Breaking Par

My quest to get down to scatch and break par is going in the right direction. As of the 1st of September I am off 3.00 and my game is in great shape. I continue to work on my shot shaping and course management and I feel a 72 is just around the corner.

My putting is really strong and in the last 3 rounds i have averaged 29 putts per round. I got a bit up right on my drives which resulted in over drawing the ball a bit but I have worked on dropping my right shoulder and this has resulted in hitting more fairways.

I am going to play against Australian PGA pro Gary Doolan from Champions in a couple of weeks at Ponderosa and I want to try and push him to the wire in our matchplay.

Enjoy and play better.

What does it take to get to a 3 hcp?  I've always felt limited by my short drives as it doesn't allow me to hit a number of greens in regulation. Do you mind sharing on your average drives and specific strengths to get down to a 3?

Ok I land my drives over 270 m+ and they run depending on the course conditions. My longest drive was 304 m at Indah Purri on Batam. I am very strong with my irons 4-9 and have a good short game. I have worked very hard on my putting and this is one big area of my overall improvement. I work  hard on my game and have incorporated a one shot routine with great effect at the driving range.
 
The other area of great importance is my course management, i know where i want to hit the ball and with what club. I dont take driver on every par 4 as possition is of paramount importance for my 2nd shot. I try to reduce the amount of mistakes per round.

Hope this helps

Great sharing, let us know blow by blow for the pro matchplay if you can.

GolfMad62 wrote:

... I work  hard on my game and have incorporated a one shot routine with great effect at the driving range.
 

Can you elaborate on that? Thanks.

I wanna stay tuned to your updates too!

what score you playing now?

By a 1 shot routine i mean that unless i am working on something specific I will only hit one shot with one club at the range and look to pick out a specific target. I dont stand there and hit ball after ball with the driver.

After warming up i will normally tee off with the driver then hit a shot with an iron or fairway/rescue before hitting a wedge. Each time i pick my target and try to get a close as possible. I work through every club in the bag and use every combination imaginable. I always try to visulise what i want to do and keep my pre shot routine the same.

I do the same on the practice green I thow down 6 balls in different locations and lies around the green and try to get down with one chip and one putt. if i miss i go back to the beginning and start again untill i do it. Its a variation of the clock drill for putting.

My last six rounds i have shot. 74. 76,77,76 & 75

I believe you are reaping the fruits of what you sow. 
Apart from spending time to practice, you also practice with a purpose

Many of us hackers have many priorities, some hardly have time to go range or work on short game. So our expectations have to be matched with our inputs.

I reckoned you must be 51yo this year from your profile and your nickname. It gives me hope that there is still room for me to get better.

Please keep us posted!

GolfMad62 wrote:

By a 1 shot routine i mean that unless i am working on something specific I will only hit one shot with one club at the range and look to pick out a specific target. I dont stand there and hit ball after ball with the driver.

After warming up i will normally tee off with the driver then hit a shot with an iron or fairway/rescue before hitting a wedge. Each time i pick my target and try to get a close as possible. I work through every club in the bag and use every combination imaginable. I always try to visulise what i want to do and keep my pre shot routine the same.

I do the same on the practice green I thow down 6 balls in different locations and lies around the green and try to get down with one chip and one putt. if i miss i go back to the beginning and start again untill i do it. Its a variation of the clock drill for putting.

Can you share with us

how much time do you spend at the range for each session?

how many times do you go range every week?

how many games do you play each week/month?

am I the only guy saw that he is at least partially sponsored by Ping.

haragolfer wrote:

am I the only guy saw that he is at least partially sponsored by Ping.

No, but did not want to point it out as he was about to share his secrets to a par game when u OBed.

I go to the range 3 times a week and practice my putting 3 times a week. On average i spend an hour & 30 minutes at the range for each session splitting between range and prctice green. I have an 8 foot practice putting mat at home where i mainly concentrate on swing and tempo..

Dont think all i do is golf, I am a succeeful business man and travel a great deal. (Yes when possible clubs go with me)

Playing on course depends on my business/travel schedule, when im busy I manage twice a month but if i can spare the time i manage between 4-6 rounds.

thats a lot of practice and little games 

and to be able to clock 70s consistently, you are doing all the right things..

Kudos to you

i am also doing the right things. I am consistently clocking 90s scores   

andrew-golf wrote:

thats a lot of practice and little games 

and to be able to clock 70s consistently, you are doing all the right things..

Kudos to you

i am also doing the right things. I am consistently clocking 90s scores   

you don't come and buaya ...

wow 300m drives don't just come from practice alone. U must have some serious talent to start with.

Hi GolfMad62,
Thank you for sharing, pick up a few pointers on how to go about in our practice with a purpose at range / practice green / putting. besides purposeful practice and discipline effort (to clock 3 times / week), you must talented to clock such drives. 
How do you stay focus on the mental aspect of the game to play w such consistency. 
I will stay tuned to this thread. Looking forward to more sharing. 
Hope you achieve your target soon.

IMHO.. the frequency or duration of range visits isn't important. 
What bro golfmad62 said is crucial. Practice with a purpose and not just go there and hit 200 balls with driver. 

I too employ the 1 shot routine when i range. in fact.. our practice routines sound very similar.

Pick out a target.. drive.. 
if i drive right.. i'll pick a pin on e left side of the range for my "approach"... if i drive to the left.. i'll pick out a pin on the right. 

I treat every 2nd shot like a par 4... and then i pitch to the baskets and treat em like par 5's. trying to get the balls as close to the pins as possible. 

Scattering balls all over the practice greens and bunkers are the best way to train. no 2 shots the same. it gives u a different lie and distance everytime. forces u to think and be creative.

My mindset is simple, no matter where i am range, course, practice green or putting mat I only have one chance to execute the shot/stroke properly. I focuse on my repeatable set up and visualise what i want to achieve. Knowing you can execute a one chip one putt to save par is half the battle because you have done it a thousand times during practice.

abadan wrote:

IMHO.. the frequency or duration of range visits isn't important. 
What bro golfmad62 said is crucial. Practice with a purpose and not just go there and hit 200 balls with driver. 

+1.......No wonder u so good...

In golf, we learn something every time we play ... In other words, golf is a never ending journey ...

You are absolutely 100% correct. I am constantly learning about myself the game and what I want to achieve.

I had a great practice session on Wednesday night, I hit 20 drives throughout the session and my main focus was to drop my right shoulder to ensure i stay on swing path and dont come over the top. Out of 20 drives 16 were straight and hit the back of the net on the full at 270 meters. 3 were hit with a bit of a fade but were still long and would still be playable and one was hit with an unintential draw because of a poor stance but was still long and playable.

I achieved an 80% accuracy rating with the other 20% being a little wayward but still very playable.