What does it take to break 70?

[magnus7319]

Be aggressive. Knock it close. You’ll make a bogey or 2 but the birdies will outnumber them. 
 

My career best 63 was with 3 bogeys on my card. 
 

Very rarely will you see a pro shoot 60, 61, 62 etc with a clean card. You gotta go for it. 

 

[cardoustie]

I’d like to stress driver.  I’ve been killing it scoring wise lately, cap 1.9.   Everything is ok and pretty solid ... but driver is on point.  I simply went back to drawing everything and used a higher spin combo ... shaft and head ... than what I was using.   The right side is never in play.
 

game seems easy again.

[Garush34]

On 9/10/2020 at 7:40 PM, Obee said:

Yes, the "post shot routine" is important for everyone, but especially so for those who have trouble with temper or negative self-talk. Very important.

 

I can't add anything to this thread about breaking 70 as I'm far from getting to that goal, but have enjoyed reading for the tips to help my game. And have to say that this one from @Obee has for sure helped my game.

 

I've always struggled with getting down on myself when things go wrong, but yesterday I really focused on my post shot routine and it really helped. Had one bad hole that would normally destroy my round and lead to multiple bad holes, but managed to control it allowed myself till the time I left the green to think about it then went on with my round. Ended up tying my career best 78, which could have been lower for sure. Results came my way and ended up second on count back in yesterday's competition. 

[getitdaily]

19 hours ago, DShepley said:

I don't agree with this.  Any halfway decent putter will score much better hitting 13-14 greens than missing greens.  Frustration because birdie putts aren't falling is much better than frustration because you couldn't make 4 -5 footers to get up and down for par after missing greens.  Shooting bogey free rounds is rare, even somewhat rare for touring pros, so breaking 70 on a par 72 for most people is going to require 4-5 birdies minimum.  You are much more likely to break 70 by two putting for par a lot of times vs trying to get up and down for par, and, to make the 4-5 birdies, you need to have lots of chances.  This advice about proximity over GIR to me seems like a recipe to turn a 68 into a 72.

I'm not going to argue if you feel you can break 70 by fat siding it. But the statistics say that proximity matters if you want to make putts. If you're not firing at pins with 8i, 9i, and lower then you're not aggressive enough. Again, if there's a lot of trouble short sided then play safer. But if you're short siding yourself with a 9i bad enough to not have an easy up and down then you don't have the game to break 70. Maybe you were just off that day, maybe not. Short clubs have to be played aggressively. 30 feet left, in the center of the green to a right pin is a 2 putt 95% of the time. 

[pinhigh27]

1 hour ago, getitdaily said:

I'm not going to argue if you feel you can break 70 by fat siding it. But the statistics say that proximity matters if you want to make putts. If you're not firing at pins with 8i, 9i, and lower then you're not aggressive enough. Again, if there's a lot of trouble short sided then play safer. But if you're short siding yourself with a 9i bad enough to not have an easy up and down then you don't have the game to break 70. Maybe you were just off that day, maybe not. Short clubs have to be played aggressively. 30 feet left, in the center of the green to a right pin is a 2 putt 95% of the time. 

There's a world of difference between short siding yourself and leaving 30 feet. You can go for the pin while erring on the fat side of the green. For example if there's no room right you could aim 8 feet left of the hole. If you hit your perfect shot you have an 8 foot birdie putt. If you push it a touch you might even be closer or still on green instead of short-sided. If you pull it you're still probably putting. 

 

There are tons of greens and courses where missing the green on the short side is an improbable up and down, even for tour players. 

 

You can be aggressive without being stupid. You don't need to be able to get up and down from everywhere or stick it on every hole to break 70. You just need to stay out of trouble and make a few birdies. 

[Petethreeput]

There is really nothing to add, but for me, I cannot intend to shoot a score. It took years to break par bc in my mind, I was thinking about my overall score rather than the shot I was standing over.

Without saying “you need,” I suspect you will do it on one of those days when you have no idea what your score is walking up 18. Clearly the game is there, and I hope today is your day to break 70.

I have done it a number of times, but not consistently, Bc frankly, I just get uncomfortable when I get well under par.

[getitdaily]

2 hours ago, pinhigh27 said:

There's a world of difference between short siding yourself and leaving 30 feet. You can go for the pin while erring on the fat side of the green. For example if there's no room right you could aim 8 feet left of the hole. If you hit your perfect shot you have an 8 foot birdie putt. If you push it a touch you might even be closer or still on green instead of short-sided. If you pull it you're still probably putting. 

 

There are tons of greens and courses where missing the green on the short side is an improbable up and down, even for tour players. 

 

You can be aggressive without being stupid. You don't need to be able to get up and down from everywhere or stick it on every hole to break 70. You just need to stay out of trouble and make a few birdies. 

You're saying the same thing I am, just differently. 8 feet is flagging it and is being aggressive. 

[PixlPutterman]

SSSSOOOOOO Close yesterday and it was all my putters fault. 😄

 

Shot an even par 72 with 3 bogeys (two were stupid bogies too) but the real kicker was missing 4 putts inside 4 feet and two more inside 8 feet.

[Obee]

47 minutes ago, PixlPutterman said:

SSSSOOOOOO Close yesterday and it was all my putters fault. 😄

 

Shot an even par 72 with 3 bogeys (two were stupid bogies too) but the real kicker was missing 4 putts inside 4 feet and two more inside 8 feet.

 

Close to what? Breaking par for the first time? If so, CONGRATS!!!

[PixlPutterman]

3 hours ago, Obee said:

 

Close to what? Breaking par for the first time? If so, CONGRATS!!!

 

Breaking 70 - 2 bad bogeys and 6 missed putts inside 8 feet....

 

but yes also breaking par

[smashdn]

On 9/8/2020 at 11:54 AM, PixlPutterman said:

I think looking at my stats, I need to have my proximity to hole closer on my approach shots. Im hitting a lot of greens but I have 25+ footers a lot so Im over 30 putts per round

 

I think that is where I would start.  Realistically you aren't going to sink a bunch of 25 footers to improve.  That isn't a practical approach.  But, taking steps to increase your proximity to the hole on your approaches is.  Of the times you leave yourself 25 foot, what club did you hit?  Maybe assess from there did you over- or under-club?  Or correct club but dispersion either left or right was the issue.

 

I'm not flirting with breaking 70 but golf got a lot easier when I; A) stopped missing with my driver and B) started practicing only to the 100 and 150 stick at the range.  I started making sure I could pick up either a 6i, 7i or 8i and knock down that 150 stick on the range.  Then I start hitting PW, 50, 54 and 60 to the 100.  The other clubs sort of took care of themselves and truthfully, anything longer than a 6i for me is likely a second shot into a par five.  So if I get close or on the green in two on a par five I am either putting or chipping for eagle, which leads to birdies and often pretty easy, stress-free birdies.

[bladehunter]

It’s hard to say.  I’ve done it in several ways.  Most common is simply 1 putting every look you get inside 20 ft    Lol.  When you miss a green . One putt. If you hit a green inside 20 ft. 1 putt.       That will cover up enough bogeys to be under par.  
 

the other way I’ve done it is to hit nearly every green and make no putts.  2 putt birdies on 3 par 5s and a 6 iron to a foot for eagle on 4th par 5.  That was a 69.  Obscene to waste a ballstriking round like that.  Anyway.    To the greater point.  Just keep thinking in the present. This shot only.  Come up for air at the end . And practice shortgame and putting.  

[QuigleyDU]

On 9/9/2020 at 5:06 AM, davep043 said:

My opinion is a little different.  To go low, you have to hit a lot of greens, you have to have a lot of putts for birdie, and make just a few of them.  If you're putting for bogie (or worse) very often, you're absolutely going to miss some of them.  Going after tight pins with anything longer than a wedge is likely to mean you're short-sided and dead at least a few times, figure out when its best to aim a little away from the flag.  

For reference, I'm a 5-handicap, I've only been -2 a handful of times.  I don't think I've ever made more than 4 birdies in those rounds, I've done it mostly by making a lot of pars, a few birdies, and very few bogies.  And I make pars a lot more often when I hit greens than when I'm chipping and putting.  There's no doubt that chipping and putting are important, you need a little bit of that even in the best rounds, but better ballstriking takes a lot of the pressure off the short game.

Yep, you have to be hitting greens with reasonably makeable putts. 

[Obee]

Obviously there are an infinite number of ways to 69 or below ... one time.

 

If you want to do it on a (semi) regular basis, there are probably some basic precepts to shoot for.

 

Also, keep in mind that 69 on one course is the same as 74 or 75 on another, so take the whole "shooting a number" thing with a grain of salt. You shoot 74 at my old home course (Bear Creek GC) from the back tees (7,190, par 72, 75.9/149), and 69 at Jurupa Hills (6,100, par 70, 69.1/122, and the 74 at Bear Creek is definitely a "better" round of golf.

 

You want to shoot a couple/few under the course rating on a regular basis, you better:

• Drive the ball relatively straight and relatively long. Anything about 230+ and you can maintain a + handicap.
• Have very few penalty strokes, on average, in a round of golf. This means you generally control your golf ball well and know how to avoid trouble, when there is trouble present
• Hit a decent amount of greens in regulation 10+ per round is sufficient to be a scratch player. In my younger days, I averaged over 12.x a round, playing mostly courses with ratings around 72.0. Now, I average about 10.x
  • Obviously, the closer to 12 GIR (or above) you are, the less you have to rely on putting and short game
  • The fewer greens you hit, the better your putting and short game and mental game need to be to compensate for the lack of ball-striking
• As a general, gross stat, average 28 to 31 putts per round, counting all putts once your ball lies on the putting surface, but NOT when you putt from the fringe.
  • I know very few, if any players who shoot in the 60's on a fairly regular basis who average more than 31 putts a round
• Finally, as @magnus7319 mentioned, you need to be comfortable (and capable!) of hitting the ball tight to virtually any pin -- especially on an easy golf course with soft greens. Most players who shoot lots of rounds in the 60's are just very, very accurate with their iron/wedges from 75 to 160ish yards. They hit a bunch of shots inside 20 feet, which is birdie range. It's kind of like an expert bowler who hits the pocket over and over and over. MOST of those are going to be strikes. In golf, we want to "hit the pocket" of inside 20' as often as possible because that gives us those opportunities we need to make birdies. If you're inside 20' a bunch, you're also going to have plenty of gimmes and putts inside 6 feet. Have a round where you have five or six of those, and the game starts to feel easy.

 

Regarding attacking pins, on an easy course, with soft pins and only minimally penal rough and bunkers, I attack pretty much every pin. The only time I will NOT attack a pin is if it's guarded by OB or a hazard. That would definitely be a no-go pin.

 

But if all I'm risking is being in a bunker with not much of a lip, or light rough and and short-sided? I'm attacking the pin every time if the greens are soft. Why? Because I don't fear the recovery in the least. Tournament conditions with firm greens and deeper rough and then I have to be more cautious on my lines to tucked pins for obvious reasons.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Obee

[ZettyMcGoo]

Im having the same problem. For me its all mental. I shot 32 on the front earlier this year and was -3 through 15 with an easy par 5 coming up. My average scoring on that hole has been 4.8 on that hole all year. I somehow make a double and then its all a collapse from there. I consistently ruin rounds coming down the stretch. Key takeaway- the game is there, the brain is not. The fix- More practice!!

[Obee]

3 minutes ago, ZettyMcGoo said:

Im having the same problem. For me its all mental. I shot 32 on the front earlier this year and was -3 through 15 with an easy par 5 coming up. My average scoring on that hole has been 4.8 on that hole all year. I somehow make a double and then its all a collapse from there. I consistently ruin rounds coming down the stretch. Key takeaway- the game is there, the brain is not. The fix- More practice!!

 

Keep failing. And LEARNING while you fail. You need to PAY ATTENTION to your body and mind when things start to go south and be able to CORRECT in future rounds. You got this. 🙂

 

What is your current index?

[ZettyMcGoo]

Just now, Obee said:

 

Keep failing. And LEARNING while you fail. You need to PAY ATTENTION to your body and mind when things start to go south and be able to CORRECT in future rounds. You got this. 🙂

 

What is your current index?

Learning from my mistakes is exactly it.

 

Currently a 3.2, scoring average +5.9!

[blueonblack]

Man, sometimes its just missing some putts some rounds. Avoiding a double on the card, which for me, usually meant not spraying it off the tee. Proximity just improves the more you shoot from the fairway or just off it.

 

I had two bogeys on my way to 68 and I think I missed two birdie putts that round too that were make-able.

 

I think you're on the right track. Fairways and greens and just give yourself chances. It will come from out of nowhere one day with the scores you are putting up now. Let it happen, mostly.

 

You'll get nervous those last 3 or 4 holes. Know that and be ready for it ahead of time. That FINALLY did it for me. I embraced the nervousness and accepted it and used it. It felt "exciting" rather than "dreadful."

 

Oh- move up a set of tees and get "used" to doing it. Then move back.

Edited September 29, 2020 by blueonblack

[Obee]

3 minutes ago, ZettyMcGoo said:

Learning from my mistakes is exactly it.

 

Currently a 3.2, scoring average +5.9!

 

I notice Kawhi is your avatar. He's (partially) from my home town. My ex-wife actually had him in one of her classes in high school.

[Jim Waldron]

Mental game #1 factor certainly.  A blend of lowering emotional intensity level (carefree mindset), pre-shot routine execution, and knowing where to focus your mind from just before start of takeaway till finish, knowing how to shift your state from fear to confidence. 

 

Short putts of 2 to 8 foot range #2.

 

Driving the ball relatively long and straight (miss no worse than 1st cut).#3.

[Obee]

3 minutes ago, Jim Waldron said:

Mental game #1 factor certainly.  A blend of lowering emotional intensity level (carefree mindset), pre-shot routine execution, and knowing where to focus your mind from just before start of takeaway till finish, knowing how to shift your state from fear to confidence. 

 

Short putts of 2 to 8 foot range #2.

 

Driving the ball relatively long and straight (miss no worse than 1st cut).#3.

 

I'd quibble with that, Jim -- and I'm a huge "mental game is important" guy.

 

I broke 70 long before my mental game was anything special at all. In fact, I was kind of an anxious wreck on the golf course all the way through my 30's and into my mid 40's and have been able to shoot in the 60's from my mid 20's onward. The way I shoot in the 60's is different now, but I was definitely able to do it well before my mind was an asset.

[Obee]

On 9/13/2020 at 6:17 AM, pinhigh27 said:

There's a world of difference between short siding yourself and leaving 30 feet. You can go for the pin while erring on the fat side of the green. For example if there's no room right you could aim 8 feet left of the hole. If you hit your perfect shot you have an 8 foot birdie putt. If you push it a touch you might even be closer or still on green instead of short-sided. If you pull it you're still probably putting. 

 

There are tons of greens and courses where missing the green on the short side is an improbable up and down, even for tour players. 

 

You can be aggressive without being stupid. You don't need to be able to get up and down from everywhere or stick it on every hole to break 70. You just need to stay out of trouble and make a few birdies. 

 

See my response, above. This is it, really. On courses with soft greens, light rough, and with easy, well-manicured bunkers, I'm flag hunting all day, every day, on (virtually) every shot from (virtually) every distance. The only exceptions being if a pin is protected by OB or a hazard, then I'm staying to the fat side, for sure.

 

The calculus changes considerably, though, based on the likelihood of getting up and down from the short side. Firm greens and tough rough? I'm definitely erring to the fat side when I'm outside 140 or so. Still flag-hunting inside of that number, though. Other factors involved, too, of course do I have room to land the ball? Does the green slope away, just HOW FIRM are the greens, etc.

 

That's why we love the game, people. All that stuff above. 🙂

Edited September 29, 2020 by Obee

[SNIPERBBB]

I'm with @Obee on short siding.  Unless there's a penalty lurking or there's no chance of keeping the ball on the green, it's not the bugaboo that you hear about all the time. At my home course if I'm short sided on, I'm trying to chip it in...if you're chipping game is one dimensional you do need to pay attention more to your possible leaves.

[bladehunter]

On 9/13/2020 at 7:46 AM, getitdaily said:

I'm not going to argue if you feel you can break 70 by fat siding it. But the statistics say that proximity matters if you want to make putts. If you're not firing at pins with 8i, 9i, and lower then you're not aggressive enough. Again, if there's a lot of trouble short sided then play safer. But if you're short siding yourself with a 9i bad enough to not have an easy up and down then you don't have the game to break 70. Maybe you were just off that day, maybe not. Short clubs have to be played aggressively. 30 feet left, in the center of the green to a right pin is a 2 putt 95% of the time. 

I actually agree.  I have an extremely aggressive mindset.  I have to physically make myself  aim away from a pin with even a 4/5 iron.  And sometimes I’ll subconsciously pull or push a shot when I do that , towards the flag.  That’s he goal. Hit it tight.    I guess that was entrained in me during my couple years of playing with no usable putter. As in I worried about 3 putting from 5 feet. So hitting it close was the only birdies I made.  I think about holing every shot.  Truthfully.  I can’t help it. I never realized that wasn’t normal until last year or so.  Lol. 
 

consequently I have had several 20 plus round streaks of rounds with a double bogey on the card in the last year.  All the whole maintaining a 0.3-0.8 handicap . I’ve tried to throttle down.  But what happens is the double bogey still comes but the birdies dry up.  I’d love to hear a solution. But for now I don’t have it. I can shape it both ways so ill fire the shot I see.  

[SNIPERBBB]

5 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

I actually agree.  I have an extremely aggressive mindset.  I have to physically make myself  aim away from a pin with even a 4/5 iron.  And sometimes I’ll subconsciously pull or push a shot when I do that , towards the flag.  That’s he goal. Hit it tight.    I guess that was entrained in me during my couple years of playing with no usable putter. As in I worried about 3 putting from 5 feet. So hitting it close was the only birdies I made.  I think about holing every shot.  Truthfully.  I can’t help it. I never realized that wasn’t normal until last year or so.  Lol. 
 

consequently I have had several 20 plus round streaks of rounds with a double bogey on the card in the last year.  All the whole maintaining a 0.3-0.8 handicap . I’ve tried to throttle down.  But what happens is the double bogey still comes but the birdies dry up.  I’d love to hear a solution. But for now I don’t have it. I can shape it both ways so ill fire the shot I see.  

Let me know if you find that secret lol. I had exactly one bogey free round all year, for a 69. 

 

Club championship I had 6 birdies round one. Shot 75. Eventual champ had 11 total for the three rounds...(I had eleven too but settled for 4th place). Just have a few really bad swings in a round that tank my round.

[blueonblack]

1 hour ago, Obee said:

 

I'd quibble with that, Jim -- and I'm a huge "mental game is important" guy.

 

I broke 70 long before my mental game was anything special at all. In fact, I was kind of an anxious wreck on the golf course all the way through my 30's and into my mid 40's and have been able to shoot in the 60's from my mid 20's onward. The way I shoot in the 60's is different now, but I was definitely able to do it well before my mind was an asset.

It's funny, long before I thought I was any good at all, I was paired with a couple young ladies.

I wasn't paying attention at all to what I was doing, except I was playing lights out. I was paying attention to them. I get to #13, and suddenly, I realize I'm -3!!!

 

So I proceed to pull my drive, and one of them walks out in front of me and it hits her in the head.

Yeah, crashing back to Earth like you wouldn't believe.

 

Anyway....all of my woes point to this: sometimes we let our brains get out of the way.

I have a severe fear of the number 13, by the way. Wouldn't you?

[MtlJeff]

There's a difference between breaking 70 regularly and doing it a few times obviously. I've done it on a par 72 once, and on a par 70 a bunch of times. 

 

There's no end-all advice, you need to be a good player. I don't make a ton of birdies even in a good year so for me it always came on days where i was driving the ball well and staying out of trouble, and just had putts go in. When i shot 69 on a par 72 i had only 4 birdies with 1 bogey. 

 

Other golfers might take more chances and shoot 69 with more birdies. It depends what your game is. But on a par 72 with a few gettable par 5's....you just need to birdie the right holes, not make mistakes etc...The rounds where i have shot 69-70 strangely don't feel all that different to rounds where i shot 76. Just some things go your way and instead of a couple of bogeys you made pars. A few bounces here and there can be like a 4 shot swing. 

 

I am guessing when you do it, you will feel the same way

[Hackinator]

What does it take to break 70, well are you willing to make a deal with the devil?

 

[Obee]

11 minutes ago, Hackinator said:

What does it take to break 70, well are you willing to make a deal with the devil?

 

 

You're not far off, my friend. 🤪

[isaacbm]

Get  really really good from 30 feet to 50 feet. Generally I have 10 to 12 shots from that range per round. More than any other range in the game. The goal is to average less than 2.2 

if you can do that, you can get away with so much!  Also, you’re bound to hit a few shots per round close to the hole even if by accident. 
    “Short game” is not so much about Hitting perfect shots from Burried  lies in bunkers or hitting flop shots short sided. It’s more about just being able to guarantee yourself To 2-putt if you hit the green. Or being able to chip or pitch it  inside of 4 feet almost every time.

      If I miss a drive at 300 yards by 10% that’s 30 yards off line. I would consider that unbelievably bad. Yet lots of people miss a 50 foot pitch by 18-20% to nine or 10 feet and somehow think they’ve hit a good shot. If you’re not hitting basic lag putts  or basic pitches  from just off the green to inside of 10% then your short game sucks.

Edited September 30, 2020 by isaacbm