golfrewind.com

Let me first say that I'm a 1000% believer in the short game being the most important part of the golf game, however I'm also a believer in all of the above information on course management and mental game. If you shoot in the low 80's, you've got a pretty reliable swing, but the occasional mental error or poor club selection is going to be a big factor in whether you can get into the 70's. Yes the short game is super,ultra-hugely important, but if you can keep yourself "in the shots mentally" and not make huge errors off the tee and on your approach shots, you won't be scrambling nearly as much.

Putts are going to fall and putts are going to miss, but hitting greens (or close) is very important, and to hit greens you have to hit fairways, which brings me back to making good judgements, especially off the tee (i.e. sometimes hit an 3 iron or 5 wood instead of driver, when the hole calls for it).

If you can think your way around the course, and minimize your possibility for extreme errors and penalties, you'll be right on your way to shooting sub-80 rounds. I know when I shoot 81,82,83's, I can always go back to one or maybe two times during the round that I hit a poor tee shot (mental lapse) or didn't take enough club for the shot (course management), which resulted in a bogey or usually worse, and that's the difference that keeps you out of the 70's.

Has anyone seen or purchased the book on the site howtobreak80.com. I would be interested to hear if that has helped anyone.

thanks

I get the newsletter for how to break80 I read them for a while, but it seemed to be more geared to people trying to break 90 then 80. I have a bunch in my inbox from where I stopped reading them. One of these cold winter nights I may catch up.

I agree with the advice on making some up and downs to save some strokes suring your round. WHile hitting more green in regulation will definately help, its more likely that you will miss more greens than you hit, so making some up and downs would be a good focus. The first time I broke 80 I only hit about 6 greens in regulation but I made some nice chips and sunk some clutch putts.

I say that the biggest thing to breaking 80, which I've only done twice, is to try to give yourself a par putt inside 15 feet on every hole. That way, the worst you make is bogey, and you'll make a lot of pars. Throw a birdie or two in there and you only need to make 8-10 out of 18 putts inside 15 feet.

Yes, very good post.

There are so many things to do to get consistently better. Like LordEmery said, I've been in the 70's a number of times, but they represent a small percentage of rounds.

I was stuck around a 15 for probably 7-8 years, and decided to make it a goal to be a single-digit handicapper.

I did the following things:
- Set up a 5-pack lesson plan with a golf instructor. My swing was out of wack

- Started practicing differently. I used to go out and bang balls like everyone else. Instead, I started to break my practice up. One day at lunch I would hit balls on the range. Another day, I would just practice bunker shots and flop shots for the hour. I might stop off on the way home once per week and do nothing but chip and putt for an hour.

- In the summer at least, I try to play once per week after work. (my schedule is pretty flexible)

I ended up only taking about three months to get into the 9-range, and have been fluctuating between a 7 and an 8 since. I could definitely get it lower with more practice, but I just can't get out enough. (three kids under 2 years old in the house)

What a fun sport, though.

You need to practice more and give Mrs. jcm3 some rest.

Can you say snip snip?

The problem is that she needs help, so I feel guilty about leaving her with the gremlins. ha ha

I've come close so many times to breaking 80, and each time I go over the round, I find I didn't do it b/c of putts or chips that I didn't put as close I should have for an easy up and down.

Here's some tips on how to break 80.

1) Aim to shoot 75, it gives you a bit of leeway in the 70's. If you aim to shoot 79, what will you be thinking if you go thru 12 holes in +3, that you're doing too well? Aim for as low as possible

2) The tee shot should be positional. Put yourself in play with a 3 wood or hybrid so that you can get on the green with your next. There's no point in hitting driver and risking the trees when you can place a 3 wood only 20 yards behind. Put yourself in play

3) As Jack Nicklaus said "Hit more fairway, hit more greens, make more putts". It's the way to lowering your score. I believe hitting the GIR is the most important thing, as it's easier to make pars with a solid iron game and 2 putts instead of a razor sharp short gamr being put to the test. Work on your irons

Finally, get a song stuck in your head when you're playing your round. It prevents negative thoughts entering the mind and it keeps you relaxed throughout.

All this was pretty standard up until the song thing...I LIKE THAT...theme music for a good round...now I need suggestions on songs that work well...

Actually, I do this to...to a point. I find that when that song stuck in my head is a slower one, my swing tempo is just a bit slower than if it's an upbeat one. Odd, but it sorta works...

I liked aggiefreak's point of having a par putt inside 15 feet on every hole. This is paramount, IMO. If you're a player who can shoot in the low 80s, you're probably a decent putter. 15 feet is about the range where your make percentage drops off significantly. Assuming your putts are of varying length within that 15 feet during a round, making 11 of those 18 putts should be doable and there's your 79.

There isn't one person on this site who will consistently drop 11 of 18 15 footers...IMO it is about getting that par putt inside 6 feet, results of a chip, pitch or first half of a two putt, it doesn't matter, just that I am looking at 6 feet or less for that par conversion...while I will drop some of those longer putts, it won't be enough and will just leave me talking about the putts I left on the course...GIR is the big deciding factor in my book, enough of those and the scores will reflect it...solid short game helps, but to depend on that for the whole round is pushing your luck and concentration levels...

Little tidbit, Slipknot and other such heavy metal groups don't work :D

If you're already anywhere near 80, then forget about the full-swing tee shots and full-swing irons. Practice wedges from 100 yards and in, all day long. The short game is the key to scoring