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What ALWAYS and NEVER to do to break 80.

WLG1952 said:
I tend to agree with Leishman on not aiming at pins, and getting out of the tee box with good shots. I think this is especially true with better, above average golfers. It's what makes them above average players.

I think all golfers would score better if they aimed at larger landing areas.

However, I think for most weekend warriors, having a good day pitching, chipping, and putting will enhance their chances of of breaking 80. I say this because most weekend warriors do not have a strong enough long game to save strokes in that area of their game. (jmo)

I don't easily break 80 anymore, but when I did, I always had a great short game that day. 28-29 putts, maybe 1, or 2 hole outs from off the green, and some great approach shots from 60-70 yards. That part of my game made up for my poorer, longer game.
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I completely agree here. Short game and putting is where us hackers can go low, and by low.. I mean 82.. But still.
 
Jman said:
Always....

1) No 3 putts
2) No 2 chips
3) Ball in play
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YES. The 2 chips are absolutely killing my game right now...
 
NateG<80 said:
I like that thinking. There are certainly conservative targets available during the round, and this sometimes includes a safe pin.
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It probably would have been clearer to say "Ignore pin placement and aim at the fat part of the green". Sometimes that's not even the center, sometimes it's right at the pin.
 
Boy, are we a negative bunch! As in the title of this thread, shouldn't we be asking what is the one thing to always do if you want to break 80? Or maybe both the one thing to do and the one thing to avoid.

Not breaking 80 much anymore, but when I was able to the best advice I ever got was "Never purposely hit an approach iron that you know won't get to the green surface". GET THE BALL TO THE GREEN! It seems conservative to hit to the front of the green or even short of it to a position you can chip from rather than taking the chance of going over, but that is the biggest stroke costing mistake amateur golfers make. If you purposely land the ball short of the green and chip 10 times a round, you have virtually no chance of breaking 80 unless you are a world-class chipper. The pro who told me this explained that the vast majority of amateurs' approach shots come up short, and then require chipping onto the green. But almost everyone is much better at putting than chipping. So get the putter in your hands in as few shots as possible. Same pro told me to putt everything I could, even from off the green. I don't three-putt much, so if I can be on 70% of the greens in regulation, I've got a good shot at breaking 80. Unless I know for sure that the green is as hard as concrete or slopes away from my position and the ball won't stop if it lands on the green, I am going to hit an approach club (iron or hybrid or even fairway wood) that I know will at least reach the front of the green unless I hit it poorly. The other key for me to break 80 is finding the fairways. That is my real problem these days. Approach shots were so much simpler when they were 130 yards rather than 160 yards.
 
Hecaviator said:
Boy, are we a negative bunch! As in the title of this thread, shouldn't we be asking what is the one thing to always do if you want to break 80? Or maybe both the one thing to do and the one thing to avoid.

Not breaking 80 much anymore, but when I was able to the best advice I ever got was "Never purposely hit an approach iron that you know won't get to the green surface". GET THE BALL TO THE GREEN! It seems conservative to hit to the front of the green or even short of it to a position you can chip from rather than taking the chance of going over, but that is the biggest stroke costing mistake amateur golfers make. If you purposely land the ball short of the green and chip 10 times a round, you have virtually no chance of breaking 80 unless you are a world-class chipper. The pro who told me this explained that the vast majority of amateurs' approach shots come up short, and then require chipping onto the green. But almost everyone is much better at putting than chipping. So get the putter in your hands in as few shots as possible. Same pro told me to putt everything I could, even from off the green. I don't three-putt much, so if I can be on 70% of the greens in regulation, I've got a good shot at breaking 80. Unless I know for sure that the green is as hard as concrete or slopes away from my position and the ball won't stop if it lands on the green, I am going to hit an approach club (iron or hybrid or even fairway wood) that I know will at least reach the front of the green unless I hit it poorly. The other key for me to break 80 is finding the fairways. That is my real problem these days. Approach shots were so much simpler when they were 130 yards rather than 160 yards.
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Yes! Thank you for turning this thread around :ROFLMAO:.

The point was not to pick the article apart or debate whether it is an advertisement or not. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and advice.
 
Another thought process I used to have is that if I par two out of every three holes, I shoot 78. Thus, hit one third of the greens, get up and down half the time and avoid three putts and you break 80. That always sounded doable to me. Avoiding double bogey is so crucial.
 
On another note, I think golfers would be wise to pick their club, aim, and landing areas depending on what their ball flights are doing that day.

I know my day to day ball flights are not always the same. Some days I hit longer/shoter, and some days my ball flights tail off a little left/right. This also helps to hit away from trouble.
 
Ben Hogan said take dead aim. I don't think he meant to the widest part of the green. No guts no glory. It's only a game.
 
Tenputt said:
Another thought process I used to have is that if I par two out of every three holes, I shoot 78. Thus, hit one third of the greens, get up and down half the time and avoid three putts and you break 80. That always sounded doable to me. Avoiding double bogey is so crucial.
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No foolin'! That is what keeps me from shooting 80 these days. The usual cause isn't the putting or even the approach shots. It is the tee shot. I can still birdie almost any hole on most courses I play, but I can also take a double (or a lot worse) on all of them too. I have to hit a lot more than 6 greens in regulation to have a chance of breaking 80, and that means I have to have a legitimate shot to the green on every hole. That hasn't been happening. But, on the bright side I picked up a Cobra F9 in December and I seemed to hit it in the short stuff more often than not in the few rounds I got to play it. When our course reopens I have high hopes I'll be hitting more second shots from the fairways.
 
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Sandy Rangeballs said:
Ben Hogan said take dead aim. I don't think he meant to the widest part of the green. No guts no glory. It's only a game.
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I guess it matters whether you're out there just to have fun and drop bombs, or if your score matters to you. If it's a beer drinkin' day and I'm just out there for yuks with my friends, I'll take on the low percentage/high-risk shots just for the heck of it. If it's a more normal round that I'll be posting for handicap, I'll take the easy way out almost every time.
 
Read that the other day. Picking good lines off the tee is a big one that I have been working on. I used to try the "Tiger" line every shot. Now I aim for where my miss will land in the middle and my strait shot will be on the left side.
 
My good rounds are in the 80's, bad ones in the 90's. I have broken 80 three times this year but struggle putting two good nines together and get burned by a couple of blow up holes. I am bad for going at pins so will try and force myself to go for the middle of the green more as I am working really hard to get my handicap down. My index is around 16 right now but my winter was about 1 lower
 
Sometimes just not knowing your exact score can help... you're generally playing well for sure and you know that but don't start totaling and doing math with a few to go. That's a curse.
 
Keep it simple. Great philosophy. (y)
 
Great tips... That is my goal this year
 
Tenputt said:
Another thought process I used to have is that if I par two out of every three holes, I shoot 78. Thus, hit one third of the greens, get up and down half the time and avoid three putts and you break 80. That always sounded doable to me. Avoiding double bogey is so crucial.
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That is a solid thought process.

The blow up holes are what always destroy my rounds. A double or two on one 9, and a triple on the other 9. So frustrating early on in a round too as it completely ruins that side.
 
Sandy Rangeballs said:
Ben Hogan said take dead aim. I don't think he meant to the widest part of the green. No guts no glory. It's only a game.
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I appreciate the aggressive thought process.

I just think that gets me into way too much trouble. It is only a game, but it is a game where if I score better, I have a better time lol.
 
Tenputt said:
Another thought process I used to have is that if I par two out of every three holes, I shoot 78. Thus, hit one third of the greens, get up and down half the time and avoid three putts and you break 80. That always sounded doable to me. Avoiding double bogey is so crucial.
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Mine are less blow ups as the bogey train that rolls through the scorecard.
 
For those who are frustrated with ”blow up” holes, do you find yourselves trying to make a miraculous par and compounding the mistake or are you willing to “take your medicine?”
 
Tenputt said:
For those who are frustrated with ”blow up” holes, do you find yourselves trying to make a miraculous par and compounding the mistake or are you willing to “take your medicine?”
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My mindset has switched from ok now you have to make up for that shot, to ok now let's link a couple good shots to finish the hole.
 
Tenputt said:
For those who are frustrated with ”blow up” holes, do you find yourselves trying to make a miraculous par and compounding the mistake or are you willing to “take your medicine?”
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Oh yeah! You mean that incredible shot I made one time in my life and now think I can repeat and salvage par whenever I want? It is a lot easier for me to take my medicine if I think I can end up with a bogie than those times when it is obvious that a really big number is in my future.
 
as I get better I find more and more penalty playing from bad places off the fairway. things I can't either practice or things I can't do. certainly putting the ball into a reasonable place off the tee would be most effective in my game
 
Gman79 said:
Mine are less blow ups as the bogey train that rolls through the scorecard.
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The bogey train is not so bad. I can live with myself if I make 9 bogeys in a row.. But throw in a double or triple.. YIKES.
 
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