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

[dsal89]

Or maybe not having to hit as many pitch shots by trying to get closer to the greens on the approaches by improving your ball striking?

Fair point!!!! Though on shorter par 4s I'm sometimes left with an 80 or less yard pitch shot

[Lihu]

[quote name="Lihu" url="/t/70872/bogey-golfers-only-hi-from-16-22-breaking-90-thread/1350#post_1176274"] Or maybe not having to hit as many pitch shots by trying to get closer to the greens on the approaches by improving your ball striking?

Fair point!!!! Though on shorter par 4s I'm sometimes left with an 80 or less yard pitch shot[/quote] Sure, but unless you average 250 (including duffs, slices and such) off the tee that happens once or twice a round?

[dsal89]

Sure, but unless you average 250 (including duffs, slices and such) off the tee that happens once or twice a round?

Good point. I'll just improve both facets! ...if only it were that easy.

[Braivo]

After a very intense range session on Thursday I came out this morning playing the best golf yet.

Practice, practice, practice. The repeatable swing, without trying to correct mid-round, made all the difference.

I felt confident that I could hit each shot well, and I only had one major mishit the whole round.

Only one penalty stroke. Five 3-putts killed my score, but I was a playing a college championship level course with wicked fast greens, I did ok considering.

Practice, practice, practice.

[isukgolf]

Had a 89 today. I feel like on one hole got away from me.

[newtogolf]

I definitely feel it at times.  Just have those shots where I can't get comfortable over the ball and I know the outcome isn't going to be good.  Most of the time I'm right.  I'm trying to get better about backing off and starting over instead of riding it out and thinking "I'll fix it on the downswing!".

I have the same problem.  I'll see a course maintenance guy out of the corner of my eye or a bug flies into my face and I'm standing over the ball knowing that the results aren't going to be good but I don't back off.

[jetsknicks1]

I have the same problem.  I'll see a course maintenance guy out of the corner of my eye or a bug flies into my face and I'm standing over the ball knowing that the results aren't going to be good but I don't back off.

It's so weird that you mention maintainence guys because I had that same thing happen this morning. I made a tee time as a single at the first tee time of the day and when I showed up there was a large men's group showing up. The starter told me to grab a cart and go and I ended up amongst the grounds crew through the first 11 holes. I was constantly having to wait on the guy mowing the greens, plus I had another guy changing the pin placement and somebody else changing out the water coolers as I was trying to play. I ended up shooting pretty well but it really threw me off for a while.

[dave s]

Here's a couple more tips from a hack who breaks 90 with a self-improvement plan. Here's how I'm hanging in and hanging around the 84-89 number regularly.

1.  Par 3s.  Two seasons prior, I tracked my par-3 scoring.  Horrible.  Worked a bunch on hitting tee balls from 120-170 yards.  Worked on contact and straight flight.  Par-3 scoring is much improved.  Yesterday 18 hole round included 2 pars and 2 bogeys, one of which was a 3-putt from about 60'.  Ouch!

2.  To keep it under 90, I know I need to make 5-6 pars per 18 hole round.  Before playing, I try to identify the holes to par.  The holes usually include the 2 shorter par 3s, the shorter 2 par 5s and 3 or 4 of the shorter par 4s.

3.  Play all the long holes for bogey, give myself a chance at par with a chip or staking a wedge close and try to limit the damage to bogey at worst.  I'll still make 2 doubles, or perhaps even the dreaded OTHER during a round, but playing conservatively when I don't have a chance to reach a green in regulation provides that outside chance at par or bogey at worst.

4.  Throwing in a single birdie every now and then with a chip-in or sinking a long putt is always a bonus.  Last weekend I finished birdie (a chip in), par, par to shoot 84.  43-41 front and back.  Nice round on a beautiful course in perfect summer conditions.

Personally, I like reading perspectives from others on this thread.  Good stuff.  Hope someone reading this can take something from it.

dave

[Braivo]

Here's a couple more tips from a hack who breaks 90 with a self-improvement plan. Here's how I'm hanging in and hanging around the 84-89 number regularly.

1.  Par 3s.  Two seasons prior, I tracked my par-3 scoring.  Horrible.  Worked a bunch on hitting tee balls from 120-170 yards.  Worked on contact and straight flight.  Par-3 scoring is much improved.  Yesterday 18 hole round included 2 pars and 2 bogeys, one of which was a 3-putt from about 60'.  Ouch!

2.  To keep it under 90, I know I need to make 5-6 pars per 18 hole round.  Before playing, I try to identify the holes to par.  The holes usually include the 2 shorter par 3s, the shorter 2 par 5s and 3 or 4 of the shorter par 4s.

3.  Play all the long holes for bogey, give myself a chance at par with a chip or staking a wedge close and try to limit the damage to bogey at worst.  I'll still make 2 doubles, or perhaps even the dreaded OTHER during a round, but playing conservatively when I don't have a chance to reach a green in regulation provides that outside chance at par or bogey at worst.

4.  Throwing in a single birdie every now and then with a chip-in or sinking a long putt is always a bonus.  Last weekend I finished birdie (a chip in), par, par to shoot 84.  43-41 front and back.  Nice round on a beautiful course in perfect summer conditions.

Personally, I like reading perspectives from others on this thread.  Good stuff.  Hope someone reading this can take something from it.

dave

This was an excellent read. I had been playing with the mindset that bogey = par for me and that has helped tremendously, but taking it further to analyze which holes were likely to be good for scoring is helpful, I may try this the next time out.

Avoiding the OTHER has been a big jump for be getting into the 80s as well. If I hit a hazard or OB, rather than trying to "make up" the lost shot I simply accept it and play the hole as I would otherwise, avoiding unnecessary risks and a true blow up hole.

[newtogolf]

Here's a couple more tips from a hack who breaks 90 with a self-improvement plan. Here's how I'm hanging in and hanging around the 84-89 number regularly.

1.  Par 3s.  Two seasons prior, I tracked my par-3 scoring.  Horrible.  Worked a bunch on hitting tee balls from 120-170 yards.  Worked on contact and straight flight.  Par-3 scoring is much improved.  Yesterday 18 hole round included 2 pars and 2 bogeys, one of which was a 3-putt from about 60'.  Ouch!

2.  To keep it under 90, I know I need to make 5-6 pars per 18 hole round.  Before playing, I try to identify the holes to par.  The holes usually include the 2 shorter par 3s, the shorter 2 par 5s and 3 or 4 of the shorter par 4s.

3.  Play all the long holes for bogey, give myself a chance at par with a chip or staking a wedge close and try to limit the damage to bogey at worst.  I'll still make 2 doubles, or perhaps even the dreaded OTHER during a round, but playing conservatively when I don't have a chance to reach a green in regulation provides that outside chance at par or bogey at worst.

4.  Throwing in a single birdie every now and then with a chip-in or sinking a long putt is always a bonus.  Last weekend I finished birdie (a chip in), par, par to shoot 84.  43-41 front and back.  Nice round on a beautiful course in perfect summer conditions.

Personally, I like reading perspectives from others on this thread.  Good stuff.  Hope someone reading this can take something from it.

dave

Great post and advice.  I tend to lose too many strokes on par 3's, especially the ones over 180 yards.  I have to change the way I approach these longer par 3's so that I minimize the double and triple bogeys on them.

[baller7345]

I'm starting to get back in my groove.  Though my occasional breakdown off the tee is still haunting me, my game is starting to show some consistency.

Over the last week I've shot a 43, a 42, another 43, and an 86 which was a 42 on the front and a 44 on the back.  These are the kind of scores I should be happy with but I keep feeling I'm leaving so much out there.  Every time my tee shots start going left for a small stretch before I sort my swing out I want to bang my head against something because I'm letting a shot at breaking 80 slip through my fingers.  The closest I've had to a flawless day in the last month was the 82 I shot a couple last week...and even that had stretches where I know I could have played better.

[Duff McGee]

I'm starting to get back in my groove.  Though my occasional breakdown off the tee is still haunting me, my game is starting to show some consistency. Over the last week I've shot a 43, a 42, another 43, and an 86 which was a 42 on the front and a 44 on the back.  These are the kind of scores I should be happy with but I keep feeling I'm leaving so much out there.  Every time my tee shots start going left for a small stretch before I sort my swing out I want to bang my head against something because I'm letting a shot at breaking 80 slip through my fingers.  The closest I've had to a flawless day in the last month was the 82 I shot a couple last week...and even that had stretches where I know I could have played better.

I know the experts on this site say that we are never as good as we think we are and that we only remember our good shots and forget our bad, but I am with you on this. I feel like golfers consistently shooting in the mid 80's are in a strange transition world where they are getting good enough at ball striking where they could easily be a single handicap, but they make mental mistakes that lower scoring golfers do not make. I make so many mental and course management mistakes every time I go out. Rare is the stroke that actually blows up a hole for me. Common is the decision making or lack thereof that causes a blow up hole. And I make so many mistakes around the green as well. Whether it is not taking enough time to read a putt properly or aiming for a flag over two bunkers with a pin 4 feet behind them instead of playing safe or trying to make a hero shot from 230 out when I should just lay up.....I throw away a score in the 70's or low 80's every time I go out. When I started golfing again this spring, breaking into the 80's was initially elusive even though I knew I was striking the ball like an "80's golfer." Then once I shot an 89 a ton of 80's came fast and furious and now I am disappointed with anything over an 85 . Now I feel like I am striking the ball like a high 70's, low 80's golfer but can't break through. Hopefully when I finally break through it will open the door to whatever it is that makes a 70's golfer consistent in that score range.

[Bryan Kasper]

had one of the best range sessions I've ever had last night. I have never felt so confident in hitting any shot i wanted to. every thing seemed to click. My goal now is to replicate that the rest of the week and an come out this weekend with some low scores.

[dave s]

Great post and advice.  I tend to lose too many strokes on par 3's, especially the ones over 180 yards.  I have to change the way I approach these longer par 3's so that I minimize the double and triple bogeys on them.

Long par 3s are tough on everybody.  Back to my shot-saving strategies.  When my wife started playing 7 seasons ago, we worked a lot of hours on short game chipping and pitching from all angles and all lies.  We'd have 'up-and-down' contests using three balls.  If you didn't get up and down in 3 or fewer strokes, you'd lose a ball.  Sometimes we could go for an hour before either of us lost all three balls.  This helped my short game immensely.  Her's too.  She has a really solid short game.

Back to long par-3s.  My strategy is hitting something NEAR the green on anything over 170.  This way I know I've got a really good chance to make bogey at worst and possibly save par if I can get a chip really close.  One par 3 on the weekend round I cited in my earlier post played 190.  Three of the four in our group (me included) hit the green.  We were all within 25 feet of the hole.  I hit a 5-wood with a little helping breeze at our back.  Made par on a hole that I would have gladly taken bogey due to its length.

One more shot-saving tip:  This year's goal was to get chips all the way to the hole.  If you think about your short game, how many times to you actually get chips PAST the hole?  For me it was not many.  Since I started this strategy / swing thought on chip shots early in the year, I've holed 4 chips.  Never up, never in, so they say.  Nice wedges and soft cover balls really allow you to throw that chip close to the hole and stop it on a dime from just about any lie.  Thinking to myself, 'stop leaving the damn shots SHORT all the time!'  This was a good strategy.  I'd much rather have 10' coming back to the hole than leave it 10' short.  At least the long one could have hit the stick and gone in ... maybe.  Those left short never had a chance.

I'm 55 this year and always thinking about ways to keep my scores respectable now that I'm starting to lose distance on tee shots and not being able to reach any of the par 5s in two.  Heck, anything over about 370 are 3 shot holes for me anymore!  Good thing the best part of my game is from 100 and closer!

dave

[dave s]

This was an excellent read. I had been playing with the mindset that bogey = par for me and that has helped tremendously, but taking it further to analyze which holes were likely to be good for scoring is helpful, I may try this the next time out.

Avoiding the OTHER has been a big jump for be getting into the 80s as well. If I hit a hazard or OB, rather than trying to "make up" the lost shot I simply accept it and play the hole as I would otherwise, avoiding unnecessary risks and a true blow up hole.

Hazards and OB shots are avoidable in most cases.  Here are a couple of examples.  And let me tell you, I see guys on my league night fall victim all the time by not seeing and thinking about the shot in front of them.  Examples:

1.  We step on the tee box of hole #7.  Long, right-sweeping par 5 over a ridge, down the hill and back up the last 150 or so to the green.  We approach the tee box from the left side.  The tee box aims LEFT.  Guys walk three steps onto the teeing area, tee it up and WHAM!  Big slice into the woods on the right.  The strategy to AVOID the OB simple:  Move as close to the trees on the right as possible on the tee box and hit AWAY from the trees.  It's the ONLY spot on the hole where trouble exists.

2.  Overestimating one's ability to pull off a shot.  One of my favorite par-5s just BEGS you to hit that hero shot and get home in two.  The problem is a 100 yard lake guards a wide, but shallow green.  You have a backstop and no real trouble left of right provided you clear the water.  For me, it's a 180+ carry to NOT drown a ball on that hole.  My chances of making that shot from a perfect fairway lie is 0% or worse.  Tin cup shot.  I play a 5 hybrid past the lake right and have an 80-100 yard wedge and more green to work with.  Last time I saw this hole, two guys went for green.  Both made it over lake, one guy had eagle putt, the other eagle chip.  My 3rd shot was a wedge from 90 that I stuck to 10'.  Missed the birdie putt but solid par by using a strategy that played to a game strength rather than a weakness.  Guy on green in 2 made birdie.

3. Long par-4 on Sunday.  long fairway and a creek 40 yards short of an elevated green.  Even though I hit a good drive, I didn't think I had much of a chance getting home to an elevated green from 170 with a hybrid.  OB left, creek in front of green followed around to the right, cart path, a bridge with creek under it.  Way too many 'bad things' could have happened.  Solution?  Laid up with my gap wedge (about 90 yards) and hit my 54* wedge the last 80 to 15 feet.  As usual, missed the par putt but made bogey.  Lining up a 4- or 5-hybrid from 170 had triple-bogey written all over it.  Just don't do it anymore.

To avoid those 'big numbers' on the card means seeing what's out there, what the course is presenting to you on each shot and US making realistic shot choices.  You'll stay out of the hazards and ugly spots on the course, keep the ball in play and keep those big numbers off the card.  On the flipside, there are opportunities to go for it.  But not when lakes, ponds, OB and opportunity to lose a ball is obvious.  We have to 'think our way' around a golf course to limit the ugly stuff from happening.  Whenever we have one of those big numbers, we kick our own butt all the way to the next tee because we know WE caused it!  "Damn, WHY did I DO THAT?!!!"

dave

[Jeremie Boop]

I'm starting to get back in my groove.  Though my occasional breakdown off the tee is still haunting me, my game is starting to show some consistency.

Over the last week I've shot a 43, a 42, another 43, and an 86 which was a 42 on the front and a 44 on the back.  These are the kind of scores I should be happy with but I keep feeling I'm leaving so much out there.  Every time my tee shots start going left for a small stretch before I sort my swing out I want to bang my head against something because I'm letting a shot at breaking 80 slip through my fingers.  The closest I've had to a flawless day in the last month was the 82 I shot a couple last week...and even that had stretches where I know I could have played better.

I have, normally, anywhere from 1-3 holes where I just hit a brain dead tee shot *for me that's a pull hook*... Last week I had a 45, but I started out -1 through 4 before having 5 over on one hole because I hit tee shot into an unplayable lie, took the penalty and drop, pull hooked next shot ob, bladed next shot low and right, bladed next shot long left into hazard. Dropped again, chipped on and almost went in, tapped in the putt for 9 on a par 4. That one hole killed that entire 9 hole score. I was able to pull it together for the most part from there on, but my confidence was pretty shaken so I never got back to the pars I was making before. That's typically how my game goes though, I'll be plodding along doing pretty well making pars and bogeys until I hit those stupid tee shots that end in an OB or lost ball. If I can eliminate those OBs off the tee I'd easily be looking at mid-low 80's every round. That's the dream at least.

[baller7345]

I have, normally, anywhere from 1-3 holes where I just hit a brain dead tee shot *for me that's a pull hook*... Last week I had a 45, but I started out -1 through 4 before having 5 over on one hole because I hit tee shot into an unplayable lie, took the penalty and drop, pull hooked next shot ob, bladed next shot low and right, bladed next shot long left into hazard. Dropped again, chipped on and almost went in, tapped in the putt for 9 on a par 4. That one hole killed that entire 9 hole score. I was able to pull it together for the most part from there on, but my confidence was pretty shaken so I never got back to the pars I was making before. That's typically how my game goes though, I'll be plodding along doing pretty well making pars and bogeys until I hit those stupid tee shots that end in an OB or lost ball. If I can eliminate those OBs off the tee I'd easily be looking at mid-low 80's every round. That's the dream at least.

My hook generally doesn't cause me to much trouble with OB as it basically acts as if I strapped a 10lb weight to the ball after turning left.  I turn short par 4s into long par 4s and par 5s may as well read par 6s if I start one of them off with a hook.

The worst part is I feel myself do it through the swing (its an awful feeling when you know 3/4 of the way through your swing that the ball is headed left and down).  I know whats causing it (my uend up over rotating in comparison to my lower body), but there is some mechanical lapse in my swing that likes to pop up at inopportune times.  If I'm playing alone and there is nobody around I'll stick on a tee box and work myself through it (which typically involves overcompensating on a tee shot or two [causing large slices] before coming back in line), but if I'm truly tracking my score I tend to just abandon my driver for a few holes for my 18 degree hybrid and normally when I come back to it later I've gone back to my usual smooth swing which is a small fade.

I'd say it rarely ruins my round anymore but it is what is holding me back from breaking 80 at this point.  When it does happen I'm typically overly conscious of it and I'm sure it isn't helping my scores constantly thinking about how to fix my swing off the tee while lining up a 80 approach shot.

[Duff McGee]

One of the weirdest rounds I've ever played. Had to start on 10 for some reason and I hate that. Felt ok, didn't lose a ball, nothing out of the ordinary. Played from the blue tees. Shot a 48 on the back. I just kept double bogeying for some reason. It was so strange bc I was striking the ball ok and had no penalty shots. I kept double checking to see if I added it up right. Not really any three putts to speak of either. No duffs. Then I shot a 39 on the front finishing with 2 bogeys for an 87. I kept sinking these monster bending putts. It was crazy! These people I got paired with thought I was the best putter on earth lol. And they weren't straight. They were like "aim 5 feet to the right of the hole, big benders. I still can't really figure out what separated the two 9's honestly. If I had to say, I hit a few greens in regulation with flighted shots which landed right by the pin that bounded off on the first 9 and then I switched up to hitting extremely lofted shots on the second 9. The greens were fast and very dry.