Trying to Break 100

[charley48]

Grandson's got game! Nice!

Dave

Yeah, he's a single digit handicap. I'm pretty proud of the kid. He's 18 and still loves hanging out with his papa. He feels bad for me when I struggle so much on the course. But I have fun anyway just hanging out with him. I was the one who got him his first set of real clubs when he was 5 years old. A little Nike set with a wood, some irons and a wedge. And a putter. He didn't just hack away at it back then. He already had an idea how to hit the ball.

 

[Crapgame]

Shot a 98 with several mediocre holes, but only lost one ball all day. Just wan't coverting shorter iron and wedge shots, chipping was mixed and putting was poor. If only I could put it together!

 

[tehuti]

I am currently in that weird zone where I feel like I am playing better, but not scoring any better. Last week I went 48/57 105, hated the back 9 meltdown but I still felt good. Out at the range today I was hitting everything well. Wondering if that will carry over on Saturday. The course we are playing is a meat grinder for me, so it will test whether I am really improving.


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[barrelMOnkey]

I am currently in that weird zone where I feel like I am playing better, but not scoring any better. Last week I went 48/57 105, hated the back 9 meltdown but I still felt good. Out at the range today I was hitting everything well. Wondering if that will carry over on Saturday. The course we are playing is a meat grinder for me, so it will test whether I am really improving.


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I would've taken that yesterday. Honestly I would love to consistently shoot low scores, but to be honest for the enjoyment I would rather shoot 100 with clean looking, consistent shots than a 90 where every shot was thinned or smashed off the heel and flukely bounces down the fairway towards the green.

If you're stringing multiple rounds together with the golf 'looking' good, it's only a matter of time before you reach the next level where you can start to place your shots and play the course more intelligently. Why take a risky second to the green when you can lay up and have a nice easy third instead, knowing the consistency of fairway approach shots is there.

 

[bobellis75]

Did another small bucket session last night...feel like I'm hitting the irons pretty solid. And wedges. Loving that 7 wood I picked up somewhat recently...feel like I get good flight off the tee and turf both. I was pushing total distance around 200 yards with it last night off the tee. Struggled a bit with 3W and driver...had some good, some bad. Did some more greenside chipping with the lob and some putting. Chips were mostly good, putting was better this time than a couple days ago.

May do one more small bucket tonight prior to my round tomorrow and work more on finding the driver groove again.

 

[wadesworld]

Played 18 today. The usual barely break 100. 50/48 for a 98. My grandson was with me. He shot a 74. He shot a one under 35 on the front 9. He double bogeyed number 17 a par 3. His tee shot found water. Its nice someone could play well.

Snowman mentioned posting a video of my swing. I honestly don't think that will help. My range swing is very different from my course swing. I don't know why. The other day I was hitting as well as I ever have at the range. Even my practice swings on the course aren't bad. I take a couple practice swings before I hit the ball. The club brushes the grass nicely. Looks good. Then I hit several inches behind the ball. Or a worm burner because I don't want to chunk it 30 yards.

On the back nine I was totally swinging like I'm chopping wood. The club head digs down deep. If the the grass isn't too soft it will literally stop my swing from hitting the ground so hard. I have no fix for that. On the range I don't do that. So someone analyzing my swing on the range probably wouldn't know how to fix it because it doesn't look like there is anything to fix. It only happens on the course.

To me, there's usually three different reasons for a major difference between a range swing and a course swing:

1). Perception. You make more bad swings on the range than you realize. But because of the wide width of the range and the lack of consequence, a swing that looks "darn good" on the range might be OB on the course. If ranges were only as wide as the average fairway, we'd have a lot better perspective on reality.

2). Ball-focus. Because of the consequence of a bad swing on the course, you tend to focus on hitting the ball rather than your actual target "out there." This results in more of an over-the-top "be sure" move.

3). Closely-related to #2, because of the fear of bad outcomes, you may not swing freely on the course. To make a quality golf swing, you have to setup for the swing you want and then "let it rip" with abandon and confidence towards your target. Doing so gives you a much higher chance of the swing coming off as envisioned. If it doesn't, oh well, go find it and try again. But the effects of trying to swing carefully and to "make sure" almost always result in a poorer swing. Your mechanics change for the worse and you chunk/blade/slice/hook. As stated by many pros: pick a conservative (aka realistic) target, and make an aggressive (aka free-flowing) swing and deal with the results afterwards.

 

[barrelMOnkey]

Another trip to the range this evening. Whatever I've had for the past month with my driver has completely gone. I just can't do anything but slice like unused to, but my "fix" which was to close the face right up at address now just smacks the ball into the floor and left rather than evening it out. I've been driving down the fairway between 240 and 265 yds each week for the past month. No idea how to correct it.

On the plus side my 3wood driving was lovely and straight. I'm currently between 200 and 230 with my 3wood including roll.

Irons a bit rubbish, but that could be partly due to the ground being like concrete right now.

Another round tomorrow, let's see if I can repeat last week of a terrible Thursday night followed by a low 90s Saturday.

 

[tkpeterson12]

Long time since I posted in here, not because I was shooting sub-100, but because I’ve been away from the game for a few years. Anyway, thanks to Covid-19, I’ve got plenty of time to golf.

Was able to squeeze in 9 tonight and shot a 55, but lost 7 strokes on 3 3-putts and 2 4-putts. Driver was fairly straight tonight which is definitely not always the case. Ultimately, I was pleased with my play, not where I want to be score wise, but feel like I hit the ball well.


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[dthrog00]

Long time since I posted in here, not because I was shooting sub-100, but because I’ve been away from the game for a few years. Anyway, thanks to Covid-19, I’ve got plenty of time to golf.

Was able to squeeze in 9 tonight and shot a 55, but lost 7 strokes on 3 3-putts and 2 4-putts. Driver was fairly straight tonight which is definitely not always the case. Ultimately, I was pleased with my play, not where I want to be score wise, but feel like I hit the ball well.

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Welcome back!

3 and 4 putts hurt. Did you 3 putt because you tried to make the 1st putt and it went a bit too far by the hole to make the 2nd put? If so, one thing to try is to just try to get that 1st putt close enough to make the next one. If you're just struggling with distance then practicing your lag putts is a good move.

Dave

 

[tkpeterson12]

Welcome back!

3 and 4 putts hurt. Did you 3 putt because you tried to make the 1st putt and it went a bit too far by the hole to make the 2nd put? If so, one thing to try is to just try to get that 1st putt close enough to make the next one. If you're just struggling with distance then practicing your lag putts is a good move.

Dave

Thanks! I agree that distance/speed control is super important. Today’s issue was on the greens where I found myself putting downhill or uphill and may miss in both directions. I’ve been practicing putting in the house, and seemed to help on the flat/straight putts for the most part.


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[r80rew]

98 today so Nett 72 (player 3 & marker)
Should have been much better but a 9 on the second and a couple of 7’s did for a personal best. Putter was working well and my iron striking was good. Driver was ok about 70:30 (good:bad).

I’m really happy with how my game is progressing.

 

[barrelMOnkey]

View attachment 8956867

98 today so Nett 72 (player 3 & marker)
Should have been much better but a 9 on the second and a couple of 7’s did for a personal best. Putter was working well and my iron striking was good. Driver was ok about 70:30 (good:bad).

I’m really happy with how my game is progressing.

Some steady scoring there. What happened to Player B on the 5th?

 

[r80rew]

Some steady scoring there. What happened to Player B on the 5th?

He lost 2 balls off the tee so NR (not returned) - too many shots.

 

[bobellis75]

My weekend round was a washout...stormed all night and into the morning...was supposed to have a 7:30 tee time, we agreed to push it for another day...bummer.

I have a lot going at work, so using the morning to hammer out some things....may go hit a small bucket later or try to squeeze in nine sometime this weekend....

 

[barrelMOnkey]

96 today. Happy with the score, but it is a bit flattering considering how I actually struck the ball.
There were 3 or 4 holes where I hit my shots well, and I felt like a proper golfer.

Hole 4 par 3 was a 6-iron off the tee, landing on the edge of the green and rolled about 15 feet from the pin. 2 putts easy par.

Hole 5 is a tricky uphill 175yd par 3. Landed just right of the green, a quick up and down 2 pars in a row.

But I had so many scalps and shanks, some of which just rolled for miles on the hard floor meaning I got away with it. Did the job, but felt dirty. It's like when I completed Super Mario 3 by using 2 warp whistles to get to the final world. Yes I beat the game, but it wasn't clean.

On a positive note, not a single lost ball, and I actually found 4, so after losing 7 on Thursday's round I'm only net -3 for the week!

Still frustrated by the fact that it feels like I am doing everything exactly the same every time, but sometime it is a perfect iron shot, and other times it is a crap scalper. It's disheartening.

 

[BigMac]

View attachment 8956968

96 today. Happy with the score, but it is a bit flattering considering how I actually struck the ball.
There were 3 or 4 holes where I hit my shots well, and I felt like a proper golfer.

Hole 4 par 3 was a 6-iron off the tee, landing on the edge of the green and rolled about 15 feet from the pin. 2 putts easy par.

Hole 5 is a tricky uphill 175yd par 3. Landed just right of the green, a quick up and down 2 pars in a row.

But I had so many scalps and shanks, some of which just rolled for miles on the hard floor meaning I got away with it. Did the job, but felt dirty. It's like when I completed Super Mario 3 by using 2 warp whistles to get to the final world. Yes I beat the game, but it wasn't clean.

On a positive note, not a single lost ball, and I actually found 4, so after losing 7 on Thursday's round I'm only net -3 for the week!

Still frustrated by the fact that it feels like I am doing everything exactly the same every time, but sometime it is a perfect iron shot, and other times it is a crap scalper. It's disheartening.

Remember this saying - “There’s no photos on the scorecard!”

There aren’t many amateur golfers who hit every shot perfectly (or even decently) - if they did, they wouldn’t be amateur golfers, they’d be out making money on the Tour.

Golf is hard.

 

[barrelMOnkey]

Remember this saying - “There’s no photos on the scorecard!”

There aren’t many amateur golfers who hit every shot perfectly (or even decently) - if they did, they wouldn’t be amateur golfers, they’d be out making money on the Tour.

Golf is hard.

I like that saying, and maybe I am looking at the negatives more than I should. But I just wish I understood what I was doing differently between one hole and the next when it feels the same. I'd be happy hitting shots long or wide or short, if only I could get the ball consistently in the air.

Oh well, it's net -4 so shouldn't complain really.

 

[BigMac]

...But I just wish I understood what I was doing differently between one hole and the next when it feels the same...

Join the crowd!

I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m being dismissive, because thats certainly not my intent. Just trying to reassure you that you’re far from alone. I’ve been playing golf for 35 years and still occasionally hit shots that make it look like it’s my first time on a golf course.

 

[barrelMOnkey]

Join the crowd!

I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m being dismissive, because thats certainly not my intent. Just trying to reassure you that you’re far from alone. I’ve been playing golf for 35 years and still occasionally hit shots that make it look like it’s my first time on a golf course.

35 years? That's almost as long as I've been alive! I suppose putting it into perspective I never played a round of golf until 12 months ago. And we've had 6 months of shutdown there, so really I've only had maybe 7 months golf experience. My scores back then were between 110 and 120, so I am making progress.

Positive spin, I like it. Thanks

 

[charley48]

To me, there's usually three different reasons for a major difference between a range swing and a course swing:

1). Perception. You make more bad swings on the range than you realize. But because of the wide width of the range and the lack of consequence, a swing that looks "darn good" on the range might be OB on the course. If ranges were only as wide as the average fairway, we'd have a lot better perspective on reality.

2). Ball-focus. Because of the consequence of a bad swing on the course, you tend to focus on hitting the ball rather than your actual target "out there." This results in more of an over-the-top "be sure" move.

3). Closely-related to #2, because of the fear of bad outcomes, you may not swing freely on the course. To make a quality golf swing, you have to setup for the swing you want and then "let it rip" with abandon and confidence towards your target. Doing so gives you a much higher chance of the swing coming off as envisioned. If it doesn't, oh well, go find it and try again. But the effects of trying to swing carefully and to "make sure" almost always result in a poorer swing. Your mechanics change for the worse and you chunk/blade/slice/hook. As stated by many pros: pick a conservative (aka realistic) target, and make an aggressive (aka free-flowing) swing and deal with the results afterwards.

My swing feels different on the course. Obviously I'm not so relaxed. If I can convince myself to totally relax I might do better. But that is easier said than done. I've finally convinced myself I'm not a good golfer so bad shots are to be expected. So I'm not bothered by them like I used to be. When I hit a terrible shot my response is usually "Oh well, the life of a high handicapper. On to the next shot".

 

[charley48]

I am currently in that weird zone where I feel like I am playing better, but not scoring any better. Last week I went 48/57 105, hated the back 9 meltdown but I still felt good. Out at the range today I was hitting everything well. Wondering if that will carry over on Saturday. The course we are playing is a meat grinder for me, so it will test whether I am really improving.


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I'm in a different feel. I feel like I'm hitting everything terrible. Feels like I should be 110 or worse. But when its all said and done, I'm usually barely breaking 100. No one thing to pinpoint why it isn't worse. No one thing to pinpoint why it isn't better. I just know my course game isn't anywhere near my range game. I'm just spinning my wheels trying to get better.

 

[JonMA1]

Continuing to challenge my weaknesses by playing from the blues, I shot a 47/57, 104 (26.7) this morning. Lucky on the first 9 holes, typical 2-way misses on the second.

After hitting two different shots out of bounds on the 13th, I started to get pissed - like throwing clubs pissed - before rationalizing that the first time through wasn't my typical golf. The "bad" golf I was currently playing was exactly what my game is all about. Somehow, that helped me accept that with the strokes I was accumulating, there would be no breaking 100 on this tough course.

Finished the round in under 3 hours despite a foursome that wouldn't let me play through - even though they were all dressed very well. Weird, huh?

 

[dthrog00]

I had a range today after my bad round last week and was striking it fairly well, with irons, hybrids, etc... getting into the air nicely with reasonable direction.

The only real concerning development was I hit a few drivers where I took a divot! I rarely take iron divots and now am taking driver divots? Dear God. Hopefully that trend won't go the course tomorrow LOL! I hit a few more before leaving and I had stopped it.

Dave

 

[dthrog00]

Continuing to challenge my weaknesses by playing from the blues, I shot a 47/57, 104 (26.7) this morning. Lucky on the first 9 holes, typical 2-way misses on the second.

After hitting two different shots out of bounds on the 13th, I started to get pissed - like throwing clubs pissed - before rationalizing that the first time through wasn't my typical golf. The "bad" golf I was currently playing was exactly what my game is all about. Somehow, that helped me accept that with the strokes I was accumulating, there would be no breaking 100 on this tough course.

Finished the round in under 3 hours despite a foursome that wouldn't let me play through - even though they were all dressed very well. Weird, huh?

You've got 47 in you 57 is not the real JonMA1.

Dave

 

[ULEWZ]

Shot a terrible 100 on Friday, but my driver was aces. Chipping and putting, definitely rookie mistakes. Played today, no double bogies, and 5 pars through 9 holes. Shot a 34 on a par 30 and my driver was on fire. Three perfect strikes that rolled almost 250 yards. Love that Teem Touredge EXS220. Had two looks for birdie, but could not deliver.