Breaking 90: I need to get off the tee better. Sugestions for drills?

[DON SVO]

[quote name='Pepperturbo' date='28 April 2010 - 01:20 PM' timestamp='1272478830' post='2406419']
OK, if your driver and 3 wood are to blame move up a tee box and leave them in your bag. If what your saying is true your scores should dramatically improve. I don't believe that will be the case however.

No matter how good we get, now and again off the tee we all find ourselves in the junk. It's what we do then that either saves par or cuts our losses to a bogie. I've played with enough bogie golfers to know one or two clubs are not keeping them bogie golfers; it's typically their across the board judgment while playing that keeps them playing bogie golf, and to often they play the wrong tees.

When a bogie golfer friend finds himself in the junk, he's heard me say "stop and think about "all" the shot options", forget about the pin; what's the smartest shot you can make happen. He too thinks his irons and hybrids are reasonable straight... and his wedge game is OK, with putting being pretty good; yet he and a few other friends have been bogie golfers for as long as I've known them. Their game perception isn't nearly as close as they want to think.

What gets each of them into trouble is ego, myopic view of the pin, never thinking backward through shot options, and they don't really know which clubs they can trust will go where they want. A few times one friend and I agreed before teeing off he'd listen to my input before each shot. In essence I'd ask the questions that come natural to me that he overlooks. The most common overall result has been amazement and confusion. He realizes what he doesn't know about his game; that I know about mine. I am in the junk approximately 20% of the time and still card low 70 rounds. Driver or 3wd are not the real problem if you want to break 90 IMO. I suspect the problem is what you don't do that you should learn how to do.
[/quote]

I've been playing golf since July. 9 months. If I continue to shoot bogey golf 'for years', I'll quit.

There's a rather challenging par-3 9 hole course local to me (Westdale Hills) That I can pretty consistently shoot in the 6-8 over par range, low being a 5. I'm very comfortable in my irons and wedges.

While I agree that shelving the long sticks would net me a somewhat better score (and probably give me an 89), but what does that do for me except allow a chest-puffing for my score? I want to play better golf, not be some mediocre mid-teens golfer who plays the same course week-in and week-out and never progresses.

I appreciate you telling me to put up the driver and fetch my 89, but I would rather learn how to hit every club in my bag and break 89/79/etc as a well-rounded golfer... not as one that stuffs his inconsistencies in the back of the closet and forgets about them.

[dbstrat]

I think your problem is the title and how you worded the question. You start of with "Breaking 90" but really don't want to know anything about that. You simply want to improve your tee shot with the big clubs. No problem. You phrased the question wrong, it doesn't make a lot of sense to get bent out of shape when you get answers to a question you asked of the forum but didn't really want to have answered...

That said, if i had to guess you are probably coming way over the top and outside-in. Try starting your downswing by yanking the butt of the club toward the ball until your hands are in your right pocket to try to come more inside and then get a proper release.

You likely won't get the help you need here and should see an instructor. Spend 50-100 bucks and a half hour and you'll get way more than you could get on the internet.

Good luck with your driver!

[boo radley]

[quote name='Randiesel' date='26 April 2010 - 06:43 PM' timestamp='1272321826' post='2402444']
Its so funny to me, a guy comes on here and posts rather specifically about his problem, and what he'd like to solve it, and everyone talks down to him about course management. What the heck.
[/quote]

I think, as someone else rightly pointed out, the question *seemed* to be about breaking 90; attaining that goal has been thwarted only by wayward shots with the driver and 3-wood.

Given that the poster apparently has no problem with irons/wedges/putting, and he plays short courses that are tight (presumably from the slope rating)...Discussing course management seems reasonable.

If the irons are that solid, should be no problem cleanly stroking a 4 or 5-iron out to ~200 yards, leaving a 7,8 or 9-iron in, on most of the holes, and saving a wood for the really wide open holes, and thus gaining confidence. Is that not 'being a complete golfer?' I dunno.

[DON SVO]

[quote name='boo radley' date='29 April 2010 - 07:38 AM' timestamp='1272544723' post='2407808']I think, as someone else rightly pointed out, the question *seemed* to be about breaking 90; attaining that goal has been thwarted only by wayward shots with the driver and 3-wood.

Given that the poster apparently has no problem with irons/wedges/putting, and he plays short courses that are tight (presumably from the slope rating)...Discussing course management seems reasonable.

If the irons are that solid, should be no problem cleanly stroking a 4 or 5-iron out to ~200 yards, leaving a 7,8 or 9-iron in, on most of the holes, and saving a wood for the really wide open holes, and thus gaining confidence. Is that not 'being a complete golfer?' I dunno.
[/quote]

I ASSuMEd that reading my post would have alluded to my trouble off the tee box being the driver/3 wood, not every club in the bag. I think some folks didn't read it that way and it's been miscontrued as me just wanting to crush the long ball on every hole. Probably should have titled it with "suggestions for drills with my driver?".

My 'average' distance with roll off the tee box with a 3 hybrid is 225-220, 4 iron is 210-205, 5 iron is 195-190. My prefered approach range is actually 125-150, that's choked-down PW to mid-8 iron range for me and an extremely consistent range.. I plan every hole backwards from the pin, I'll purposely club down to avoid sand/water (going mild draw 6 iron to 180 so as to avoid a left-side trap @ 190 etc).

You can reason (and rightly so) that most of my destructive scores are coming from long par 4s/par 5s. Can I feasibly reach a 430 yard par 4 in 2 without touching my driver? Yeah, but it's going to require 2 near-perfect shots (at least 4 iron/4 iron) with a good lie on the approach. I'd rather learn how to hit a driver correctly and get my tee shots 260 down the middle. I'd much rather go at the green with a smooth 7 iron than doing something 'hero-like' with a 210 yard 4 iron.

In short, I want to be able to use every club in my bag when the situation calls for it.

[Pepperturbo]

[quote name='DON SVO' date='28 April 2010 - 03:19 PM' timestamp='1272489551' post='2406770']
[quote name='Pepperturbo' date='28 April 2010 - 01:20 PM' timestamp='1272478830' post='2406419']
OK, if your driver and 3 wood are to blame move up a tee box and leave them in your bag. If what your saying is true your scores should dramatically improve. I don't believe that will be the case however.

No matter how good we get, now and again off the tee we all find ourselves in the junk. It's what we do then that either saves par or cuts our losses to a bogie. I've played with enough bogie golfers to know one or two clubs are not keeping them bogie golfers; it's typically their across the board judgment while playing that keeps them playing bogie golf, and to often they play the wrong tees.

When a bogie golfer friend finds himself in the junk, he's heard me say "stop and think about "all" the shot options", forget about the pin; what's the smartest shot you can make happen. He too thinks his irons and hybrids are reasonable straight... and his wedge game is OK, with putting being pretty good; yet he and a few other friends have been bogie golfers for as long as I've known them. Their game perception isn't nearly as close as they want to think.

What gets each of them into trouble is ego, myopic view of the pin, never thinking backward through shot options, and they don't really know which clubs they can trust will go where they want. A few times one friend and I agreed before teeing off he'd listen to my input before each shot. In essence I'd ask the questions that come natural to me that he overlooks. The most common overall result has been amazement and confusion. He realizes what he doesn't know about his game; that I know about mine. I am in the junk approximately 20% of the time and still card low 70 rounds. Driver or 3wd are not the real problem if you want to break 90 IMO. I suspect the problem is what you don't do that you should learn how to do.
[/quote]

I've been playing golf since July. 9 months. If I continue to shoot bogey golf 'for years', I'll quit.

There's a rather challenging par-3 9 hole course local to me (Westdale Hills) That I can pretty consistently shoot in the 6-8 over par range, low being a 5. I'm very comfortable in my irons and wedges.

While I agree that shelving the long sticks would net me a somewhat better score (and probably give me an 89), but what does that do for me except allow a chest-puffing for my score? I want to play better golf, not be some mediocre mid-teens golfer who plays the same course week-in and week-out and never progresses.

I appreciate you telling me to put up the driver and fetch my 89, but I would rather learn how to hit every club in my bag and break 89/79/etc as a well-rounded golfer... not as one that stuffs his inconsistencies in the back of the closet and forgets about them.
[/quote]

I don't suggest advice I don't use myself. I offered the advice that I used to get to where I am now, playing near scratch. My first rd at 40 yrs old was 94 from 6300 white tees. I card in the mid-hi 70's from 6300 yards, not using driver or 3wd; but this isn't about me. This is suppose to be about helping you to get to where I've been for sometime. Sorry you think what I suggested was to closet something. You obviously missed the point, and want to do it a certain way; either way nothing more to say. Good luck.

[DON SVO]

[quote name='Pepperturbo' date='29 April 2010 - 10:13 AM' timestamp='1272553985' post='2408025']
OK, if your driver and 3 wood are to blame move up a tee box and leave them in your bag. If what your saying is true your scores should dramatically improve. I don't believe that will be the case however. [/quote]

[quote]I offered the advice that I used to get to where I am now, playing near scratch. My first round at 40 on a regulation 18 course was 94 from the white tee's. Sorry you think what I suggested was to closet something. You obviously missed the point, and want to do it your way; either way nothing more to say. Good luck.
[/quote]

That's exactly what you suggested, then went on about course management...

Do you only play from reds and whites and leave your driver and 3 wood in your bag?

I believe that your response to my original post is entirely my fault. Almost everyone seems to be latching on to 'break 90'... I would like to break 90 because i consider it a good goal: breaking 90 and carding a legit eagle are goals I have prior to July 7th (one year of playing). However, what I requested (and thank you to thenewbie, Randiesel, tonster, blue_food, dbstrat and others for some good thoughts!) wasn't course management: it was how to fix a specific problem I have... an inconsistent driver that is costing me some strokes.

If my course management was horrible, I wouldn't be making a par every 3 holes and making a majority of birdies on par 4s (7 out of my 13 birdies have been par 4s, 2 on par 5s).

I do appreciate you taking the time to reply, I'm sorry I didn't lead you to the issue I wish to correct.

[ingster1]

Sounds like you're looking for advice to address a swing issue and you've received some helpful ideas on improving your driver swing. You may want to consider your equipment as well - e.g., does your driver and three wood fit your swing? Have you demoed other drivers with different lofts, lengths, shafts, etc. and do you have more or less the same results? Just a thought.

For more consistency with your driver, I like the following drill: hit some drivers with your feet together. Do not try to swing hard, just hit some solid ones and feel how your body moves. It should help you feel a flatter swing plane and good body rotation. Alternate hitting some with your feet together and hitting some with your normal stance but try to keep some of the same feelings from your swings with your feet together.

Good luck.