breaking barriers of 80 90 or 100

[DouginGA]

Breaking 80 or breaking 90 or breaking 100- it appears to be a psychological thing? I am kicking around the idea of playing from the reds for a few rounds. There is no doubt my driving could improve in consistancy, but I notice all too often the great drive yields the blown hole for me.
I dont know if this is: that i am getting "pumped" and thinking I am better than I am and losing my focus, that I need to get the "on and in" part of my game in order, or that I just have that "mental block" about shooting under 80. Playing from the reds for bit might : 1. Get the approach/short game in better order. 2. Get in the mental mode of scoring lower . I figure I should shoot a considerably better score from the reds. This should get me mentally used to having several birdies opportunities and a consistant par or close to it round. Then I should have a easier transisition to shooting well from the whites as I am just moving back 10 to 50 yds on most holes maybe 120 yds at most.. The distance I don’t think is my major problem, Par fives and threes are my best birdie opportunities. I think a lot of the problem is just getting in the mental state of scoring low and being comfortable with it, i.e. getting to 17 and 18 with a 77 or 78 as more than doable and not choking, or going birdie, par, par, par, birdie and then not getting excited and going to a snowman.
In essence, can the reds get me in the mode of scoring well and then I can just lengthen the course and pretty much hold the score down? Or is it just wishful thinking and pissing in the wind with this idea? Comments?

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

I think there's something to that, and that it's important to try to play with a set of expectations that are a little bit higher than your present level. But it's such a complex game sometimes it's hard to say what exactly is the best way to do it, and for some people, it's going to be different.

I'm very much convinced at this point that I am right on the edge of breaking 90. Right now I think it's a matter of me becoming more comfortable and able with putts inside of 10 feet. I was giving myself chances yesterday, and I only had one triple-bogey, as I was striking the ball better and I'm working on making the best shot available to me and get rid of blowup holes.

It was just the putting that killed my round yesterday. 37 putts yesterday, and 10 of those were very close to dropping, just fractions off. I had a round yesterday that would have been sub-90 with some better breaks. I'm hitting off the tee longer than before, my full swing yesterday was more in order after I figured out the weekend before I had been getting my weight too far forward on my toes.

The two guys I had joined up with both complimented me on the tempo and rhythm of my swing, and by the end of the round, we were all a bit with gaping jaws at how close I had been to having a pretty nice round.

So I'm going to try to go into next weekend and feed off the parts that should be giving me confidence. In the meantime this week it'll be more hitting pitches and chips in the evening, and hopefully I can find a practice green with holes, where I can practice my putts inside of 10 feet.

So all I can really say is try to find some idea to help push yourself to that improvement you want.

[EnglishGolfer]

You got it bang on there Doug. My mental handicap kicks in when I get near 70 (I'm not showing off, I've been playing since I was 9 years old and I'm pushin 30 so it damn well should be low).

My best ever round was level par of 70 round my own course which off 6 handicap won me the opening medal of the season 2 years ago by about 4. Sounds great doesn't it? However I was 3 under with 3 to play, my arse went big time. I remember the turning point on the 15th green having made par thinking "one more birdie and 2 pars and I've equalled the course record!". Here's a good tip - don't to that! Just one shot at a time is plenty to be thinking about.

I still kick myself about it and I suspect that I always will and even worse I will think about it if I get into the same position in the future, dammit i'm doomed to fail!

[Rockford35]

I think breaking 80 is the hardest of the all. With a few lessons and some dedication, breaking 100 was easy. I was 13 when I was shooting mid 90's. I played golf just for fun and to eat hot dogs before that.

Then it took me 7 years to break 80.

Now I can do it almost on a regular basis, with the odd hiccup/putting fiasco/forgetting how to use my irons round.

Breaking 100 is easy. You just gotta not think about it, get some lessons and play for fun. Then 90 comes with playing more, integrating your lessons learned into your game. Then you play for 5 more years, "honing" your skills until one day, you are standing on the tee of 18, mentally counting your strokes, wherein you stupidly announce "You know, if I par this, I shoot 79."

You then take a triple after duck hooking it into the creek and flub two chips. Then, you slam your shoe in the trunk because you're so pissed and halfway home realize you left your Dr Pepper in the golf cart.

Not that it's ever happened to me...

R35

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Breaking 100 is easy. You just gotta not think about it, get some lessons and play for fun. Then 90 comes with playing more, integrating your lessons learned into your game.

I broke 100 without any lessons.

But then, I'm a stubborn anti-social sort and I don't recommend my technique to the general populace.

[Pa Jayhawk]

It was just the putting that killed my round yesterday. 37 putts yesterday, and 10 of those were very close to dropping, just fractions off.

I'm not sure I would put a great deal of emphasis on putting this time of the year. I think out of the 5-6 course I have played in this area, only 1 had greens that seemed close to what you normally find (Honeybrook). I did manage to play Ingleside again Friday. About how I remembered. Played Honeybrook Saturday, it was in really good shape for this time of the year. Although both seemed much easier than normal because the tall grass has not grown in.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

I'm not sure I would put a great deal of emphasis on putting this time of the year. I think out of the 5-6 course I have played in this area, only 1 had greens that seemed close to what you normally find (Honeybrook). I did manage to play Ingleside again Friday. About how I remembered. Played Honeybrook Saturday, it was in really good shape for this time of the year. Although both seemed much easier than normal because the tall grass has not grown in.

Yeah, that's true about the greens right now, and this weekend where I was playing they had topdressed the greens with sand and aerated, so there weren't any true rolls out there. It was just very frustrating to see so many putts to save par or bogey just miss dropping in the cup.

Of course, that means I'll have to be mindful of my pace when the green conditions improve and the pace picks up.

[Pa Jayhawk]

For me, breaking 100 and 90 was just a matter of playing more golf each week, and both happened in a relatively short period of time. Breaking 80 was a matter of a lot of hard practice on the Putting and even more so the chipping greens. Although it is has been about 3 years since I last broke 80, there are not to many practice facilities up here, and I do not play as much.

edit 1 - actually, I think about the time I started to threaten 80 also came about the same time I started to understand a little concept called course management as well. Not something I thought about a great deal while shooting in the 90's

[SiberianDVM]

Breaking 80! Drool! I can almost taste it!

What's killing me are my fairway woods. I'm so inconsistent with them off the turf: top, fat, hook, slice. You name it, I can hit any shot with them except straight. Maybe I should substitute a #2 hybrid for the 5 wood, and a #1 or #0 for the 3 wood. ??

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Breaking 80! Drool! I can almost taste it!

What's killing me are my fairway woods. I'm so inconsistent with them off the turf: top, fat, hook, slice. You name it, I can hit any shot with them except straight. Maybe I should substitute a #2 hybrid for the 5 wood, and a #1 or #0 for the 3 wood. ??

I'd really take a serious look at hybrids, Doc. They are so much easier to hit off the deck than woods, I think, plus I've even found a few places where they can make for a nice bump-and-run shot from off the green.

For me, woods off the deck were a total crapshoot. I've been much more consistent with the hybrids.

[Davebud]

A 4 wood for them both and carry a 7 wood for a third FW. You can pick the ball up as easy as can be with the 7. Food for thought.

[SiberianDVM]

I already carry a 3, 4, & 5 hybrids. I hit them pretty well. I have a matching 2 hybrid, but 14 is the limit, so I haven't been carrying it. I don't know what the problem was yesterday with the 3 & 5 woods; sometimes I hit them pretty well, but not yesterday. Need more practice, I guess.

[Rockford35]

I already carry a 3, 4, & 5 hybrids. I hit them pretty well. I have a matching 2 hybrid, but 14 is the limit, so I haven't been carrying it. I don't know what the problem was yesterday with the 3 & 5 woods; sometimes I hit them pretty well, but not yesterday. Need more practice, I guess.

14 is the limit - for tournament play.

R35

[DaveE]

14 is the limit - for tournament play.

R35

We all know what the 35 in R35 really stands for.

[Rockford35]

We all know what the 35 in R35 really stands for.

If I could fit 35 in, i'd give it a go!

17 is my maxiumum. I had 8 irons, 4 wedges, 3 fairways, a driver and a putter.

I left the hybrid at home. Proud of me?

R35