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Can't break 80

Jakobean

Keystone Conesure
Jul 17, 2005
52
0
My goal for the end of this season is breaking 80 and I can't seem to string two decent 9's together to make a complete score under the big 80. I went out Yesterday and shot an 83, and just can't seem to make putts drop. Anyone have any stories of your first time breaking a score barrier.
 

dave.

Well-Known Member
Mar 20, 2005
5,926
2
Yes,I learnt to love my putter.You need to go sub 32 putts at least,I imagine you were around 36?

go around 30 and combined with some skill with the wedges and you will get to mid seventies no problem
 

4Aces

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2005
11
0
Dave is S-o-o-o-o-o right!
You can add ten yards to your driver. You can hit 2 or 3 more GIR.
These will not reduce your score as much as improving your short game (chipping, putting, sand play).
Also play with better players and watch (or ask) how they manage their rounds.
Most of the players I observe shooting in the low to mid-eighties, mismanage their games when the get out of position and attempt the herioc vs the smart golf shot--leading to doubles or worse.
 

CKGuY914

simplicity vs complexity
Apr 8, 2005
128
0
From my own perspective.

80's to high 70's - Ball striking and course management.
If you only make bogey 1 hole out of 3 and make par on the other 2 you shoot 78. It's much easilier to try to shoot 1 over for 3 holes than 3 over for 9 holes. Try to focus and play 6 small rounds of 3 holes instead of focusing on the 9. Never make anything more than a bogey, just really grind it out save those bogeys when things get outta hand and avoid double bogeys.

high 70's to mid/low 70's - short game and putting
Not much needed to be explained here.

Scratch - you need to do everything well
 

tom

Well-Known Member
Jul 20, 2005
9
0
Personally I find decision making much more important than any other aspect of my game. When I was in the 20+ hcp range it was all down to poor decision making, not thinking about the shot I was about to take at all. But then I started thinking a lot more about my game, and realised I don't have to hit driver off every tee and I don't have to go full whack on all my shots.

It worked, and I shot a 77 a month later with a double bogey on the 17th and ever since ive improved loads!
 

HARLEY69

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2005
10
0
Putting,putting and more putting. I was in your boat years ago and it was the 2 and 3 putt greens that hurt me. I also started using my 7 iron on chips to roll the ball close to the hole which helped me. I worked on my 3rd and 4th shot,the chip and the putt. Even if you don't put your 2nd shot on the green on a par 4,if you chip it close and 1 putt, you still get a par. Shoot for pars not birdies and you will break 80,like I did and it's great. This helped me and maybe it will help you.
 

gwlee7

Ho's from Rocky Mount, NC
Supporting Member
Jun 15, 2005
1,402
1
Practice your chipping and putting this way:

Take 3 balls and chip them all to a hole and then go and make the putt. Do this 15 times. When you can consisitently get up and down from the fringe 12 out of 15 times (80%), you'll be breaking 80 most days regardless of how you play tee to green.

That is my experience. I don't always hit the fairway or hit GIR but I get the ball up and down from the fringe by practicing this way 3-4 times a week.

Greg
 

lameshooter

Eagle is my middle name.
Apr 13, 2005
45
0
thats really funny dave to mention how you need to be sub 32 putts, but i was out the other day and shot an 78 with 35 putts, so it all depends on how the rest of your game is too, if i coulda putt i woulda been shooting under par..
 

MyGolfDomain.com

Well-Known Member
Apr 2, 2005
147
0
I agree with the short game being critical to breaking 80. Chipping is critical and takes a lot more practice than putting. A short game lesson should help you break 80.

Play courses that are challenging enough that you would be proud to break 80 there, but not so challenging that you won't have much of a chance to break 80. There are a few courses around here that I might not ever break 80 and other courses that I would be frustrated to not break 80 each time.

You might also want to try using a different ball. Pro V1x's would certainly work!
 

Augster

Rules Nerd
Supporting Member
Mar 9, 2005
1,473
23
If you can shoot 83, you can break 80 once in a while. CHIPPING is the biggest thing to work on, as said earlier. Is it fun? No. It's a lot more fun to go to the range and beat a 100 balls and think that it'll help you. If you took 100 chips, or better, 1000 chips, I can guarantee your chipping will improve. Chipping it close is the key to better golf, right after keeping it in play.

I'm a stats guy, Pelzish. The average player on the PGA tour only hits 13 greens. That's 5 that he misses. For your average mid handcap player, that's almost an automatic 4 or 5 bogeys, or worse. Your average 80's shooter probably only hits 9 or 10 greens on a good day. That puts a LOT more pressure on his chipping game.

The best putters in the world, PGA Tour players, only make around 50% of their putts from 6-10 feet. 50%! Over 10 feet away, the percentages drop off dramatically. So the best players in the world are only going to get up and down HALF the time if they chip it to a 6-10 foot circle. Outside 10ft, they aren't getting up and down.

Any idiot with a stick can make a 2 footer a high percentage of the time. Statistically, you have a much, much better chance from 5 feet than 10. If you could chip to a 6-foot circle, most every time, you would see your scores go lower. If you could chip to a 3-foot circle, you'd be able to get up and down almost every time.

Do the drill gwlee suggested. The Lord knows I am going to. Chipping and putting is the quickest way to get from 83-85 to 78-79.
 

VtDivot

SLIGHTERED
Supporting Member
Apr 16, 2005
7,154
32
Augster said:
The best putters in the world, PGA Tour players, only make around 50% of their putts from 6-10 feet.

Wow!!

Are you sure??? That sounds awfully low. I would think that 6-10 feet is candy for these guys. I would have guessed 70% at worst. Where did you dig up this data??
 

Augster

Rules Nerd
Supporting Member
Mar 9, 2005
1,473
23
VtDivot said:
Wow!!

Are you sure??? That sounds awfully low. I would think that 6-10 feet is candy for these guys. I would have guessed 70% at worst. Where did you dig up this data??

Dave Pelz. Read the Dave Pelz Putting Bible or the Short Game bible.

I don't have the putting bible on hand, but in his short game bible, on page 29, Figure 2.13.1, what his (Pelz's) data suggested was that 6 feet is the "conversion point" where the pro's make 50% of their putts. At 7 feet, it's lower, 8 feet lower still. By 10 feet, it's at 20%. By 20 feet they are under 10%. And these are the PRO'S! They are just as likely to 1-putt from 20 feet as 35 feet +.

Think about that the next time you decide to "Go for it" from 20 feet. The best in the world make 1 in 10. Maybe you should just lag it, eh? :D

Knowing stats like these just burns me up when folks are lamenting their putting during a round. "I haven't made anything all day." How many times have you heard that? Do you consider the guy saying it one of the best putters in the world? I mean, does his livelihood depend on his putting like the pros do? I doubt it. Your average player's conversion point of 50% is probably closer to 4 feet, maybe even 3 feet for a high handicapper. So this guy is all burned up because he "missed everything inside 15' today". Yeah? How many did you miss inside 4'? Outside 4' I'd guess is a 50% chance, or much, much, much worse by the time you get to 10 or 15 feet.

Work on your putting? Why? Even if you become one of the best putters in the world, you are only making 50% from 6 feet. But if you work on your chipping, you can get those up and downs inside a 3' circle more often. The pros from 3' are like 85-90%.

Hopefully knowing statistics like this will help you guys focus a bit more on speed and lag from 10, 20, and 30 feet + in order to limit your 3-putts. Never up, never in? If I am consistently leaving 20 footers 8-12 inches short, should I really CARE if they don't get there? The pro's make a 20 footer around 10% of the time. They are 100% from a foot. What if I change my stroke to try to "get it there" next time and I go 4' by? I know I've done that before. Now there's about a 50% of a 3-putt. Nice.

Chip it close, and work on your lag putting and your putting from 5&6 feet and in.
 

Kilted Arab

Well-Known Member
Apr 30, 2005
1,202
4
My last four rounds I've had between 32 and 36 putts.

And not broken 90.

You guys think you've got problems??

wtf is gonna happen to me if my putting gets worse??
 

Tenminutestolate

Well-Known Member
Jul 25, 2005
5
0
Short Game is the key to any great round of golf. I would be on the driving range hitting away and having a blast, and hate the putting green. During my lessons i wanted to go onto the driving range and never putt. Big mistake. Now my Short game suffers and my long game is excelent. I need to get out and do that chipping exercise more often.

Does anyone Have any trouble or flat out hate landing in the sand? I had problems with sand untill I practiced it one day, and Sand is as easy as hitting a 9 iron on the fairway now.

Kilted Arab - If your putting gets worse, well, your gonna have a worse score! lol. But hey, if your having fun then thats all that counts you know?
 

gwlee7

Ho's from Rocky Mount, NC
Supporting Member
Jun 15, 2005
1,402
1
Here's a case from my round today that will demonstrate the point of the short game being key to breaking 80:

I had a seven hole stretch in the middle of my round where I made all pars. I only hit the green 3 times. I never had a par putt longer than 4 1/2 feet on the 4 greens I missed. Not only were they short putts, but they were straight and below the hole.

Now, I also had a THREE PUTT BOGEY from about 6 feet on the 3rd where I had a total brain fart as well as a THREE PUTT DOUBLE BOGEY on the 18th. I shoot 82.
If I take 3 less putts here on these two holes alone, I shoot 79. This dosen't even count a couple of bad chips and decisions that I made that cost strokes elsewhere.

I usually don't three putt in any round of golf let alone twice but I did today as well as making some bad short shots that kept me from getting up and down.

It is not uncommon for me to shoot in the 70's with no birdies because I usually convert from around the green. I have not been doing the drill I mentioned above as much lately because it so freaking hot here in NC right now. It shows in my game too.

The only putting drill I ever do is see how many STRAIGHT putts I can make in a row from 5 feet. I have to make at least 12 before I can quit and the most I have ever made is 30. Seeing the ball go in the hole time after time is much better practice to me than watching myself miss from longer distances all over the practice green. If I practice longer putts, I have to putt the second one when I miss so that it is the same as when I am playing. I am confident that I will make a five foot putt and these are the putts that save strokes over the course of a round.
 

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