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Trying to Break 100

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jdjanda

jdjanda

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I figure that I would swallow a little man pride and start a "Trying to Break 100" thread, based on the Trying to Break 90 Club thread. Don't leave me hanging, just like an AA meeting you have to admit you have a problem first.

My Barriers to Breaking 100
  1. My inability to resist pulling the big stick, even when I consistently hit my 3H 200 yards
  2. I'm too stubborn to take lessons, I did once and it caused more problems
  3. Practice, who has time for that
  4. I'll just play with my power fade and aim 50 yards left
  5. Sand, are we going to the beach?
  6. Water, I love watching a big splash
  7. Ever since that Hitchcock movie I thing against birds.

Truthfully I've been working in the backyard on 1/2 and 3/4 swings, looking for crisp contact, and have made progress. It takes my 4-6 holes to settle down and I am starting to hit a few greens in reg and making pars. Reducing OB drives and a couple of blow up holes will get me into the 90's.

Who else is in the club and looking to get out?
 
Hey JD,

I feel your pain and can still blow past the century mark from time to time. Luckily, my times are more spaced out right now. But the game is difficult and my best solution was playing as much as I could. It helped me. We all just have to keep pursuing our goals. I will be pulling for you.
 
good luck JD! keep us up to date, it took me a long time but it was worth the wait!
 
I only managed it for the first time last year. Twice: a 99 and a 97. The final piece of the puzzle for me was actually course management. Going for the shots I knew I could make, rather than trying to go for the shots I thought I should be able to make. I have not managed it this year yet, but I am getting more pars so I am sure its just a matter of time.
 
This is also a goal for me this season.
From the rounds I have played so far this year, I have learned that staying on the fairway will go along way to achieving this goal.
 
I will join your club! No shame in it, especially if you are working on improving your score. I'm confident I will break 100 this year. This will be my first full season of golf and I can already see improvement.

My biggest challenges:

1. Distance/Accuracy off the tee. I spent last year fighting a giant slice with my driver and took lessons to correct it. I now can put the ball out there 200 with decent consistency, but I let negative thoughts screw me up some times. My miss is usually a topped ball to the left. At times I can get anywhere from 25 to 50 more yards out of my drive. If I have a short tee shot it can really mess up my hole. I get in recovery mode and suffer for it.

2. Short game. I can always screw up a good hole with a couple of bladed or fat pitch shots from inside 70 yards.

3. Three putts. I have trouble hitting that 2nd, close putt from and it can kill my score.

4. Par 3's. Some of my highest scores come on the par 3's. I think it's because I get all psyched up about hitting the green and pull up. The ball trajectory ends up looking like a throw to first base.

5. Alignment. I second guess my aim and end up hitting straight shots left or right of the target.

5. Negative thoughts or swing thoughts. Thinking too much = bad shots.

Glimmers of hope:

1. I've learned that I don't have to hit a driver on every hole. I play on a fairly short course and if I play to a comfortable distance I am much better off.

2. My chipping has improved dramatically since I went back to the basics.

3. I make better contact with the club than I ever have.

4. My first putt is better than ever. I can pick a good line and judge distance pretty well.

5. Course management. I attribute much of my skill with CM to this site. JB spoke about playing to a distance and it really stuck with me. Example: Last year on par 5's I would use a 3W for my second shot. Now I break down the distance into two easy iron shots. Works well if I execute the shots.

Anyway, this thread is a good idea and I was thinking about starting one too. Good luck to everybody and make sure to let us know your progress!
 
I'll join you guys on this one...

This is also my first full year playing (started playing in August of '09) and I have come close to breaking it often. Obviously we all have different issues or, should I say, opportunities to address. For my game, it's limiting mistakes and specifically off the tee. Penalties kill my score as well as 1-2 blow up holes. The goal by the end of the year is to limit the penalties and eliminate the blow up holes. Putting is not an issue and rarely do I go more than 2 putts a hole and never, ever more than 3. Here in Florida it almost seems like there water on every hole as a hazard. I know it's a good day when I don't lose more than 2 sleeves of balls.

Like Hawk said above we're at the point where we should never go for it and manage the game and the course wisely. Whenever I get that itch I always remind myself of that part in Tin Cup where Costner tells Don Johnson, "David Simms, 2 shots to win and 1 to tie and the tour pro lays up.".
 
I will say that the Florida courses killed me with all of the water. That and they all seemed to have OOB 15 feet off of the fairways.
 
Hi my name is White Rhino and I too have a problem breaking 100. (pause for greeting from other members)

My issues are similar to those previously posted and and I am sure similar to what will be posted after me. I have a problem with hitting too many dumb shots per round, usually these appear within a distance of 70 yards and closer to the hole, I slow down my swing causing a chunk or a 15 yard :wtf: shot. Then of course I get :angry: and I proceed to do it again (or even twice more) before I even get to the green. I am learning to lessen these opportunities each round by utilizing course management and not being driven by my ego and not trying to reach the green when i am still 260 yards out and instead try to position my shots each hole so I can hit the ball from outside the "100 yard zone". I also find myself being too "rigid" in club selection, assuming every shot from a certain distance I must hit with the same club every time instead of being more fluid and hitting the club I am comfortable with. So what if I take a 5 iron out from 60 yards out if I can half swing it and punch it to the green, there is no place on the scorecard for pretty shots, just a score so why should I really care how I get there... just get there (for now).

As for a solution, I feel I simply need to be patient and get more course time. I do not think going to the range is an answer at this time because probably like many of you I am a wonderful range player. :D Everytime I go to the range I am hitting 95% of the balls straight as an arrow, can hit them short or long, hit all the shots, my driver always seems to go straight as well. My goal is to get my Rhino butt out on a golf course every day (or as often as possible) at twilight time. There is a corse near my place that after 4:30 it is $10 to walk. So I can get some excercise in and improve my game at the same time. I might not even keep score, just practice and try to enjoy the game and let it come to me.

I will come back here and let you all know how I am doing and I want to hear how you all are as well. jdjanda, maybe in the future, you can bring some chips or sodas for the group, might be a nice thing. :D
 
hawk308 said:
I will say that the Florida courses killed me with all of the water. That and they all seemed to have OOB 15 feet off of the fairways.
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Well the majority of the courses that I play down here are the same but they have very wide fairways. So shame on me for smacking it OOB when the fairway is the width of a basketball court... lengthwise. :D

What I also realize is that the mentality of the save due to a water hazard has to be positive. I see a lot of people hit it to a lateral water hazard, take their penalty drop and then duff the next shot. I think we have to realize is that bogey on all holes (throw in a couple of doubles as well) on a 72 gets you below 100.
 
Rhino - I feel like walking has helped me improve. I can settle down after a poor shot or just start thinking about the next one.

Spank - I have learned to accept that a bogey is a good score for me at this point. If I can par, or get a shot at birdie, I am happy these days. Prior to actually playing golf, my only experience was with video games. They have a good way of convincing you that a par is the highest score you should get on a hole.
 
Thinking further, the thing that really gets me about this game is the fact the lack of consistancy I have. This problem is true for this thread , it can be said on the break 90 or 80 or even at the pro level ( see Tiger's meltdown this past weekend). For me it is the fact that I can hit a good drive on a hole and possible a good second shot (if it is a par 5) only to screw it up with my short game. Then on the next hole I hit a perfect shot from 80 yards in that lands 10 feet or so from the hole. Now of course on the second hole I had already screwed up the drive and possibly hit it OB like Spank mentioned and I was already hitting 5. So many times when I play with my friends ( most of whom are better than I ) I hear the same thing. "Your game is too good to be shooting the scores you are" I have said my game is like a 8 cylinder engine that runs on 5 cylinders at time on the golf course, if ever I get tuned up and running properly.. who knows? :banana:
 
White Rhino said:
I have said my game is like a 8 cylinder engine that runs on 5 cylinders at time on the golf course, if ever I get tuned up and running properly.. who knows? :banana:
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Yeah, I'm still waiting for that "dare to be great situation".

So here's a question I'll pose to you fine folks out there... if you haven't broken 100 yet how close have you gotten? I've gotten to 102 on a 72 on numerous occasions (damn blow up holes killed me).
 
Spank818 said:
Yeah, I'm still waiting for that "dare to be great situation".

So here's a question I'll pose to you fine folks out there... if you haven't broken 100 yet how close have you gotten? I've gotten to 102 on a 72 on numerous occasions (damn blow up holes killed me).
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Well, I'm not sure if this counts since we've been playing Par 3 courses :wink: BUT I have gotten 12 over one time. But that was the ONLY time. If only I could do it again...

We've played regualr regulation courses, but it seems like we can never finish. So I don't really have an accurate score for those courses. We're all about saving money so we go around 2-3pm (this was before the time change, obviously) so we'd get to about the 11th or 12th hole and it'd start to get dark and cold so we've just left. So we haven't finished yet.
 
Whew, I'm glad to have a few stand up and join the 100 plus club with me.

My lowest round, 101. Looking back there were at least 3 opportunities I could have saved 3 strokes.

My biggest break through recently has been simply relaxing and enjoying the game rather then stressing to make a score.
 
jdjanda said:
Whew, I'm glad to have a few stand up and join the 100 plus club with me.

My lowest round, 101. Looking back there were at least 3 opportunities I could have saved 3 strokes.

My biggest break through recently has been simply relaxing and enjoying the game rather then stressing to make a score.
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Here!! Here!!! Its much easier said than done though :(
 
I am not even sure I am good enough to join this group but I would love to even shoot 100. You are definitely not alone and I will be pulling for you and everyone else here to break 100 this year!
 
GolferGal said:
I am not even sure I am good enough to join this group but I would love to even shoot 100. You are definitely not alone and I will be pulling for you and everyone else here to break 100 this year!
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You are more than welcome to join, I did :) The more the merrier!! I wish for that day where I'd break 100 as well!! Its in the far far future though :wink:
 
GolferGal said:
I am not even sure I am good enough to join this group but I would love to even shoot 100. You are definitely not alone and I will be pulling for you and everyone else here to break 100 this year!
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You certainly are GG. Welcome to the group!!!! Ellie can join to if she wants!!!
 
Golf Chick said:
You are more than welcome to join, I did :) The more the merrier!! I wish for that day where I'd break 100 as well!! Its in the far far future though :wink:
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I fear it is in the far future for me too. It's my own fault for not going out and practicing more. I have been practicing on the putting green we have in the living room now and ever since we got it I have very very rarely had a 3 putt. That is saving me a lot of strokes because I used to be a 4 putt queen for a while. This has really helped me with speed control.

I also used to top a lot of my shots but now I am hitting them fat. I think that means I am finally starting to ground my club more which I think is good and now I just need to find the true bottom of my swing. Once I have that I think that will be a huge breakthrough for me. I am doing this in baby steps and just enjoying the good shots and trying to work on the bad.
 
Here's some advice about breaking 100 . . .

First, give yourself the freedom to stop thinking about 100 and concentrate on one shot at a time. Golf is hard enough without worrying about how your ball got where it is or thinking about what you need to do on the next four holes. Put another way, you cannot be standing in the middle of the 14th fairway thinking about the four pars and bogey you need to break 100. You have to stand there thinking about nothing other than the safest way to get your ball on the middle of the 14th green. If you are thinking/worrying about what you've already done or what you need to do on the next hole, by definition you are not concentrating on the shot in front of you.

Second, track your performance after the round so you can figure out where you need to improve. Chances are good that any 100-shooter can save at least 10 shots (probably 15 or more) on or around the green, but nothing will convince you like seeing on paper just how many "easy" shots you're wasting. Spend 1/2-hour chipping and putting before and after every round and you will save a lot of those shots.

Third, it you really want to break 100, go to the course with only 4 or 5 clubs, nothing longer than a 5-iron, e.g., 5i, 7i, 9i, PW, putter. Bogey golf is easier than you think if you don't try to do too much with any one swing. You may end up laying up on every hole except the short par 3s, but you'll probably learn more about course management by limiting your options than you will any other way. Also, if you can't reach an average par four with two 5-irons and a pitching wedge, you're probably playing from the wrong tee.
 
NFender said:
Here's some advice about breaking 100 . . .

First, give yourself the freedom to stop thinking about 100 and concentrate on one shot at a time. Golf is hard enough without worrying about how your ball got where it is or thinking about what you need to do on the next four holes. Put another way, you cannot be standing in the middle of the 14th fairway thinking about the four pars and bogey you need to break 100. You have to stand there thinking about nothing other than the safest way to get your ball on the middle of the 14th green. If you are thinking/worrying about what you've already done or what you need to do on the next hole, by definition you are not concentrating on the shot in front of you.

Second, track your performance after the round so you can figure out where you need to improve. Chances are good that any 100-shooter can save at least 10 shots (probably 15 or more) on or around the green, but nothing will convince you like seeing on paper just how many "easy" shots you're wasting. Spend 1/2-hour chipping and putting before and after every round and you will save a lot of those shots.

Third, it you really want to break 100, go to the course with only 4 or 5 clubs, nothing longer than a 5-iron, e.g., 5i, 7i, 9i, PW, putter. Bogey golf is easier than you think if you don't try to do too much with any one swing. You may end up laying up on every hole except the short par 3s, but you'll probably learn more about course management by limiting your options than you will any other way. Also, if you can't reach an average par four with two 5-irons and a pitching wedge, you're probably playing from the wrong tee.
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Some great words of wisdom there :good:

I know for me, its hard to shut out my thoughts when I'm about to tee off. Going with just a few clubs?? Hmmm...
 
sigh...unfortunately I need to join your club too. Last year I was playing on average 2 times a week and practicing 4-5 times. I was breaking 100 approx. half the time and usually shot under 105 when I didn't. Then I didn't pick up a club for over 6 months. I have only played a full 18 twice this year so far with a pathetic 108 being my best. I have always struggled off the tee and just got my new driver so hopefully after a few range sessions my scores will be lower.

I try to practice in the yard on wedge shots every day. I have a big yard so I can hit a full sand wedge. But I think just getting out on the course as much as possible is the most important aspect of staying consistent. I started using golfshot gps and keeping stats to see where I need the most improvement.

The main thing that always baffles me is I can hit shot after shot pure and perfect in the yard or range yet when I'm on the course I cannot. I need to somehow find the sense of relaxation I have when practicing and transfer it to the course.
 
Nice to know I'm not alone in this...I, like Spank818, just picked up the game in August of '09, so this too will be my first full season this year. My work schedule as of late only allows for me to play only 9 holes about twice a week (haven't had a day off since Good Friday). I'm still struggling to break 50 (100 for 18); I seem to be stuck at about 52-55 (104-110), about the same as I was toward the end of last year. I have made two big noticeable improvements, however:
-Driving. No longer slicing as bad as I used to. Hitting consistently about 200-225 straight, sometimes slightly to the left.
-Putting. Picked up a few things from Phil Mickelson's "Short Game" DVD, and they seem to be working for me. I've been keeping track of my putts per hole, and I've improved to 19-22 putts for 9 holes (2.1-2.4 PPH avg.). Chipping has also improved too; put the lob wedge away so no more bladed shots (anyone want to buy it?)

My biggest problem lately has been my irons. Ever since I got them last November they have just never felt right. Both that set and my cheap "starter" irons are cavity-back, but the cheaper ones have a solid bottom as opposed to the hollow bottom of the Adams set I have. Haven't been able to prove my theory on them yet, but I've put them away for now and put my cheap "starter" irons back in my bag. If all goes well, then the Adams irons are soon to find their way onto eBay while I look for a better set with solid bottoms.

Someone had once said that as you learn to do things the right way, you're going to get worse before you can get better. That thought has helped me not to get discouraged when I do poorly and struggle to break into the "100 Club". In the beginning, it was all about "getting me some clubs and heading out to play". Now it's about where I stand with my strengths and weaknesses. Make the necessary changes to improve the weaknesses, whether through lots of practice and/or better equipment, and keep improving on the strengths too. The season is still young, I'm still making corrections and trying to stay positive. I'm confident I'll be able to break 100 by year's end, and I wish everyone else with the same problem the best of luck in their goal as well.
 
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