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BREAKING 100
Welcome to a new beginning!  This might be the day you remember as the day that changed your golf life.  You are the reason we started this site.  Statistics suggest only 10% of golfers reach this milestone and we want to bring that number up.  We're excited you're here and remember, in life and golf, you earn good results through practice.

We are not going to talk about swing path or arm angles.  We will leave that to your local teaching professionals.  This page is dedicated to the mental side of the game, short game fundamentals and putting.  The goal is to get you to start thinking about a plan to shoot 99 and lower. 
MISSION 99:

Course knowledge is one of the most important issues for amateur golfers.  The more you play the course, the more you'll know what trouble to avoid, giving you the best chance to succeed.  Start looking at the course layout to determine where you would ideally like to be on each shot for each hole. 

You're good from tee to green, but the short game gives you trouble:
  • Let's break down the score card.  On a par 72, you will need to shoot a maximum of 27 over par for 18 holes.  That's 1.5 over par per hole.
  • It's basically bogey and a half golf that you will need to maintain throughout the round.  If you get a double bogey on one hole, you'll need a bogey or better the next to keep pace.
  • Let's make an assumption that you can get to any green in 3 shots on a par 4.  A chip and a putt will give you a 5.  Bogey golf puts you at a score of 90!
  • Next time you want to practice, instead of hitting the driving range go to the putting and chipping green.  Although you don't get the same feeling of crushing that scuffed-up range ball as you do knocking in five-foot putts, if you want to bring your scores down, you must become a good chipper and putter.
  • Getting up and down is really an art form.  Sometimes you need to get creative.  You'll need to learn how to hit flop shots, bump and runs to get that ball as close as you can for an easy tap in.
  • Making 5, 10 and 15 foot putts are important.  Practice these putts religiously.  And try them from all angles such as downhill, sidehill and uphill.
  • You need to learn to lag the ball from 30 and 40 feet to within 5 or less to the hole.  The game gets a lot easier when the ball's sitting next to the hole and your playing partner calls it good.
  • When was the last time you went to the practice sand trap?  You will find those nasty bunkers from time to time on the course and it's important you can feel confident you'll get out on the first swing.  Nothing is worse than leaving it in the bunker as it becomes a real mental downer.
Green Strategy:
  • You must know where the holes will be on any given day.  Find the pin sheets where you can plan your strategy.
  • Pros have a partner to work with, their caddy, who knows what every inch of the green will do.  You get this information without a caddy by playing a course multiple times and taking notes on where the breaks will be on each green.
  • There are two components to putting:  Knowing where your putt line is and executing the putt.  If you know for sure what the line is, you'll be much more confident stepping up to execute your putt with the right speed.
  • What putts do you feel most comfortable with?  Most right handed golfers like a straight uphill putt or a slight break to the right uphill putt.  Figure out where on the green will get you that type of putt.  Put yourself in the best position possible to get the best result possible.
You're good around the green but the tee and fairway can get adventurous:
  • The wildness from tee to green is skyrocketing your score.  Are you playing from the trees and rough a lot?  Course management is key for you.
  • If you don't hit your driver well, pull out a club you have a lot of confidence in, ala Tin Cup and his 7 iron.  We don't encourage the Tin Cup method, but being confident with your clubs is extremely important.
  • Do you hit a three metal (wood) off the tee more consistently?  How about a longer iron or even a hybrid?  Sure it's not as fun as trying to blast the driver, but what are you trying to accomplish?  Staying in the fairway and out of trouble is key (as well as a lot more fun).
  • Go to the driving range and work on picking out a target.  Many amateur golfers hit shots without caring where they go on the range.  Treat it like you're actually playing.  This procedure will get you more focused mentally when playing each shot.
SCENARIO:  Let's say you're looking at a par 4 dog leg left with a bunker on the right of the fairway.  The green is guarded by another bunker on its right as well.  The strategy here is to avoid those trouble spots.  Let's say you typically hit a slice.  You'll want to aim left with the plan to put the ball on the left side of the fairway.  This will keep you away from the bunker on the right and giving you a good look at the green with your line taking you away from the other hazard near the green.  Even if you're in the rough on the left, it's better than being in the bunker or worse on the right and trying to carry the ball over the green side bunker.  If you do get into trouble off the tee, play the ball, if you can, to the near front of the green.  A chip and a putt still gets you a 4 and a two putt gives you a 5.  Remember, bogey golf will get you well under 100.

Mental Focus bringing you down?
  • Concentration and execution are important in most sports, but  they are extremely important in golf.
  • Don't let a bad shot take you out of your game.  Regroup, forget about it, and think about what the next shot will require to get you back on track.
  • Golf is a mental game and it's a chess match with yourself sometimes.  As soon as you lose mental focus, calm down and concentrate on the next shot.  If you can't, then forget about your dream round for that day, flag down the drink cart and enjoy a beautiful day on the links.
Mission accomplished?

We're not naive enough to think that after reading this section you'll go out and shoot 99 today or tomorrow.  But hopefully with these tips you can begin to start thinking in a way that will give you that chance to reach your new low.

Use our blog to discuss what others are doing in their quest.  And, if you do card a number under triple digits, please come back to our blog to tell us all about it.  We love a good success story.

Good luck and may your bounces be kind!
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