!

 

Main thing that helped me break 90? scrambling! I get so much praise about my short game, chipping around the green I am deadly and several times a round I leave 1 inch putts now.

My course is similar yardage and the SSS is only 65.

That said played a few different courses and shoot similar scores round all of them.

50 minutes ago, 808hacker said:

Here's one. If you really want to have a good day - warm up before playing. There's nothing more frustrating than playing a municipal course with no range and having a difficult first hole. Nothing kills your day like a double or triple on the first hole due to not being warmed up. You can do all the aiming/"smooth swing" etc... on the first tee, but if you are not warmed up - who knows where the ball will go. Actually I do -- behind the same stupid tree!!!!!!!

We should have a rule - if you didn't warm up, give yourself a bogey on the first hole max.

Totally agree regarding warming up however with a baby and a toddler I'm lucky the wife lets me out to play at all. So at the moment I can't afford to warm up on the range and putting green time wise. I just have to get out, play and get back as soon as possible.

Thats the way it is at the moment and when they are older I will be able to take longer in preparing for my round. I'm just dead lucky that my wife is great and let's me out to get a round in once a week.

[Strat-Pack Rick]

1 hour ago, lee34 said:

Yeah will do, have to say this is a great forum.

will give the small targets strategy a try.

My course is similar yardage and the SSS is only 65.

That said played a few different courses and shoot similar scores round all of them.

Totally agree regarding warming up however with a baby and a toddler I'm lucky the wife lets me out to play at all. So at the moment I can't afford to warm up on the range and putting green time wise. I just have to get out, play and get back as soon as possible.

Thats the way it is at the moment and when they are older I will be able to take longer in preparing for my round. I'm just dead lucky that my wife is great and let's me out to get a round in once a week.

You're a good dude !! Hit Em Good Bud !!

[Strat-Pack Rick]

Ive been making a yardage book for my favorite home course. Ive spent probably eight hours shooting yardages to all hazards , landing zones (for me) and greens. Now im gonna lay my shot zones over all the holes . I learned how to do this in LSW and im getting serious about it. In the coming month I believe I can have a really nice yardage book with every ideal path to the hole laid out. When you go to the golf course without clubs to solely use a Range finder to shoot distances, Its amazing what you see. I found most all the places where your second shot would be blocked out and where the best place to miss would be. Ive played here alot and until i put the clubs down I didnt realize what the course was trying to do to me. Highly recommend doing this recon . Im going tomorrow with my weapons to see if I can plot my way around the course and record my landing zones even more thoroughly. Score isnt gonna be as important as being in position to go toward the hole, shot after shot. With a little luck the score will benefit.  Hit Em Good

[lee34]

53 minutes ago, Strat-Pack Rick said:

Ive been making a yardage book for my favorite home course. Ive spent probably eight hours shooting yardages to all hazards , landing zones (for me) and greens. Now im gonna lay my shot zones over all the holes . I learned how to do this in LSW and im getting serious about it. In the coming month I believe I can have a really nice yardage book with every ideal path to the hole laid out. When you go to the golf course without clubs to solely use a Range finder to shoot distances, Its amazing what you see. I found most all the places where your second shot would be blocked out and where the best place to miss would be. Ive played here alot and until i put the clubs down I didnt realize what the course was trying to do to me. Highly recommend doing this recon . Im going tomorrow with my weapons to see if I can plot my way around the course and record my landing zones even more thoroughly. Score isnt gonna be as important as being in position to go toward the hole, shot after shot. With a little luck the score will benefit.  Hit Em Good

Really interested to see how you get on with this mate. That is a lot of work to put in, hopefully it pays off for you....