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Trying to Break 100

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Hawk said:
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!
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#2 and #3 mirror my agony.
 
I have been working on hitting down really well with my irons and where I have gaind a lot of yards and consistancy with my irons I can no longer hit my driver. I learned to carry my 7 iron 180-185 but driver is just a duck hook. very frustrating! I cant find my tempo for my driver. Any tips?
 
gts1982 said:
I have been working on hitting down really well with my irons and where I have gaind a lot of yards and consistancy with my irons I can no longer hit my driver. I learned to carry my 7 iron 180-185 but driver is just a duck hook. very frustrating! I cant find my tempo for my driver. Any tips?
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Make a post in the Ask the Pro section. Andy can definitely help you out.
 
damnit if i could only putt a bit better i would be in the 90s. oh well still young and trying
 
gts1982 said:
I have been working on hitting down really well with my irons and where I have gaind a lot of yards and consistancy with my irons I can no longer hit my driver. I learned to carry my 7 iron 180-185 but driver is just a duck hook. very frustrating! I cant find my tempo for my driver. Any tips?
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And this is exactly why I continue to hit a 3 iron off the tee box. And it doesnt punish me either. I can drive within 10 yards of the guys I play with that use drivers.
 
not today, i will before the end of summer!!
 
Hi,
Just joined - my closest is 102 a few days ago. My main problem was that my clubs were no good - I swing fast for a lady - and the shafts my starter set had was for someone who swung 40MPH less than I do! I was not fitted well unfortunately YIKES - I got myself fitted by a master club fitter and now I hit those clubs incredible - but I can only afford 1 club at a time - 1 a month. By September it will be all done -minus the driver and 3W - leaving those for next spring. The rest of my bag is killing me as they are the old clubs - but it is very satisfying knowing that eventually I will replace them all and be on my way to better scores. My longest club is my 21 degree 3 hybrid right now too so I know when the longer clubs are in I'll be able to manage. But I'm a pretty long hitter and it's okay - I'm getting close to breaking 100 with all those issues going on so I'm pretty psyched about next season. For now I go out and do my best and have a blast!
Good luck to everyone out there trying your best - my tip - it's just a game - manage yourself & the course - smile at your mistakes often and employ fish memory - one shot at a time!
Chau,
Maritxa
P.S my biggest lesson - no hero shots - if you can't hit it - don't try it!
 
So close today 103! Shot an 8 on the 14th and a 9 on the 17th!!! And only 2 pars was so close to a birdie on a par 3 but lipped the hole!!!!!
 
Broke 100 first time o n a par 72 course today. 95 at San Jose Muni. 6300 yds, rated 70.0/117. I posted more details in the "what did you shoot today" thread. If I get a couple more of these, I can join the trying to break 90 thread.
 
One of the things that helped me shoot 95, even though I never have been on this course before, is that I just bought the skydroid app for my android phone. It gives accurate distances to the green, so I could hit the green from wedge distance on almost every hole. I could probably have broken 100 earlier if I had been using a GPS or rangefinder.
 
Gamma said:
Broke 100 first time o n a par 72 course today. 95 at San Jose Muni. 6300 yds, rated 70.0/117. I posted more details in the "what did you shoot today" thread. If I get a couple more of these, I can join the trying to break 90 thread.
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Congrats on <100, I was just out in Bay and did not have a chance to play while I was out.
 
Shot a 103 yesterday, and had one really big blow up hole, a 10 on a par 5. But I did come away with a 2 putt birdie on a par 4 and then, on 18, hit my first drive OB a fairway to the right. Teed up me 3rd shot and hit it through the green. Flubbed the chip big time and made a 15 footer to save a single. So, may not have broken, but came away with a few positives.
 
Been a while since I've been able to post on here. I haven't had a full round in ages due to time and weather constraints, but I've had a few rounds of 12 or 15 holes. Our course is set out nicely so you can do 1-10 then 17-18, or 1-11 then 15-18. I had a patch where I was playing pretty close to my handicap, with 3 rounds in succession where I went out in 49, 48, 47 - I'm 28 handicap (only because they won't let me go any higher!), so gross par would be 50. I seemed to throw it away on the last few holes, mainly because I need to improve my fitness and concentration. One round of 15 holes I hit a Stableford score of 27, scoring on every hole, so I was only 3 over and should have been close to the hundred mark if I'd done the full 18.

A few things that I've picked up on this site have really helped:-

1) The review of the Wilson Staff Di11s helped me make up my mind about getting custom fit for them. Our course is on the side of a hill and quite often you're playing with the ball below your feet. Having the extra club length has helped with those shots, as well as the stunning forgiveness of this set of clubs

2) Concentrating on iron shots within 100 yards of the flag - this has been my main downfall and I lost a lot of shots here. I've been reading about taking quarter swings with the short irons to get the ball up and over obstacles and then letting it run on to the green. I've worked a lot on this and am getting much better results, although it still needs a lot more work.

3) Putting - I was regularly 3 or 4 putting, wasting a shot or more per hole. I'm taking more time on my putts, using the writing on the ball to line them up (my biggest problem), and getting the pacing right. I now 2 putt most of the time with only the rare 3- or 4-putt

4) Course management - looking at the shot ahead, playing around obstacles, being honest about my abilities and what I'm able to achieve. Things like bumping out 40 - 50 yards onto the fairway with a hybrid from under a tree with low banches rather than going hard with a 7 iron, hitting a branch and getting 5 - 10 yards.

5) Swing tempo - I'm now swinging much more slowly at the ball, keeping things consistent and getting a much better strike. If I hit the ball badly, 90% of the time it's because I'm swinging too hard and getting out of shape.


With all of that, I'm hitting the ball better and I'm feeling more confident on the course. Hopefully soon I'll be able to get under the 100, but I've got to sort out my driving now. I don't hit a driver yet - I use a 3-wood, but I often get a slice which puts me into a lot of trouble on the course I play. Once I've got that sorted out, then I should be able to get into the 90's.
 
my tip for breaking 100 on a standard 18 hole course:

Dont use a driver or 3/5 woods, might be boring, but for every nailed drive you will be playing three off the tee more often, just not worth the risk. Hybrid or 4 iron off the tee even if its a par 5. When chipping, do not use a club more lofted that a pitching wedge unless in a bunker. High handicappers with 60 degree wedges in the bag just aint right and they never work. Invest in a good sand wedge with 14 degres of bounce for bunkers. Practice putting alot.

Simple!
 
I DID IT EVERYONE! I broke 100 today and it felt so good - 98! I set out little goals and just executed - and kept my mind as quiet as possible. I am SOOOO happy - next step - breaking 95!
:))
 
Just wanted to post that I finally got under 100 today. I haven't found the time to play 18 in a few weeks. I had been playing 9 holes about every week and I've been able to keep it under 50 most of the time and finally got to play 18 today. I shot at 97. Now to repeat it and start ticking that down.

http://oobgolf.com/golfers/score.php?id=1604778
 
Congrats to all on your breaking 100!
 
Congratulations, bondedcrown, Maritxa and datarez! Welcome to the club!

Personally, I am going to consider myself suitable for this thread until my oob handicap gets under 28, which will take a few more under 100 rounds. It is 32 now. After that, I can hang out in the breaking 90 thread. :fingers-crossed:
 
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Well done to Bondedcrown, Maritxa and Datarez.

I've been playing over the weekend and had mixed results. Played 12 holes as a practice on Saturday evening and was playing really well but didn't record my scores. Was trying something new with the 3 wood off the tees and was hitting it straight every time instead of my usual slice. Thought I had it cracked.

Played yesterday in the Sunday comp and it all went to pot again. My slice was back and it didn't feel like I was doing anything wrong. I'm using an old TaylorMade "Titanium" 3-wood and I'm starting to wonder if the shaft is a bit too whippy for me - doesn't feel right when I'm swinging. Unfortunately I just seemed to be hitting lovely shots that I got unlucky with, including a great 6-iron from 170 out that was heading nicely to the green but then took a vicious kick left into the bunker!!

I struggled mainly with the shots that were less than 60 yards yesterday and with putting - I couldn't get the pace of the greens because we've had rain recently and the greens are drying out differently. Need more work in this area. Having said that, I'm more comfortable on the course and am sure I'll break the 100 soon. Got 25 points on Stableford, but the medal score would have been a lot worse as I gave up on the par 5 12th after losing 2 balls off the tee. No way I was going to get down in 4 shots for a point.
 
Thanks Gamma and Bogbeast for me the key is no glory shots driver on generous fairways only and keeping putts to a minimum (all easier said than done!) shot 103 yesterday despite two 8s!
 
meant to say Bogbeast im just up the road near Newcastle hoping to play Slayley Hall soon!
 
Thanks all.

BogBeastUK: I play stiff irons and I have a borderline regular/stiff swing speed but I definitely feel I have to keep a measured pace or my driver feels whippy as well. I remedied that today on ebay, so we'll see if I'm hitting off the tee any better in a week or so when my new driver shows up.
 
Well, I've been reading this thread for awhile because I've broken 100 a bunch of times, but I still manage to hit 100 once every 2-3 rounds. My problems are off the tee and my longer clubs like my long hybrids. I can't manage to get consistency with these clubs and it is really hurting me. I shot a 105 on an easier course when I know I should have broken 100. This pains me because just a few weeks back I shot a 99 and a 96 on much tougher courses. I'm also a slow starter and it's unfortnate but it usually takes me about 9 holes to warm up.
 
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