Most citizen who play golf have never broken 90 in their golf careers.
This is obviously a major goal for these folks and a source of major frustration...
When I talk and play with these golfers, there is one common observation that I can make about their games that is creating a serious thinking barrier to their progress... And that is an intense desire for "more distance".
The other common observation I can make about their game is that they are passionate about golf and will do whatever it takes to improve.
The golf commerce thrives on these desires:
"buy this driver and add 10 extra yards to your game"
"buy this ball for extra distance"
"Learn to swing like the pros"
"Turn more for more distance"
Whenever you look in golf magazines or watch infomercials on Tv these headlines are everywhere....its no wonder that this length message has rubbed off on the struggling golfer.
Yet, when you do the math on what distances you want to break 90 off the proper white tees on the typical golf course, the numbers will surprise you...
Understand the Numbers
Golf is all about numbers and manufacture smart decisions. If you can understand the numbers that are necessary to meet your scoring goals, you will begin to make smarter decisions that will speedily lead to lower scores.
I say this because it is this lack of understanding of the numbers complicated in the game that leads golfers to make bad decisions both on and off the course:
"I need this new 0 driver to get my drives to 230 yards....that will make a huge divergence to may scores"
"If only I could get my irons to go further, what a divergence that would make"
Yet, talk to these same citizen 6 months after their buy and many of them have made limited divergence to their scores...
This push for length is a huge thinking barrier. Those golfers who enlarge faster with their games are those who have discovered how to overcome this thinking obstruction.
What they need to do is make thinking shift away from distance, to one of "consistency"...
If you can make that change, you will find your game will accelerate rapidly to lower scoring.
That process begins by knowing your numbers....
Understand the length Numbers
Golf is all about manufacture smart decisions nearby distance. If you can understand the numbers that are necessary to meet your scoring goals, you will begin to make smarter decisions that will speedily lead to lower scores.
I say this because it is this lack of understanding of the distances complicated in the game that lead golfers to make bad decisions both on and off the course:
"I need this new 0 driver to get my drives to 230 yards...that will make a huge divergence to may scores"
"If only I could get my irons to go further, what a divergence that would make"
Yet, talk to these same citizen 6 months after their buy and many of them have made limited divergence to their scores...
This push for length is a huge thinking barrier. Those golfers who enlarge faster with their games are those who have discovered how to overcome this thinking obstruction.
Make this thinking shift, and you will find your game will accelerate rapidly to lower scoring.
That process begins by knowing your numbers...
Average distances to Break 90
Let's assume you play on an midpoint length procedure of 6,100 yards. I am going to throw some midpoint length requirements per stroke out there to break 90 that are based on dissimilar putting abilities...
45 putts/round - midpoint distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 138 yards
40 putts/round - midpoint distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 124 yards
36 putts/round - midpoint distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 115 yards
(average length = 6,100 ÷ (89 - # of putts/round) )
For ladies on a 5,500 yard procedure the yardages are less:
45 putts/round - midpoint distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 128 yards
40 putts/round - midpoint distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 115 yards
36 putts/round - midpoint distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 104 yards
As you look at these numbers, even some absolute beginners using a set of old clubs can reach these distances!
So where is the need for distance?
If you are any good at putting you could probably get round the procedure in 89 using only a 9/8 iron and a putter...
"Ah, but that is not how the game is played..." some might say.
That is undoubtedly true. But then I would ask "how should you play the game and what are you trying to achieve?"...
Change of Thinking
In showing you these distances and prodding these questions I am not trying to be necessary of those who play in the 90's or above...
I am simply trying to help you account for the numbers to encourage you think a limited more about how you may be approaching your own game.
Of procedure I would not suggest you go nearby the procedure with nothing but an 8 iron and a putter. That is silly. However, these numbers clearly suggest that you do not need a 230 yard drive either.
So what can we learn from just studying these distances?
1. For starters, if you are able to midpoint a 2 putt on every green for your round, you take off a huge length requirement from your game.
This then should be your top priority for breaking 90...practice putting at home to get your putting midpoint down to 36 or less per round.
2. The second observation that jumps out at us is that length is not an issue if you are able to execute every shot cleanly during the round without a miss hit or duff shot.
Swing consistency becomes key, not distance.
Here is how your thinking and thinking arrival to your swing has to change...
It does not matter how far you hit the ball, but it is vital that you hit every shot with some level of consistency.
Consistency comes with a lot of practice, but it can also come from manufacture smart decisions with your shot making...
Operating at the Top End of your Swing ability Curve
Your judgment calls on length and club choice can seriously affect your swing consistency...this is all a "mental process" and has nothing to do with your physical capability.
Let me show you an example...
Let's say that you are faced with an arrival shot to the green of 140 yards. What are your choices?
Well, on the range you know that you can reach 140 yards with an 8 iron....in most cases you might have a go with that decision.
How positive do you feel at executing that shot? What are the likely outcomes if you do not pull it off?
Here is what I contemplate with many high handicap golfers when manufacture decisions of this nature...
9 times out of 10 they are always short of the green. This is because of whether a unblemished miss hit duff shot or they did not catch the ball cleanly at contact.
On top of this the accuracy of the shot is off as well.
The surmise for this is they are swinging at the high end of their swing ability curve trying to execute a "full turn", because that is what they have read, or been told will give them the "most distance".
If they adopt this same thinking arrival to swinging with a full turn during their practice sessions with all their clubs, their decisions on length ability with each club is going to be influenced by the results they achieve on the range.
The shots they remember are the shots they hit well that go a mile, but do they remember how far they hit the balls that did not go so well?....probably not.
Whenever you try to run a "system" at the high of it ability it is going to experience some failure.
The same can be said of your golf swing. Try to swing with a full turn on every shot, and you will experience failure more times than not.
That is because with a full backswing prolongation you are more likely to experience:
o Balance problems
o Breakdowns of the left arm
o Excessive tension in the arms that leads to a prerelease of the hands from the top of the swing and poor timing
to mention but a few...
Ok. Now I want you to reconsider your chances of reaching the same 140 yards with whether a 7 iron or even a 6 iron. Are you likely to be short with whether of these two clubs?
The talk is, "no, only if I miss hit the shot completely. If whatever I may overshoot the target..."
Choose a Club Down for best Swing Consistency
Here is how you can immediately heighten your swing consistency on the course...
I want you to ask yourself why you put yourself under length pressure for this 140 yard shot?
Why do you need to control your swing at the high end of your ability curve and push the extremes of your swing limits with an 8 iron, knowing that you are likely to experience a miss hit?
This is totally unnecessary. You have the choice of choosing down a club that you know you will reach the length with a much higher degree of certainty.
This same understanding process can be applied to every swing decision you make with every iron you have in the bag.
The only time you reach a point where you have to make a full turn to increase length comes with clubs at the low end such as a 3 iron, 3 wood and driver where you no longer have the choice to choose down a club.
Choosing to club down for all of your length decisions changes your thinking arrival from one of going for distance, to one of going for consistency.
The first reaction you have when you make this decision is worrying about over shooting the target.
This understanding process troops you to shorten your backswing so that you take some "heat" out of the shot.
When you shorten your backswing:
o Your balance is best and your swing is much easier to time.
o With improved balance also comes improved accuracy.
So, club down and shorten your backswing for improved consistency...
Set a scoring goal for each hole
You can sacrifice the pressure to swing for length from your swing even additional by accurately knowing what length you need to achieve your scoring goal for every hole to break 90.
On a par 72 hole procedure you need to score 17 over par in order to achieve an 89.
You can break that down to a scoring goal for every hole of a 1 over par, only needing a singular par on any one hole somewhere during the round.
Now let's look at how knowing this facts affects your decision manufacture and club choice on the course...
For those of you who feel you need to add more length to your game but have yet to break 90, I want to try and dispel this thinking obstacle once and for all with this following example...
Let's put you under a pressure for length scenario on the procedure by imaging you are standing on the tee of a 410 yard par 4. Does this intimidate you? You bet!
"I need to have a long drive so that I can give myself every occasion of getting on or near the green with my arrival shot..."
"It is holes like this that bring out the need for that 230 yard drive! Even with that drive I still have 180 yards to go with the next shot."
How do you rate your chances of pulling off consistent shots under this whole of pressure?
Not very high is my guess..."
Before you reach into the bag for the heavy artillery and psych yourself up for a monster drive, step back for a limited and think about what you are trying to achieve on this hole.
You are not trying to play for par, you are trying to play for a one over par because that is your goal for this hole.
Come to think of it, even a 5 handicap golfer does not need to go for par on this hole because holes of this nature normally have a handicap index of 5 or less!
Knowing you have 5 strokes to meet your goal, how can you best use those strokes to make each shot as straightforward as possible?
The trick lies in working your way back from the green to the tee, not from the tee to the green in your club selection...
Work backwards from the green for shot simplicity and improved consistency
First of all, I am going to assume you took note of my first observation and have practiced your putting at home and feel pretty good at averaging 2 putts per green.
That leaves you with 3 shots with which to work your way back to the tee to cover the 410 yards.
The first decision you need to make is at what length and with what club can I feel positive at getting everywhere on the green 9 times out of 10, remembering that there is no need to push your swing to it's high limits for distance.
Let's say that a 65 yard pitching wedge comes to mind.
Ok, now let's work back a limited additional and decree what would be a cheap shot that you feel pretty positive at getting you within that 65 yard arrival shot range even from light rough.
Maybe a 160 yard iron or hybrid club.
What's left for your drive....185 yards, which for some of you may be a 3 wood distance.
What this exercise does for you is sacrifice the pressure to swing for length fully from every shot tee to green. You will be able to swing well within your length capability...especially if you also club down.
Your chances of executing this strategy with cheap consistency compared to the "conventional approach" is going to be much higher because you are not swinging at the high end of your swing range.
On top of this, if you successfully land your third shot on the green, you give yourself a one putt occasion of a par!
Now correlate that occasion to the "conventional approach" where you would probably be satisfied with a one or even a two over par....
Adding the Extra Shot and Shorten your arrival Shot
The one over scoring goal on every hole but one to break 90 allows you to establish your tee to green play with an "extra shot" compared to a regulation strategy.
That extra shot on all the par 4's and par 5's reduces the length you want for every shot considerably.
Knowing this allows you to back off and swing well within your length ability by clubbing down.
The extra shot also allows you to go for a shorter arrival shot on every hole which improves your changes of getting on the green.
This helps you avoid many wasted short game shots from nearby the green which are mountainous shot consumers for high handicap players who have not industrialized a short game.
Breaking 90
As I have shown you in this article, knowing the length numbers to break 90 takes away the pressure to control at the high end of your swing ability on every shot
Making smart club choices by clubbing down, also eliminates this length pressure.
The strategy of adding the extra shot from tee to green to shorten your arrival shots on every hole, not only reduces wasted shots from nearby the green, you also give yourself more par opportunities for a one putt par.
The desire to add more length to your game can be a major thinking barrier that is preventing you from lowering your scores and reaching your goal of 89.
Make the thinking shift to thinking more on how to heighten consistency by swinging well within you length capabilities and your scores will drop significantly in a short duration of time...
Good luck and good scoring!
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