Breaking 90

[WhyDoIStink]

Re: Breaking 90

Very simple... when you have a wedge in your hand the next shot should be a putt.

Too many people are concerned with power, draws, fades, spin... forget all that and play your percentage shot. If you are a fader, play a fade. Also, know how far you carry your shots. NOT if I connect, I can hit my wedge 150 yards... what is your regular swing distance 110-120 yds? Good, try to get your approach shot to the 110-120 marker and put it on center of the green.

You should be putting now. If not you should be chipping. Here is a neat tip I got from some old guy regarding chipping. When chipping just concentrate on landing the ball 1 yard onto the green. The way to vary distance is by changing clubs.

Say your ball is 25 yards from the pin (walk it off so you know), and 4 yards to the front of the green. You want to hit the ball 5 yards (1 yd onto the green) and let it roll the rest of the way (20 yards). The ratio of roll:carry is 4:1 so starting from your pitching wedge the ratio is 1:1, 9i 2:1, 8i 3:1, 7i 4:1, etc... so you would use your 7i and trust that it will roll 20 yds if you hit your spot. Of course you will need to compensate if you are going uphill.

Hope this helps and good luck.

[plygdgolf]

Re: Breaking 90

If you consistently shoot in the low to mid 90's, the easiet way to break 90 is through course management. Treat the course like a chess match. You will be surprised how many shots you're throwing away simply because your head is thinking about fundamentals instead of just working the course. Your focus is in the wrong place at this point in your development. Your putting, chipping, scrambling, etc.., will have to improve in order to break 80 but for now change you focus. It's simple (yes simple, not easy) to beak 90 when you think your way around the course.

[sunnykk]

Re: Breaking 90

Course management is the key. One advice I got was:

Find out what yardage gives you the best shot (What is your yardage for which pretty much you will hit the green 99 to 100% of the time) For me it is from 100 yards.

Let's say you have a long second shot on a par 4, like 180+ yards and there are a lot of hazards near the green. What I would do is hit the ball to the 100 yard marker and then use my sand wedge to get it on the green. Yeah you take two to get it on the green but you still have a shot at par or bogey at the worst. You have to trust that 100 yard shot though.

[1lostball]

Re: Breaking 90

I am trying to do the same.I have hit 90 and consistantly hit below 95 but cannot beat that 90. I feel very strongly that my problem is psycological. Like lack of consentration. and. It getting to me on the last three hole of my local golf club 2 consecutive par 3s and a par 5 if I know its in my grasp I lose it By hiting double bobies on the par threes for a finnal 92 or 93 done it so many times in last 12 months cant count them. maybe you have the same problem without realising it. or it could be over consentrating.

[fatneck]

Re: Breaking 90

After a long Summer with many hours on the range and too many 91's to count I finally broke 90 last week (84). The consistency that has been missing fell into place by trying to stick to a pre shot routine each and every shot and by expecting each shot to go as planned.

Whilst there were still a few hideous shots (and a 4 putt on the 17th!) it was really heartening to reflect on a good round (based on current standard) rather than 1 good putt or 1 big drive.

The major downside was missing my tee time due to a late playing partner therefore dq from the competition so my net 59 counts for nothing!

Hoping to get into this weeks mid week medal if the course is cleared of its current temporary obstruction;

"A 55-year-old pilot escaped injury when he crash landed his aircraft on to a golf course to avoid children playing in a field in North Tyneside.

The Newcastle man got into difficulties on Sunday evening, but managed to steer the plane away from children playing football near houses in Wallsend.

The pilot, who was heading towards the city airport, performed an emergency landing in his two-seater Cessna 152.

A group of nearby golfers came to his aid and pulled him from the craft.

He was the only person on board and was uninjured, Northumbria Police said. The aircraft was slightly damaged when it came to a halt in the practice area of the golf course. "

[leebev]

Re: Breaking 90

It's bizarre how everyone reaches a stage where there is a mental block on their game. I know this thread is called breaking 90, but I have exactly the same trouble breaking 80 with many of the same errors the above threads discuss. If i play a round of golf and shoot low 80's, I feel like I have had a great game, even if I know I could have done better on several shots. However, if I shoot a high 80's round, I feel like i've played poorly because I have played a little more inconsistently. I'm sure the exact same concept is true to 'scratch' players where anything over a par feels like a disaster.

I know I can par every hole on my course but unfortunately it's not in the same round. Currently my lowest eclectic round is 67 gross, so I know the ability is there. It's a frustrating game at times, but who would be without it?

But ! The difference between the higher and lower rounds generally comes down to short game despite a wayward long game on occasions. Think about it ! If you average 32-34 putts normally, but your chips, etc are leaving you 3 putt finishes, pushing your average up to 37 - 39, this is a big difference. This is the big difference for everyone breaking 90. I don't think I've 4 putted for years now and although this was once a regular occurrence, you should practice until you are disappointed with anything more than 2 putts from anywhere on the green.
Cheers
Lee.

[1lostball]

Re: Breaking 90

Hi again. Has I have already siad my problem is to do with consentration. I find that If I hit one bad shot I will follow it with a succesion of bad shots. I can usualy play wedges well even a 64 degree wedge wich I can send nearly straight up over obstacles. But I dont seem to keep my consentration going for some unown reasen maybe the bad shots are still in the back of my mind dont know.
hit 95 today thats a bad day to me over that would be a dessaster. but I find that easy to do

[fatneck]

Re: Breaking 90

Lostball,

Concentration was a major problem for me, often even after a really good shot as I was still enjoying the moment!

All the advice I found from various sources was to get set with a pre shot routine to help really focus on the task in hand. I noticed an improvement when trying this on the range and subsequently during my last round when everything seemed to finally come together (bar my hideous 4 putt).

Switching off between shots became easier as it wasnt "in the routine" and I was still able to enjoy good shots before refocussing on the next.

I still wont be shocked if my next round bounces back up toward 100 but at least I know I havent been kidding myself with my expectation levels and that now breaking 80 is a realistic target if I can carry on improving and keep up the same levels of practice time.

[mariner]

Re: Breaking 90

Try to stay out of big trouble and take one shot at a time, but it IS down to the short game in the end - from 40 yards or less off the green, "putt" with anything from an 8 iron to a wedge and try to hole everything - you`ll have less 3-putts.

[GreeBoman]

Re: Breaking 90

if you are not breaking 90 then you are a high handicapper.
So do you play the course like a high handicapper or like a high handicapper should?
If you hit your 5 wood 240 yds then you are gonna be looking at say 150 to the green, if this means a 3/4/5 iron for you then dont go for the green!
hit a 7 and then a chip and run or something.
As has pretty much been said earlier, play for your 5's.
You dont need to make any pars to hit 90. So dont try if it means taking on shots that you are not 100% comfortable with.
Too many high handicappers play the course like they are off 5, a drive and a 5 iron onto the green, thats not you, yet. So dont try, you will only make a mess of a definite bogie opp.

[ogallalabob]

Re: Breaking 90

if you are not breaking 90 then you are a high handicapper.
So do you play the course like a high handicapper or like a high handicapper should?
If you hit your 5 wood 240 yds then you are gonna be looking at say 150 to the green, if this means a 3/4/5 iron for you then dont go for the green!
hit a 7 and then a chip and run or something.
As has pretty much been said earlier, play for your 5's.
You dont need to make any pars to hit 90. So dont try if it means taking on shots that you are not 100% comfortable with.
Too many high handicappers play the course like they are off 5, a drive and a 5 iron onto the green, thats not you, yet. So dont try, you will only make a mess of a definite bogie opp.

Not sure with all of the above:
1) I know I play on a par 72 course which would require at least 1 par to break 90.

2) if a person hits a 5 wood 240 yds, I would expect that they should hit a 7 iron at least 160 yds or something is out of wack.

3) I think the key to any course management type advice has to take into account a realistic appraisal of your game and the course. Depending on the type of course a 5 iron to the green maybe the smart play. You may roll it down the fairway 100 yds 50 % of the time but it may be just as good as a layup. the other 50% you maybe on or with in 10 yds of the green.

Bob

[matthinkle]

Re: Breaking 90

I know it's frustrating, but it sounds almost like you don't have club distances established in your mind. You sound like when you are in the fairway, that you are unsure of exactly what club to use, aren't committed to the club you chose and just talk your way out of a green in regulation. I would go to the driving range and start charting the average distance a normal, controlled swing brings from each club. Write this information down in a notebook that you can take with you on the course, establishing the distances you can hit consistently with each club. When you find yourself in the fairway and are unsure, break out your club distances and committ to that club. I know it sounds simple, and a bit foolish, but when you have a tool that takes your mind out of the equation, your swing becomes more natural. I would also try and find out before each shot the position of the pin and either add or take away distance based on pin location. It's a simple little tool to help you commit to each club, and each shot.

[GreeBoman]

Re: Breaking 90

Not sure with all of the above:
1) I know I play on a par 72 course which would require at least 1 par to break 90.

thats why I said

You dont need to make any pars to hit 90

2) if a person hits a 5 wood 240 yds, I would expect that they should hit a 7 iron at least 160 yds or something is out of wack.

Judging by the number of greens/fairways hit in regulation we already know that there is something out of whack.

3) I think the key to any course management type advice has to take into account a realistic appraisal of your game and the course. Depending on the type of course a 5 iron to the green maybe the smart play. You may roll it down the fairway 100 yds 50 % of the time but it may be just as good as a layup. the other 50% you maybe on or with in 10 yds of the green.

Yes, but you are not looking at the whole picture, what about the 25% of the shots that end up in the trees or OB?
A high handicapper has a wealth of possible cock-ups not just blading it striaght along the ground...

To the OP, can you give us an example round (just the scores)
I'll bet that you have a few holes with worse than triples on them, these are killing your score.

[LowPost42]

Re: Breaking 90

I know it's frustrating, but it sounds almost like you don't have club distances established in your mind. You sound like when you are in the fairway, that you are unsure of exactly what club to use, aren't committed to the club you chose and just talk your way out of a green in regulation. I would go to the driving range and start charting the average distance a normal, controlled swing brings from each club. Write this information down in a notebook that you can take with you on the course, establishing the distances you can hit consistently with each club. When you find yourself in the fairway and are unsure, break out your club distances and committ to that club. I know it sounds simple, and a bit foolish, but when you have a tool that takes your mind out of the equation, your swing becomes more natural.

That's some solid advice. The other half to this equation is going out to your home course when it's quiet, drop a few balls at the 150 yard marker, and see which club gets you to the middle of the green. The only reason I say this is because the range balls, in all likelihood, will not fly like the balls you play with.

I would also try and find out before each shot the position of the pin and either add or take away distance based on pin location. It's a simple little tool to help you commit to each club, and each shot.

For a guy trying to break 90, pinseeking in regulation is bad advice. Aim for the middle of the green, and take your 2 putts for par (or 3 for bogey, if you can't putt).

Now, if you missed the green in regulation, you're close enough that pinseeking should be an option, provided you have enough confidence in your short game to make those short shots.

[1lostball]

Re: Breaking 90

hello again I finely did it. 86 including three birdies. parred all the par threes. only had one bad hole. 12 which is a very long par 5 with a wicked sloping green. I have put the date in my diary 28th oct 2005 must try to keep it up
Was watching colin montgomary the night befor and notice how smooth his swing is. I did some casual swings coppying his and felt more relaxed so befor each shot I did the same thing the diffrence was obvious I will do the swing bit every time I go to play now and keep it as casual as possible.