Trying to Break 100

[Annhl8rX]

I had a typical up and down 9 today. Gave away a few putts, gave away a few pitch shots. Good news is I parred 4 holes including 7-9. And I hit my hybrids and 4w really well.


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It’s always nice to put together a stretch of good holes. A couple of rounds ago I played 7-11 at even par(one bogey, one birdie, and three pars), and it was the longest stretch I’ve ever had looking like a competent golfer.

 

[tehuti]

It’s always nice to put together a stretch of good holes. A couple of rounds ago I played 7-11 at even par(one bogey, one birdie, and three pars), and it was the longest stretch I’ve ever had looking like a competent golfer.

I play this course nearly every week and I have missed tons of opportunities to par 7,8 and 9 to finish the round. Especially 9. Those missed easy par putts on 9 have kept me up at night.

 

[Nicegy525]

I played a relatively short course yesterday, 5400 yards from the forward men's tees. I was pretty much firing on all cylinders yesterday. All parts of my game were working very well for me. A few errant drives and bad greenside chips but no blow up holes!

My chipping was hot or cold. Either really good, (most of the time it was good) or really bad and cost me multiple strokes (about 4 holes)

My driving was terrible for the first 3-4 holes but I got it straightened out after that. Irons and approaches were on fire for my usual game.

But the putter was downright lethal for me yesterday! in fact, the past few rounds I have played, my putting has been really good! I widended my stance alot and focused more on distance control and found I was sinking longer putts or else leaving myself tap in 2nd putts more often.

Notable shots include:

5 wood from 192 yards to park it in the middle of the green. Ball had enough spin to stop within 10 feet of the ball mark

20' putt for birdie on the 1st hole

7' putt that went full circle around the lip, stopped at the top for about 15 seconds and then dropped in

marvelous flop shot to get over a hazard and tall bush to a short sided pin.

Managed to hit driver 260+ with help from a downslope and hard pan roll out

Carded a 45/47 on a par 71 and beat my playing partner by 7 strokes!

 

[Turtlerancher]

I play golf better when I'm not half in the bag. Who would have thought?

 

[ntanygd760]

T minus 34 hours till a few B100's get together on my home course. I fully expect to hit 20 trees and pull out a sub 80 round.

 

[InTheRough]

Don't go out after a 2 week layoff and expect to break 90. I did. Fortunately the guys I got grouped with were pretty bad, too. Yeah, this was not a good day. 1) the greens were punched last week and weren't rolling true. - The odd thing was that the practice green wasn't punched and so was a total misrepresentation of the greens on the course. 2) My front 9 was a dumpster fire and I think I shot a 60 or something like that. I shot a 45 on the back 9. How did I turn it around on the back 9? Hero shots. What did I have to lose?

I don't have a Bubba Fade in my shot arsenal so I thought I'd learn how to hit it on the golf course. I may not have done it right, but my method worked. Going the other direction by intent didn't work as well since I needed more loft than my 3W could deliver. My 5H was perfect for the fade though. I think I would like to hit a less extreme fade for my natural shot and now I know how I might accomplish it. (subject of a new post)

And lastly I've learned about bad science. Correlation does not equal causation. Example: 1) My cholesterol went up and my kidney function drastically improved. Therefore cholesterol was the cause of the increase in kidney function. 2) My front 9 was a dumpster fire where I couldn't buy a shot. I had a hot dog at the turn. I improved by 15 shots on the back 9. The hot dog was the cause. Therefore hot dogs are good for you.

 

[ntanygd760]

Pretty sure @Hamfist broke 100, went 47 on front and similar on back I think. He was hitting it well

 

[tehuti]

I hit the ball pretty well today but still managed to stumble down the stretch and just managed to score 99. In my defense it was nearly 100° out, but I still could have done better.


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[JonMA1]

Finally played 9 holes today the way I think the game should be played. No terrible left to right dispersion, decent contact, no blow up holes, no temper tantrums and a level of control with the full swing I haven't felt since early in the season.

 

[ULEWZ]

Played my trusty 9 hole exec course today and hit the ball really well with my irons. My woods, not so much. Chipping good, putting average, bump and run awesome, but still only had two pars for a final 38 (30 par). Hit the ball way too far today, but that is a good miss to work out. A 2 week layoff due to travel screwed me up. The key for me is playing at least twice per week to keep my game interesting.

 

[tehuti]

It’s amazing that I feel like I am hitting the ball well and still ending up with a crap score. I finally even figured out why I was struggling with the putter and even that is better.

Good thing we have no off season. I can work on my game in the fall and winter.


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[Voltore]

Well, I've been trying to relax more, and feel less tension. It seemed to work well. Thursday's Twilight league, bad start, first ball flew dead straight, no fade and rolled down a creek. However, subsequent holes went generally better. Couple of pars, some bogeys and no good deed goes unpunished on #3 (par 5). That is our course's hardest hole, you have to cross the creek twice (a > pattern) and avoid the lake on the left. First shot cleared the first creek, but not long enough to cross the creek again on my 2nd shot. I decided to lay up, beautiful PW shot. I was about 20 yds behind the tall reeds in the creed. Hybrid is a 50/50 for me to get airborne high enough, so took the 7i, and yup, smacked it right into the reeds. That aint coming out. Took the medicine, dropped and boom, OB! Overall, finished 52. +1 for my handicap.

Today, went out with my daughter for 9 holes, felt relaxed. Started off really well, by hole 6, I was 6 over, very happy at that point. #7 & 8 went south. Tension crept back in. Overall, though finished with a 49, 2 under for my handicap from the Blues.

So, starting to feel a bit more consistent as along as I can keep that tension and resist the temptation to try too hard. Let the club do the job!

 

[BigMac]

It’s amazing that I feel like I am hitting the ball well and still ending up with a crap score. I finally even figured out why I was struggling with the putter and even that is better.

Good thing we have no off season. I can work on my game in the fall and winter.

When you get to the point where you're hitting the ball consistently decent and not costing yourself a bunch of penalty strokes every round, now it's time to start honing in and figuring out which part of your game is hurting your scores. Are your drives putting you in bad position? Approach shots not giving you good opportunities? Wasting strokes around the green in short game? Too many 3 putts? Need to improve course management? Figure out where you're leaking strokes, focus on that and you'll start seeing your scores drop.

A friend I golf with often was a 100+ golfer earlier this year. His tee game was decent, he wasn't a bad ballstriker with the irons, but he was absolutely killing himself around the green, bleeding strokes all over the place in his short game. He'd be close to the green in 2, and walk away with a 7 or 8. He dialed his short game in and is actually pretty darn good with it now, and is shooting high 80s/low 90s consistently.

 

[tehuti]

When you get to the point where you're hitting the ball consistently decent and not costing yourself a bunch of penalty strokes every round, now it's time to start honing in and figuring out which part of your game is hurting your scores. Are your drives putting you in bad position? Approach shots not giving you good opportunities? Wasting strokes around the green in short game? Too many 3 putts? Need to improve course management? Figure out where you're leaking strokes, focus on that and you'll start seeing your scores drop.

A friend I golf with often was a 100+ golfer earlier this year. His tee game was decent, he wasn't a bad ballstriker with the irons, but he was absolutely killing himself around the green, bleeding strokes all over the place in his short game. He'd be close to the green in 2, and walk away with a 7 or 8. He dialed his short game in and is actually pretty darn good with it now, and is shooting high 80s/low 90s consistently.

Putting is one issue that I need to work on. Also, I need to be more consistent beyond 150 yards from the green.


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[wadesworld]

Putting is one issue that I need to work on. Also, I need to be more consistent beyond 150 yards from the green.


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Pros aren't even that consistent from beyond 150. They're trying to hit a good shot but are not unhappy if it's just on the surface anywhere.

Honestly, as amateurs, from that distance we need to be very focused on where we want our miss to be. Yeah, we'll take it if we happen to hit a great shot and get it on, but we need to make darn sure if not it ends up in a place where our next shot will be relatively easy.

 

[BigMac]

Matt at Golf Sidekick has a new (to me, anyway) 6-part video series on "Breaking 100" that I hadn't seen yet. Might be worth a watch for everybody striving for that barrier - you might not agree with everything he says, but I'm sure you'll take away at least some useful points out of it. If you've never seen his videos, he's not really about teaching the golf swing - it's more about how to think your way around the course. His "Way of the Playa" videos are good, these newer ones are a lot more in depth. The 6-part series starts here: Golf Sidekick - How To Break 100

 

[Annhl8rX]

After carding 100, 94, and 92 in my last three rounds, I went out and shot a 110. It was on the same course as my 92 from last round, so difficulty wasn’t the issue.

Everything was just a little (or more) worse than it has been lately. I wasn’t getting off the tee box all that well, wasn’t hitting my irons as crisply as I have been, my short game was frustrating, and I had 41 putts (including six three putts.

I only got three greens in regulation, and had nothing better than a bogey.

The only good thing to come out of the round is that I started working my driver in again and it didn’t kill me. I had a couple of dribblers, but also a few good drives that put me in parts of the fairway I’m not accustomed to reaching.

 

[TxAggie2018]

Still closing in on 100. Driving and irons are better, speed control on my putting is better, but my short game is leading to blowup holes. My pitches and chips are rough if they're not right off the collar, and my putting strokes explode on any green with a prominent break.

 

[Annhl8rX]

Still closing in on 100. Driving and irons are better, speed control on my putting is better, but my short game is leading to blowup holes. My pitches and chips are rough if they're not right off the collar, and my putting strokes explode on any green with a prominent break.

I hear you on the putting. My round yesterday really exposed something I already knew…I have no idea how to read greens. There were two holes yesterday where I was facing a significant break. The problem was, I didn’t know which way it was going to send the ball. Each time I just went straight at the hole figuring, “At least I’ll know next time”. Each time my second putt was from at least 12 feet.

I really thought poor putting was a bigger issue than it turned out to be yesterday. I had 41 putts and a score of 110. My previous round (on the same course) was a 92 with 39 putts. Looks like the real problem yesterday was…everything.

 

[ULEWZ]

Still closing in on 100. Driving and irons are better, speed control on my putting is better, but my short game is leading to blowup holes. My pitches and chips are rough if they're not right off the collar, and my putting strokes explode on any green with a prominent break.

I find that aiming high and letting it roll down is preferred to aiming just above the hole with a bad break. I also adjust my putting distance by where I place my hands, at the top for a far roll, and just above the grip for a short roll. Works for me anyhow.

 

[JonMA1]

The problem was, I didn’t know which way it was going to send the ball. Each time I just went straight at the hole figuring, “At least I’ll know next time”. Each time my second putt was from at least 12 feet.

I hate giving golf advice because if I knew anything about this game, I wouldn't be a lifer in this thread. But if you've never done it, try using your feet to tell you where and how much of a break you're dealing with, as well as whether you're uphill or downhill from the hole. You don't have to go full Aimpoint, but your feet can often confirm or reject what your eyes are seeing.

 

[TxAggie2018]

I find that aiming high and letting it roll down is preferred to aiming just above the hole with a bad break. I also adjust my putting distance by where I place my hands, at the top for a far roll, and just above the grip for a short roll. Works for me anyhow.

I like that idea, gonna try it next round.

 

[Annhl8rX]

I hate giving golf advice because if I knew anything about this game, I wouldn't be a lifer in this thread. But if you've never done it, try using your feet to tell you where and how much of a break you're dealing with, as well as whether you're uphill or downhill from the hole. You don't have to go full Aimpoint, but your feet can often confirm or reject what your eyes are seeing.

I’ve heard about that technique before, but I think I need to start with something more basic than that. My biggest issue is when I’m putting across a break. I’m not sure if that really is how you’d word it though. The specific putt I have in mind from yesterday was on a two tiered green. I was putting from the upper tier to the lower, and it dropped about a foot in elevation halfway between my ball and the hole running at about a 45 degree angle. It was significant and apparent. I knew it was going to move my ball a long way, but I didn’t know which way.

I’ve been burned before when I picked the direction I thought it would go and was wrong, essentially doubling how far the break took my ball. I’ve gotten to where, rather than risk that, I just putt straight at it and deal with the result.

Truthfully, a lot of this could be remedied by spending just a little time on a practice green. I have no excuse for this level of stupidity other than that I find putting incredibly boring.

 

[charley48]

Been laid up for a few weeks. Travelled up north last month, came back and got sick. Tested positive for covid. I guess the vaccine didn't help me with this one. Luckily it didn't hit me too hard. Just a fever for a couple days and sinus congestion a few more days. But I thought I'd better stay home for a couple weeks to quarantine. I don't want to pass it on to someone else.

After the self quarantine I thought I'd hit the range. Maybe I'm not quite recovered. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe I'm just old and can't lay off for too long. But I sure had a hard time with my energy. I was getting worn out halfway through the bucket. Muscles started to ache. I think I might have to hit the range a couple more times before I hit the course.

They have a decent chipping green to chip 40 yards and under. I usually take my ball shagger and bucket and hit some from different distances for a bit. But since I was getting so worn out I just hit the last 30 or 40 balls in the bucket with the wedge and didn't bother picking them up.

I'm going to spend extra time with the 6 iron. The course I play on has three par 3's that are 6 iron distance for me. In the 160ish range. There always seems to be a couple more holes where a decent 6 iron shot would put me in good position. I don't know why the 7 iron is usually not a problem but the 6 iron is so inconsistent.

 

[charley48]

Matt at Golf Sidekick has a new (to me, anyway) 6-part video series on "Breaking 100" that I hadn't seen yet. Might be worth a watch for everybody striving for that barrier - you might not agree with everything he says, but I'm sure you'll take away at least some useful points out of it. If you've never seen his videos, he's not really about teaching the golf swing - it's more about how to think your way around the course. His "Way of the Playa" videos are good, these newer ones are a lot more in depth. The 6-part series starts here: Golf Sidekick - How To Break 100

He does make sense on the idea of simplifying things to reach our goals. I've often wondered if I could score better if I use nothing longer than a 7 iron after the tee shot. But it takes some discipline to stick to that. If I hit a good drive on a par 5 leaving me 250 or less to the green, a good 7 iron would leave me a wedge on the 3rd shot. Even if I miss the green I wouldn't be too far off and would likely get on the next shot.

But here is the problem. You're playing with some better golfers. They've got their fairway woods and hybrids ready for the second shot. You think to yourself "If I can hit this wood/hybrid nice and clean I could be a chip shot from green and have a birdie putt". The temptation has been too great for me so far to come up with a good shot and a par or better. Of course, too many times I didn't hit a good shot and now I have a difficult lie on the 3rd shot. Having the discipline to stick to a lesser game plan has been hard for me.

I suppose its an ego thing because I can almost keep up with my younger playing partners with the driver. So I think why I can't I keep up with them on the longer fairway shots? And it doesn't help every time I hit a drive that matches theirs they compliment me on how long I can hit at my age. Really feeds that ego when they do that. And screws up the next shot.