How do you stop the blowup holes?

[jasonp87]

Yah obviously the HCP plays a factor. The reason I am my index is due to consistency obviously. So when this happens I find it a lot easier to get in my head and keep doing it.

 

But does this happen to single digit cappers? If so do they do something to help save the hole.

 

I know the obvious. (Like I said before I learned long ago never hit the same bad shot twice, never try to make a "save" shot and play the rest of the hole with comfortable and safe shots) I can see these blow ups effect anyone easily if they aren't mentally ready and don't reset after the first error.

 

I'm talking about saving the blowup holes where it looks like you've never held a club before and all the wheels come off?

 

Do single digit cappers even have that happen? If so how do they get hem back on during the hole to save face?

 

I know I haven't figured it out. Usually they don't get put back on until 1 or 2 holes later

If you're playing to "save face", that's already a problem. Anyway, yes, they happen to single digit caps. My last 3 rounds have been like 86-77-83 (those were from a variety of slope/ratings).

 

In the 86, I had 3 doubles. In the 83, I had a triple and two doubles. But, I'm not a 5 cap because I shoot 77 every time out. I'm a 5 cap because I shoot 77 often enough. Sometimes I have 3 rounds straight with 1 double. Sometimes I have 2 rounds without a double and then another round with 3 doubles. Same number of bad shots, different effect on the handicap.

 

The first responder said "get better at golf". It's true. It's a numbers game. How likely are you to hit a bad shot on any shot?

 

The way I think about it, when you're a 15 handicapper, there's a, say, 30% chance on any shot that you hit a crappy shot. Sometimes, you just string them together.

 

When you're a 5 handicapper, there's a 10% chance on any shot that you hit a crappy shot. There's less likely a chance that you string them together.

 

When you're a pro, there's a 2% chance on any shot that you hit a crappy shot. You can go a whole round without hitting a bad shot.

 

Those percentages are made up, but you get the idea. You can "try" to hit the shot you know you can hit, but if you're not good at golf, what does that even mean?

 

When you're a 15 capper, you don't just go out and make 18 bogeys and play "consistent". You make pars, occasional birdies, and bunch of doubles and triples. And you make doubles and triples because you're too likely to hit a bad shot. And that increases the percentage of the time you string them together.

 

We like to try to discern patterns in randomness. We like to look back on a blow up hole and come up with a STORY for why you had one. You were trying to hard, or trying a hero shot after one bad shot, or you hit one fat, so you corrected, and hit one thin. How about this : you're going to go out on a given day and take 90 strokes, 50 shots and 40 putts because you're a 15 handicapper. Those 50 shots can be spread out evenly, or they can be clumped together. True randomness looks more clumpy than most people think.

 

All you can do is try to reduce the 50 to 49, then 48, then 47, etc etc etc. And pretty soon, you have fewer blow up holes.

 

That's a long way of saying "get better at golf."

 

I do agree with this however if you look @ my score cards you'd laugh lol.

 

So far this season I have 11 rounds. In all 11 I have only 1 Birdie. However I average about 3-5 pars a round and 13-15 Bogeys a round. With the rare double or triple in there. Is my average round. However then theres days I feel I am playing better. "Making multiple pars in a row" allowing me to beat my personal best of 84. Then a lovely blowup hole shows up so I still shoot in the 90s. I either have a very consistant "bogey golf" round which is literally almost all bogeys with 1-2 pars per 9 and maybe 1 double max (double usually from a wayward T shot on a Par 3).

[jasonp87]

So today. Course is a 70/130 rating/slope. Front nine I shoot a 42. Feeling good. First hole back 9 I par. Then comes the 2x triple bogey 7s lol. Still managed to card a 44 on the back though

 

And not one birdie all round

[BoogieThumper]

Fein a severe soft tissue injury, easiest is a pulled hammy. Fall to to your knees, put your head down, silently count to five(one one thousand.....), then in as dramatic a way as realistically possible rise and with a straight legged dragging bad leg limp to your ball. After 20-25 seconds of wincing, grimacing and finally bending over, head down, hands on knees, moan "I'm done, I just can't do it."

 

You're welcome :)

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friend,

RP

You're the man Richard! :fan_1:

[ParHunter]

I usually agree with your posts and respect your positive thoughts, but I don't think a 15 capper has a "normal" preshot routine. I also don't think a high capper knows how to disseminate between their good swings and bad swings. Their odds of fixing their bad swings on the course is as great as them making two consecutive birdies, if not worse. This is my .02 after watching hundreds of high handicappers and being there myself at certain times in my golf life.

Wow! That is a bit arrogant don't you think? First of all a 15 hdc is not a high handicap, it is bang in the middle (in the US it is 14.3, UK average hdc tends to be slightly higher).

I am about a 15 (+/- 1) and I do have a pre-shot routine and I can normally fix my swing during a round (e.g. correcting a heel cut with the driver). Just because someone is not a single digit hdc doesn't mean they are completely clueless - it could just mean they can't play and practise as often.

 

What I would be interested in is to see scoring stats (% of birdies, pars, bogeys, double and worse) for different handicaps. I would like to know whether my number of bad holes is normal for a 15hdc or too high. I have on average 0.5 (3%) birdies, 5 (28%) pars, 7 (40%) bogies, 4 (22%) doubles and 1 (7%) tripple. This looks about like a Gauss distribution so could be right. My most extreme round was 12 pars, 1 bogie, 4 doubles and 1 tripple. So even on a day where my ball striking is as good as it gets (for me) the double or worse is never far off ;-(

 

I've just noticed that even on the round with the 12 pars, my doubles and tripple was consistent with my average scoring. That is a bit scary, I was able to convert most of the bogies into pars but still had the same number of doubles and tripples.

[KMeloney]

But does this happen to single digit cappers? If so do they do something to help save the hole.

 

Did you happen to watch Spieth at the Masters this year?

[KMeloney]

And not one birdie all round

 

Birdies will certainly help mitigate the damage caused by doubles and triples... But it sounds like you expect that you should be making at least one birdie a round. Why is that? At a 15, I wouldn't expect that.

 

A birdie is going to come from chipping in from somewhere (an unlikely scenario for many of us mortals), from dropping a putt from nowhere near the pin (also unlikely or "lucky"), or from hitting an approach shot close to the pin where a good one-putt is very reasonable (more likely as you get much better, but probably not a reliable situation now).

 

Keeping those doubles and triples off the card are going to drop your scores and index in a hurry. I'd consider birdies "bonuses" at the moment.

[jasonp87]

And not one birdie all round

 

Birdies will certainly help mitigate the damage caused by doubles and triples... But it sounds like you expect that you should be making at least one birdie a round. Why is that? At a 15, I wouldn't expect that.

 

A birdie is going to come from chipping in from somewhere (an unlikely scenario for many of us mortals), from dropping a putt from nowhere near the pin (also unlikely or "lucky"), or from hitting an approach shot close to the pin where a good one-putt is very reasonable (more likely as you get much better, but probably not a reliable situation now).

 

Keeping those doubles and triples off the card are going to drop your scores and index in a hurry. I'd consider birdies "bonuses" at the moment.

 

Oh I do. I was just replying to the other poster who figured I hit a few birdies. Ive carded 2 all season so far. I actually prefer the way I play (semi consistant) just a few bad holes sometimes per round. I actually almost prefer the rounds where I shoot in the high 80s to low 90s but every hole is no worse then a bogey and maybe 1 double. Then the rounds where I shoot a bunch of pars a few bogeys then card 1-2 high numbers.

 

Duno why...I think because for me I feel like even if I shoot a 90 with constant bogeys I was playing very consistant. Whereas I may shoot lower but scores are all over. Feels like I didnt find my swing all round.

[KMeloney]

Duno why...I think because for me I feel like even if I shoot a 90 with constant bogeys I was playing very consistant. Whereas I may shoot lower but scores are all over. Feels like I didnt find my swing all round.

 

I hear you. But at least the pars and occasional birdie let you know you CAN do it. Cruising along playing bogey golf is better than playing double-bogey golf, but are you sure you don't prefer knowing that you're getting closer to playing better overall, even if there are a couple blow-ups in there?

 

For all I know, and after watching Spieth blow the Masters, there is no way to eliminate the blow up hole. But what you can do is play the other holes better and not let your overall score get out of hand if there's a blow up. If you keep at it, and maybe if you reassess things some, that's going to happen with time/playing.

[Pepperturbo]

Blow up holes are the result of constantly attempting shots that are not normally in your bag of skills. I see it rather often. LOL.. Say your tee shot is a fade / slice into tree lined rough about 30-50' or more. You have 170yds in to a pin on the right where a bunker fronts the green. There's a hole in the tree canopy that would allow you to get home for a birdie, yet the ball sets in 3-5" of junk. STOP! right there. Tell yourself "you don't have that shot". Golf is NOT about ego, but judgment and execution.

 

Pick the shot that you can likely execute that gets the ball back into the middle, possible left side of the fairway, 40yds or so giving you an angle at the pin on the right side. Stuff your ego or desire for a heroic shot... pitch out then aim for the middle of the green, or even short of the green. Make shots you feel relatively comfortable executing.

 

Stopping the blow up hole is done by stopping the runaway mind, and thinking what is the easiest shot you can most likely make.

 

Last weekend I watched an 18h create at least six blow up holes. As I stood and watched I would predict his next shot... Trust me when I say, its sickening to watch a guy take a few pars and drop fragmentation grenades on a number of holes.

[playoffbeard23]

I think blowup holes are just inherent to high hcp players. As you get better it will happen less often, even tour players card triples and quads just less often. (Helps to hide it when you can make a run and card 5-6 birdies)

 

-Everyone has them, just make them as few as possible.

[Burglar]

Most of my blowup holes come from OB, so I make it my number one priority to keep the ball in play. Even if I'm striking the ball poorly, I can avoid disaster holes just by avoiding penalties.

 

Then I try to do other things like never chipping twice, never putting 3 times, never taking two shots out of the same bunker, never taking 2 punches out of the woods. A double chip, triple putt par 4 means I'm taking a 7 instead of a par or bogey.

[Exactice808]

Hey OP lots of stuff..... couple thoughts

 

Someone already stated it but Im just going to build on it.

 

Blow up holes are inconsistencies

 

Let me ask a simple question as I was a 15hdcp not to long ago,

 

When you hit an OB shot and you re-tee, be honest..... say you slice it OB, Do you aim more left and swing again, or do you make an adjustment to your hands or anything?

 

Or do you re-tee and re swing again?

 

 

What I noticed with many people once they make a mistake they compound it by making a bigger mistake.

 

1) Adjusting to compensate the Error. i.e. Hit a Slice, So either Aim more left, or trying to strengthen grip or change the stance to hit a draw/hook.

 

2) Swing the same way they just did out of frustration.

 

 

 

Personally what really is going on is, 1 SHOT, you were out of sync/out of timing. There is no need to make huge amounts of changes. No need to aim more left as that causes an over compensation and the slice becomes worse, or the dreaded double cross and that thing is a sling shot hook left.

 

Same with a the grip adjustments etc.

 

You had 1 bad shot, thats it. What should be done, is take a step back reset and swing like you have been the rest of the day. If it was a timing issue, normally just taking a step back, shaking it out and resetting should do the trick. DONT over compensate and dont compound the mistake by trying to fix your swing mid round.

 

 

 

Other than that...its a mental block, you are waiting for it.... you know how they say "If there is a will, there is a way" you are willing a blow up hole because you are thinking about a blow up hole.

 

STOP IT!!!

 

 

GL OP!

[Thug Hunter]

I usually agree with your posts and respect your positive thoughts, but I don't think a 15 capper has a "normal" preshot routine. I also don't think a high capper knows how to disseminate between their good swings and bad swings. Their odds of fixing their bad swings on the course is as great as them making two consecutive birdies, if not worse. This is my .02 after watching hundreds of high handicappers and being there myself at certain times in my golf life.

Wow! That is a bit arrogant don't you think? First of all a 15 hdc is not a high handicap, it is bang in the middle (in the US it is 14.3, UK average hdc tends to be slightly higher).

I am about a 15 (+/- 1) and I do have a pre-shot routine and I can normally fix my swing during a round (e.g. correcting a heel cut with the driver). Just because someone is not a single digit hdc doesn't mean they are completely clueless - it could just mean they can't play and practise as often.

 

What I would be interested in is to see scoring stats (% of birdies, pars, bogeys, double and worse) for different handicaps. I would like to know whether my number of bad holes is normal for a 15hdc or too high. I have on average 0.5 (3%) birdies, 5 (28%) pars, 7 (40%) bogies, 4 (22%) doubles and 1 (7%) tripple. This looks about like a Gauss distribution so could be right. My most extreme round was 12 pars, 1 bogie, 4 doubles and 1 tripple. So even on a day where my ball striking is as good as it gets (for me) the double or worse is never far off ;-(

 

I've just noticed that even on the round with the 12 pars, my doubles and tripple was consistent with my average scoring. That is a bit scary, I was able to convert most of the bogies into pars but still had the same number of doubles and tripples.

 

You're obviously not a typical 15 in the fact you're visiting a golf forum and keeping stats. Maybe I should have just included the word "most" when saying that 15 handicappers could not fix their swing flaws and "most" 15 handicappers don't have a PSR. I clearly didn't think about the ones who have the ability to do so, but have the inability to get lower than a 15. Now that statement could be deemed arrogant, but hey I have a lack of sensitivity today especially after my single digit a** had two really bad blow up holes. I guess I'm just too inept to fix that dreadful swing flaw. Maybe I should just drop to a 15 and be more like you. Now I feel like the arrogant statement is warranted.

 

Do people in the UK actually spell triples as "tripples" and bogey as "bogie"?

[ParHunter]

 

 

Do people in the UK actually spell triples as "tripples" and bogey as "bogie"?

 

No that is just me, I can spell them in many different ways ;-)

[pmcuk]

 

I'm talking about the Tee shot that you hit super fat or thin that goes 50yards in a random direction OB or into a hazard. So you tee it up it happens again... Then you take your drop. You hit a decent 5th shot but then your approach is another flub.

 

Who else has these!!!! Help me stop this!!!!

 

 

This is far more basic than course management. This is basic swing technique.

 

1. Get the basics right - properly fitting clubs, grip, stance, ball position, amount of balance towards forward side.

2. Get an easy 80% swing - start with pitching correctly and work up to the longer clubs

3. Don't try to 'hit' the ball. Don't think to 'accelerate' from the top of your backswing - it will throw it out of balance. Apply momentum when you're already into the downswing.

4. Swing 'through' the shot to a nice finish.

5. Go back to 1. and repeat

[Grayback1973]

Yeah,for the course management supporters,I am going to give a simple situation that a mid capper like me will face and I want you to tell me what you think.So here goes.....

 

Playing a 375 yard par 4.Water up left starts at around 200 yards.Bunkers up right start around 225 yards.So I tee off with 3 wood and hit my classic worm burn pull hook that dives down into the rough WELL short of the water.2nd shot is from 250 with a nasty lie in the rough.Beyond the bunkers right is nasty gorse that will render a shot impossible.So in this situation,how does your course management approach come into play?I just showed my horrendous swinging ability from the tee.What do you suggest I do from there?Genuine question...seriously.

[HackerD]

Jason,I am a fellow 15 capper.Yesterday I played 18 and my scorecard was pretty descent except for the 10 on 2 and the 9 on 3! Going into the fourth hole 10 over really stinks,but that what makes me the cap I am. Just an example,here is how the 9 happened.......Par 5(540 yards) Tee off with driver and bomb it 300 yards straight down the middle.Got 240 in with a good lie in the fairway,feeling good and decide to go for it.Get out 3 wood and proceed to hit a foot behind the ball and send it into the thick garbage 40 yards ahead.Have a lie that is good enough to advance it 70 yards or so.I get out PW and proceed to chop it 20 feet forward into an area of dried up grass.Lie is plenty good enough to advance it 130 yards so I get out 8 iron and proceed to chunk it straight into the water ahead.There was mud underneath the grass so now my club looks like I dipped it into a can of chocolate frosting and I have mud all over my clothes! Anyway,get that all cleaned up and take a drop.Manage to hit one up about 10 yards short of the green.Lying 6 and hit a good pitch shot to about 10 feet.2 putt from there and thats that.That is a typical blowup type of hole for me.

 

So, how many times have you hit a 3 wood 240 to your target? Why not lay up to your wedge distance? I know it's tempting, but trouble in front of you following up a 10, you need to give yourself a chance to make par, and maybe get a birdie. I make more birdies on par 5's from laying up. I make more others on par 5's from trying to reach even when I am in range. Decision making is as much the culprit in blowup holes as bad shots imo.

 

I see this a lot. Hitting the longest club in the bag when there's no chance to reach the green. If you know you'll need two shots, plan low risk 2 shots, like 7-iron + full wedge.

 

For me after a couple of mishits, doubt invades my mind. Confidence in the swing is eroded. Leads to poor swing.

 

 

[DevilDog]

My personal experience in playing with some guys that fall into this category is that they tend to hit a bad shot and turn their focus to what they did wrong instead of putting that shot behind them and focusing on the next shot and their routine. Hence, their mind isn't on the next shot, it's still on the shot before, and the next shot is awful too. The other trend I see is after hitting a bad shot is trying to pull off the hero shot instead of playing smart. Almost every time trying to hit the 1 in a 1000 hero shot winds up getting them in more trouble than they already were.

[ScratchNot]

Yeah,for the course management supporters,I am going to give a simple situation that a mid capper like me will face and I want you to tell me what you think.So here goes.....

 

Playing a 375 yard par 4.Water up left starts at around 200 yards.Bunkers up right start around 225 yards.So I tee off with 3 wood and hit my classic worm burn pull hook that dives down into the rough WELL short of the water.2nd shot is from 250 with a nasty lie in the rough.Beyond the bunkers right is nasty gorse that will render a shot impossible.So in this situation,how does your course management approach come into play?I just showed my horrendous swinging ability from the tee.What do you suggest I do from there?Genuine question...seriously.

 

Take a 9-iron and get it back into play leaving me 110-120 into the green. I start every round with a thought. 'No (non-penalty) doubles ever'. Bogeys I can work with. Doubles or higher really punish the scorecard. My other mindset is, that if I miss the fairway, I have no right to expect to make par. If I make par then that's just icing. I am a 7 hcp.

[BForrester]

My blow-ups tend to happen around the green...my pitching and chipping is a mess.

[Grayback1973]

Yeah,for the course management supporters,I am going to give a simple situation that a mid capper like me will face and I want you to tell me what you think.So here goes.....

 

Playing a 375 yard par 4.Water up left starts at around 200 yards.Bunkers up right start around 225 yards.So I tee off with 3 wood and hit my classic worm burn pull hook that dives down into the rough WELL short of the water.2nd shot is from 250 with a nasty lie in the rough.Beyond the bunkers right is nasty gorse that will render a shot impossible.So in this situation,how does your course management approach come into play?I just showed my horrendous swinging ability from the tee.What do you suggest I do from there?Genuine question...seriously.

 

Take a 9-iron and get it back into play leaving me 110-120 into the green. I start every round with a thought. 'No (non-penalty) doubles ever'. Bogeys I can work with. Doubles or higher really punish the scorecard. My other mindset is, that if I miss the fairway, I have no right to expect to make par. If I make par then that's just icing. I am a 7 hcp.

You being a 7 tells me that your ballstriking is much better than mine.Your approach to the situation is exactly mine.Take a short iron and advance the ball,period.That being said,what happens often is that I will shank the ball into the bunkers or the gorse,followed by a drop(penalty) or a long fairway bunker shot.

 

My argument will always be that course management only goes so far with poor players.It is much more effective with better players because they have a much bigger degree of control over their shots.

[KMeloney]

Yeah,for the course management supporters,I am going to give a simple situation that a mid capper like me will face and I want you to tell me what you think.So here goes.....

 

Playing a 375 yard par 4.Water up left starts at around 200 yards.Bunkers up right start around 225 yards.So I tee off with 3 wood and hit my classic worm burn pull hook that dives down into the rough WELL short of the water.2nd shot is from 250 with a nasty lie in the rough.Beyond the bunkers right is nasty gorse that will render a shot impossible.So in this situation,how does your course management approach come into play?I just showed my horrendous swinging ability from the tee.What do you suggest I do from there?Genuine question...seriously.

 

How far do you hit that 3 wood? You've probably brought the water into play from the tee, assuming you hit it more than 200 yards. I'd have teed off with a 5-iron, which I can usually hit straight, and kept all of the trouble out of play. Then, my next shot would either be from a place from which I could go for the green, or I'd hit something shorter to a safe place where I'd then have a chance to get up and down.

 

But since you already blew the tee shot, you take your lumps and get the ball back in play with a short iron like ScratchNot said. The combination of lower skill and less course management would cause a lot of people to take a rip at the ball from a bad lie with a club that sometimes has the chance to get the ball there in perfect conditions, and that ball will usually stay in the rough, or make it directly into the water, or into a bunker or something.

 

Still, the course management part should have started with the tee shot club selection.

[KMeloney]

My argument will always be that course management only goes so far with poor players.It is much more effective with better players because they have a much bigger degree of control over their shots.

 

That's a great point. I think the key is that course management really means keeping the ball in places on the course from which you have the confidence to play that next shot.

 

The pros can get away with spraying the ball often because they can hit amazing recovery shots from just about anywhere. If, like in your scenario, you know that you can't advance the ball from that left rough to a place that's not OB or in gorse or a trap, then you shouldn't let yourself hit a club that may likely put you in that rough to begin with. If you hit your 9-iron 120, then 3 9-irons puts you at 360. Sprinkle an 8 or 7-iron in there, and you could easily be on-putting for par. If you two putt, ok, then it's a bogey. But it sounds like the mess you normally get yourself into is good for a double or triple.

 

Manage the course better with the game you have (might have to put some ego aside) right now, and you will start to lower your index. Work on your swing and your trouble clubs at that range in between rounds, and you'll be going lower still.

 

If you just have very little control over any or most of your shots, then... Then you should reassess your expectations at the moment.

[Pepperturbo]

I usually agree with your posts and respect your positive thoughts, but I don't think a 15 capper has a "normal" preshot routine. I also don't think a high capper knows how to disseminate between their good swings and bad swings. Their odds of fixing their bad swings on the course is as great as them making two consecutive birdies, if not worse. This is my .02 after watching hundreds of high handicappers and being there myself at certain times in my golf life.

Wow! That is a bit arrogant don't you think? First of all a 15 hdc is not a high handicap, it is bang in the middle (in the US it is 14.3, UK average hdc tends to be slightly higher).

I am about a 15 (+/- 1) and I do have a pre-shot routine and I can normally fix my swing during a round (e.g. correcting a heel cut with the driver). Just because someone is not a single digit hdc doesn't mean they are completely clueless - it could just mean they can't play and practise as often.

 

What I would be interested in is to see scoring stats (% of birdies, pars, bogeys, double and worse) for different handicaps. I would like to know whether my number of bad holes is normal for a 15hdc or too high. I have on average 0.5 (3%) birdies, 5 (28%) pars, 7 (40%) bogies, 4 (22%) doubles and 1 (7%) tripple. This looks about like a Gauss distribution so could be right. My most extreme round was 12 pars, 1 bogie, 4 doubles and 1 tripple. So even on a day where my ball striking is as good as it gets (for me) the double or worse is never far off ;-(

 

I've just noticed that even on the round with the 12 pars, my doubles and tripple was consistent with my average scoring. That is a bit scary, I was able to convert most of the bogies into pars but still had the same number of doubles and tripples.

 

You then are an exception to the 15h rule. Over the years I've played with and against a great many mid and hi caps. Typical 15h doesn't see anything other than obvious errors, that's why he's a 15h, not 20h+. What you're fixing during a round is obviously easy to address, such as alignment or distance from the ball, etc. NO, you're not completely clueless, but you don't have the attention to detail or nuances that typically come with being even a high single digit. There's a big difference between 15 and 8, and considerably more between 15 and 2-3... And more play and practice won't, IMO, automatically turn a 15 into a single digit. There are plenty of golfers that play 2-4 times per week and practice but never get close to single digit.