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How many times can a person shoot 80 before breaking through? (ANSWER ON PAGE 4!)


vbb

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I've been playing golf golf for 27 yrs. now. I have shot 80 ten times in my life. Eight of those rounds I came on strong on the back nine and finished strong ending up with an 80. The other two rounds I was ahead of 80 with a few holes left and I knew I had a great chance to do it but I choked.

 

A few yrs. ago I played solid my whole round. I'm not a stroke counter but I've got a general idea about what I am shooting. I admit I was nervous the last few holes that day but I had the attitude not today I'm playing to well. I drained a 12 ft putt on 18 for par and thought I had a 79. I actually carded a 77.

 

The following yr. I caught fire on the back nine at a course I was playing, shot a 37 and when I totaled up my score I had a 79.

Those are my only 70's round. It took me 25 yrs. to get my first one. LOL.

 

Golf for me has always been a fun but sometimes a frustrating time for me. I go out and enjoy my time on the course and don't worry about my scores any more. I only played once last yr. and shot an 86. This yr. I want to play more once again. My first time out I shot 100. I played last Sun. at the same course and flirted with that 70's round once again. I had a 4 ft putt on 18 and missed it. I was mad at myself for being nervous on 18 and missing the putt. It was ok though. After adding up my score that putt was for an 80. An 80 or 81 it's only a stroke. For a 79 it would have been a big stroke. lol

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> @vbb said:

> I guess the one positive takeaway from all of this is that breaking 80 does seem to be more in my head than in my skill level. I can do it, skill wise. I've got the shots. I've parred every single hole on my home course many times, and without needing some spectacular chip in or 40' putt to do it. I've made routine pars on every hole at some point, and birdies on all but one hole out of the 18 (coincidentally enough, hole 18 is the only hole I've never birdied). I just need to stop thinking so much and go out there an play. Easier said than done.

 

Oh yeah, I KNOW I have the tee-to-green game to be in the mid 70s most of the time. I'm a solid ball-striker, longer than average off the tee (and decently straight MOST of the time ... my pull hook will creep in once or twice a round but never so bad I can't recover with a pitch into the fairway) and not a terrible putter. Note I said "not terrible" ... I rarely three putt.

 

Where I lose the most strokes is from poor chipping (usually decelerating and chunking it from lack of confidence in the shot ... or just mis-judging the shot and leaving long putts to save par) and not capitalizing on those makeable 10-15 footers; whether for birdie or to save par. Like on that aforementioned round, I had FOUR MORE birdie putts (excluding the 20 footer I did make on 10) that were "easier." And on the front 9, I was within about 15 yards of the green in two on a par 5 and thanks to my stellar around-the-greens play, carded a bogey.

 

Clearly, I know where my problem areas are and I *AM* working on them. After a 20 year layoff of regular play ... I'm not surprised my touch is still poor. I guess I'm just being impatient because my tee-to-green play came back to an acceptable level pretty quickly.

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> @vbb said:

> I guess the one positive takeaway from all of this is that breaking 80 does seem to be more in my head than in my skill level. I can do it, skill wise. I've got the shots. I've parred every single hole on my home course many times, and without needing some spectacular chip in or 40' putt to do it. I've made routine pars on every hole at some point, and birdies on all but one hole out of the 18 (coincidentally enough, hole 18 is the only hole I've never birdied). I just need to stop thinking so much and go out there an play. Easier said than done.

I agree on just go out and play, and as mentioned above I try not to keep track shot-by-shot of where I am (the best I can). But part of having the "skill" is being able to hit the needed shots for 18 straight holes in a row. If played near perfectly, people around our level can par every hole and birdie even the more difficult ones (I don't think I've birdied every hole on the course I play most often). But some of those outcomes are more luck than skill. Our average score is more reflective of our skill level. In trying to break 80, the problem is holding it together for 18 holes before the double/triple happens. This is a frustrating outcome but it's well normal within our ability. People want to say these are mistakes but they are just the same as the birdies (just on the other side of the distribution of outcomes). To ask it another way, have you doubled every hole on your course? I'm pretty sure I have.

 

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Just curious, for those people that have shot in the 70s but usually shoot in the 80s, do you play more aggressively if you are sitting on a 79 late in the round (16, 17, 18) and need to make/save par? I.e. a flop shot off a downhill lie over a bunker? Forced carry from a crappy lie in the rough? Firing towards a tucked pin? etc.

 

I.e. try to hit the more difficult shot, which could bring in double or worse at in an attempt to keep the 79 alive? I may do it on 18 and more likely around the green but I have been focused on lowering my average score so probably wouldn't do low probability stuff a few holes earlier (if it doesn't work it may tank the remaining holes).

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> @agolf1 said:

> > @vbb said:

> > I guess the one positive takeaway from all of this is that breaking 80 does seem to be more in my head than in my skill level. I can do it, skill wise. I've got the shots. I've parred every single hole on my home course many times, and without needing some spectacular chip in or 40' putt to do it. I've made routine pars on every hole at some point, and birdies on all but one hole out of the 18 (coincidentally enough, hole 18 is the only hole I've never birdied). I just need to stop thinking so much and go out there an play. Easier said than done.

> I agree on just go out and play, and as mentioned above I try not to keep track shot-by-shot of where I am (the best I can). But part of having the "skill" is being able to hit the needed shots for 18 straight holes in a row. If played near perfectly, people around our level can par every hole and birdie even the more difficult ones (I don't think I've birdied every hole on the course I play most often). But some of those outcomes are more luck than skill. Our average score is more reflective of our skill level. In trying to break 80, the problem is holding it together for 18 holes before the double/triple happens. This is a frustrating outcome but it's well normal within our ability. People want to say these are mistakes but they are just the same as the birdies (just on the other side of the distribution of outcomes). To ask it another way, have you doubled every hole on your course? I'm pretty sure I have.

>

 

Oh yes, I've definitely doubled every hole on my home course. I keep stats with an app, and I play the par 3s the best...averaging something like a 3.4 on them. I will usually play the par 3s cumulatively at 1 over (there are 4 of them on my home course). But I am definitely more likely to double than to birdie the 4s or 5s I would guess. It would take a special round for me to break 80, so yeah, there's luck involved. And like most guys of my skill level, I can cruise along with pars and a few bogeys, and then BOOM triple a hole for no good reason. The blow up hole. It's lurking. I figure I have 7 bogeys to play with. There are 2 holes that are very tough pars for me, so mentally I think I really only have 5 holes left out of the 16. A birdie steals one back.

It really is amazing that guys can regularly shoot at or around par without doing anything spectacular. There's one guy that I play against sometimes and he isn't long and isn't amazing at any one aspect, but he just doesnt make mistakes. He's going to get his drive in play, going to be around or on the green on his approach and isn't going to 3 putt. That's the kind of golf I envy!

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> @vbb said:

> It really is amazing that guys can regularly shoot at or around par without doing anything spectacular. There's one guy that I play against sometimes and he isn't long and isn't amazing at any one aspect, but he just doesnt make mistakes. He's going to get his drive in play, going to be around or on the green on his approach and isn't going to 3 putt. That's the kind of golf I envy!

I often play 36 holes on the weekend. For the second round after lunch, there are some days where my swing just isn't the same (sore, tired, etc). Sometimes I can't do anything well and the score isn't good. But there have been a lot of others were I make mostly 3/4 swings with the irons, take less aggressive lines with the driver, etc and I end up beating my morning score. There are very few pretty shots and I still make mistakes (penalty, 3 putt) but it is amazing what you can do if you can just keep it out of trouble or "not screw up (much)."

 

I still think you'll break 80 this season if you hit your index goal. And probably a good shot to do so even if you don't.

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> @agolf1 said:

> Just curious, for those people that have shot in the 70s but usually shoot in the 80s, do you play more aggressively if you are sitting on a 79 late in the round (16, 17, 18) and need to make/save par? I.e. a flop shot off a downhill lie over a bunker? Forced carry from a crappy lie in the rough? Firing towards a tucked pin? etc.

>

> I.e. try to hit the more difficult shot, which could bring in double or worse at in an attempt to keep the 79 alive? I may do it on 18 and more likely around the green but I have been focused on lowering my average score so probably wouldn't do low probability stuff a few holes earlier (if it doesn't work it may tank the remaining holes).

 

**It's all about course management**

Some advice I guess, I'll answer your questions one by one:

**Aggressive play to force yourself to shoot 79** - It really does depend for me in all honesty.

Par 5? Wind helping? Why not go for it in two?

Tough par 4, being one of the hardest holes on the course i.e. stroke 1-4? Ehh - Stick within your limits. In my eyes, it's better shooting 80 than 84. With these holes, the aim is to give yourself a par putt, especially for us handicap golfers.

Your aim on every shot should be process based not outcome based. Think to yourself, **"What do I need to do to give myself a chance to make par within reason?"** not **"MUST MAKE PAR, MUST MAKE PAR"** and then you hit a errand tee shot, struggling just to now make a double bogey. The more you think of your shots as a process rather than an outcome, you will play better golf and you won't need to worry about forcing yourself to shoot 79. **Essentially**, for the first question, unless you can't **logically / reasonably** see a way to make an easy par or even birdie, **play normal and don't be aggressive** - Most of the time **it is certainly not worth the risk of a blow-up.**

 

**I.e. a flop shot off a downhill lie over a bunker? Forced carry from a crappy lie in the rough? Firing towards a tucked pin?**

No, No and definitely no.

If your out of position, the aim is to give yourself** a chance to make par,** don't force it. You play the **smart play**. If that means a bogey, its better than a possible double, but the important part is you could've made par. In my opinion handicap golfers do not pull of these low % shots as often as they think they do. A Thinned ball in the trees and dropping but a good shot would be a guaranteed par is **WORSE** than a shot where a **par is possible** but a bogey is at least guaranteed. **How many times in a round are you making the par instead of a double?** Unless the tucked pin suits your shot shape. **NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER fire at a tucked pin** unless you want to make yourself look daft. If the pins on the left side and you draw the ball then sure, aim middle of the green, if it draws it draws, if it doesn't then you hit the middle of the green. Opposite for fades. Basically at a tucked pin, if you can **hit a stock comfortable shot** you hit everyday with **no manipulation on your part required,** only then are you permitted to fire at a tucked pin. Also, please never try get close to a pin 4ft from the front of the green. **Too cute = You risk making yourself look like a moron.** Crappy rough lies, not much to say here, its again thinking process based. Give yourself the **best possible chance to make par** even if your chip or pitch leaves you 30ft away, Its **still an outside chance** and hopefully a **simple 2 putt** for at max a bogey.

 

**Course management is the way**, if you've got the skill. On the tee box think where the best fairway position is. Where the best position to putt from is. Chip from, pitch from etc.

E.g. If your bad out of bunkers - make sure you don't get in the bunkers. Simple as it sounds.

So in summary - **Eliminating double bogies is the key to breaking 80.**

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> @Hawkeye77 said:

> On the other hand taking a 9 on an early hole really takes the edge off a 9 hole league round. Sorry, waiting for an oil change and musing about last night.

Can confirm. Yesterday I went par, triple, on the first two holes of the day. After the triple I was just like f it, let's see what I can do. Shot 38, 38 for a 76 (par 71). So making a big number early is key.

 

 

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> @3ack said:

> > @Hawkeye77 said:

> > On the other hand taking a 9 on an early hole really takes the edge off a 9 hole league round. Sorry, waiting for an oil change and musing about last night.

> Can confirm. Yesterday I went par, triple, on the first two holes of the day. After the triple I was just like f it, let's see what I can do. Shot 38, 38 for a 76 (par 71). So making a big number early is key.

>

Overall score is not as good as yours but yesterday I started Triple-Double-Bogey. +6 after three holes and ended up shooting +9 or 81 (44-37). It's a better than average score for me, so really a great 15 holes after the start. And it's usually the opposite of how people start great and then fall apart when thinking about a number gets into their head.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ha!! Managed to do it again. Sort of. There I was, on the tee box of 18 at 7 over, needing par to shoot 79. Unlike the time a few rounds ago where I started this thread, I got it out of the way quickly. Wind was directly in my face and I knew I needed a big drive to have a chance. Pulled it into the water left. I still had 260yds to the hole where i had to take my drop, and with the wind, i couldn't get there even if i teed the ball up. So that was that. Hadn't had a double all day and i tripled the 18th for an 82.

 

The positive takeaway is now I've had a chance twice in 5 rounds, It's gotta happen soon, right?

 

And yes, I knew EXACTLY where I stood. I just can't forget it during the round. I instinctively know.

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> @vbb said:

> Ha!! Managed to do it again. Sort of. There I was, on the tee box of 18 at 7 over, needing par to shoot 79. Unlike the time a few rounds ago where I started this thread, I got it out of the way quickly. Wind was directly in my face and I knew I needed a big drive to have a chance. Pulled it into the water left. I still had 260yds to the hole where i had to take my drop, and with the wind, i couldn't get there even if i teed the ball up. So that was that. Hadn't had a double all day and i tripled the 18th for an 82.

>

> The positive takeaway is now I've had a chance twice in 5 rounds, It's gotta happen soon, right?

>

> And yes, I knew EXACTLY where I stood. I just can't forget it during the round. I instinctively know.

It is coming soon...

 

Most recent round started slow (bunch of bogeys). After a birdie and some pars I started thinking about where I was at and if I could beat yesterday's score. Proceeded to go triple-triple-double-triple to ruin the day...

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I shot an 80 on Sunday and doubled all three of the par 5s. Talk about frustration.

 

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It's all relative. Whether you are trying to break 100, 90, 80, 70 etc. I have done all of those, and you have to overcome something to pull it off at each level, and do even more to maintain it. While I used to shoot in the 70's consistently I rarely do any longer. Why? I don't play as often, I rarely practice, and I have some physical limitation due to age and injury. I shot a 79 the other day and didn't even realize it till I added it up. Try focusing on one shot at a time, don't think about the score on that hole unless, even if you know where you stand in the round.

 

The first time I broke par, (I used to be able to do it once or twice a season) I was standing on the 18th tee at -3, I made double but still finished at my goal...talk about choking....but at least I didn't pull the full Van de Velde. Point is, get good enough to beat your goal so that you can give yourself a little wiggle room down the stretch. If your goal is 79, work on shooting 75.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The breaking 80 and breaking 70 goals are 2 of the best milestones in golf. I just went through this beginning of last season (80) and beginning of this season (70). Personally I think the key to breaking 80 is really simple- avoid big numbers. Just not making anything higher than a bogey on a hole when you get yourself into trouble off the tee, and not 3 putting will give you a great chance to break 80. Also course management like others have stated is crucial to posting low scores in general. Identify your strengths and weaknesses and play to your strengths. Ball striking is definitely important but having a good reliable short game will always give you a chance. For me the best thing I ever did for my golf game was to try and always stay in a positive mindset. I’m not talking about laughing and smiling constantly, i mean always having confidence and belief in your game and swing and being able to forget about a wayward tee shot and just focus on the next shot. I used to beat myself up and compound mistakes, now if i happen to hit a poor shot i simply chuckle to myself and say “man where did THAT come from” and then let it leave my mind. This has really helped keep me centered and even keeled throughout each round and has done wonders for my scores. My buddy actually will yell at me when i hit a good shot or make a long putt because he wants me to get more excited and amped up lol. With that mindset I went from trying to break 80 last year, to breaking 70 at start of this year and playing best golf I have ever played. I read a lot of posts talking about being on the 18th tee box or green and being nervous because you don’t want to screw it up. In my opinion this is worst mindset for golf, that is where the confidence and belief needs to be there because if you are worried about failing you will most likely fail. If players are trying to break 80 or 70 then their skillset is clearly decent enough to do it, it’s just the mental aspect that holds a lot of golfers back.

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I feel like improvement works on a logarithmic scale. A 5 stroke improvement from 80 to 75 is about 10x harder than the improvement from 85 to 80, which was 10x harder than 90 to 85. I'm stuck around 80-82. I have a few upper-70's scores under my belt, but I rarely score better/worse than 80-84.

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While I started my own thread (yes apologize for doing that as opposed to threadjacking) about my PB, there are a few things I do.

 

Face it breaking 80 you have a pretty good idea as to what you are doing, but all I worried about was hitting solid shots. I must admit that breaking 80 was not a goal or an obsession, it is more about hitting the ball solid and I want to chip it well.

 

To me breaking 80 is doing everything extremely well. I'm not making long putts, but if I can stay away from 3 jacks and making those 4-8' up and downs when they occur maybe just maybe.

 

As a short hitter (220 is a really good drive) I know there are holes I will have to work on. Par 5's are three shot holes, with the third being if I've striped the ball anywhere from a 3W to PW (and usually more).

 

Yes you have a pretty good idea where you stand, but I play my games based on 3 X 6, 2 X 9, and 18 individual holes. Our course I know what I want and expect on every hole. I never ever think birdie, but know on one I'll usually be short in two, and want to ensure a bogey at worst. Two is a par three, which I should be able to par, same with three if I don't screw up off the tee. Four is tough par four so again play expecting three on and two-putt...... 5-7 certainly think par along with 9. The back nine similar as I know each hole and my expectations, which is based on hitting solid shots (far from a given).

 

I really think it is the 11-15 HC'er and that magic 70's round that plays with people's minds, as it is just a tough, tough feat.

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I started playing golf at age 5 (43 now). Played a ton in my teens through early 30's and would routinely shoot in the 70's and had a couple of sub-par rounds along the way. Then kids and life got in the way of my golf passion for about a 10-year stretch and I played about 1 round a year during that stretch. I was still able to score in the 82 - 88 range through all of those years, but didn't sniff a round in the 70's for over a decade.

 

Several of my younger co-workers (late 20's/early 30's) talked me into giving it another go so I did.... and have had a blast. They're all ~ 16+ handicaps, so it's usually 2 or 3 of them scrambling against me. We've probably played 14 rounds this year and 12 of those rounds I've shot 80 - 84.... and beat them more times than not. I did have a 100 mixed in there on an incredibly difficult track on a really bad day..... but we won't get into that.

 

Last week we played a course that was a lot less difficult (par 70 - 5,600 yds) than what we normally play..... 3 of them scrambling against me. I made the turn at 38 and was 4 shots back of them. I am notorious for shooting 5 - 7 shots lower on the back than the front, so I wasn't particularly worried. I made par on 10 and 11.... and then proceeded to birdie 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16..... bogeyed 17 and par'd 18 for a 69. Won by 4 strokes. I am now a legend at work.

 

Just keep hitting it and one of these days you'll have a round that you never thought you could.

 

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I had something similar this past Wednesday. Not that I've never broken 80 before, done that plenty of times. I've never broken 80 from the blue tees at my home course though (we joined about a year ago).

 

We were walking up 16, and my buddy says "where you at on score?". I say "7-over, would love to break 80 today. I've gotta par out or it ain't happening. A birdie would help though"

 

I drained a 20-footer on 16 for birdie, then a 3 footer on 17 for another bird, and parred 18 for a 77. Was pretty stoked to finally break through that mini barrier.

 

Just have to put your mind to it and be determined I guess.

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I’m in a slightly different boat, but I still feel you. I broke through that 80 barrier a few years ago, and was breaking 80 1 in every 3 or 4 times I played. Once shot in the 70s for a whole month(7 rounds) and got down to a 5 or 6 hdcp. Then I had kids, got a wrist injury, and now play once every two months, but I still have it in my head that I’m the same player and get so bummed once the “79 watch” is off. I can barely break 90 now, but when it all comes back, I know I’ll break through again, but I know I’ll have the same feeling as you do now coming down the stretch with the opportunity. Best of luck to you and no doubt you will Open the floodgates soon.

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as soon as you catch yourself thinking about any kind of result-based activity

 

like hammering a drive and thinking about birdie before you hit your approach

or counting and thinking if I par in I shoot X

 

Simply catch yourself, reset and think about the only thing that matters in golf, **what is my next target** , visualize the shot then make a fearless swing at that target then pick your next target.

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I would say to just forget 79 as a target. Make par your target. I know it is so hard to not know where you stand during a "good" round. I have the same issues and have had the same battles over the past few years really getting back into playing a lot. i have worked my handicap from 9 or so down to a 4.4 , and even though i will still typically shoot 77-78, i know that i can do better and the goal is always to break par, and now when i shoot under my handicap - 73-76, it's no big deal since 69 is now my "target". Just an idea...

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> @CrushSticks said:

> I’m in a slightly different boat, but I still feel you. I broke through that 80 barrier a few years ago, and was breaking 80 1 in every 3 or 4 times I played. Once shot in the 70s for a whole month(7 rounds) and got down to a 5 or 6 hdcp. Then I had kids, got a wrist injury, and now play once every two months, but I still have it in my head that I’m the same player and get so bummed once the “79 watch” is off. I can barely break 90 now, but when it all comes back, I know I’ll break through again, but I know I’ll have the same feeling as you do now coming down the stretch with the opportunity. Best of luck to you and no doubt you will Open the floodgates soon.

 

I am with you on this one.... I remember the day it happened I had told my wife I was going to play 9 holes. Got to the turn called her to say I'm playing the best round of my life @ just 2+ coming up on 10. She took a breath and said good luck. Not sure if she meant when I get home or the rest of the round but I finished with a 78. She saw how happy I was when I got home and didn't want to ruin it but I know she was a little annoyed. Post baby I've lost about 10-25 yards through my irons. Finally getting back to the high 80s.

I'd would say to anyone trying to break any number 100,90,80 to not let the number get to you play your shots practice your weaknesses and the score will come.

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  • 1 month later...

I've learned the hard way to hit the ball go after it and hit it again until you hole out and make sure you do that for 18 holes. I no longer keep score in my mind, and I don't mind how much I'm going to score because I know how I'm playing so it's going to be a good score or a bad one or, not so often, an outstanding one. This way when I'm about to shoot a really good number I just try to hit harder and play to the safe spots, and if I feel confident I go for the pin. Not keeping your score is really a gorilla off your back, especially when you have to close on a good round or a tournament. I don't know if everybody can do this, but it helps a lot. This way you don't set up score barriers, you just play your game for the day.

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I'm in the same boat as a lot of the posters here. Started young, played on my HS golf team, was a 7 cap in my 20's, plenty of rounds in the 70's, broke par a couple times. Kids came along, didn't play anything but the occasional drunken scramble for about 15 years, nothing at all for another 4-5. Four years ago, my brother finally talked me into going out. Shot a 98, couldn't find my swing, but had a blast and got bitten by the bug again. My wife started playing a little over two years ago, and we joined a club fall two years ago. I've been playing a lot of golf ever since. Got to the point where I was shooting high 80's to 90's beginning of the year, low 80's to high 80's by the end of the year last year, finished the year at 13.2. I had two goals for myself, to break 80 and to get my index back down to single digits.

 

This year I finally broke down and took some lessons with our pro to try to get back to a more consistent swing, which really helped me break through the plateau I had hit. After a bunch of 80/81/82 rounds, I finally broke through with a 77 a little over a month ago. It wasn't on my home course, which is par 72/127 slope, but on a much easier par 77/116 course, but it still felt good. Since then, I've done it 3 times on my home course. That, combined with playing a lot of consistently decent golf, let me hit my other goal for the season, sitting at an 8.6 index as of Sunday's revision. The biggest difference in improving my scoring has definitely been mental - not letting a bad hole or bad shot affect me for longer than it should, mentally focusing on every shot, and taking nothing for granted.

 

Keep grinding, take it one shot at a time, and you'll get there.

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Infinity and beyond.

Driver: Callaway Paradym 9 set to 10 Draw

3W Callaway  Epic Flash

5w Callaway Epic Flash
Hybrids: 4-5 Epic Flash    
               6-7 Big Bertha 

               7 Ping G430 played as an 8 

Irons: PXG Gen4 XP 9-GW

Wedges: PXG 0311 52 56 degree Forged

Putter: Odyssey Rossie Pro 2.0 

 

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  • vbb changed the title to How many times can a person shoot 80 before breaking through? (ANSWER ON PAGE 4!)

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