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Trying to Break 100

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hawk308 said:
Sigh... 107 yesterday. 1 stroke higher than my last round.

Unlike usual, I was actually pretty good off of the tee today. Kept almost all of my shots either in the fairway or just off. Decent distance as well. A good tee shot is so instrumental to a lower score for me.

Iron/hybrid approach shots were actually pretty good too. I only topped a few balls and and chunked one.

3 pars on the back nine. That's as good as I've ever done. I had some blowups though. On four holes I lost balls OOB. Two off the tee and two off of the fairway. That adds up to 8 strokes when you figure penalty + distance. Believe it or not, it's actually very rare for me to lose more than one ball. I hadn't lost one for three rounds, so I was pretty bummed about that.

Bottom line is, MY PUTTING REALLY SUCKS RIGHT NOW. ARGHHHH! If I turned my 3-putts (and two 4-putts) into 2-putts I could have dropped around 15 strokes from my score. Truly pathetic and really annoying. I'm not lag putting well from distance and I'm missing too many 5 footers. Next trip out with the clubs will be to the practice green. I really believe that it's all mental, so I just need to get a little confidence with my putter.

I do feel like I've improved greatly. I'm making better contact than I ever have, accuracy is decent, and my (greenside) short game is good. I just need to put it all together. I really wish I had a warm-up facility at the course I've been playing. I'm so much better on the back 9.
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Wow, even though you aren't too thrilled with your score it sounds like your game is really coming together. Hitting a good tee shot give so much confidence to your next shot. I have a feeling you will be breaking 100 within your next few times out.
 
GolferGal said:
Wow, even though you aren't too thrilled with your score it sounds like your game is really coming together. Hitting a good tee shot give so much confidence to your next shot. I have a feeling you will be breaking 100 within your next few times out.
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Thanks GolferGal. Yes, it is really coming together and I don't think it will be long either. First, I improved my general contact issues with approach shots and then my tee-shot issues. Both of those took a lot of work, but they really are so much better. Last thing I need to do is get my putting fixed. That is the key to a lower score at this point. At least I know what I need to do :)
 
Great going hawk, sounds like you're on your way to greatness :)
 
I've sucked lately since shooting that even 100. I shot a 58 today with 14 putts! I went back to my old ball and my putting instantly improved. I even 1 putted from 23 feet today. My pro changed my posture at my lesson yesterday. I hit balls at the range this AM pretty good but I was hitting everything thin when I played 9 in the afternoon.

I think if I can adjust to this change my game will improve. My pro doesn't want me going back to my normal slouchy stance. I've worked with him for a few years now and have complete faith in what he's telling me to do. This is a great position to be in when taking lessons. So I'm hoping for good things as I adjust.
 
I went out again after dinner and my last conference call of the day for 9. I had 17 putts and shot a 47 with 2 7s on par 4 holes. I hade decent tee shots and played more aggresively. I hitmy 3h and woods off the deck to get close to the green instead of laying up to a full shot. his is getting me inside pitch range n most cases and the scores reflected that.

Example: #9 - par 5 dogleg right, I hit driver as usual for this hole. it's a slice that I hear hit a tree. I find my ball in the woods but I have an opening maybe 5 feet wide, 30 feet in front of me. I seriously shortened the hole as well because I cut alot of the corner. I hit a 4i punch that was perfect. It was a mid height fade that came to a stop 94 yards from center of the green in the middle of the fairway! My GW was a bit long but I was on the green and 24 feet away and it's a downhill putt. I line up my putt and it goes 5 feet past the hole on the low side. I sink the par putt. That 4i punch was great. I compressed the ball and kept it under the tree branches.
 
Bortass said:
....That 4i punch was great. I compressed the ball and kept it under the tree branches.
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It is rewarding to pull off a shot as planned, sounds like you are headed to breaking 90 club.
 
Went to the putting green yesterday for about 90 minutes. Funny that I only saw one other person practice on the green the entire time.

I laid out six balls on the fringe/outlying rough and practiced chipping with a couple different clubs. I felt my chipping/pitching game was pretty strong (for a beginner), but I wanted improve in my distance to the hole. I really worked on running the ball to the cup and had some really good results. I almost holed 5-6 chips and did manage to drop one. Then I followed up with each ball and putted it in the hole as if I was playing a round with it.

I also practiced lag putting for awhile b/c it has been a source of disappointment for me. I can't count on a two putt if my first one is well short of the hole. I finally got the feel down and was able to get most of them within three feet.

Last, I did the drill where you put balls in a circle around the cup and putt them all in. Mixed results, but I got better at the end.

What I learned was that I had become very handsy with my putting. When I used my pre-shot routine, marked a small focal-point to aim at, and used a correct stroke, I was having much better success. It just takes time, I suppose. I feel like I will be much better on (and near) the green next time around.
 
Thanks to GolferGal for her confidence boost. Shot a 97 on my "regular" 62-par course. It's really strange where they put these bodies of water that seem to just pop out of nowhere to claim a ball. Lost 5 of my balls to water, including 2 to the very same one on the very same hole! My chipping improved, putting was a little better, irons were okay, but fairway woods and driver were 50/50. Had only one errant shot end up on an adjacent fairway courtesy of an atrocious slice off my driver. And I thought I was doing so well during my warm-up at the driving range. I'm sure there are those of you out there who can relate to that. But I love it (and I know that you do too)!
 
rrhb said:
Thanks to GolferGal for her confidence boost. Shot a 97 on my "regular" 62-par course. It's really strange where they put these bodies of water that seem to just pop out of nowhere to claim a ball. Lost 5 of my balls to water, including 2 to the very same one on the very same hole! My chipping improved, putting was a little better, irons were okay, but fairway woods and driver were 50/50. Had only one errant shot end up on an adjacent fairway courtesy of an atrocious slice off my driver. And I thought I was doing so well during my warm-up at the driving range. I'm sure there are those of you out there who can relate to that. But I love it (and I know that you do too)!
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That's great!! Keep up the great work :)
 
I spent 2 hours at the range Sunday. I am a bit frustrated with my lack of consistency, my first 3 full swings with my 6 iron were long piercing flights, then it went down hill. My first drive a long monster down the middle then a hook, followed by 2 slices, then a decent shot. I am not hammering shots either, taking my time to setup and like it is a real shot.

I just can't seem to put together 10 good swings in a row, and my hybrid swing is gone again. :banghead:

On the positive side, I had great success and improvement on chips, pitches and bunker shots. Keeping weight left on chips and sand helped greatly.
 
jdjanda said:
I spent 2 hours at the range Sunday. I am a bit frustrated with my lack of consistency, my first 3 full swings with my 6 iron were long piercing flights, then it went down hill. My first drive a long monster down the middle then a hook, followed by 2 slices, then a decent shot. I am not hammering shots either, taking my time to setup and like it is a real shot.

I just can't seem to put together 10 good swings in a row, and my hybrid swing is gone again. :banghead:

On the positive side, I had great success and improvement on chips, pitches and bunker shots. Keeping weight left on chips and sand helped greatly.
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I feel ya on the range session I am having the same issue. I will hit a few solid shots and then the rest is just scary. The other day I had a nasty case of the shanks it was embarassing. I seem to be getting worse rather than better so I just signed up for some more lessons. I have my first one on Thursday at 9am. They had some earlier in the week but not until mid afternoon and with this heat it just didn't seem like a great idea.

I hope I can get back on track so I can see lower scores not higher because my last few rounds have not been good.
 
keep at it janda.....you'll find everything again soon enough
jdjanda said:
I spent 2 hours at the range Sunday. I am a bit frustrated with my lack of consistency, my first 3 full swings with my 6 iron were long piercing flights, then it went down hill. My first drive a long monster down the middle then a hook, followed by 2 slices, then a decent shot. I am not hammering shots either, taking my time to setup and like it is a real shot.

I just can't seem to put together 10 good swings in a row, and my hybrid swing is gone again. :banghead:

On the positive side, I had great success and improvement on chips, pitches and bunker shots. Keeping weight left on chips and sand helped greatly.
Click to expand...
 
hawk308 said:
Went to the putting green yesterday for about 90 minutes. Funny that I only saw one other person practice on the green the entire time.

I laid out six balls on the fringe/outlying rough and practiced chipping with a couple different clubs. I felt my chipping/pitching game was pretty strong (for a beginner), but I wanted improve in my distance to the hole. I really worked on running the ball to the cup and had some really good results. I almost holed 5-6 chips and did manage to drop one. Then I followed up with each ball and putted it in the hole as if I was playing a round with it.

I also practiced lag putting for awhile b/c it has been a source of disappointment for me. I can't count on a two putt if my first one is well short of the hole. I finally got the feel down and was able to get most of them within three feet.

Last, I did the drill where you put balls in a circle around the cup and putt them all in. Mixed results, but I got better at the end.

What I learned was that I had become very handsy with my putting. When I used my pre-shot routine, marked a small focal-point to aim at, and used a correct stroke, I was having much better success. It just takes time, I suppose. I feel like I will be much better on (and near) the green next time around.
Click to expand...

Speed is the biggest thing to work on for putting for most people. My pro gave me a simple routine. Take two practice strokes while looking at the hole. That has helped me alot. Also make sure you play a ball tha you putt well with. I changed balls 3 weeks ago. I was averaging less then 2 putts per hole at the time. I started to 3 putt and my average putt per hole went up. I was missing high and long. I used to be automatic inside 3 feet and it turned into a crap shoot. I said screw it and my putting came back after returning to my original ball. My feel was back and I started to drop the occasional putt from over 10 feet again. Those are rare still but I'll take it.
 
GolferGal -

As I got closer to breaking 100 (I was down to 104), I started overthinking my swing and really pscyched myself out. I had a few rounds that were as bad, or worse, as any round I'd ever played. I think I got too fixated on the mechanics and it hurt me big time. I find that I have the tendency to convince myself to make changes based on what I read/see on the internet and in magazines or books.

I finally found my swing back just by going back to the basics I learned in my first lesson. I would bet that you will quickly find your swing back after your lesson. Bob Rotella said something to effect of (and this is not even close to a quote): If you've done it before, you know that you are fully capable of doing it again. Think of a string of holes (or a round) where many things went right. In other words, the potential is there and your body is capable, but you mind often blocks it.

Good luck!
 
I was sort of close. My first regulation course in a very long time without using woods or hybrids, irons only, shot a 118 :) And I improved on the back 9, front 9 shot 25 over and back 9 shot 23 over. Course was a Par 70 with just a few par 3s, but I did hit a green in regulation (on a par 3 hole though, but still is a GIR!) used my 5i on a 125 yard hole :clapp: Didn't get a birdie nor par, had a bogey instead.
 
hawk308 said:
GolferGal -

As I got closer to breaking 100 (I was down to 104), I started overthinking my swing and really pscyched myself out. I had a few rounds that were as bad, or worse, as any round I'd ever played. I think I got too fixated on the mechanics and it hurt me big time. I find that I have the tendency to convince myself to make changes based on what I read/see on the internet and in magazines or books.

I finally found my swing back just by going back to the basics I learned in my first lesson. I would bet that you will quickly find your swing back after your lesson. Bob Rotella said something to effect of (and this is not even close to a quote): If you've done it before, you know that you are fully capable of doing it again. Think of a string of holes (or a round) where many things went right. In other words, the potential is there and your body is capable, but you mind often blocks it.

Good luck!
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Thanks so much Hawk. I am really looking forward to the lesson because I do think it will help me get my confidence back. You are so right about how the mind blocks the body from doing what it knows how to do. I start to expect more from myself and then when it doesn't happen I feel liks such a failure. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement.


Golf Chick said:
I was sort of close. My first regulation course in a very long time without using woods or hybrids, irons only, shot a 118 :) And I improved on the back 9, front 9 shot 25 over and back 9 shot 23 over. Course was a Par 70 with just a few par 3s, but I did hit a green in regulation (on a par 3 hole though, but still is a GIR!) used my 5i on a 125 yard hole :clapp: Didn't get a birdie nor par, had a bogey instead.
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That's great GC!! Your game is definitely getting there :smile:
 
GolferGal said:
That's great GC!! Your game is definitely getting there :smile:
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I'm happy with it, my first regulation course in a while and considering I was only using my irons.
 
White Rhino said:
Way to go, at this rate you'll be shooting 80's in Florida!!!!
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With just my irons haa haa haa :D That's our goal (the BF and I) we're going to start playing the regulation courses to help us practice with distances to get us ready for Florida. Then, when it's closer, at our lesson, I'd like my instructor to help get me prepared a well for this trip!
 
I dunno if I should laugh or cry. Played 18 today. Started on the back and played solid, 3300 yards.. On 17, par 4, I smoke my 3w 216 yards into the fairway. I'm 120 out and push my 8i right of the green. I have some chipping issues and come away with a 6. That was the worse hole on the back and I end up with a 48.

The front is shorter, 3000 yards, and I play it alot more then the back. On #1, par 4, I'm 5 feet from the hole in 3. I 3 putt for 6. I blow up on 3 par 4s later and get 7, 8, 9 respectively. 12 over in 3 holes. I get to #9 and chip in for a bogey 6. I add up my card and I shot a 52 on the front.

Soo close. I had an easy bogey on #1 and blew it. And on #8 I hit a fade 196 into the fairway. My 170 3h approach i slice in the trees and have some issues and end up with the 9 mentioned before.

So I'm bummed because I was soo close and failed. But I'm happy with my over all game. Lols.
 
Bortass said:
I dunno if I should laugh or cry. Played 18 today. Started on the back and played solid, 3300 yards.. On 17, par 4, I smoke my 3w 216 yards into the fairway. I'm 120 out and push my 8i right of the green. I have some chipping issues and come away with a 6. That was the worse hole on the back and I end up with a 48.

The front is shorter, 3000 yards, and I play it alot more then the back. On #1, par 4, I'm 5 feet from the hole in 3. I 3 putt for 6. I blow up on 3 par 4s later and get 7, 8, 9 respectively. 12 over in 3 holes. I get to #9 and chip in for a bogey 6. I add up my card and I shot a 52 on the front.

Soo close. I had an easy bogey on #1 and blew it. And on #8 I hit a fade 196 into the fairway. My 170 3h approach i slice in the trees and have some issues and end up with the 9 mentioned before.

So I'm bummed because I was soo close and failed. But I'm happy with my over all game. Lols.
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Oh how I know that round far too well. Those 8s and 9s just sting when you write down the number. Even with the blow up holes you still did really well and DAMN a 48 on the first 9 that is AWESOME!!! If I were you I would be bouncing off the walls excited, I am really excited for you. I definitely see a sub 100 round in your very near future and I can't wait to read/see your excitment when that happens.
 
good stuff boartass you soooo close!
 
Nice job Bort. You are so close man. Keep your chin up!
 
good stuff too GC, keep at it!
 
So I had my golf lesson today and it went really well. My instructor is confident that if I can break some of my bad habits I will break 100 in no time. She said My goal should be to break 95 not 100....I told her she is a big dreamer haha.

I am going to play 9 holes with her in 2 week and I can't wait! She said to get out and practice what we went over for the next few weeks and then we will play 9 together. She wants to know what I am thinking and how my course maintenance is. I plan to be at the range bright and early tomorrow to work on the issues we talked about today. I was making my swing work harder then it needed to and having too much turn with my take away so by the time I finished I was wrapping the club around my body causing a nasty hook. She keeps reminding me it's all about the tilted L.

I really hope I have a good range session tomorrow and I can remember to work on the things she told me.

She was also telling me to work on just taking practice swings. She said to set up the club in the air by my knees and take a practice swing where the club never touches the ground. This will help me control my take away and speed. She played on the LPGA for some years and she said these were the same drills her instructor made her do. If it helped get her to where she was then what the heck I can give it a try ha.
 
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