Since I didn’t want the intro to be too long, I’ll explain my new scoring mentality, which helped me break 90 for the first time, in more depth here.
To start, I had to change my mindset from a bogey being “bad” to a bogey equaling a par. In other words, the course par for me was now a 90 instead of 72. If I shot 18 bogeys, I would’ve played at even par in my mind. This mindset shift reset my expectations and allowed me to play much smarter, given my skill level as an average golfer. Here is how:
All you need to do to get a bogey on a par 4 is this:
Hit your tee shot anywhere in play that gives you a look on your 2nd shot to hit the ball in a safe spot within a manageable distance of the green.
Hit your approach shot anywhere within a certain distance of the green where you feel like you can chip/pitch onto the green and 2 putt almost every time. For me, this distance was about a 40-yard radius around the green.
Hit your chip/pitch shot on the green within a distance of the pin you feel comfortable that you can 2-putt almost every time. For me, this distance was about 25 feet.
Always make sure to 2-putt once you are on the green. There is no need to be aggressive and hole any putts over 6 ft. The goal should be to ensure a 2-putt every time by focusing on speed unless you are within 6 ft. For anything under 6 feet, you should focus more on your line and making the putt.
If any of the above steps to making a bogey on a par 4 sound unrealistic to do consistently, you are not ready to break 90. You need to practice whatever step you don’t feel confident you can accomplish at least 95% of the time.
If you can comfortably accomplish all of the above steps COMBINED over 90% of the time, the next question should be: How do I get pars? Obviously, you can’t break 90 by getting 18 bogeys, so, at some point, you will have to get some pars. My mindset for this was to only go for par/GIR under these conditions:
You hit your tee shot (or 2nd shot if it is a par 5) that gives you a good look at the green.
You are not worried about any OB trouble around the green based on how far out you are.
For example, I would go for a GIR if I were inside 140 YDS with a clear look at the green and no OB trouble within 30 YDS of the green. In this case, if I missed the green, I wouldn’t go OB even with a poor shot, and I would feel confident in my ability to chip/pitch on and two-putt to save bogey. If I was outside 140 YDS and there was OB trouble within 30 YDS of the green, I would just take my medicine and aim for a safe spot away from the OB but still within 30 YDS of the green to comfortably secure a bogey.
Overall, the main takeaway is to play the course as a par 90 and avoid double/triple bogeys at all costs. Par opportunities (treated like birdies) will come throughout the round, and bogeys are easy to get if you play for them intentionally instead of making a mistake by going for par every time. The pros play the course as a par 72 and only go for birdie some of the time, so if you are playing the course as a par 90, you should not be going for par all the time. Instead, play safe for bogeys, avoid double bogeys, and go for pars when great opportunities present themselves.
Hopefully, that all makes sense, and it will help some of you break 90 for the first time, as it did for me!
8 июн 2024
