Breaking 80

This was me for a while
But just so you know I’m a 6.7 currently and I finally broke 80 again for the first time in six months
Shot 2 eighties on the dot last month
Couple 81’s and an 83
Also had two rounds in the low 90’s
handicap isn’t scoring average. It’s potential
A 12 handicap breaking 80 would be a very big deal and awesome day

My Biggest thing that took me down from low double digits to single digit handicap was letting the hole go and stop trying hero shots
If I put myself in bad shape and make bogey instead of double or make double instead of triple that’s ok.
And that hole is over!! Move on….can’t fix it so try your best to move on to next shot. Golf is hard!

Read the Four Foundations of Golf by John Sherman.

Synopsis:
1. For tee shots, keep the ball in play while advancing it as far as you can.
2. For approach shots, aim mostly at the middle of the green and allow your “dispersion” pattern to help you hit more greens.
3. Practice putting from 4 to 8 feet. Nobody makes more than 50% of putts longer than 10 ft or so, but you can get way better at 4-6 ft.
4. Get back to the golf course when you go astray. Find a way to play your next shot from the fairway or green.
5. Simplify the number and types of shots you play.. find a bump and run technique and hone it. Find a pitch technique and hone it.

Sometimes it can be dictated by the course as well and how it plays into your strengths or weaknesses. Like others said, you really have to eliminate double bogeys (and drop alot of pars that day) so finding a course that plays well into your strengths and away fro your weaknesses is key.

For example, compare Beau Chene Oak's course to Carter Plantation. Carter is a little bit long from the golds but shorter from the gold /blue blend which most 12's should be playing probably but lets just look at the golds.

For someone who can hit fairways consistently and is a good ball striker but struggles around the green, you would likely fair better at Beau Chene.

If you have a strong short game, are a solid putter and all around solid inside of 100 but spray it a bit off the tee, you'll likely do better to Carter.

Same handicap as you. I shot a 79 from the 2 ups last year and a 78 earlier this year. Honestly, it was just one of those days where it all clicked, made three putts 10-15ft and happened to not drive anything OB. Just got lucky honestly and playing a bunch of rounds to have a lucky day.

I did notice that my rounds got to be a lot less stressful when I started keeping my score on paper and not counting until the end of the round. I used to track all my rounds on an app and would update my score each hole. I would end up being too fixated on a number during the round and it would throw my whole mental game off.

Course management is a big part of it. I’ve played with plenty of people that have the game to shoot good scores, but they do stupid things like going for par 5’s in two when there’s trouble or hitting driver on a short par 4 when there’s trouble.

You don’t have to “tin cup” it and always go for it. Lay up sometimes and get better with your wedges and you’ll get there.

80% of your practice time PUTTING AND CHIPPING

1 - know what your miss is. More players I’ve seen make mistakes trying to hit every shot straight. Most higher handicap players I’ve seen slice. So play it, and work on controlling how much.

2 -practice your putting, a lot. I bought a putter mat, and it helps me by practicing getting shots on line. If you’ll practice nothing but 4 footers do that until you make 20 in a row. Go back to 6 feet till you miss, then back to 4 for another 20. When you have a lot of confidence in the 4-6 foot range you’ll be surprised how much better longer putts get because you’re less worried about the 3 footer you have left.

3 - around the greens. Don’t just pull out a 60. If you’re short sided with no obstacle between you and the green putter is often the best choice. We’re not pros and can both land it in a coffee cup but get some spin on it too.

I went from a 10 last year to currently a 4.9 according to 18 birdies, I’m always trying to break 80

Biggest mental thing for me was to just not calculate my score. I right down the number after the hole then just ignore it, I don’t count up my strokes after 9 and just keep playing.

It’s definitely helped me to not chase a score, of course I have an idea of what I am shooting but I don’t calculate the exact number until after the round. If I know I’m close to the 80 number I’ll calculate my score on 17 or 18 to see if I need to get more aggressive or not.