Break 80

[PeteyD]

Stumbled across this on GolfWrx

Break 80 challenge (http://www.golf.com/golf/instruction/article/0,28136,2053353,00.html)

Going to have a more detailed look and give it a go I think.

[BrisVegas]

3 hours a week practicing! no chance for me.

[PeteyD]

Yea not sure where I can find 3 hours.

[Marto65]

If you got to practice 3 hours a week, you'd probably break 80 anyway ..

[Jarro]

The kids are still young Pete, they won't miss you that much ;)

[PeteyD]

I wish I could get away form them for 3 hours a week! Good point Marto. although it is more the testing and making sure you know how far you hit things that interest me.

[Marto65]

Most of the GPS systems will let you know that ...
But yeah ... Scoring zone ..150m in. Putting, Short Game ... it's all common sense, and three hours practice a week.

[moree golfer]

I'd give it a whirl if I knew I could actually put it to work in a comp. I can get the 3 x 1hr blocks for practice, just block out lunch 3 times a week. It's playing on a weekend which eludes me atm.

[PeteyD]

Most of the GPS systems will let you know that ...
But yeah ... Scoring zone ..150m in. Putting, Short Game ... it's all common sense, and three hours practice a week.

Common sense to you blokes that can play. I think a lot of us chopperators 'know' to do that, but spend our 30 mins a week at the range pounding balls pointlessly.

The main issue with the range is range balls. Hard to get an idea on ditance etc with them. Guess I need time on the spare fairway up the golf club.

[Marto65]

Petey ... do you use a GPS on the course?

[BrisVegas]

I reckon the key is to find a way to hit 50% greens in reg and go from there. That might mean being a bit more conservative off the tee or whatever, but you can't break 80 if you're not putting for birdie half the time. Make the odd birdie putt and get up and down some of the time and bingo, you've broken 80.

A lot of the guys I play with are better ball strikers than me and hit it further, but they try and hit it too hard all the time. Throttle back a bit and find a shot that goes straight more often than not.

[PeteyD]

Petey ... do you use a GPS on the course?

Sometimes. I have a program on the phone. I seem to play better if I don't use it much. I know my home course pretty well distance wise.

[Marto65]

Check it ... you might be able to measure shots with it .. depending on the software.

[PeteyD]

I can. Think i need a couple of hours at the practice range with it, or need to fill in information when I am playing. As if I don't gin about enough already! :D

[Ferrins]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lower-Your-Golf-Handicap-Under/dp/0600614875

This book helped me. Hcp went from 12 to 6

[IanO]

I reckon the key is to find a way to hit 50% greens in reg and go from there. That might mean being a bit more conservative off the tee or whatever, but you can't break 80 if you're not putting for birdie half the time. Make the odd birdie putt and get up and down some of the time and bingo, you've broken 80.

A lot of the guys I play with are better ball strikers than me and hit it further, but they try and hit it too hard all the time. Throttle back a bit and find a shot that goes straight more often than not.

:smt038:smt023 I shot 80 for the first time ever and it was due to throttling back and not trying to kill the ball. I was 2 over par after 12 holes, then clubbed one into water (5 over after 13). I 3 putted the last 3 holes to screw the score but still shot 80.

What that article says is spot on ... any planned practice has got to be better than going to the range and smacking golf balls.

[PeteyD]

I have created a blog to track my trials attempting to break 80. Feel free to read it and be bored ;)

[virge666]

There is some good stuff there.

With golf you learn either by ... Knowledge or Practice.

Knowledge gets you better by learning and grooving a repeatable stroke - this is the hardest method as you beat your head against a wall trying to fix your faults. You can get technical paralysis, and you will spend a lot of time swearing. But in the end you will know why you swing a particular way and usually how to keep that good stuff coming. Then when you choke - you can come up with a technical theory why...

Practice is simply spending a shitload of time on the range beating balls and grooving a stroke with all your wonderful compensations that get the ball straight. This is the easiest but also the hardest on your time. This also can come apart when under pressure and your grooved stroke doesn't really have any feel - it is just A feel that you had once... and won't come back.

As we all know, I prefer the top one. But I am analytic and logical and that wont suit everyone.

As for breaking 80, if we take the 3 months post surgery out of the equation, I have shot OVER 80 less than 10 times in the last 3 years. What that means is that once you get to a low figure handicap - it really is rather easy to stay there if you go with the knowledge path over beating balls, finding a swing and losing 3 weeks later.

The biggest stepping stone of all this is you. Will you have the patience, the commitment and the time to make it work. Most people say "Yes", but as soon as it stops being fun and their hobby becomes hard work - they fold like a cheap suit, happy that now they play of 14 instead of 16. Or they might buy a new club as an excuse for their lack of commitment.

Two ways to do it... take your pick.

Enjoy.

[LarryLong]

Sounds about right Virge. I'm stuck between the two, but lacking the time to commit to either.

I found some interesting stuff in there - mostly obvious, but still stuff I don't always do or haven't done yet. For example, I don't really know if I have a sweet spot in terms of the distance from the hole that I should lay up to for my best chance of hitting the green. My biggest problem there is finding somewhere I can hit balls and measure distances.

A related question which I guess is implied in the article - can anybody make it under 80 if they put in the time and effort?

[razaar]

A related question which I guess is implied in the article - can anybody make it under 80 if they put in the time and effort?
Anybody who has a repeatable golf swing, can hit the driver 210+metres (in play) and who can regularly sink 5ft putts would be a real chance of breaking 80 on most courses under 6,000 metres.

[virge666]

A related question which I guess is implied in the article - can anybody make it under 80 if they put in the time and effort?

The weak point is always the player - like anything in this world - if you put the time in... you will get results with both methods.

The big part is when the fun hobby you play on the weekend to a real sport you actually have to work at... that is when people normally look at short cuts like new clubs, infomercial fixes and then they get the rabbit ears going and they listen to everyone and anyone.

It is like trading on the stock market... you rarely can mix methods... you have to pick a method and process and stick with it. Learn the ups and downs, work out when it works well and where the weaknesses are. Then you will have a chance.


Anybody who has a repeatable golf swing, can hit the driver 210+metres (in play) and who can regularly sink 5ft putts would be a real chance of breaking 80 on most courses under 6,000 metres.

I would say even less than that mate - we have juniors of 5 who barely hit the ball 200 meters with a good driver swing and our course is 5800m on Kyke grass that has no roll.

It just comes down to contact - if you can get good contact with good mechanics then it flows all through your swing... from driver to shortgame. Everything matches.

[Jake]

Thanks for posting, there's some good stuff even for noobs there.