Breaking 100-90-80: your monthly guide to the scoring basics

Golf Digest, Sept, 2003 by Dave Maga, Ron Kaspriske

The Ball Tells All

Study your golf game

When I ask golfers to describe the flight of their golf ball, I usually get answers like, "I hit a draw," or, "I fade it," or the proverbial "I'm all over place." While I don't doubt those answers, what they tell me is golfers don't really study their shots. The guy who hits a "draw" may actually hit a hook. Or his "fade" is really a slice. If you want to lower your scores, start studying. Watch your ball flight and try to understand how the position of the clubface at impact, the path the club takes to the ball, and the angle and speed of your swing dictate what the ball does.

Breaking 100

If you want your shots to go where you intend, the clubface has to be square to the target at impact. To break 100, learn to control the clubface by using a sound grip on full swings and a simple preshot routine when you putt. You scores will drop almost as fast as if you carried an eraser!

When is the club square?

Remember that when addressing the ball, you only need to worry about having the bottom, or leading, edge of the club perpendicular to the target.

Tee it higher

Many 100-shooters tee the ball too low because they are worried about hitting pop-ups. But I prefer that new players tee the ball high. It's easier to make solid contact with your driving club. Plus, the higher the shot, the less sidespin the ball will have. In essence, teeing it high helps turn your slice into a fade.

Golf 101

Know the four laws of contact: The clubface dictates the ball's curve, the club's path dictates the ball's initial direction, the angle of the swing path dictates the ball's trajectory, and the swing speed dictates distance.

Face the Facts

Put a stop to slicing

The simplest way to correct a slice--a common problem for 100-shooters--is to improve the top-hand position of your grip. Here's how:

Hold the clubshaft in front of you with your right hand, the butt end of the club pointing down. Stick out your left hand as if you were a traffic cop making a "stop" gesture (below, left). Now rest the grip between the crease made by the left thumb and forefinger. From this position, wrap the fingers of your left hand around the club (below, right) and then grip it with the right hand. This strong left-hand grip position will make it easier to square the clubface at impact.

Line up the logo

Even new golfers do a fairly good job reading greens. Where their putting problems start is in getting the putterhead square to its target. To help you do that, use the logo on the ball to create an indicator line. This may seem elementary, but many golfers don't know you can do this. Mark your ball on the green and then turn it so the logo points down your target line. Then adjust your putterhead so it's perpendicular to the line you just created. Some balls today have arrows on them to assist you with alignment.

Breaking 90

Too often, you see PGA Tour pros on television--or even 4-handicappers at your club--and you want to emulate their textbook swings. You don't need to. If you want to break 90, you need to stick with your game. Make on-course decisions based on your swing--its strengths and weaknesses.

How to take it deep

Want to hit it farther? Hold your driver upside down, gripping the club near the head. Now make some full swings, trying to create a high-pitch "swoosh" sound. Then go back to hitting balls and try to reproduce that sound.

Check your divots

After every shot from the fairway, I always take a quick look at the divot I just made. I can usually tell from the divot hole whether it was a good shot. I like mine to be thin, start in front of where the ball was, and be on line with my target. Next time you play, analyze your divots.

Practice with a board

Before you head to the driving range, grab a piece of wood to take with you. It's cheap, easy to transport and will help get you and your shots aligned better than any $29.99 gizmo that I know of.

Stay Committed

Don't replace your game, repair it

If you're driving an ol' pickup truck that veers to the left, you don't stop at the nearest car dealership and sell it. You hold the steering wheel to the right and keep driving until you can get the alignment fixed. The golf swing is no different.

Whatever your swing tendencies are, they can be improved. But don't make drastic adjustments on the course. Play that left-to-right ball flight until you can get to the practice range or golf school and make the necessary changes.

When the pressure's on, go with what you know

If you're playing an important match or perhaps need to make par on the final hole to break 90, there's no doubt you're feeling a lot of pressure. Anxiety can make you do funny things with a golf club, so my advice is to stick to the basics in pressure situations. If my normal ball flight is right to left but that's not the ideal shot into a green, I'm still going to hit a right-to-left shot. My familiarity with that shot will help overcome any nervousness I might have.

Breaking 80

The difference between an 80s-shooter and a 70s-shooter often is the ability to control a ball's flight. Learning how to control trajectory, initial direction and shot shape is vital to turning bogeys into pars. If you can curve it around trees and stop it on the greens, you're good enough to break 80.