Breaking 80?

Ronnie,

In those rounds did you finish poorly or did you finish strongly? That will help in understanding if nerves or getting ahead of yourself may be the issue. 

You will break 80, it is just a matter of time. The less you think about breaking 80 the faster you will break 80. Please do not think "why can I not break it". Just think about the shot at hand, visualize your desired shot and execute that shot and then repeat. Stay focused on what you can control, the shot at hand. Thinking ahead will not help (and there is nothing you can do about future shots anyway). You have the skill to do it, just let your skill take over. Try not to think of score and just think shot and then total it up at the end. It sure sounds to me that you are going to break it very soon. The more you knock on the door then more you will be comfortable.

Hope this helps somewhat. Keep us posted.  

Ron,

You are welcome.

You are close, you'll break 80. 

Keep us up on how the scoring goes this week.

Hey Ronnie,

One of the quickest ways that I found to drop a shot here and there, without making any swing changes, was just through basic course management.  Analyse those past few rounds and see if there was hole that you had a big number on because you decided to "go for it" or took driver off the tee when you could have used a hybrid/iron to keep it in play.  Making these subtle changes will help you to eliminate bringing that double or triple bogey into play, and you should start to see your scores drop by a shot or two.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Cameron

1-888-TITLEIST 

Guessing by your scores, I'm going to say you're probably a pretty darn good ball striker. 

Are you losing a few strokes on/around the green?  One even mediocre chip can turn what was a decent birdie opportunity into a 25 footer that can result in a 3 putt and a double bogey. 

Maybe a quick lesson with your club pro that focuses on chipping and putting will save those last few strokes.  Best of luck to you getting it under 80. 

I agree with Keith.  When I get on the 80's train it is due to my short game.  I fail to get up and down a few too many times and record an 80, or 82 etc.  If you find yourself shooting in the low 80's consistently (which is great by the way) focus on your putting and chipping.  I could bet that is where you are losing those strokes.  

Hi Ronnie,

One thing I found that helped me break 80 was creating my own par. I mapped out the course and what I thought a proper score for each hole was, I narrowed it down to around 6 over par and tried to get my set score on each hole. Just my two cents and that what worked for me! Good Luck!

This strategy will help ANY golfers, no matter what skill level. My high school coach tells us this all the time. 

Hi Ronnie,

I'm floating around that same barrier. I've hit 79 maybe 3 times, but I really want to break 80 by a larger margin to make it feel a bit more valid.

Here are the areas that I am working on.

1) Drive farther to get into birdie range with a short iron

2) Land my iron shots within 10 feet of the hole

3) Chip to within 3 feet of the hole

4) Drill my putting stroke to prevent sliced rolls which kill hard breaking putts

5) Get comfortable sinking 6'-10' putts as those are my most common birdie opportunities.

6) Build more stamina so I don't fall apart on the back 9 in.

7) Become familiar with different types of grass and how they affect the ball (contact, spin, release, roll etc)

8) Read the slope of the area around the green on the approach shots so I know how the ball react.

9) Stop playing muni's where the greens don't roll true around the hole. (super frustrating seeing a 2' tap-in break 45 degrees inches before the hole.)

I'm sure the list will go on the more I play.

You have way too much going on upstairs to consistently shoot in the 70's, Narrow your focus to 1-3 things that you practice and then when you hit the course, you should be clear of those thoughts. It should just be as each shot approaches, whether tee, approaches, or putts...

You have way too much going on upstairs to consistently shoot in the 70's, Narrow your focus to 1-3 things that you practice and then when you hit the course, you should be clear of those thoughts. It should just be as each shot approaches, whether tee, approaches, or putts...

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I agree.  That is just too many things to focus on.  

Here's what I worked on in the off season last winter and it's worked wonders.

1. General Fitness

- It's easier said than done, but pay attention to your diet and try to work your "golf muscles" (Glutes & Legs, Abs, Back etc...)

- Focus on flexibility (TPI is awesome for this)

2. Have a go to tee shot

- Off the tee I can hit a decent little fade that will find the fairway 90% of the time and keep me out of trouble 98% of the time.  If I'm in a pressure situation I know I can step up, aim at the left side of the fairway and hit the baby fade to center cut.  It doesn't have as much distance as the high draw, but I'm not as confident with trying to bomb a draw when the pressure is really on.

3. Know your game and be brutally honest with yourself about it

- If you really know your game and understand where you're strong you'll make better decisions.  I don't hit great 3 woods (yet).  So on the par 5's I lay up like Zach Johnson at The Masters.  My wedge game and putting carry me, so I'm confident that I can at least make par if you put me inside 120 yards.  

- I also don't hit the ball very high with longer irons.  I would love to try and parachute a towering 5 iron to a back pin, but I know I'll have a much higher success rate hitting the low 6 iron that lands front edge and rolls to the middle and possibly the back of the green.

--If you're a long hitter that can't putt then you should always aim for the middle of the green... get the picture?

4. Know when to play it safe and when to go for it

- If the pin is lurking near danger, aim for the center of the green.  If the pin is sitting in a green light area (away from trouble, in the middle of the green, front edge with a back to front slope etc...) then fire away.

A little bit of course management, self knowledge and tad more fitness will hopefully shed those last couple of stokes.

Good luck!

You have way too much going on upstairs to consistently shoot in the 70's, Narrow your focus to 1-3 things that you practice and then when you hit the course, you should be clear of those thoughts. It should just be as each shot approaches, whether tee, approaches, or putts...

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Unfortunately I have a habit of thinking about 6' putts while I try to hit my driver.

Typically someone aiming to break 80 doesn't need to worry about landing iron shots within 10' for birdie every round or the type of grass they're playing on.

Generally speaking (and speaking generally is all one can do on a message board), the difference between 82 and 75 or 76 is going from three or four doubles per round to one or zero.  A guy who shoots 76 likely isn't making four birdies.  He's probably making two, and maybe three or four bogeys and a double.  As is the case at any stage, consistency is the name of the game.  Concentrating on just hitting the ball solid and hitting solid putts with proper speed.  For a low 80's shooter, those should probably be your only swing thoughts.  Keep the technical stuff on the range and you'll be amazed.

Update: I went today and played with my friends before I went off to college. Shot a legit 74, no mulligans no anything. I had 4 bogeys and 4 birdies so it canceled out, I had 1 bad hole ending up in a double, ugh. I hit 11/14 fairways and 13/18 greens with 32 putts (two 3 putts) I know how I felt during the round, going to try and replicate it for the rounds to come. Honestly the main thing was a good mental game. I had a hole where the drive went 150 yards. It was just awful. It was a par 5 and I looked to the guy I was driving and said "I will par this hole" and I did. Missed the birdie putt by 2 inches. So yeah, just wanted to update everyone! Thank you for the support! I know it isn't all the time  yet  but it is for sure a step in the right direction! 

Ronnie B,

I just saw your post from 8/16.

Great round. It sounds like you played really well. Fairways and greens.

I love the confidence you had on that hole after a 150yd drive. That mental confidence goes a long way.

I know you will continue to be able to shoot in the 70s. There will be ups and downs but know that you are capable of shooting in the 70s and continue to practice and stay mentally positive and remember course management.

I hope we'll see a post at some time in the future about breaking 70!!

Well done, keep up the great play. Thanks for keeping us updated. 

Change your mindset. You're probably saying to yourself, "this is the round I'm going to do it." Instead, focus on making smooth solid swings and aggressive putts. Don't scorecard watch. Play solid and add it up at the end. 

Cameron nailed it.   For an easy couple strokes, better course management.   Find your "go to shot".   Mine is around 115.   Being said that, on the long holes that you cannot make in 2, lay up to your "go to shot" instead of going for the green and most likely missing.   So rather than pulling a 3 wood out trying to reach 230-240, take a short iron to get to your money shot, then stick it close.  Good luck!!

The best advise I can give you is the oldest cliche in the book-  Take it one shot at a time.

Instead of thinking, 'if I par this hole I'll shoot 79', think only about the shot you're about to take.  If you get too far ahead of yourself it's never good.  The day I shot my best round (75) I had no idea what my score was.  I was just playing and thinking about my process and each individual shot.

If you're still struggling I would suggest working on your short game.  Getting those clutch up and downs, and making those 6 footers is the key.  You can also plug your stats into the My Game portion of this site and it'll break your game down and let you know what you're missing.

Best of luck!

Hi Ronnie,

I am in the same boat, cannot seem to get into the 70's.  Been very close quite a few times as you have , now my average around 83

Usually once a round I have  two doubles and unless your making a four or five birdies those are the numbers  that keep you from breaking thru,

In my case I am going just keep thinking Fairways and greens. I read somewhere recently to break 80 try and focus on hitting 12 greens in regulation supposedly will get you over the hump barring any of the true blow up holes.

That is my goal for my next round - 12 greens and no 3 putts. 

Fairway - green  12 times...... Hopefully that will get me there.

Good luck and play well !

I really like Curtis' advice about finding the goto shot and finding a yardage where you are highly confident of "getting it close". Mine is 100- 110 yards. Think of Zach Johnson at the Masters when he won and Steve Stricker. Look at TW over the past few weeks, how he got up and down a lot.

Avoiding a big number like Curtis and Andy say really is key. There is really nothing wrong for playing for a bogie in order to stay "in the game".

I also really like Andy's view. Fairways and greens. 12 times. No 3 putts. Even if a player would play for bogies on the other holes you'll break 80. Avoid big numbers, stay out of trouble, avoid 3 putts, hit the fairways and greens as often as possible. And practice your 5 footers.

Imagine if you made every putt inside 5 feet, what would your score be? Imagine if you made every putt inside of 10 feet, what would your score be? Now this is taking it to another level but my point is, if you can putt you can break 90, 80 or even 70 if you are a good ball striker. Practice your putting inside 5 feet so they become nearly automatic.

Love this advice, great stuff all.

ronnie,

all great advice.  i'll add this one: don't start counting strokes.  a friend of mine always does the "i have to par the last 3 holes to shoot..."  i think you get ahead of yourself and stop concentrating on the shot at hand.  play the hole and write down your score, but don't start adding up the scorecard until that last putt has dropped on 18.  good luck!

- fred

Ron H,

It sounds like you have made great progress from April to today.

It sounds like the time spent on the short game has really helped. That is great.

It is mental and that is a tough part of the game but it still is physical.

I have a few questions I would like you to think about in order to figure out where improvement can come from.

How many fairways do you hit? Where are your misses?

What is your GIR percentage? What is your proximity to the hole on GIRs?

What club do you hit your approaches with? Where are your misses on approaches? (Right, left, short, long, short side, etc)

What is your up and down percentage? Sand save percentage?

What is the total feet of putts made?

How many birdies do you make? Pars? Bogies? Doubles? Triples? Others?

What are your strengths? Weaknesses?

How is your course management? Do you think about laying up to certain yardages? Do you take less than driver off the tee to avoid bunkers, water?

I am really impressed with your progress. It goes to show how important it is to chip and putt well. To get to the next level it is metal but it also is hitting more good and great shots and hitting less poor and bad shots.

I hope this helps. Keep us posted, I hope you continue making great progress. 

Ron H,

Congratulations on a terrific round and a tie for first place!! That is terrific. Very well played.

Keep up the great play using all the suggestions in this thread. There is no doubt in my mind that you will be shooting in the 70s often going forward.

All the best, well done.

Ron H,

You are welcome but it was really you that made it happen.

Those lessons on the short game I am sure helped a lot. A good or solid short game can take pressure of the approach shots and lead to better approach shots.

So great to hear you are playing well. Thanks for keeping us up on your progress.

I am doing well and hitting them fairly straight so all is well. Thanks for asking. 

Keep up the great play and stay confident and most of all enjoy this great game. 

I had a 79 one time.  I scored 39 on the front 9 with two of the worst 9 wood tee shots I've ever hit; the first was a moon ball that landed 25 yards short of the green but I managed to pitch close enough. The 2nd was a worm burner that somehow landed on the green.  I had two birdies with one putts that day. 

I also have a couple exec courses I play primarily for scoring practice. I played the East course and started with a bogey (which is OK considering that I am getting warmed up) and a triple on a 127 yard par 3 (had a water ball) but was -2 the remaining 7 holes.

I've run into some of the green oddities on munis.  The common thing on two of them is the greens are hard as rock. This is probably why PM carries a 64* wedge (Balboa Park 18 hole is his home course in SD).

Great job Ron H!

Once you're hitting in the low 80's it's only a matter of time before you break into the 70's and then it happens quite a bit. Took me quite a while to do it...I'd usually finish with a couple bogeys to miss the 79 by a stroke or two. I stopped thinking about it so much and finally did it. Just had a day where I was on and trusted my swing. Instead of trying to make 20+ foot putts I just tried to put the ball close, so I didn't three putt...one of them ended up going in and I only had one three putt.

I think one of the easiest ways to shave a few strokes off your game is on the green...I analyze my putts quite a bit now and have been dropping more birdies and decreasing my three putts. Seems like 4-5 feet is one of my biggest downfalls. It's hard for me to decide whether to try to account for the break or pund the ball in. I like to be aggressive, but I feel like I force it quite a bit. I try to pump myself up and convince myself to be confident when I know I'm not. Guess it's something that everyone just has to deal with.

Hope everyone has had an enjoyable last few months of golf! Gonna be snowing here in Colorado soon, so I'm trying to take advantage of a few more weeks of good weather.

just keep playing, ignore your score (as much as you can), play your game and when you add them up one day you will have broken 80, and judging from these scores, you'll do it repeatedly. 

Don't change anything, you're playing great golf, just take dead aim and go for it.

I think one thing mid handicaps don't work enough on is lag putting.

Since we are not always hitting it as close as we would like we are left we a lot of 20+ foot putts, two putting from these distances is crucial to breaking 80 .

I saw PA doing drills on lag putting using a trash can, from like 30 feet away  he said to visualize something larger near the  hole and to practice using something much larger than the hole.

I tried this recently with by laying to towels on the green on either side of the whole and I was immediately able to get 8 out of 10 onto the towels from 30 feet. It is a great way to practice lag putting as it keeps from getting too focused on the hole from long range.

Give it a try and play well !

Thanks to you all for the tips. Appreciated more than you know! 

I played today and finished at 80 with a bogey on the last hole! I went for the par 5 only because I was that confident I could make a good swing on the ball, it wasn't a terrible shot but it ended up in a bad spot (standing on the side of a hill) and ended up hitting it over the green. Then my chip back didn't get close and I missed the putt, today my short game failed me but I did erase all doubles and worse. Now I need to chip it closer and putt better. That is what truly let me down today. 

Ronnie,

I actually like that you went for the par 5 last hole. I like it because you were confident, you felt confident, that you would make a good swing on it. I like that mental attitude.

You describe your 3rd shot as "being in a bad spot" and you hit it over the green. What were you thinking when you stepped up to your third? Did you feel nerves? Did you feel a little "oh oh, now I need to get this close to break 80"? Did you hit a good 3rd shot that just went over the green or was it a bit nervy of a shot?

You say your "short game let you down". Does that mean with a better short game you could have been several strokes lower possibly shooting 76-78?

Analyze your round. Fairways hit, greens hit, where your misses were (right or left off the tee, short side or not on approaches), proximity to the hole on GIRs, putts, distance of putts made, sand saves, up and downs etc. I think analyzing this will help get you to the next level (comfortably in the 70s). I love you did not make any doubles but let's try to figure out where you can shave a few more strokes off and maybe it does end up in the putting and short game. I love the "proximity to the hole" and "feet of putts made" stats. Just pace them off and get kind of close to the feet. I do it all the time and it isn't too time consuming at all.

It sure sounds like you played well and you are going to break 80 very soon. Best of luck and keep us posted.

James,

The nerves did come on that 3rd shot, and I ended up leaving it short. But there were many putts I missed by an inch or so off line, and then many lag putts not even close to the hole. I left too many opportunities for a lower score slip away by not getting close chipping or lag putting. 

Ronnie,

The nerves will eventually go away the more you break 80. The nerves are totally normal. You'll get through that.

Imagine if you made every putt that was "oh so close". You would have broken 80 easily.

You are going to break 80. The next question you are going to have is how to shoot par!!

It sounds like you know what to work on. Lag putting. Imagine if you did not 3 putt any holes. Imagine if you made everything 5 feet and in. You are probably in the mid 70s and executing on that will keep you in the 70s more often than not.

Congratulations on playing well, you are going to break 80 very soon and then many times after.

Keep us up on the progress. Continue playing well.  Stay confident.

Have you done a round analysis?  What I mean by that is take a look at every shot you hit in the entire round and break them up - tee shots, long approach shots, short approach (inside 150 yards), green side pitches, putts, and penalties.  Try and figure out where you are losing shots.  To help:

Tee Shots - are they in the fairway or in the rough causing a "layup"?

Long Approach Shots - are they where you want them to land (on the green or in your wheelhouse for the next shot)?

Short Approach Shots - are they on the green within the 1 or 2 putt zone?

Green Side Pitch Shots - are they in the 1 putt zone?

Putts - are you 1 or 2 putting every green?

Penalties - How did they happen and can you avoid them?

Once you get an understanding of they shots of your round, you can identify the area(s) where you can improve.  In most situations, you will be able to see where you are losing shots in your round and take corrective action appropriately.

Good luck! 

Some good advise being given from everyone. I agree with most that say don't change a thing and go out and have fun and forget about the score card. Although that is easier said that done.  Just take things one shot at a time. I'm often reminded that my worst day on the course is still better than my best day in the office. haha! 

I bet you are hitting 6-7 greens. Statistically speaking, you need to hit 8 greens to break 80 and shoot 79 (from Lucius Riccio research). Of course, that alone will not get you below 80 as you must avoid three putts, penalities, and doubles and higher, but it's a starting point.

Have fun and hit more greens.

Hey Ronnie, I just started shooting mid to high 70s. Some things I've been working on are wedge game, I think that is where I started dropping scores, put the ball in a comfortable distance with a good line, find the club you hit on the range the most, and use it on the course! You don't need to fire at every pin, PGA players dont go for every pin, instead they give a birdie putt from a distance and if it doesn't drop theres par.

Hi Ronnie,

You're so close.  Next time you're in a round try to focus on only one shot at a time, and don't add up your score until the very end.  I recently just broke my best score for the year, and I honestly had no idea what my score was until I added it up.  Every mental game book you will read will preach about staying in the moment and letting go of the result after you've made contact.  When I try to focus on these things my scores get much lower.

Try it and maybe you'll be in the 70's without even knowing it!

It's ALL about putting. Coming into August, I was shooting 85 average, and then began to read "The Unstoppable Golfer" by Bob Rotella, in which I learned the importance of the short game. You can recover from a bad drive but your putting and chipping around the greens is what will make the difference, and what made the difference for me. Now, if I shoot 80-84 I'm very angry with my play. Hope this helps!

You are putting too much pressure on yourself to shoot the score you want to. If you want to shoot low, in my opinion, you have to go out and put a relatively amount of pressure on each shot and just play to have fun. I find when I try to play for par I end up shooting higher then when I just go out and play to have a good day of golf.

Hope this helped,

Sean F.

stop reading golf digest. stop watching the golf channel. stop looking on the computer for new clubs and stop asking people for advise . just go hit the ball!

Hey Ronnie

I like to keep track of all of my shots during a round.  I mark each club hit for every shot. this helps me know exactly where I may have lost strokes during a round and what parts of my game may need more practice.  I will also practice the things that I know are my weaknesses.  Too may golfers like to practice the shots they are good at but neglect the ones they are bad at. make you weaknesses your strengths. 

Do you play the course from the tee to green  or from green to tee ? green to tee help you to have a better game plan.  course management is usually the area which most golfers can save at least a few strokes.  Knowing where too miss a shot is always important.  there is nothing I dislike more during a round than having to recover from a difficult spot when it would have been much easier from the opposite side…  Play honestly.  meaning if you don't think you can hit your shot successfully 70% then don't try it ! 

Like most golfers I have off days.  When I warm up for a round I may notice that I am hitting my shots  left, right, shorter etc…  I never try too hard to fix this right before my round and never on the course.  instead I play my miss.  If every shot is going left than play for it to go left.   Attitude and confidence on the course are under rated in scoring. Good luck .

steve

A lot of great responses...

The infamous barrier of 80... The biggest thing I've found that's lowered my handicap and scores is simply course management. Keeping your tee shot in play, and then controlling long putts and not leaving yourself a 6 footer. Just putting yourself in a position to not make the big number. 80 is par/bogey golf- it's doable. If you can shoot an 81 out there, then you can shoot 77 on a given day. 

Someone out there said to not think about it too much- AGREE. Don't look at the card- be mindless. Add 'em up later.

Fire at pins!

Hey Ronnie

I think it's more of a mental thing. But what helped me was to keep track of every shot fairways hit,greens hit and how many puts. It will let you where most of your shots are coming from. Remember one shot at a time let go of the past and don't look into the future. Take dead aim hope this helps.