Breaking 80, 90, 100

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By Don O

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  • 6 Replies
  1. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    JR on the Golf Channel does some interesting topics. Last one being counterfeiting and the latest included one on the 2004 tsunami survivor Will Robins. He focuses on helping the high handicappers, not so much on working on swings as on course management. To at least get into the 80's, the goal is to approach and get down in 3. I've denied that the short game is my issue, but I've realized this year by watching my scorecard that even 1 lost ball doesn't blow a hole up on its own. It is the double/triple that includes hitting a bunker then blading it across the green where my score goes off the rails. That's a 5 with a 2 putt starting with the approach shot. So advice like don't pin seeking on a short side with a bunker, going for the middle of the green may make birdie difficult but prevent bogie/double, can help. Pays to analyze the score and how it got there.

  2. Scott S

    Scott S
    Nashville, GA

    That is great advice, I have the same issue most of the time, and lately have not been able to break into the 90's.....My drives and 2nd shots on par 4s are great, usually laying 2 or 3 at the green, but then skull the crap out of it, or blow the approach to the green.  My putting has been up and down, but like you Don, I admit, my short game is what is killing me! I need to spend some time on the chipping green and putting green to see if I can get this under control....If I did that I would save several strokes on each hole.  Good luck and hit em straight!

  3. Raphael N

    Raphael N
    Terrebonne, QC

    any advice on breaking 70? im a 1.8 handicap and i played 34   4 times this summer and i played 35  5 times this summer but i just cant complete and i just crash under the pressure of that under par. i have a good drive, 75% FIR and 65% GIR, i get alot of times inside 10 feet for birdie but i'm never able to make the putt fall in.

  4. Ashley L

    Ashley L
    Kennesaw, GA

    My suggestion would be to work on your putting from about 6 feet. If you hit that many greens, my guess you're not making many putts. Once you get to the point where you make most of the 6 fosters, your confidence will come and you'll make more of those longer putts too. 

  5. Keith M

    Keith M
    Acworth, GA

    Don and Scott, I can empathize.  I've been struggling all summer to get my scores down.  My main pain point is getting it in the fairway.  Correction, getting it remotely near a position where I can find it.  I stopped playing Pro V1x's because I was sick of losing so many.  I started referring to them as "only good for one swing." 

    My irons have been actually decent, but I've lost as many as 12 tee shots in one round.  Even if I find a tee shot, it's usually in some heavy duty cabbage and it basically a penalty stroke anyway.  I don't care how good of a day I'm having putting or chipping, it wears on me mentally eventually and affects the rest of my game and thus my score. 

    I keep trying though.  I'm trying to shorten my swing on tee shots.  I'll give up a little distance in the hopes of being able to find my ball. 

  6. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    I've added some ego-busting course management to help my score. When dealing with a par 5 with narrow fairways and virtually no rough, I'll now hit 7W/7W to get within mid-long iron range - almost all of the time. Losing driver half the time pretty much gets me double bogey - I always need 3 to get on the green. I try not to use 3W to attack a green. It will miss over 80% of the time (short, OOB, tall rough, or bunker) and that shot is not as easy as 7I and wedge to get close. Shortening the swing doesn't help me. I need to hold my transition and then not over swing. Whether the ball is $1.75 or $4, OOBs is 1.5-2 strokes a hole. ProV's are expensive for one shot, but the score impact is better to put the driver in the time-out corner.
  7. Cory E

    Cory E
    Colorado Springs, CO

    Raphael, the best advice I can offer is when you are at the practice range or at the putting green that you work on your pre-shot routine. It must be ingrained into you so that when the pressure of breaking par comes you will can fall back into that routine naturally. Most golfers when under pressure will revert back to old habits that we have tried to get rid of. We regress and forget those little changes we made to our game that got us to those low numbers. Good Luck and with a handicap like yours I am sure you will be successful.

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