HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

[frubalu]

i currently have a handicap of 3.9, and have been able to shoot 70 several times. I usually shoot rounds from 72-78 right now, and was just wondering if there were any tips anyone could provide which would help me to birdy more. I know I have the potential to fire sub-70 rounds. I'm getting desperate for good scores....i'm on my way to college in a few months and would love more than anything to play some college golf.

[jscerbo]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

To go low, you have to be able to hit distance wedges exact distances. You need to work on your pitch shots and distance wedges. If you will be able to place the ball eight feet or closer, you're chance of converting more birdies will increase.

[nickwbryant]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

what jscerbo said! at your level its often all about short game to shoot low scores - I am amazed at the pga pro's ability to get up and down. Also to shoot low scores you must make birdies - the pros average 4 a round. Par 5's are crucial to low scoring as they can provide easy birdies. Of course holing putts is even more important and something i am struggling with right now!

cheers

nick

[GoNavy]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

I am 5 capper myself, working on some minor changes, but I have shot subpar in the past, best 67, serveral 68;s on par 72 courses of 7100 +. The best advice given to me is on course managerment.

1) Never play directly to the pin, because you must hit a perfect shot and if you don't your working away from pin and towards trouble.

2) learn to work the ball, if you don't already know how. This way you come from the side with the least trouble, excluding wind. This means you are always working towards the pin.

Example: green with water right, pin right. I play for the far left of green for slight fade, if I hit straight I'm on the left of the green, perfect shot, slight fade, center of the green. Bad shot over cook it and I'm on the pin. So here my bad shot actually helped me, and I was never working away from the pin. The deseaster shot would be the double cross, hook instead of fade, but I would still be able to recover.

3) off the tee alway play a fade or draw to your advantage, playing for center of the fairway only gives you half a fairway. Again play away from trouble, bad shots are playable.

4) learn to putt and chip. Every time I shoot sub par my putts were around 25 to 28 putts, averages are usually 31 - 36 putts. This is a little deceptive, because you can have 25 putts but if you the had 18 chips, then it is not the same. You have 25 putts and 10 chips, now your talking, couple that with the 18 shots off the tee and 16 approach shots (not counting par 3's) and you got your self a 69, and that is only hitting fours greens in regulation, the par 3's and the 5's.

5) This was the hardest to do...You don't have to alway hit driver..lol.. I had a coach one time made me play this par 4 six times, slight dogleg left about 458 yds, 3 times my way (with driver) and all my clubs, 3 times with only a 7 iron and putter. Damest thing I ever seen, 7 iron, I pared every time, driver had bogey and two pars. Now I'm not saying to use a seven iron on par fours, but if you even think, that a driver might get into trouble, don't use it. I don't I use my driver more then 10 times a round now.

Hope this helps, good luck.

[frubalu]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

thanks everybody for your help! GoNavy, your information helped a lot, because most of that information was the type that needed to be refreshed in my mind. again, thanks everybody.

[shootin4par]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

take five balls and drop them 10 feet from the hole, putt all five and they have to go PAST the hole or you have to start over. Then go to the farthest ball past the hole and put the rest there and putt till you make five in a row from that spot. repeat drill at 15, 20, and 25 feet, anything over that and lag putting is the way to go

[Andycap]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

I agree that the short game 100 yards in is most important, but so is the mental side of golf. I tend to get really buzzy and excited when I reach the turn in one or two under and it affects me. You have to be used to being in this position and keeping an even keel. Remember the words of Kipling about treating the two imposters - triumph and disaster, the same.

[GoNavy]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

I agree that the short game 100 yards in is most important, but so is the mental side of golf. I tend to get really buzzy and excited when I reach the turn in one or two under and it affects me. You have to be used to being in this position and keeping an even keel. Remember the words of Kipling about treating the two imposters - triumph and disaster, the same.

I know what your talking about, the day I shot 67, I had no idea what my score was until the 18th hole. We were playing skins, and my total concentration was on winning skins, when we got to the 18th hole my playing partners said "No wonder he winning all the skins, he is 6 under par". That was the first ime I looked at a score card, then I promptly bogeyed the last hole..lol...there is probably a lesson in there some where, but I sure wish they would have kept thier mouth shut until the 19th hole.

[shootin4par]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

I know what your talking about, the day I shot 67, I had no idea what my score was until the 18th hole. We were playing skins, and my total concentration was on winning skins, when we got to the 18th hole my playing partners said "No wonder he winning all the skins, he is 6 under par". That was the first ime I looked at a score card, then I promptly bogeyed the last hole..lol...there is probably a lesson in there some where, but I sure wish they would have kept thier mouth shut until the 19th hole.

the lesson is the gamesmanship your buddy put on you to make sure you did not win the last skin

[Andycap]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

GoNavy, a bogey on 18 always leaves a bad taste, but hey, a 67 isn't too bad a score, I have never been under 70 yet (best a 72 so far).
I had one round last year when I was four under after five holes, the sixth was this easy 520 yard par five, which I have birdied and eagled. On this occasion, the gremlins got into every part of my game and I double bogied it, resulting in a final round of 77.
I don't know what happened to change my game so quickly, but I think it was knowing how I was scoring, and then focusing on an imagined final score instead of the next shot.

This game drives you nuts doesn't it.

[ThePuttKing]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

I had a 65 gross last year in a better ball comp. It was the course record but they didn't count it because it wasn't a medal or stableford.

Thinking about that round, I think I scored that low because:

1. I didn't 3 putt.
2. I didn't drive into trouble once.
3. I hit 4 iron shots stone dead. (4 gimmie birdies)
4. I holed 3 long putts over 20 feet.

[GoNavy]

Re: HELP: on shooting sub-70 rounds

I had a 65 gross last year in a better ball comp. It was the course record but they didn't count it because it wasn't a medal or stableford.

Thinking about that round, I think I scored that low because:

1. I didn't 3 putt.
2. I didn't drive into trouble once.
3. I hit 4 iron shots stone dead. (4 gimmie birdies)
4. I holed 3 long putts over 20 feet.

Exactly, if I count right, that means you had 29 putts, and no penalty strokes. That is the key, the average tour pro is doing around 28 putts, so for that day you were putting like a pro...lol..but what you failed to mention is you must have hit 14 greens in regulation, which is equally outstanding.