Trying to Break 100

[bobellis75]

As a quick note...my bag (with lofts) breaks down like this:

Driver - 10.5
3W - 16
5W - 18.5

Then I jump to my irons which starts with a 4 iron at 24 degrees. Of course there is more to consider than loft...sometimes more loft I think helps some people hit the ball and you get more distance, etc. (I think that's me with the 5W). That said...the old 7W I have is 26 degrees. So it would in theory act like a 4 iron replacement, really. Of course, again, there is more to all this than loft. I mentioned before I used to hit the crap out of the 7W but I used to struggle with irons more, too...and couldn't hit the driver at all.

Anyway...point being...if I were to go with a 7W...it'd probably make sense to go with a modern one, as they are typically more 20-22 degree, I think. And could close a little gap between the 5W and 4 iron. Of course if I ever do go back to the Rbladez...the 4 iron would be a 20 degree...and it would probably make less sense to carry a 7W at that point.

Decisions, decisions....worst case scneario...I could hunt down a used a 7 wood (or go back to trying a hybrid) at about 20-21 degrees and shelve the 3W for now but keep it around.

 

[Hamfist]

The 7 wood is currently on the bench. Trust me, I've done this dance before. This time I am giving the hybrid another shot.

I've tread those boards before, myself.

 

[Hamfist]

Decisions, decisions.

I'm loving the golf bag right now. It's the most enjoyable golf I've played in a long time - maybe ever - even if it isn't the best golf I've ever played. But I'm getting that itch to add to it.

Right now I'm only carrying putter, 56/10 SW, 9i, 8i, 6i, and 3h. The 7i was on backorder when I bought the new clubs but is now available. I was considering adding it along with a GW and a driver.

According to GameGolf, my typical distances are 3h-192, 6i-165, 8i-136. The 9i typical distance is 116, but I use it for any shot between 90 and 130 yards. I was struggling hitting distances less than 120 with it, but have since gotten better with those yardages.

All I've wanted out of this game for the last several years was enjoyment. I've seemingly found that and am now chomping at the bit to screw it up by adding clubs. What the hell is wrong with me?!!

What would you guys/gals do?

Add the 7 and GW, hold off on the driver.

 

[bobellis75]

Decisions, decisions.

I'm loving the golf bag right now. It's the most enjoyable golf I've played in a long time - maybe ever - even if it isn't the best golf I've ever played. But I'm getting that itch to add to it.

Right now I'm only carrying putter, 56/10 SW, 9i, 8i, 6i, and 3h. The 7i was on backorder when I bought the new clubs but is now available. I was considering adding it along with a GW and a driver.

According to GameGolf, my typical distances are 3h-192, 6i-165, 8i-136. The 9i typical distance is 116, but I use it for any shot between 90 and 130 yards. I was struggling hitting distances less than 120 with it, but have since gotten better with those yardages.

All I've wanted out of this game for the last several years was enjoyment. I've seemingly found that and am now chomping at the bit to screw it up by adding clubs. What the hell is wrong with me?!!

What would you guys/gals do?

So you're only carrying 5 clubs? Is that correct?

If you're hitting the ball this well...maybe you're enjoyment and confidence will translate to a little looseness and a little better results with a more filled out bag. I'd consider adding some kind of driver or 3W to the mix. You're getting good flight on the 3H (looks like you're getting good distance across the board) so that tells me with some practice...you could benefit from some length off the tee. Then again...if you're teeing off and hitting that 3H 185-200 and able to hit some fairways....maybe you don't mess with that recipe for now.

I'd definitely add your 7 iron...no reason you can't hit that with as well as you're hitting the other irons...and it would be nice to have something you could hit in between those 6 and 8 distances.

I would add another wedge, I think. What's your 9 iron loft? I see you're wedge is 56...maybe you could add a 50 degree? I have a 46 degree PW and then carry a 50/54/58 trio of wedges...really like them. The 50 is nice. And you'd do well to have something between the 9 iron and the 56.

I think add the 7 and a wedge for sure. I don't sense that you will struggle with those, based on your posted results with what you're carrying now.

For a longer club...decide if you want to risk hitting errant shots and think about how that will in turn affect your enjoyment factor...sounds like the best thing right now for you is enjoying yourself...and you're doing that based on success with your clubs. If you think hitting poorly (or risking hitting poorly) off the tee will detract from that...just keeping swinging the hybrid. In the meantime, I'd suggest working at the range with a longer club. ONLY use it at the range until you're finding consistent success. Then add it to your game bag.

 

[tehuti]

I've tread those boards before, myself.

Then you know my struggle. Love the 7 wood. Hit it well about 10% of the time.

 

[tehuti]

Played 9 holes today. Couldn't hit a putt to save my life, but otherwise not too bad. I am learning that chipping out of thick, fluffy rough is almost as hard as hitting out of a bunker though. Even when the ball is sitting up it's nearly impossible to predict what your ball will do.

 

[JonMA1]

So you're only carrying 5 clubs? Is that correct?

If you're hitting the ball this well...maybe you're enjoyment and confidence will translate to a little looseness and a little better results with a more filled out bag. I'd consider adding some kind of driver or 3W to the mix. You're getting good flight on the 3H (looks like you're getting good distance across the board) so that tells me with some practice...you could benefit from some length off the tee. Then again...if you're teeing off and hitting that 3H 185-200 and able to hit some fairways....maybe you don't mess with that recipe for now.

I'd definitely add your 7 iron...no reason you can't hit that with as well as you're hitting the other irons...and it would be nice to have something you could hit in between those 6 and 8 distances.

I would add another wedge, I think. What's your 9 iron loft? I see you're wedge is 56...maybe you could add a 50 degree? I have a 46 degree PW and then carry a 50/54/58 trio of wedges...really like them. The 50 is nice. And you'd do well to have something between the 9 iron and the 56.

I think add the 7 and a wedge for sure. I don't sense that you will struggle with those, based on your posted results with what you're carrying now.

For a longer club...decide if you want to risk hitting errant shots and think about how that will in turn affect your enjoyment factor...sounds like the best thing right now for you is enjoying yourself...and you're doing that based on success with your clubs. If you think hitting poorly (or risking hitting poorly) off the tee will detract from that...just keeping swinging the hybrid. In the meantime, I'd suggest working at the range with a longer club. ONLY use it at the range until you're finding consistent success. Then add it to your game bag.

You pretty much summed it up.

I'm a firm believe in the advantage that distance offers. My typical driver distance was 219 yards before I got rid of it. 25 yards would be a huge advantage if all else were equal - which of course is isn't. While I don't hit more fairways with the hybrid, I've been able to keep it in play for the most part. The driver was wild and would ruin a round with penalties - not just in terms of the score, but also the enjoyment factor. So that's the dilemma with the driver. There's also the possibility that the driver and shaft I was using was never a very good fit.

I agree with the adding the 7i and a gap wedge. The 9i loft is 41°. The gap wedge would be 49°. I don't know that I need the PW (45°). I'll wait and see how I can flight down the 9i the next time I play. I had some success at it during my last round, but I know better than to assume it was a permanent change instead a just a good round. Also, I have always preferred a high appoach shot as opposed to a lower flighted ball.

The thing is, being able to adjust distances is really fun when it can be pulled off. It's great that I can now hit a 6i 165 yards, but even better when I can hit it 150 when that's the distance to the center of a green.

I think that for those who have their full swing dialed in, the 10 yard gapping of irons is very important. I'm not there yet so maybe it isn't as critical.

I could get the clubs and then decide later that carrying less clubs is just better golf. All I know is GolfWorks is currently running a 20% off special on custom-built clubs.

 

[ntanygd760]

8 degree gap in that part of the bag is too much I think. Could always bend the 9 1 degree weak and GW 1 degree strong. Golf Works can do that for you.

 

[Hamfist]

Played 9 holes today. Couldn't hit a putt to save my life, but otherwise not too bad. I am learning that chipping out of thick, fluffy rough is almost as hard as hitting out of a bunker though. Even when the ball is sitting up it's nearly impossible to predict what your ball will do.

Yep.

 

[bobellis75]

Played 9 last night. Of course my range swing didn’t quite translate but still had some nice holes. Driver was a little wild first few holes. After the par 5, I benched and teed off with the 3W. Hit a nice low drive that carried far enough and ran down the fairway. Next hole didn’t hit the 3W so well. Hit a tree but bounced back to the fairway thankfully.

Hit a 5W next hole which I normally do anyway playing the dogleg. On the ninth, went back to driver and crushed it. Thinking next time I may tee off first 3 holes or so with my 5W and wait til I loosen up a bit to pull driver. Normally I use it every hole minus par 3 and I have been crushing at the range with it but I’m also dialed in and loose by the time I pull driver at the range.

Anyway. Putting was mostly good. Had one 3 putt. But other than that had two 1 putts and the rest were 2 putts. Got par on the second and ninth holes. Had three doubles and the rest were bogeys. Shot a 46. Probably my best round of the year, all around. If the driver had been working think I’d have potentially shot a couple strokes lower.

My favorite shot. On the par 5 I pulled a shot left and it landed directly behind a massive tree stump in some rough between this and the next fairway. Pulled my lob and opened the face to flop it over. Executed it nicely and flopped it over the stump for a nice escape back to the fairway. Hurt my score on the hole having the errant shot and the flop to get back in play but I was pretty proud of it. The stump was huge and I knew I had to sky it to clear it. Felt like Phil Mickelson for a second there. (Though Phil wouldn’t have double bogeyed it).

Back to the driver for a sec. One thing I never really do is warm up at the range prior to a round. I just stretch and hit some chips etc. that may also alleviate the warm up time during the round for the driver. Just seems like I never have time. Will make the effort next time or like I said I’ll play a few holes using a 5 or 3 wood and then bump up as my body loosens up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[olperfesser]

In the last two weeks, I have tried choking down 2 inches on my woods and 1 inch on hybrids and irons. (Right hand at the bottom of the grip instead of left hand at the top) The results have been good. 98, 90(!), 97, 100, 98. Less fat shots, more good fairway hits. Now to work on my wedges...

 

[bobellis75]

In the last two weeks, I have tried choking down 2 inches on my woods and 1 inch on hybrids and irons. (Right hand at the bottom of the grip instead of left hand at the top) The results have been good. 98, 90(!), 97, 100, 98. Less fat shots, more good fairway hits. Now to work on my wedges...

What kind of distances are you getting when choking down like that? Assume the main benefits have been control - but also assume less distance though clearly it’s not affecting your scores negatively!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hamfist]

Played 9 last night. Of course my range swing didn’t quite translate but still had some nice holes. Driver was a little wild first few holes. After the par 5, I benched and teed off with the 3W. Hit a nice low drive that carried far enough and ran down the fairway. Next hole didn’t hit the 3W so well. Hit a tree but bounced back to the fairway thankfully.

Hit a 5W next hole which I normally do anyway playing the dogleg. On the ninth, went back to driver and crushed it. Thinking next time I may tee off first 3 holes or so with my 5W and wait til I loosen up a bit to pull driver. Normally I use it every hole minus par 3 and I have been crushing at the range with it but I’m also dialed in and loose by the time I pull driver at the range.

Anyway. Putting was mostly good. Had one 3 putt. But other than that had two 1 putts and the rest were 2 putts. Got par on the second and ninth holes. Had three doubles and the rest were bogeys. Shot a 46. Probably my best round of the year, all around. If the driver had been working think I’d have potentially shot a couple strokes lower.

My favorite shot. On the par 5 I pulled a shot left and it landed directly behind a massive tree stump in some rough between this and the next fairway. Pulled my lob and opened the face to flop it over. Executed it nicely and flopped it over the stump for a nice escape back to the fairway. Hurt my score on the hole having the errant shot and the flop to get back in play but I was pretty proud of it. The stump was huge and I knew I had to sky it to clear it. Felt like Phil Mickelson for a second there. (Though Phil wouldn’t have double bogeyed it).

Back to the driver for a sec. One thing I never really do is warm up at the range prior to a round. I just stretch and hit some chips etc. that may also alleviate the warm up time during the round for the driver. Just seems like I never have time. Will make the effort next time or like I said I’ll play a few holes using a 5 or 3 wood and then bump up as my body loosens up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nicely done!

 

[Hamfist]

Played with Grins and ntayngd760 today. Shot a 105, but feel I
played better than that score would indicate. We all had some nice shots, all had some stinkers, but I had a grand old time on the course. Thanks to Ben and Jeff for a great round.

And we discovered Ben’s new favorite hole of all time, ever.

 

[ntanygd760]

I played the worlds worst hole that was so bad I forgot all about the awful hole before that the only good thing was trying to chip it in the basketball hoop OB.

 

[jlaakso]

HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 3W shaft arrived. Put it in my 5-6FWY and it feels supreme. I have the same shaft in driver (at driver length). Previously I have been playing shorter shafts in my woods, 3W shaft in driver and F6 baffler shaft in 5W (1-1.5" shorter). I've gotten really sharp with the longer shafts and gaining a bit of distance as well. On the other hand my trusted quarterback 4h has been behaving badly and I'm thinking of letting it go and adding another FW. Either 3W or Big Tour 3W to replace driver as well or 7W with a shorter shaft to act as big/huge hybrid. Cobra heads that I'm looking for are adjustable so I could go strong 3W / standard 5W to replace driver but not hybo or strong 5W and standard 7W to replace hybo. anyhow, my game has been back to #liveoverb100 although averages are coming down. It's all about keeping my head cool and trying not to murder the ball.

 

[Hamfist]

I played the worlds worst hole that was so bad I forgot all about the awful hole before that the only good thing was trying to chip it in the basketball hoop OB.

Hahahahaha

 

[bobellis75]

Nicely done!

Thanks. Sometimes I have to remember how far I've come...I hit a PW onto the green on one hole, but it didn't quite get up high enough and trickled down and off to one side. I was like "ahhhhh crap" and my buddy was like "seriously? You would have talked about how you almost stuck a nice wedge shot on the green for a week if this was like 3 years ago..."

 

[bobellis75]

It's all about keeping my head cool and trying not to murder the ball.

I think that's a problem for many of us.....

 

[Hamfist]

Thanks. Sometimes I have to remember how far I've come...I hit a PW onto the green on one hole, but it didn't quite get up high enough and trickled down and off to one side. I was like "ahhhhh crap" and my buddy was like "seriously? You would have talked about how you almost stuck a nice wedge shot on the green for a week if this was like 3 years ago..."

Expectation is a harsh mistress.

 

[Grins]

Played with Grins and ntayngd760 today. Shot a 105, but feel I
played better than that score would indicate. We all had some nice shots, all had some stinkers, but I had a grand old time on the course. Thanks to Ben and Jeff for a great round.

It was fun. Your swing looks about 100% better than when we played together last year. Some bad results off of decent swings, but overall, so much more consistent. I think your scores should be dropping over this summer.

And we discovered Ben’s new favorite hole of all time, ever.

I played the worlds worst hole that was so bad I forgot all about the awful hole before that the only good thing was trying to chip it in the basketball hoop OB.

Nothing wrong with hole #15 at Ironwood that the Army Corps of Engineers couldn't handle with some bulldozers & C4.

Imagine a 316 yard long bowling alley running uphill, with a creek running across it at around 180 yards from the tee. I had an 8 on that hole but it felt like a 16.


Overall, I shot 98 over this 6346 yard layout - slightly longer than I normally play, but I really screwed up a few times to cost me 6-8 strokes.

 

[Hamfist]

It was fun. Your swing looks about 100% better than when we played together last year. Some bad results off of decent swings, but overall, so much more consistent. I think your scores should be dropping over this summer.




Nothing wrong with hole #15 at Ironwood that the Army Corps of Engineers couldn't handle with some bulldozers & C4.

Imagine a 316 yard long bowling alley running uphill, with a creek running across it at around 180 yards from the tee. I had an 8 on that hole but it felt like a 16.


Overall, I shot 98 over this 6346 yard layout - slightly longer than I normally play, but I really screwed up a few times to cost me 6-8 strokes.

And three b******t lip-outs.

 

[dthrog00]

The quality of my golf this season so far is not exactly "stress free". I have been using driver almost exclusively off the tee and have suffered badly with only 28% fairways hit and of the 72% misses, 30% have been penal misses where I'm in bad rough, have tree trouble, OB, etc... It is a terrible way to play golf.

Last time out after a rough first 5 holes I put the driver away and hit good tee shots on 6 and 7 with hybrids. I'm confident I will be in less trouble with the hybrid.

This Monday I will embrace the Golf Sidekick "Way of the Playa" approach to breaking 90 or 45 in my case.

How to Break 90 in Golf Consistently – The ULTIMATE Guide

Easy to follow, actionable steps to shooting in the 80s every time. Learn how to break 90 consistently without changing your swing at all

golfsidekick.com

The basic approach is:

1. A club that goes STRAIGHT, 160 yards OR MORE off the tee -- CHECK, 19H
2. A solid pitching game inside 70 yards -- MAYBE CHECK
3. Your two favorite clubs from inside 150 yards -- CHECK, add 1 extra with 6 iron, 8 iron, pitching wedge also add a longer club (25H)
4. A consistent two-putt and a solid short putt -- MAYBE CHECK
5. One club to chip with around the greens -- CHECK, 52W

You'll notice there's no reference to other long clubs. The basic idea is to have a max club you feel comfortable attacking greens with and then beyond that club split into two more manageable shots.

My WITB will be: (I'll bring the full bag, but plan to not use most of them)

1. Tee - 19H (~ 175-180)
2. Max attack club - 25H (~155-160)
3. Approach 6i (~130-135)
4. Approach 8i (~110-115)
5. Approach PW (~90-95)
6. Chip/pitch 52W (don't plan full swings)
7. Putter
8./9. Par 3 dedicated clubs: 22H (~165-170), 7i (~120-125)

Yeah, I know my distances suck are not impressive. I'm using fairly traditional lofts though so 6 iron is 30* and 4* gaps to 46* PW for whatever that is worth.

Course plan:

#1 (375 uphill)): 19H - 8i - PW
#2 (480): 19H - 25H - 6i
#3 (315): 19H - 6i
#4 (170): 22H
#5 (475): 19H - 25H - 6i
#6 (310): 19H - 6i
#7 (325): 19H - 25H
#8 (120): 7i
#9 (370): 19H - PW - PW

Will it work? I'm not sure, but am going into this with a positive attitude. I'll be going to the range tomorrow morning to go through my 5 full swing WITB, do a simulated round, and get in a groove.

Dave

 

[jlaakso]

The quality of my golf this season so far is not exactly "stress free". I have been using driver almost exclusively off the tee and have suffered badly with only 28% fairways hit and of the 72% misses, 30% have been penal misses where I'm in bad rough, have tree trouble, OB, etc... It is a terrible way to play golf.

Last time out after a rough first 5 holes I put the driver away and hit good tee shots on 6 and 7 with hybrids. I'm confident I will be in less trouble with the hybrid.

This Monday I will embrace the Golf Sidekick "Way of the Playa" approach to breaking 90 or 45 in my case.

How to Break 90 in Golf Consistently – The ULTIMATE Guide

Easy to follow, actionable steps to shooting in the 80s every time. Learn how to break 90 consistently without changing your swing at all

golfsidekick.com

The basic approach is:

1. A club that goes STRAIGHT, 160 yards OR MORE off the tee -- CHECK, 19H
2. A solid pitching game inside 70 yards -- MAYBE CHECK
3. Your two favorite clubs from inside 150 yards -- CHECK, add 1 extra with 6 iron, 8 iron, pitching wedge also add a longer club (25H)
4. A consistent two-putt and a solid short putt -- MAYBE CHECK
5. One club to chip with around the greens -- CHECK, 52W

You'll notice there's no reference to other long clubs. The basic idea is to have a max club you feel comfortable attacking greens with and then beyond that club split into two more manageable shots.

My WITB will be: (I'll bring the full bag, but plan to not use most of them)

1. Tee - 19H (~ 175-180)
2. Max attack club - 25H (~155-160)
3. Approach 6i (~130-135)
4. Approach 8i (~110-115)
5. Approach PW (~90-95)
6. Chip/pitch 52W (don't plan full swings)
7. Putter
8./9. Par 3 dedicated clubs: 22H (~165-170), 7i (~120-125)

Yeah, I know my distances suck are not impressive. I'm using fairly traditional lofts though so 6 iron is 30* and 4* gaps to 46* PW for whatever that is worth.

Course plan:

#1 (375 uphill)): 19H - 8i - PW
#2 (480): 19H - 25H - 6i
#3 (315): 19H - 6i
#4 (170): 22H
#5 (475): 19H - 25H - 6i
#6 (310): 19H - 6i
#7 (325): 19H - 25H
#8 (120): 7i
#9 (370): 19H - PW - PW

Will it work? I'm not sure, but am going into this with a positive attitude. I'll be going to the range tomorrow morning to go through my 5 full swing WITB, do a simulated round, and get in a groove.

Dave

This is more or less what I did last season, being my first full season. I limited the misses by choosing shorter clubs for tee shots and honing my skills with limited amount of clubs. I was actually scared of using driver as I had two-way misses and lot of lost balls. This season I started without driver and my buddy was twisting my arm to use a driver. Guess what, the work done with shorter clubs paid of and translated to driver as well. Now I'm banging driver every time I can.

Take the clubs you are comfortable with and play you. Not anyone else. Until you're comfortable with longer clubs, play stress free and fun golf with clubs that find the fairway. I got the same remarks from my buddies: "it's not fun to play without a driver". It depends on definition, but for it's far more fun to keep the ball in play than hitting errant shots with a club I cannot handle.

 

[Hamfist]

The quality of my golf this season so far is not exactly "stress free". I have been using driver almost exclusively off the tee and have suffered badly with only 28% fairways hit and of the 72% misses, 30% have been penal misses where I'm in bad rough, have tree trouble, OB, etc... It is a terrible way to play golf.

Last time out after a rough first 5 holes I put the driver away and hit good tee shots on 6 and 7 with hybrids. I'm confident I will be in less trouble with the hybrid.

This Monday I will embrace the Golf Sidekick "Way of the Playa" approach to breaking 90 or 45 in my case.

How to Break 90 in Golf Consistently – The ULTIMATE Guide

Easy to follow, actionable steps to shooting in the 80s every time. Learn how to break 90 consistently without changing your swing at all

golfsidekick.com

The basic approach is:

1. A club that goes STRAIGHT, 160 yards OR MORE off the tee -- CHECK, 19H
2. A solid pitching game inside 70 yards -- MAYBE CHECK
3. Your two favorite clubs from inside 150 yards -- CHECK, add 1 extra with 6 iron, 8 iron, pitching wedge also add a longer club (25H)
4. A consistent two-putt and a solid short putt -- MAYBE CHECK
5. One club to chip with around the greens -- CHECK, 52W

You'll notice there's no reference to other long clubs. The basic idea is to have a max club you feel comfortable attacking greens with and then beyond that club split into two more manageable shots.

My WITB will be: (I'll bring the full bag, but plan to not use most of them)

1. Tee - 19H (~ 175-180)
2. Max attack club - 25H (~155-160)
3. Approach 6i (~130-135)
4. Approach 8i (~110-115)
5. Approach PW (~90-95)
6. Chip/pitch 52W (don't plan full swings)
7. Putter
8./9. Par 3 dedicated clubs: 22H (~165-170), 7i (~120-125)

Yeah, I know my distances suck are not impressive. I'm using fairly traditional lofts though so 6 iron is 30* and 4* gaps to 46* PW for whatever that is worth.

Course plan:

#1 (375 uphill)): 19H - 8i - PW
#2 (480): 19H - 25H - 6i
#3 (315): 19H - 6i
#4 (170): 22H
#5 (475): 19H - 25H - 6i
#6 (310): 19H - 6i
#7 (325): 19H - 25H
#8 (120): 7i
#9 (370): 19H - PW - PW

Will it work? I'm not sure, but am going into this with a positive attitude. I'll be going to the range tomorrow morning to go through my 5 full swing WITB, do a simulated round, and get in a groove.

Dave

You are doing the perfect thing, As jlaasko said above, play the game that makes you happy. Bunting in the fairway makes me happy, so I try to make that my game plan. Hitting a long shot into trouble leaves a less pleasant feeling, than one in the fairway, 99% of the time.

By th way, your distances are eerily similar to mine.
You ain’t alone, my brother.