SO, you have gone sub-par before. When will you do it again?

[rxk9fan]

I have carded a few rounds below par...but that was before I took a very long break from the game. I have worked hard for the last year trying to come back to the game. My elbows are finally almost pain free and I am hitting the ball well. I use to average about 1.2 birdies per round but made a LOT of pars. In the last 30 days, I have averaged a hair over 3 birdies per round and feel it could easily be more. BUT, I am frustrated I can't go lower than I am. It seems like every birdie is matched by a double and my scores are just hanging in the 76-79 range. I shot a 78 this week on a 127 slope 6850 yard track. I shot 78 today from a 112 slope 6300 yard track. I just can't seem to keep my concentration and focus for a full 18 holes.

 

What dictates you going low? What gets in your way from doing it more? Once most of your scores are in the 70's is it mental or physical that pushes you to upper 70's or lower 70's?

[Hehateme]

putting always keeps me from going low. ALWAYS

[qwetz]

a consistent level of mental arousal throughout the round. Every shot getting it's proper investment.

[jppatton2]

I'm in a similar position (minus the elbow pain). Came back to regular play last year after a few years of playing just handful of rounds each year. I quickly dropped my handicap down pretty low and according to my GHIN I shoot 77 on average. I have shot under par plenty of times but that was about 10 years ago in my early 20s and pre wife, kids, career, etc. A few 73s last year and shot 72 a month ago. I feel like it's coming.

 

I want to say it's my putting that gets the best of me, but I have saved plenty of rounds that should have been around 80 but finished closer to 75 because of my putter. It's all mental and staying engaged for every shot over the course of an entire round. Eliminating those moments of, "damn, what was I even thinking about before hitting that tee shot 50 yards OB."

[getitdaily]

You talking going low as in breaking par or going sub 70?

[rxk9fan]

You talking going low as in breaking par or going sub 70?

 

I had in mind below par. But having read this, what do you see as the key to being low 70's or high 60's? I think for me that difference comes down to getting a good break or two...you chip one in, gag a 50 footer, eagle two par 5's. 69 is my low in competition and it did not come because every approach was a tap in. I had some good breaks that day!

[rxk9fan]

I'm in a similar position (minus the elbow pain). Came back to regular play last year after a few years of playing just handful of rounds each year. I quickly dropped my handicap down pretty low and according to my GHIN I shoot 77 on average. I have shot under par plenty of times but that was about 10 years ago in my early 20s and pre wife, kids, career, etc. A few 73s last year and shot 72 a month ago. I feel like it's coming.

 

I want to say it's my putting that gets the best of me, but I have saved plenty of rounds that should have been around 80 but finished closer to 75 because of my putter. It's all mental and staying engaged for every shot over the course of an entire round. Eliminating those moments of, "damn, what was I even thinking about before hitting that tee shot 50 yards OB."

 

This makes a lot of sense to me. I can easily make excuse for going brain dead a few holes every round:

1. I enjoy being out there so much I am just too giddy to work at it.

2. I enjoy playing with friends and their company so talking gets in the way of playing.

3. I "should" be visiting family, doing yard work, etc., so my mind is thinking of where I "should be".

At least 10 more reasons that can take your mind away from the task at hand :-(

 

Great Point!

[getitdaily]

You talking going low as in breaking par or going sub 70?

 

I had in mind below par. But having read this, what do you see as the key to being low 70's or high 60's? I think for me that difference comes down to getting a good break or two...you chip one in, gag a 50 footer, eagle two par 5's. 69 is my low in competition and it did not come because every approach was a tap in. I had some good breaks that day!

 

Relying on good breaks to break.par isn't the key.

 

To break par or shoot upper 60s you have to be solid in every facet. Driver has to be solid. If you give up shots off the tee then you won't get around 70 or lower.

 

Iron play doesn't have to be perfect. Trying to hit everything close is counter to scoring. Wedges through about 8 iron are attacking clubs. Evwry other iron shot should be about placement for a solid opportunity to make a putt.

 

You're not going to hit every green so your short game has to be solid, really solid. Par saves and par 5 up-and-downs for birdies are critical.

 

Inside 10 feet putting has to be solid. Better make most of these.

 

Lastly, course management needs to be solid. That hole that tightens up at 270 means laying back and hitting a longer iron in rather than trying to squeeze driver into a tight landing area and being out of position. Managing iron approach distance is important. A back pin on a green that slopes back to front means you take long out of the approach. Front pin to a green with a raised green means taking short out of play. Same with left or right tucked pins...short siding yourself should be avoided, usually.

 

I think that about covers it.

[BNGL]

You talking going low as in breaking par or going sub 70?

 

I had in mind below par. But having read this, what do you see as the key to being low 70's or high 60's? I think for me that difference comes down to getting a good break or two...you chip one in, gag a 50 footer, eagle two par 5's. 69 is my low in competition and it did not come because every approach was a tap in. I had some good breaks that day!

 

Almost...good breaks give you 61s and 62s not 69s.

 

The trick is simple take advantage of Par 5s and shorter par 3s then par the rest, while eliminating big numbers. You can make a bogey or two, but not 7 or 3 doubles. When I step out of the locker room, I know I'm four under. Because I'm going to destroy the Par 5s, I can reach them all, 2 with irons. So knowing that, where am I going to pick up other birdies? And where can I spend a birdie? Say I'm behind a tree, ball below my feet and water all up the left? Ive got 4 shots, im laying up to try and make par the hard way, if I do great! If not ok that's fine still 3 under.

 

Knowing exactly what you can and can't do is key, and staying disciplined enough to realize I can't clear that bunker or fire at that pin. Once people effectively manage their games scores drop

 

And when will the next time be? Next time I peg it close to three hours from now

[Sean2]

For me, it was having a consistent swing. I broke par twice last year, and in each case my swing was repeatable/consistent. I have yet to find that kind of "magic" so far this season.

[Bensdad]

Over the (many) years I have played I learned you have to put in the time for the scores to come. By that I mean it is necessary to become comfortable with low numbers and not be afraid to go low. Too many times we can subconsciously sabotage our rounds because we get out of our comfort zone with regards to scores. So, if you put in the time and expect to shoot low numbers you will eventually be rewarded. Raise your own expectations and your scores will drop. That is, of course, if you have any talent at all. Based on what you stated I would believe the talent is there but the self-belief is lagging behind just a bit.

[MtlJeff]

Breaking par for me just is usually playing well combined with making more than normal amounts of putts. I don't get to practice my short game much, i live next to a driving range so i get to hit a lot of balls. Especially now with a young daughter i can't play as much either....so normally i'm just hitting balls

 

So tee to green i'm very good, and i can eat up par 5's.

 

If i'm going to break par it's because i play well and some 20 footers go in

[Baitkiller]

I remember that day. Standing in triumph upon the 2nd tee box. Under par and thinking all I have to do is par out.

[IcemanYVR]

There was a time whenever I stepped on the first tee I knew it would be around par or better. My handicap and ability reflected as such.

 

10 years on, new wife, kids, responsibilities, etc those sub par or even par rounds don’t exist anymore. I shot one over last year for my best round. This year my goal is under par. The only thing I’m really doing differently is working on my short game almost exclusively and mentally committing to every shot.

[Man_O_War]

if i could do it on call, i won't be on this board

[SBH9458]

Well, all I can do is read about it. Have never done it, and I’m not really close if I’m being honest. I need to put in a lot more time, and I just don’t have that time available.

[dan360]

Lack of play. Loss of swing speed. probably will never get there again.

[wrmiller]

I think my days of shooting sub-par rounds are over. Wouldn't mind surprising myself one or two times more though. :)

[CGolf]

It had been a decade since I went low, for me that means a round in the 60s. We’re on a 73.2 /132 course. Two weeks ago I shot a 68. Putting and chipping is key as well as I would 2nd the mental game. When I was on...so excited/positive to play each shot, laser focus, no bad thoughts ever crossed...just point and fire.

 

Today 74...probably hit it close to similar but had two mental errors that cost me 3 shots and didn’t poor the putts in. Dragging round and Indecision cost strokes.

I’m a 1 hdcp and consistently shoot mid 70s but not explosive to finish under par very often.

 

The hardest thing i’ve Found is to “keep it going” when your on and not to start thinking. There should be a thread on that somewhere....

 

I hope it’s not another decade for the next round 4-5 under.

[getitdaily]

 

The hardest thing i’ve Found is to “keep it going” when your on and not to start thinking. There should be a thread on that somewhere....

 

 

Yeah, agree. Unless one breaks par regularly, the occasional par breaker likely has to remind himself that the game is one hole, one shot at a time.

 

Staying aggressive mentally is key too. Not aggressive shotmaking, but having the mindset of "get one more", the entire round...while also playing smart.

[Pulledabill]

Nope...shot par on many 9s ..oh, yes if you count par 3 courses.

[Mignuz]

I think that there are some keys to shot under par:

1- maybe the less important: hit it quite long. It's easier to make par or birdie if you have a pitching wedge as second shot, instead of a 6 iron;

2 - stay focused, every shot, even if it's a putt for a bogey from 10 feet. every shot counts.

3 - be positive. be sure to hole the putt or to hit the flag.

4 - most important - to me - have a great short game.

 

When I shot under/around par I was so confident of my short game.

When I missed a green, myfirst thought was trying to hole the chip, while making par was implied.

In the last year(s) I lost all my confidence on the short game, so that when I missed a green i started to Think "oh no, another bogey".

That is (was?!) for my poor chipping/pitching and for my horrible putting (I started having yips too).

 

Lately I took some lessons, I started using a pencil grip for the putt and I started having confidence again.

Last round I still had some problems with the putt (2 bad misses below 3 feet and bogey on a par 5 after that I was under the green with the second shot)

but shot +3 75, with 3 birdies.

I'm pretty sure that gaining more confidence in my short game will lead me to shoot under par again soon.

[Le Shizzle]

I have been under par plenty of times, but as a short hitter it's getting harder in that many courses have been lengthened and many newer courses built in the last 20 years are much longer.

 

So for me I could say it's holing more putts, but that's directly related to distance from the hole, which is attributed to hitting longer clubs in to greens than most players at a similar standard.

 

So we start at making putts and end up at a root cause which is lack of distance. It's very difficult to hit it inside 12 feet all day when you have plenty of 2nd shots into par 4's using a 3 Hybrid-7 iron.

 

But I probably have more 16+ par rounds than most players I know off a similar h'cap, as due to lower ball speed my misses aren't as severe, and my short game is something I can rely heavily on if I do start missing greens.

 

It's a double edged sword. If I hit it longer I would no doubt have more birdies, but also more bogeys.

 

Mentally I just like to keep it fairly simple, I don't stress, I don't stuff around pre shot or take long to hit the ball. I just like to feel and see the shot before hitting, have one practice swing and hit. In between shots I don't think of anything really.

[gioguy21]

this week

[8thehardway]

I shot a one-under 69 in 2010, five birdies against four bogies and needed to make a sliding, downhill 12-footer on 18 to clinch it. I have 200-yard drives, the course played 5908 yards, 67.9/117... my friends went wild, the memories will last a lifetime.

[The Mad Bomber]

Money and trophies man. I don't recall breaking par in casual rounds very often, but tournaments and money matches (especially the latter) seem to help me keep my focus for the entire round.

[FlyingLaw1]

When I was in college I played/Practiced almost every day(I worked at a golf course). By the time I was later in college I was shooting par or better about every round. Then 4 years of grad school and hardly playing--those 4 years I averaged about 4 rounds a year--took their toll. Last summer I got my handicap back down to 1 but still quest for shooting under par. I did it last summer but it was on a course that I can almost drive most of the par 4s.

 

For me breaking par is about embracing your strengths and limiting your chance for your weaknesses to get you into trouble. For me I could drive and chip/putt very well. Iron play has never been a strong suit for me so If I've got a mid/long iron in my hands its the heart of the green I'm going for. Knowing when to hit driver v. 3wood/driving iron. Knowing which pins to go for and which to not are important. Making putts and getting lag putts close to the hole cannot be undervalued. Same with forgetting about the bad shots--they will happen but the golfer who breaks par will forget about them and move on to the next shot.

 

Also If you get in to trouble... get out of it. I can't tell you how many golfers (both better players and higher handicaps) get into trouble (woods, deep grass, etc.) and try to hit that "hero shot" and get it on the green for birdie. It almost always fails.

[GolfChannel]

Friday.

[jut111]

next time I play mini golf. Think I got that clown figured out now.

[MtlJeff]

Breaking par for me just is usually playing well combined with making more than normal amounts of putts. I don't get to practice my short game much, i live next to a driving range so i get to hit a lot of balls. Especially now with a young daughter i can't play as much either....so normally i'm just hitting balls

 

So tee to green i'm very good, and i can eat up par 5's.

 

If i'm going to break par it's because i play well and some 20 footers go in

 

Shot 72 a couple of days after posting this, pretty much like i said....ate up the par 5's (3 birdies) and made two 25 footers on par 4's.