Journey to Break 90

After almost 2 years of working on my game seriously, I finally cracked 100: quest to breaK 100

This topic may be premature since I haven't played a full 18 since cracking 100. However the 9 hole score I've put up are promising. I laid an egg my first 9 holes out with a 55. I followed it up with a 47 and then a 49. The 49 was on the longer back and I was 4 over through 6. I ran into problems in a bunker and a tough green killed me on 17. So it wasn't bad play that hurt my round, I just couldn't execute.

Now this thread is named journey to break 90. I have been playing very relaxed golf since cracking 100. I haven't felt any pressure like I was before I hit my prior goal. SO instead of a quest, I'm hoping that this will be a journey to break 90. I'd like to avoid the self imposed pressure that my quest put me under. I think my game is in the ballpark with some work i may be able to pull this off a bit faster then breaking 100. Of course when I started that quest, I was shooting closer to 120 per 18....

I went out today and played 9. It started out with some showers that turned pretty heavy before easy up.

1 - par 4, I hit a pop up of sorts with driver 174 into the middle of the fairway. I'm 139 from center and I go with the 6i. I make good contact, no divot though, and it's a mid height draw that lands on the green and ends up 18 feet below the flag. Not bad since I was 140ish out. I look at the break and it's raining a bit, so I hit my birdie putt and I miss on the low side but I have only a 6 inch putt for par now. I sink that easily and move on.

2 - par 4, I hit a pull hook 127 with driver into the 1st fairway. Awesome! I have some 20 foot trees between me and the 2nd fairway, so I decide on a PW. I hit it fat as hell and it rolls into the left rough of the 2nd fairway. The shot went maybe 10 yards... I hit a 4i punch that is so so but it gets me to 56 yards out. That boned PW hurt. I have a nice easy pitch and I should be on. It's still raining and I skull the pitch through the green. So I'm behind the green, above it, and it slopes away from me in 4. I grab my GW to chip with. My pro mentioned that I may want to start using it since the greens tend to grab the ball and it won't roll out. I also did some work with my GW and chipping last night. I hit my chip and I end up pin high and 2 feet to the right of the hole. SO I sink my putt for a dbl bogey. To be honest I was starting to think that I was looking at a 7.

3 - par 4, the rain is getting heavier and I hit driver again. It's a mid height draw, 229 into the fairway. I'm 135 from center; It's starting to rain like a SOB; I'm above the green and long is bad; The pin is back; So I decide on my 7i which is my 130 club. I hit a mid height draw and with all the rain I didn't run forward to see where it went. I went straight to my pull cart and the protection of my umbrella. I get to where I can see the green and no ball.... I also don't see it short of the green. Now I hit the ball well, so it's not like it went in the stream I have to carry or missed the green way left or right. I see my ball as I come down the hill, behind the green. I went over this green again! My npitch mark was near the back of the green as well. I guess I need to start playing this hole shorter because of the hill. I never had this problem before.... It's still raing real heavy. I have my sw to chip with and I leave it short. I then chip 18 feet past the hole. Stupid rain! I get my putt about 1 foot out and sink the dbl bogey.

Man, I was thinking par after that tee shot....

4 - par 3, rain starts to slack off after the last hole. The hole is playing long again, 160ish to center. I hit my 4i thin but it carries the stream and I'm 16 yards from center. I hit my chip to 7 feet. My par putt dies 3 inches on the high side of the hole. I tap in for my bogey.

5 - par 4, I slice the driver 197 under some tall pines on the right. I have a clear shot to the fairway and can advance the ball. I hit a 7i punch, which is solid. I end up in the left rough 71 yards from center. I hit a pitch with my SW that comes up a few feet short and it rolls down the slope in front of the green. I really should have used GW here. Long is better then short. I chip it 15 feet past the hole. I now have a downhill R to L breaking putt. I don't read enough break and I miss low and it rolls 5 feet past. I sink the dbl bogey putt though.

6 - par 3, the tees are way back for this hole, so I'm 145 to center. I hit my 6i and it's a pull. I miss left and get ready to chip. As I start to chip, a ball hits the trees near me from a tee shot on the 9th. It messes me up and I'm pin high but 9 feet right of the flag. Stupid hackers, grrr, oh wait that was me awhile ago. It takes me 2 to get down for another dbl bogey.

7 - par 4, I hit another popup 161 yards into the middle of the fairway. I'm too far out and hit my 3w. I top it and it stops 94 yards from enter. I decide on GW and the ball is above my feet. I hit the green on the right but the flag is left. I have a 48 foot, sidehill R to L putt. I 2 putt for a bogey.

8 - par 4, I slice the driver and hit a pine tree. So I'm a massive 127 yards off the tee. I hit a 7i punch to 84 yards. My sw is thin and I'm just on the back fringe. I chip to 5 feet and sink my bogey putt.

9 - par 5, dogleg right. I use 3w off the tee and hit a mid height draw 191 into the upper landing area. I'm in great shape and 258 out. So I hit my 3w off the deck and top it. Now I'm 160 and I slice my 4i. I'm 40 yards out and pitch on but long. I'm 24 feet from the hole and 2 putt for a bogey.

So I ended up with a 46. I didn't feel any pressure again either. A nice easy round and I tied the second lowest 9 I've ever done. This round combined with the last one I played on the back in GHIN, for a 95. Not bad. I think I can break 90, if I'm able to keep playing relaxed. If nothing else, at least i'm playing competently at last. lol.

Good for you and keep trying you will get there.

let the journey begin!

Thanks for sharing! it's a great read as I am working on the same thing, breaking 100, then 90; albeit I don't play as frequently as you. Keep it up and good luck!

Glad you broke 100, Bort. I started playing March 2009, shooting 110ish. I broke 100 around summer 2009, and started breaking 100 consistently around January 2010. For the longest of what it seemed, 92 was my best, and I hovered in the upper 90s. I have FINALLY broke 90.... TWICE in a row. I carded an 89 on Saturday, and an 89 today. I am pretty sure it is because I have been on vacation since June 21st, and playing every day. Now my goal is to stay in the 80s( for now), get to the lower 80s(soon), and break 80(later). Congrats, again, and good luck!

First off congratulations. A buddy of mine is on a similar journey, and as an outside observer, let me add a bit of warning (and I do not mean to be a downer, just a realist of sorts). Do not let a bad round discourage you, keep finding the positives in what you are working on. He is struggling with thinking his game is more consistent than it is (which we are all probably guilty of to a degree or another) and gets overly frustrated over a few bad ones which disrupts his whole game. There is a good chance you put up a round (or two) above 100 before you shoot in the 80's, but again, dont let that get you down, you are definitely on your way.

I am on a similar quest myself (trying to break 80 which i used to be able to do frequently, but a year of limited golf and zero practice has my scores higher). I shot a few low rounds (83-84) and thought I was on the verge. Then I put up rounds of 89,90 and 89, but stayed positive and knew I was hitting the ball well, just not scoring. Earlier this week I went out and shot 44-38 for 82 which again has me encouraged. Good luck, sounds like you are well on your way.

Keep at it, and as other posters have said, don't be discouraged by the occasional step backwards. I'm on the same track as you...been playing about as long & my current goal is to break 90. After a 92 about a month ago, I followed with rounds of 101 & 99, but the last three times out have gone 42 on nine, 45 on nine, and another 92 on a much tougher course than my regular muni. So I'm knocking on the door & ready to kick it down any day here. It's just a matter of executing multiple parts of your game well on the same day.

Congrats on your journey.

Breaking 90 means some basic things to me:

1. Keep your drive in play, not OB or in the hazard, even in the woods or rough is fine.
2. Take your medicine, if you are not in the fairway, punch out, give up the stroke and give yourself a chance to get on the green.
3. Fine tune your wedge game so that you can put it on the green from 100 yds in. Just get it on and then do no worse than 2 putt.

4. All you have to do is then get one par and you broke 90!

Really.

Think about it, you could spray every drive into the rough, punch out, hit a wedge, then 2 putt and shoot 90. Now, that means if you get it greenside on your approach, you could still barely get your chip on and 2 putt and still stay on track for 90. My thought is do not get greedy. If you just drove it 180 in the rough/woods, do not automatically take out your 3 wood thinking you are going to green it from 220 out. Hit a 7 iron to the middle of the fairway and hit your favorite wedge.

Its not the most exciting way to play, but its a realistic view of how to get there. Faldo was one of the best at punching out, then hitting a wedge and making that one putt.

Good luck.

[quote name='qtlaw' date='28 June 2010 - 06:52 PM' timestamp='1277765564' post='2542947']
Congrats on your journey.

Breaking 90 means some basic things to me:

1. Keep your drive in play, not OB or in the hazard, even in the woods or rough is fine.
2. Take your medicine, if you are not in the fairway, punch out, give up the stroke and give yourself a chance to get on the green.
3. Fine tune your wedge game so that you can put it on the green from 100 yds in. Just get it on and then do no worse than 2 putt.

4. All you have to do is then get one par and you broke 90!

Really.

Think about it, you could spray every drive into the rough, punch out, hit a wedge, then 2 putt and shoot 90. Now, that means if you get it greenside on your approach, you could still barely get your chip on and 2 putt and still stay on track for 90. My thought is do not get greedy. If you just drove it 180 in the rough/woods, do not automatically take out your 3 wood thinking you are going to green it from 220 out. Hit a 7 iron to the middle of the fairway and hit your favorite wedge.

Its not the most exciting way to play, but its a realistic view of how to get there. Faldo was one of the best at punching out, then hitting a wedge and making that one putt.

Good luck.
[/quote]

Great advice above. That is my game plan every time I play, plus putting a few on in regulation after a good drive or taking advantage on a easy par 5 or par 3.

Glad to see the new topic Bort.

[quote name='qtlaw' date='28 June 2010 - 05:52 PM' timestamp='1277765564' post='2542947']
Congrats on your journey. Breaking 90 means some basic things to me:1. Keep your drive in play, not OB or in the hazard, even in the woods or rough is fine.2. Take your medicine, if you are not in the fairway, punch out, give up the stroke and give yourself a chance to get on the green.3. Fine tune your wedge game so that you can put it on the green from 100 yds in. Just get it on and then do no worse than 2 putt.4. All you have to do is then get one par and you broke 90!Really. Think about it, you could spray every drive into the rough, punch out, hit a wedge, then 2 putt and shoot 90. Now, that means if you get it greenside on your approach, you could still barely get your chip on and 2 putt and still stay on track for 90. My thought is do not get greedy. If you just drove it 180 in the rough/woods, do not automatically take out your 3 wood thinking you are going to green it from 220 out. Hit a 7 iron to the middle of the fairway and hit your favorite wedge.Its not the most exciting way to play, but its a realistic view of how to get there. Faldo was one of the best at punching out, then hitting a wedge and making that one putt.Good luck.
[/quote]

Very good advice there. Also, if you feel that you are losing control of drives... play the club that gives you the best shot of keeping it in play. 3 wood, hybrid, etc.

Got out for 9 this AM. It had been raining. The greens were not mown and everything was wet.

1 - par 4, I hit a draw into the mist and can't see the ball. ALl I know is it's tracking down the left side of the fairway. I find my ball in the left rough, so a 224 yard driver. Not bad at all! I'm 89 yards out and hit my GW on. So I have a GIR already! I'm 32 feet from the hole. It's uphill, wet, and long grass. I leave it 5 feet short and just miss the par putt. So I tap in for my 5.

2 - par 4, I hit a high fade with the driver 189 into the middle of the fairway. The ball is in a low spot but it shouldn't be a problem. I'm 145 from center and goiung uphill, so I decide on 5i. I hit it fat, like Jabba the Hutt fat. So now I'm 90 or so yards out with a sidehill lie, ball below my feet. I stay down and hit my GW fat too.... Now I'm 40ish out and I pitch on. I'm 30 feet away though. I lagg it to 3 feet and sink my putt for dbl bogey. Bah.

3 - par 4, I hit a draw with my driver 214 into the right rough. I'm 154 from center and hit my 5i. I make good contact but push it right. I'm even with the middle of the green but 20 yards right. I chip with my GW and it rolls through the green..... I use my SW and chip it 10 feet past the hole. I miss the bogey putt high and roll 2 feet past. SO I settle for another dbl bogey. Sigh.

4 - par 3, 160 to center. I hit my 4i a little thin but I carry the stream and I'm a little short of the green. Not a bad place to be! I chip it to 13 feet and it takes 2 to get my bogey.

5 - par 4, I push my driver 197 into the right rough. I hit a nice 7i punch to get to 93 yards out. My GW is short though. My chip bites as well and I'm 24 feet away. I 3 putt for a 7.....

6 - par 3, I hit 6i and it's thin and short of the green. I chip to 11 feet and 2 putt for a bogey.

7 - par 4, I hit a pull popup with the driver a whooping 106 yards.....I'm in the right rough with a good lie. So I hit a 4i punch. Wait that's what I meant to hit but I topped it.... So I'm still 200+ out but a good level lie. I decide on 3w and top that too. I'm 54 out and my SW is short. I forget exactly what happens but I chip twice and end up 1 foot out. SO I sink my putt for another triple.

8 - par 4, I hit a low fade 176 into the fairway. I'm 190 out and it gets narrow by the green. So I grab my 3w and hit it into the right trees.....It takes 2 shots to get out.... I then need 2 chips to get to 5 feet and I 2 putt for a snowman :scare2:

9 - par 5, I hit 3w and it's a nice draw 163 yards into a flat spot. I hit my 3w but it's not great. So I'm 130 out now. I hit my 7i and take a divot and hear my ball. It lands on the green and spins back 1 foot! I never spin when I hit a green.... I'm 12 feet from the hole and I sink the birdie putt.

So a lackluster 51. I think the golf gods are punishing me for startinmg this thread. Something about hubris and putting me in my place. My work schedule cleared and I got to play in the men's league for the first time since May. It was nasty. Shot a 55 and only 1 bogey. Everything else was a dbl or more. I got 1 point of the 4 I needed. So now after 3 league rounds I'm at -3. My 46 yesterday would have given me 7 points for a +3..... I was thinking I'd do good tonight.

It was humnid as hell and it's the first time I played golf with people in awhile. No excuses though, I sucked. I didn't feel like I was under pressure or anything, who knows....

Glad you broke 100, Bort. I started playing March 2009, shooting 110ish. I broke 100 around summer 2009, and started breaking 100 consistently around January 2010. For the longest of what it seemed, 92 was my best, and I hovered in the upper 90s. I have FINALLY broke 90.... TWICE in a row. I carded an 89 on Saturday, and an 89 today. I am pretty sure it is because I have been on vacation since June 21st, and playing every day. Now my goal is to stay in the 80s( for now), get to the lower 80s(soon), and break 80(later). Congrats, again, and good luck!

Congrats! I find that playing alot tends to help me. I'll get there some day.

[quote name='crtssxc' date='28 June 2010 - 06:26 PM' timestamp='1277763962' post='2542883']
First off congratulations. A buddy of mine is on a similar journey, and as an outside observer, let me add a bit of warning (and I do not mean to be a downer, just a realist of sorts). Do not let a bad round discourage you, keep finding the positives in what you are working on. He is struggling with thinking his game is more consistent than it is (which we are all probably guilty of to a degree or another) and gets overly frustrated over a few bad ones which disrupts his whole game. There is a good chance you put up a round (or two) above 100 before you shoot in the 80's, but again, dont let that get you down, you are definitely on your way.

I am on a similar quest myself (trying to break 80 which i used to be able to do frequently, but a year of limited golf and zero practice has my scores higher). I shot a few low rounds (83-84) and thought I was on the verge. Then I put up rounds of 89,90 and 89, but stayed positive and knew I was hitting the ball well, just not scoring. Earlier this week I went out and shot 44-38 for 82 which again has me encouraged. Good luck, sounds like you are well on your way.



[/quote]

You are spot on. I'm my own worse enemy. I know I'm not consistant enough yet but I'm seeing the flashes of what it'll take to break 90. Those sub 50 rounds really make me think I'm better then I am, lol.

[quote name='qtlaw' date='28 June 2010 - 06:52 PM' timestamp='1277765564' post='2542947']
Congrats on your journey.

Breaking 90 means some basic things to me:

1. Keep your drive in play, not OB or in the hazard, even in the woods or rough is fine.
2. Take your medicine, if you are not in the fairway, punch out, give up the stroke and give yourself a chance to get on the green.
3. Fine tune your wedge game so that you can put it on the green from 100 yds in. Just get it on and then do no worse than 2 putt.

4. All you have to do is then get one par and you broke 90!

Really.

Think about it, you could spray every drive into the rough, punch out, hit a wedge, then 2 putt and shoot 90. Now, that means if you get it greenside on your approach, you could still barely get your chip on and 2 putt and still stay on track for 90. My thought is do not get greedy. If you just drove it 180 in the rough/woods, do not automatically take out your 3 wood thinking you are going to green it from 220 out. Hit a 7 iron to the middle of the fairway and hit your favorite wedge.

Its not the most exciting way to play, but its a realistic view of how to get there. Faldo was one of the best at punching out, then hitting a wedge and making that one putt.

Good luck.
[/quote]


Awesome advice. I just need to listen to this. My 8 today was because I got greedy and stupid. I know the 3w on 8 was a mistake. It ended up costing me 3 strokes, at least.

Congrats, the previous thread inspired me to push for my own quest to break 100 and I finally did last weekend. Shot a 96. Now I think I'll join you on the quest to break 90. I'm not sure if it's a realable indicator, but I broke 100 playing off the back tees (the muni course I play on is so backed up that you might as well play off the back tees since there's always a long line). I wonder if I would've shot much lower from the other tees.

[quote name='eastcoastboy' date='28 June 2010 - 07:56 PM' timestamp='1277769418' post='2543088']
Congrats, the previous thread inspired me to push for my own quest to break 100 and I finally did last weekend. Shot a 96. Now I think I'll join you on the quest to break 90. I'm not sure if it's a realable indicator, but I broke 100 playing off the back tees (the muni course I play on is so backed up that you might as well play off the back tees since there's always a long line). I wonder if I would've shot much lower from the other tees.
[/quote]

Congrats on breaking 100.

Regarding the tees, it depends.I played from the reds and golds a few times. They are 4 - 500 yards shorter then the whites on the front 9. I shot a little lower but that's it. Some holes played easier since I could in theory hit them in GIR. Alot will depend on where you'll lose strokes faster. For example a long baller that loses strokes to their short game will probably not see a major score increase by moving back. A guy like me that hits a 5i 150 and thinks 225, total, off the tee is great will struggle by moving further back.

I didn't play the more forward tees enough though to really tell. Maybe I would have shot alot higher with the swing I had those rounds.

So I got a good kick in the nether regions on the course yesterday. I tried to pretend it didn't happen but it did, so i entered the stats I had in OOB and my score into GHIN. The pro shop will add the league 9 to GHIN.

I watched Martin Chuck's video on impact hands. I found it in the thread Yassu(sp?) created about striking the ball with hands ahead. It was interesting and I went to the range and hit a large bucket of balls. I was taking my time, so I was there for a good 90 minutes. I warmed up with some pitches. I then messed around with the 'impact hands'. It makes sense and I had some decent contact.

I was mixing the clubs I hit around a bit. Mostly 9i with some 8i. I tried my 4i and it wasn't pretty, neither was my 5i. I did make solid contact at times and other times I was fat. Well I'm always fat, I meant my ballstriking, not me I'm thinking about my swing when I'm on the range, so it's a bit different then when I'm on the course. I was also feeling some tension in my shoulders. A few times I was nice and relaxed with my tempo and hit some great shots.

I was thinking about what Qtlaw said regarding working oin my wedges. So the last 20 balls I worked on those. I found if I go back to a slightly more hands forward address, I hit them better. I was wrapping up with my PW and I did a smooth backswing, I felt the shaft press against my hands at the top of my backswing and lag behind and down. I heard a crisp crack, took a divot in front of the ball, and the ball just took off with a great looking, high draw. I was able to replicate that feeling a few more times with the last balls.

Overall it's one of the better range sessions I've had in awhile. I ended the session with a great PW shot, so that was nice. I hope I can remember to try to feel loose as I swing. Good things happen when I do.

I heard back from the Tour Striker people. The one I ordered was snapped in half during shipping. They are supposed to ship my replacement today. It's been a little ordeal but I think it's gonna be resolved. I can't wait to give it a try. I expect some ugly things but it'll be fun.

Congrats on the milestone. I agree with you about playing relaxed. Although I think it is something much easier said than done. I actually achieved this just the past week in the 3rd round of a 54 hole one day tournament. The first two rounds were not the best for me 102 in each but mostly due to 3 holes that give me trouble on that course, I took a 10, 9 and 8 each of the first two rounds.

Then something happened after the first 3 holes of the last 18, I made no concious mental change, but I fell into a very relaxed and easy state of play. I didn't miss many fairways or if I did it was still playable. I hit several GIR's and the ones I missed I chipped on and no worst than two putted. The one thing I had going all day was my distance control on putts. I had only 1 3 putt in the 54 holes and it came very early in the day. My last two rounds I had 34 and 32 putts. I ended up shooting a 41 on the back nine of my last round for an 89. It was my lowest round of the year. But what I was really impressed with was how easy the 41 seemed, just keep it in play off the tee and get it on or near the green. I still hit driver on the holes that I needed to but some holes I did play a 3 wood. I haven't played since that day, but will see later this week if I keep it going.

Good luck on your new journey.

I played 9 yesterday morning. It was the longer back 9. I started out good with a 229 yard driver into the fairway on the par 5 10th. I came away with a bogey. The 11th is a long par 4 and I dbl bogied that. On 12 I hit a high hook into the trees. I came away with a 7 after the S&D penalty.

The story of the round was on 14. 14 is the #2 HCP hole. It's 424 yards, par 4, OB right, hazard left. I hit a nice draw w/ 3w about 171 or so. There is a rise that you are hitting into/over off the tee. I hit another 3w to get to 80 yards or so from the back of the green. It's a back pin, so I used that as my target yardage. I hit my SW 4 feet from the cup and sunk my par putt. This was one of 2 holes I have never parred on the course. Now I just have that other one and I'll at least have parred all the holes.

Overall my round wasn't terrible. I had 2 bad holes with triple bogies. I mentioned the bad tee shot. The other was on 18. I had myself 140 out in 2 (par 5) in the fairway. I push my 6i right into a pinetree right of the green and it bounces back a bit. I have to carry a bunker and it's a 40 yard shot. I skulled it over the back and got lazy, so I 3 putted after getting on.

Outside of that it was kinda ho hum. I picked up a few bogies and mostly dbls. I had some long putts hit the hole and then I'd mess up the next one. Not a good putting day.

I hit the range in the afternoon and just worked on shorter irons. I've been hitting it a bit thin and my ball position may be off. I have been talking to the pro since my irons seem lower now. I gave him the example from the night before. I hit my 7i( 130 club) onto a green. My pitch mark was at 134 yard but my ball was at 141 having rolled out a good 7 yards. That didn't sound right to him. So on the range i tried to work on compressing the ball better. My 9i started to get that high flight back and I was able to do it with my 7 as well. I'm shorter this way but the ball will probably not go very far from where it hit. Kinda like my SW on 14 that morning. The ball only moved 5 - 6 feet from it's pitch mark since it came in so high and dropped.

I had a nice little area of divots when I was done. I hit some fat shots but I wasn't really sending huge divots all over the place. I was expecting to really tear the range up, since that's what normally happens when I try to take a divot. End result is it was a good session for me.

The latest GHIN revision happened today.I started the year at 35.9 and it actually hit 36.4, the max, again back in early May. I was at 34.5 early June and 34.4 as of the 6/15 revision. Today I'm a 30.5, which is a bit lower then I expected. I was thinking a high 31. So I've dropped a bit over 5 strokes from my index this year so far. Hopefully I can keep up with the better rounds and work my way down more.

My next steps are to arrange my next set of lessons. It's been a while since my last one. I also want to grab driveway markers to work on my alignment today. I have the Tour Striker coming in soon. That could be today actually. Oh, and I need tees for the driver. I ran out of the longer tees and the ones I have made it feel like the ball was too low. So that's my list for now.

My practice will need to focus a bit more on short game as well. I also should spend some time working on putting. Putting is the most neglected part of my game besides hitting woods from the deck or sand play.

Got my tees and driveway markers. The TS just came in a few minutes ago as well.

I took the day off and played 18. The white tees which I shot 97 on. This is my first full 18 since breaking 100.

1 - par 4, I hit a nice fade with my driver 212 into the fairway. I'm 93 out and hit my GW on the green. I have a 15 foot, left to right breaking putt. I miss and sink my 3 foot par putt. So the round is off to a good start.

2 - par 4, I hit a high fade, 191 into the fairway. I'm 145 to center and it's uphill. So I go with my 5i and hit it left of the green. I have a tricky chip and miss the hole and it rolls downslope a bit. So I have a 12 footer for par. I miss and sink a 2 foot putt for bogey.

3 - par 4, I slice the driver 148 into the right rough. I hit a little 9i punch to layup short of the drop off. I'm 101 out and hit my PW right of the green. I chip to 8 feet and miss the bogey putt a little high and sink the 1 footer for a double. That tee shot hurt me a bit by forcing me to layup.

4 - par 3, 171 to center and the twosome ahead of me wave me through. I crank my 3h 191 yards and miss long and left. Wow! I chip to 8 feet and the par putt rolls in!

5 - par 4, I hit the popup with my driver 90 yards. I have a good lie in the fairway and hit my 3w off the deck. That gets me to about 118 from center with a back pin. I hit my 8i fat as hell and it rolls halfway to the green. I ow havea pitch which I skull through the green. I'm making a mess of this.... I chip on and it takes me 2 putts from 21 feet to card my 7. Bah. My first bad hole of the day.

6 - par 3, there are 10 little kids on the green. My course is doing a series of youth clinics and today they were on the course to hit some shots and putt etc. I find their instructor which is one of the guys I know at the course. He graduated from HS last year and is a 3.1 index. Good kid. He gathers the kids together and i make my way back to the tee to play the shot. It's about 130 to center and I hit my 7i. It's a high draw that lands 4 feet left of the flag and the kids are all clapping and cheering. The odd thing is the ball rolled out 10 yards even though I hit a real high shot. I have 39 feet for birdie and I lag it 4 feet away and sink the par putt. Tommy, the 3.1 index, asks to see my card and I show him. He liked my par and gives me the fist bump, lol. I guess that replaced the high 5....

7 - par 4, I hit a high fade over the pine trees on the right. I don't hear anything. I find my ball 194 yards off the tee box 6 inches behind a 2.5 foot thick pine tree. Yup I'm toast. I chip out into the fairway. I'm 140 out and hit my 6i. it's a mid height draw that hits the green and goes through it 164 yards.... So much for my 140 club. I have a tough downhill chip and leave it 10 feet short. So it takes me 2 to get my dbl bogey.

8 - par 4, I hit a high pull fade, is that even possible? ANyways it goes 151 yards and the clouds open up and it starts raining like a SOB. Not supposed to rain today and my umbrella is in the trunk. I put on my water resistant Ping jacket and cover my clkubs with my towel. I stay down the left tree line for some protrection. I'm too far out so I hit a 4i punch to 50 yards. Now I'm in the fairway and getting wet. I pitch on with my SW and head for the rain shelter by the 9th tee to wait. The rain slows a bit and I got back out. I have a 29 foot putt in the rain. I drain it for my par.

9 - par 5, I hit my 3w and it's a nice draw 164 into the upper landing area. I dub my next shot but it gets me to the 150 marker. I hit my 5i and I land a bit short and right but it rolls on. I have a 33 foot putt and I need to go up a tier. I misread the break and leave myself 8 feet above the hole, when i was below it at first. I sink the par putt and head for the pro shop. I dry off, grab lunch, buy a new towel and Tommy asks to see my card. I told him I didn't know my total and didn't want to know. He gives me another nice job and I head off.

10 - par 5, no more rain, I hit a draw with the driver 223. The ball is in the right rough but it's sitting up and the ball is above my feet. I decide that the ball being above my feet isn't that bad and I hit my 3w. It's a nice low draw that gets me to 150 yards out. I hit my 5i a bit thin and it rolls on the green. I have a 66 foot putt for birdie. I line it all up and sent the ball 13 feet past the hole. WTF???/ It takes me 2 more to get my bogey. Oh well.

11 - long par 4, I hit a high fade with the driver 170 into the fairway. I proceed to top my 3w. I'm now 181 yards out and go with the 3h off the deck. I hit a nice mid height draw and it lands short of the green. I didn't expect to be able to make it anyways. I hit a great chip to 5 feet. I line up my putt and it goes in low and does a 180 to lip out. Bah. So i tap in for a dbl bogey 6.

12 - par 4, I hit a popup with the driver 127 yards. OMG. I then layup with a very nice 7i. I'm 80 yards out and hit the green with my sw. I'm 43 feet away and I lagg it to 6 feet and sink my bogey putt.

13 - par 3 about 145. A guy waves me forward. He's hiding under a large tree on the right, completely out of sight. I pull my 5i and hit a push fade and yell fore! My ball is sitting in the middle of a bush. We joke a bit and I tell him he should have stood near the hole. I can try to hit out or takean unplayable. I decide to try to chip out and it only goes foot. So I hack it out and am roughly where I'd have been if I took the unplayable. My chip takes a bad bounce and I'm 44 feet short of the hole. The ball hit a small rise before the green and kicked left and stopped instead of kicking forward and running down the slope to the hole. It takes me 3 putts to card a 7. ^&%&^%&^%

14- par 4, I hit my driver today 185 into the fairway. I'm sitting down in an old shallow divot. So I put my 3w away and layup with an iron. I'm 90 yards out and I hit the green with my GW. I'm 33 feet away and blow my putt 10 feet past. I then get it to 6 inches and sink the dbl bogey putt. My lagg putts have been bad lately....

15 - par 3 with pond carry. It's 171 to center, so I hit 3h. It's a draw and goes 191 through the green....I'm always short of this green... I chip to 13 feet and sink the par putt. :clapping:

16 - par 4, I slice the driver and it hits a tree and kicks into the fairway, 123 yards. I layup to 70 yards. I'm going uphill and long it bad. So I decide on a pitch and leave it well short of the green. I chip to 12 feet and 2 putt for a 6.

17 - par 4, I hit my 3w and it's a high draw about 184 yards into the fairway on the right. I'm150 to center and it's a forward flag. Long is bad so I club down to a 6i. I end up a bit short of the green. I chip to 15 feet and leave my par putt hole high 1 foot to the right. So I take my bogey and move on.

18 - par 5, dogleg left. I hit my 3w through the fairway down the right side, 191 yards. So I made the hole as long as i could. Lol. I'm in the rough and hit a nice 5i to 130 to center. it's a forward flag and I go with 8i. I miss left of the green. I have a downhill chip and my ball misses the hole by a few inches on the low side and slowly rolls downhill 11 feet away. I 2 putt for another bogey.

End result a personal best 93. I shot 43 on the front, which Tommy knew but I didn't, and a 50 on the back. The 7 on a par 3 hurt but I dropped other strokes throughout my round with my lackluster tee shots. My irons were on today though.

Maybe I can do this after all!

Well done... You are going to be starting a "Quest to break 80" in no time. I am still looking to break 100 myslef. I need to put more time into the game. Training for a marathon is killing my time on the course.

[quote name='kleinrider' date='01 July 2010 - 04:15 PM' timestamp='1278015348' post='2549417']
Well done... You are going to be starting a "Quest to break 80" in no time. I am still looking to break 100 myslef. I need to put more time into the game. Training for a marathon is killing my time on the course.
[/quote]


Well training for a marathon is a whole different world of a challenge. That takes alot more perserverance then breaking 100. When are you running in it?

[quote name='bortass' date='01 July 2010 - 04:32 PM' timestamp='1278016369' post='2549452']
[quote name='kleinrider' date='01 July 2010 - 04:15 PM' timestamp='1278015348' post='2549417']
Well done... You are going to be starting a "Quest to break 80" in no time. I am still looking to break 100 myslef. I need to put more time into the game. Training for a marathon is killing my time on the course.
[/quote]


Well training for a marathon is a whole different world of a challenge. That takes alot more perserverance then breaking 100. When are you running in it?
[/quote]

my marathon is in November. I need to come up with a schedule that works for my running/golf and family. I want to break 100 by the end of the golfing season this year.

My tour striker came in Tursday and I used it on the range the last 2 nights. Not very pretty...

Played 18 today. It was hot out, pushing 90 and I teed off around noon.

1 - par 4, I sliced the driver 206 over some trees. Great start... I hit my next shot a bit thin but it got me in the fairway and about 38 yards from center. I hit a pitch about 14 feet above the hole and sank the par putt.

2 - par 4, another sliced driver. This time it went 187 into the right rough. i had no shot at the green and laid up to 80 yards. I'm going uphill and the ball is below my feet. I hit a high SW and it's long. I chip to 6 feet and sink the bogey putt. Not too bad, up and dopwn the first 2 holes.

3 - par 4, I really slice the driver 154 into the second fairway. Hmmmm... my tee shots had been good prior to this round. I hiot my 7i and that gets me to 94 yards from the front. I'm above the gren ndinthe rough, so I may have a flyr. I hit my GW and it' just short of the green. I chip to 5 fet and sink the bogey putt. I like this up and down stuff!

4 -par 3, playing 147. I go with 6i and hit a push well right and short of the green. My pitch catches a tree limb on the way down, so I'm on but 33 feet from the cup. It takes me 2 to card another bogey. Oh well my up and down train is over.

5 - par 4, my tee shots have sucked so I stay with driver, lol. This time I hit it 99 yards with a popup. I hit a 5i that gets me to 107 yards. I pull my 9i well left of the green. I have a tricky chip and leave it 30 feet short. Bah! Another 2 putt foir my first dbl bogey of the day.

6 - par 3. It's about 127 to center so I hit 7i. It's a high draw and I'm off the back 145 yards... So much for my 130 club. I chip to 11 feet and 2 putt for another bogey.

7 - par 4, I decide to hit 3w and it's another slice 138 into the trees. I somehow am able to punch out towards the green and have about a 100 approach. I push my 9i and land right of the green. I thien skull my chip into the rough on the other side. I stay with my GW and chip it 15 feet past. I really should have used my SW to chip[ the second time since I was short sided. Another 2 putt for 7 and my first bad hole.

8 - par 4, I hit a low fade with my driver 206 into the right rough. I'm 150 out and leave my 5i short. I chip it to 8 feet and 2 putt for a bogey.

9 - par 5, I go with 3w and hit a push/slice. I'm 139 into the right trees and have to chip into the fairway. I hit a 4i punch into the right rough. I'm 85 yards from center on a bare lie and the pin is on the upper tier. I hit my GW and it hiots the green to the left and trickles up the tier towards the flag. Hmmm, I decide to GPS this shot. I was 100 yards from the hole and put my GW 2 feet short of it. I sink the easy par putt.

10 - par 5, another popup driver that goes 129 into the right rough. I hit a 5i that is a little low but it rolls out a ways. So I'm 239 from center and hit my 3w short and left. I'm 43 out now and I chip to 15 feet and 2 putt for a 6. Not bad since I still had 400 yards to go after my lame tee shot.

11 - par 4, I hit driver and it's a weak slice 154 yards but stays in the fairway. I hit my 3w and it goes right. Now I'm in the right rough. I decide to hit my pw and try to roll on. I hit a nice ball and decide to GPS it again. The hole was 106 and my PW was 6 feet to the right of it... My par putt lkips out on the low side and I take a bogey. Bah, a wasted opportunity!

12 - par 4, I slice my driver over the trees on the right 154. I hit a layup to get me 80 yards out. My sw hits the green but I'm 29 feet away. I lag it to 2 feet for another bogey. I banish my driver for the rest of the round.

13 - par 3, playing 130 to the front. I go with 7i to try and land short and roll on. I hit a high push 149 over the back right of the green. So much for my 130 club.... I'm on woodchips and get my chip to 11 feet. I just miss my par putt and end up with another bogey.

14 - par 4, I hit a weak push 151 with my 3w. I'm almost OB and under sone trees. My punch catches the trees and doesn't go very far. I'm too far out to go for it and hit my 4i thin and right. I'm behind a tree and need to try and hit a punch on the green. I dub it short. I chip to 15 feet. Another disaster is looming and I sink the putt to "save" a dbl bogey 6.

15 - par 3 with pond, I hit 5i and it's a push. I chip it 27 feet short and just miss the par putt. So I sink a 2 footer for bogey.

16 - par 4, I power fade my 3w over the trees and around the corner. I'm in the rough and hit my 8i a bit thin. My chip sucks and is 17 feet past the hole. I line up my par putt and it's 4 feet short. WTF? I sink the 4 footer for another bogey.

17 - par 4, I hit a draw with the 3w 198 yards into the fairway. My 7i is fat but lands pin high righht of the green in a puddle. I take relief and chip to 20 feet. I have a touching sidehill r/l breaking putt. I miss a little high and end up 3 feet below the hole. I sink the next one for bogey.

18 - par 5, I hit a weak fade with the 3w 143 yards into the face of a hill. My 4i punch gets me about 165 out. My next 4i is thin and right and rolls into a bunker. I'm near the lip though and the ball is sitting up, so i chip out of the bunker and barely on the green. My 36 foot par putt just misses and I have another bogey.

I add it all up and I have a 45/46 for a 91! My tee shots were MIA but my irons/wedges made up for it. Not sure why i suddenly can't hit off the tee on par 4/5s.

I get off the course and the pro i work with has a new training aid. It's called Impact Snap, look it up on youtube. He gets me to try it and I hit some 1/2 PW wedges that go further then normal full swings. Hmmm, there may be something to this new training aid. He's very excited about it and I got some decent results based on the little time I used it. It's centered around holding lag and your wrist angles at impact. You don't hit balls with it but it did seem to provide good feedback. Too bad I needed that before my roung and maybe I break 90, lol.

Overall I am very surprised with where my golf game is. I figured i'd break 100 and then hover around that point but my only 18 hole rounds since breaking 100 were a 93 and this 91.
I'm just hitting the ball and it feels routine out there. No stress or anything. This is so awesome. I feel like a real golfer at last!

Congrats on the recent progress! From what you describe it seems you are striking the ball much better.

[quote name='rbarter' date='03 July 2010 - 08:12 PM' timestamp='1278202355' post='2553385']
Congrats on the recent progress! From what you describe it seems you are striking the ball much better.
[/quote]

Thanks. I have been hitting it better. Yesterday I was scrambling for my score since me tee shots bit.


Today I played in a tourney. Not pretty, it took me awhile to relax. I'm not used to playing golf with other people. I started with a 8 and 7... Ended the day with a 104. I had a rough stretch on the back 9.

I did hit some good shots though, just alot of clunkers.

I have been decieved. I thought I knew what solid contact and compression was. I was wrong. Alot of what I thought was solid is just a well timed flip.

I worked with my TS wedge and the Impact Snap yesterday. I was using both sporadically and mostly trying to replicate the feel I get from them with my 7i. I'm still mostly fat but the few that I hit correctly are alot different. The ball just takes off and it's a lower flight then what I'd see before. My flip tends to make the ball go higher.

It's hard for me to judge distance though. It's on a range, with range balls, and the ground you land on is hard. My easy 3/4 swings seem to go about the same distance as I'd expect my full swing to go. So my SW went about 80 and the 7i seemed to go about 130. I have no clue how far the full swings will go. It may be time to tee some balls up at the school across the street and try to see if there is a distance change. The ball fields all have long grass, so the ball probably won't run out as far.

My pro was on the range and watched me a bit. His main observations were that I still tend to flip, just later in the swing now. The TS will/is help me with that. He doesn't like how my right foot moves on my backswing. He noticed that I lift my right heel off the ground while doing my backswing. That kicks my weight forward a bit and onto my toes. I hit some balls trying to keep that heel down and it feels odd. Like my backswing is restricted. This is probably why I never feel like there's any real pressure/resistance when I complete my backswing.

The other thing he's mentioned a few times now is we may need to look at my ball. I've noticed that my irons sometimes will hit the green and roll out too much. I don't know why since the ball flight seems to be high enough. I see some guys that hit irons that look like someone throwing a football. It's has that low arc, so when it hits it'll run out. My good shots don't do that, they get high and then drop. It's like the day I shot the 91, I hit my 7i on a par 3 and it was a high draw and it landed 4 feet left of the pin and then rolled out a good 7 yards. He's thinking that I may not be spinning the ball enough with my irons. I know my fat shots won't spin as much and when I am just a little heavy I still get a real good looking ball flight. It's when I actually hit the ball correctly and compress it, that I need to see what it does when it hits a green. If it still rolls out alot, I may need to find a different ball. Our concern is the last time I tried a different ball my putting went to hell. I just lost all my feel.

Who knows, if this is one of my bigger problems I'll take it. It's alot different then a few years ago when I couldn't even get the ball in the air and topped it down the fairways to try and reach a green in 4 or 5, lol.

Congrats Bort! It's amazing/great how you have been able to shoot low 90's so quickly after breaking 100. Reading your updates and seeing your determination give me hope that I'll be breaking 100 at some point in my future. Heck, maybe I'll even start a thread about it.

I had a lesson today. We switched gears, alot of what we've done in the past has been around plane etc. Today it was all impact and lag. He had me hitting little half shots and trying to compress the ball. One of the issues that has come to light is I tend to rotate my shoulders level with the ground, not level with my spine angle. So my right( rear) shoulder never gets lower then my left like it should. My head tends to sway about a bit too. He stood there with his hand on my head as I hit the little shots. It reminded me of Barkley on the Haney project. I think I saw it there anyways.

He also had me mix in the full swing at times. A key for me is if I hit 1, 2 at the most, bad shots to revert to the smaller swings until I get the lag and compression back. It makes sense, groove it with smaller swings and then make then bigger as you are successful.

I was hitting some nice shots. It's funny how each lesson I say this and each lesson the good ones are better then they were in the past. He was happy with a number of my shots today and felt it's the best ballstriking I've ever done. I have to agree with him on that. I was getting nice divots and my fat shots are just barely fat, so I hear solid contact but the ball is a touch shorter. He commented it was 5 yards shorter one time.

I also tried to hit a 6i demo R flex he had and couldn't get the ball airborne. I tried my 6i and same result. I'm finding that my swing is more solid with shorter clubs, so no surprise. The good news is he now thinks my shafts are fine now that I'm starting to lag the club a bit. I get decent height and don't seem to be losing alot of distance.

I hope I can put this swing into action on the course. If I can and my woods/driver behave then I should be looking at some low scores again.

[quote name='pappaf2' date='06 July 2010 - 02:11 PM' timestamp='1278439909' post='2557750']
Congrats Bort! It's amazing/great how you have been able to shoot low 90's so quickly after breaking 100. Reading your updates and seeing your determination give me hope that I'll be breaking 100 at some point in my future. Heck, maybe I'll even start a thread about it.
[/quote]


Thanks, I'm actually surprised I have put up some of those numbers. I do have some rounds over 100 but most have been under 100.

The good news is if I can do it anyone can. I'm not what you'd called gifted at golf. It was a struggle to break that 100 but things seem to be clicking. The PBS and TS, along with trying to lag the club seem to be where my real breakthroughs have come from recently.