Happy Sunday, everyone. Hope all of you living in cold-weather states are getting your last licks in. I’m fortunate to live in a year-round golf climate (Southern California), but I’ve been hearing rumblings of golfers prepping for the off-season now that we’ve entered October.
Anyway, let’s get into it.
Today’s quote:
“Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course—the distance between your ears.”
— Bobby Jones
Strategies For Breaking 80
Golf Digest put out an article last week on 13 data-backed strategies to break 80 (you can check it out here). A lot of them are pretty obvious — like “don’t chase birdies” or “try to avoid three-putts.” But two of their points I thought were genuinely helpful and went beyond the surface-level break 80 advice you normally hear.
The two strategies are listed separately in their article, but I think they actually go hand in hand. Let’s break them down first, and then I’ll explain why I think they’re related.
1. Beware the 150–200 zone
According to their data, a 10-handicap playing an approach shot from 200-plus yards out has a 20 percent chance of making double bogey. Remember: double bogeys are our mortal enemies! Now look at their next tip.
2. Play for GIR+1
GIR+1 is a stat created by Mark Broadie. It’s when you either hit the Green in Regulation OR hit the Green in Regulation using one extra shot. It’s basically if you’re greenside and have a chip for birdie. They basically make the case that for a lot of golfers trying to break 80, you should sometimes treat this GIR+1 as a win.
How I Think They’re Related
So let’s say you’re faced with the nightmare long approach shot from close to 200 yards. I think it’s important for you to remember that double is now creeping into play — but only if you try to play outside of yourself. My recommendation is to play for a GIR+1.
Select a club you trust to get you near the green. Reaching the putting surface isn’t required. You just need a decent chance to scramble for par. Even if you miss the par save, a bogey doesn’t ruin your card. But making a double because you went OB trying to hammer a club from a distance you have no control over, just to try to reach in regulation — that’s what we’re trying to avoid.
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Limit Your Time Over The Ball
I recently posted this clip to my X account of Phil Mickelson’s famous shot on the 13th at Augusta. What I’d never noticed before was how quickly he hit the shot after addressing the ball.
It took him just 5 seconds from the time he addressed the ball to make contact with it. Check it out:
It’s a good reminder for all of us that once you’ve committed to a shot, standing over the ball and letting your mind wander does you no good.
I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes:
"The longer you stay over a shot, the more likely you are to let doubt sneak in. Pick a target, align, and swing.” — Dr. Bob Rotella
"Once you are over the ball, any more thinking is purely destructive. Go ahead and hit it." — Jack Nicklaus
Putting on Aerated Greens
I recently played a round at my local club two days after they aerated the greens. I was pretty disappointed, as many of you can understand, and the frustration from putting bled into other parts of my game. As you all know, golf completely changes on punched greens. The chips you hit, the putts you roll, the clubs you choose — it can be infuriating…
I recently saw a post from golf instructor @drakesmith_ on how he manages aerated greens, so figured I’d share them with you (partly to help me cope with my own round).
They will not break as much as you think they will.
The punched nature of the green causes variability in the way the ball rolls, so you need to focus on hitting each putt pure.
There is no use in getting frustrated. It is what it is, just keep focusing on striking the putts solid.
In my opinion, the last point is the most important: there’s no use in getting frustrated. Your score will likely suffer because of the greens, so just accept it and focus on what you can control.
That’s it for today. Hope you all have a great week and get out and play!
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to email me at tourswingstommy@gmail.com. I read everything.
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If you haven’t read them yet, check out some of the most popular Scoring Letter posts below:
20-40 yards short on the fairway almost always beats 20-40 yards right or left of the cup, especially from 200 yards!
If your 200 yard shot brings double bogey into play, what's the best strategy to take it out of the equation? Any data showing GIR +1 success rates from various distances after the 200 yard approach?
Sometimes drawing a goofy lie close to the green is more disastrous than a 50-60 yard fairway wedge. Am I making sense?