The thought of breaking 100 for any beginning golfer seems like a difficult task. For a lot of new golfers, it’s hard to consistently make good, long shots from tee to green, and then turn around and do it 17 more times. Over the last two years of working on this project, I’ve put a lot of thought on what I need to do to break 100, and I’ve practiced many hours trying to make those shots that will get me there. So I thought I would take a little bit of time and talk about some of the things I focus on during my practice sessions at the driving range and my rounds on the golf course.

Of course, and I understand, it’s all easier said than done. But, let’s get started.

How your score actually adds up to 100

First of all, before you play your next round of golf, take a little bit of time to think about what’s actually needed to score a 99. On a typical 18-hole championship course, the par is 72, and a score of 99 equates to 27 over par. Think about that… that’s a lot of shots over par. You have 18 holes to accumulate 27 more strokes than what the course thinks you should make.

Break down 27 over par for 18 holes… that’s 9 bogeys and 9 double bogeys. If you happen to make par on just one hole, then for the other 17 holes, you’re allowed 7 bogeys and 10 double bogeys. So if you are a golfer that consistently makes bogeys and double bogeys, you’re already very close to breaking 100 (just make sure the number of bogeys made versus double bogeys stays close).

I used this thought many times during my rounds. If I make a couple double bogeys, I don’t think the goal is lost for the round. I have many more opportunities to catch up with where I need to be to break 100.

It’s all about course management

I’m going to credit this thought to my friend and fellow golfing buddy, Trent. Trent carries a single-digit handicap, and previously played golf for his college. While playing my rounds with him, I’m constantly being taught about course management. In my interpretation of course management, there are two main ideas to keep in mind:

1. Play the shots you can make – If you are more strong and consistent with a 4-iron compared to your fairway wood or hybrid (like me), then use the 4-iron, and skip the risk of topping or duffing a shot, only because you want to hit it an extra 20 yards. If you can hit a wedge straighter and more accurately than an iron, then play the wedge, just to keep your ball in play and out of the rough. Moral of the story: don’t play a shot you are not good at, just because you are trying to score low. By playing those shots, you could actually hurt your score. Work with your strengths, and practice on your weaknesses at the driving range.
2. Play the safe lines – When you watch the pros play on TV, you will see they take a lot of risks in order to shoot those low scores. We (as in, us beginners) are not professional golfers. We are not trying to win tournaments for a living. So don’t take those risks if you don’t have to. For example, and you’ll see this many times, when you approach a green where the pin is protected in the front by a bunker, yet there is a small section of green to the side of the bunker. It’s far better to aim for the visible green and putt 20-30 feet, than to aim for the pin, because a short shot could end up in the sand than on the green.

(Once again, and stop me if you’ve heard this before, I am still a beginner. If you have a handicap of 20 or better, then either you know of these ideas, or you are just that good. If you disagree with my thoughts on course management, oh well…)

Your approach and chip shots matter

As important as it is to make long, straight tee shots and solid iron shots, the one shot that will start to allow you to finish the hole is your approach and chips shots. While at the driving range, don’t forget to practice your iron and wedge shots. When I start a session at the driving range, I start with my 7-iron, and a large percentage of my practice time is with the 7-iron or a similar club. So many of us beginners go to the driving range and just hit with the driver, because if feels so good to smash a ball 200+ yards.

Take some time at the range to hit with your irons and wedges. Your main focus (as usual) should be to hit it straight and consistently at a certain distance for each club. When making approach and chip shots during the round, you’ll want to give yourself the best chance to 1-putt or 2-putt (3-putt at worst). A consistent approach and chip shot should always give you that chance.

At all costs, avoid 3-putting

Moving right along from the last thought… do whatever you can to not 3-putt. The one extra putt on a couple holes can hurt your score… big time. Spend a lot of time practicing putting from 3-4 feet (I’ve heard that Phil Mickelson has a drill for this). If your first putt starts from more than 10 feet out, do whatever you can to get the ball in that 3-4 foot “circle” for your second shot. You should feel comfortable making 3-4 foot shots.

Looking back at my goals for this year, I actually find the thought of not 3-putting kind of… funny. My main goal of the year was (of course) to break 100, but further down, I made another goal to “Play a full round without 3-putting”, then right after that, I said “This probably will have a direct correlation with breaking 100.” In my mind, I think not 3-putting during that round had a huge effect on me breaking 100.

Wrapping up

By all means (and it’s easy to see from my posts), I’m not an expert at this game, and I don’t claim to be, nor does finally breaking 100 just a week ago, and only doing it once so far, actually warrant me the requirement to talk about how I accomplished the feat. I just felt that I should pass along the things, whether they are common sense or not, that helped me reach my goal. If you currently find yourself in the same situation I found myself over the last two years, I hope these tips provide some more help and encouragement for you to reach your goal of breaking 100.

It’s time to take a break and look at some golf history. LIFE Magazine recently released a photo gallery of the 10 Greatest Golfers. Here’s their list along with a brief description of their accomplishments:

10. Gene Sarazen
Sarazen is one of five men to have won all four majors, including the British Open in 1932. His double eagle in the 1935 Masters is one of the most famous shots in golf history.

9. Walter Hagen
Hagen ranks third all-time in majors, with 11, including a record-tying five PGA Championships. He was the first superstar pro golfer, at a time when pros were frowned upon.

8. Gary Player
Player did not get as much press as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, but he was a major force when they were in their prime, with nine majors, a career Grand Slam, and more than 130 worldwide wins.

7. Arnold Palmer
Palmer’s place in history is due to his personality as much as his play (seven majors). As the face of golf when it was first televised, the King helped the sport surge in popularity.

6. Byron Nelson
Though Lord Byron retired at age 34, he won a career Grand Slam (five total majors) and had the greatest season ever: Eighteen victories in 1945, including a mind-boggling 11 in a row.

5. Sam Snead
Sporting his famed straw hat, Snead was a winning machine for his entire career, with a record 82 PGA Tour victories, including seven majors.

4. Bobby Jones
Competing only as an amateur, Jones won his era’s majors (the U.S. Open and Amateur, the British Open and Amateur) 13 times, including all four in 1930 for golf’s only “true” Grand Slam.

3. Ben Hogan
Hogan is considered the best ball striker in the history of the game, with club control that is admired to this day. He used that swing to win 64 PGA Tour events and nine majors.

2. Tiger Woods
It’s only a matter of time before Woods ascends to the top spot. He already has 14 majors and, still only 33, has won 70 PGA Tour starts as a pro. He was golf’s youngest and fastest to 50 tour wins. He is 35-1 on the PGA Tour when in the lead going into the final round of a tournament. (That’s not a typo; 35-1!) And on and on …

1. Jack Nicklaus
The greatest ever (for now), Golden Bear is an 18-time major winner and, perhaps even more incredibly, a 19-time major runner-up. That speaks to a monumental talent tied to an almost indomitable will. Just amazing.

Be sure to click through the links to see pictures in the photo gallery.

The definitions of the “scramble” format and the “best ball” format were provided in the last two previous posts. At first glance they seem very similar, but they are actually very different. After looking around for the real differences, I came across a great blog post by Nick Momrik over at MtDewVirus.com:

In a scramble, each player hits their own shot from the tee. The team then chooses the best shot. Players whose shots were not selected, go pick up their ball and the entire team shoots their second shots from where this “best shot” came to rest, (typically) with the option of shooting from within a club length of this “best ball” spot (except on the green of course). You cannot, however, move from rough to fairway, or fringe to green. After the second shot, this process continues as many times as necessary until a ball is in the hole. The team score for each hole is how many “best shots” were needed.

In a best ball format, each player on a team plays their ball from where it ends up (no “best shot” or picking up and moving the ball to another location). It can be viewed as each player playing a typical round of golf, with their own score for each hole. The team score for each hole is the lowest score by any one player. As an example, a team of 4 players shoot 4, 5, 4, and 6 on a hole. The team score for this hole would be a 4 because it was the lowest score.

Both formats have advantages and disadvantages.

By playing in a scramble, teams are able to put up some low scores, because there is a good chance that 1 out of 4 golfers will have a pretty decent shot. One thing I do find in scrambles is that players do no play their typical golf game. If the first player to tee of hits one safely down the fairway, every player after usually tries to crank one a mile, leading to bad habits.

When playing a best ball format, each player gets to play their own game. This gives everyone the chance to know how they scored for the course, because each player has an individual score for each hole. The team scores are usually much higher with this format, because it’s not a collective effort for each shot, like in a scramble.

My previous post defined the word “scramble”, which is a popular format for tournament golf play. At first thought, a “scramble” sounded very similar to “best ball”, another popular format. Let’s look at the definition of “best ball”, as provided by About.com’s Golf section:

Definition: Along with the scramble, “best ball” is one of the most popular golf tournament formats.

Best ball can be played using 2-, 3- or 4-person teams. Each player on the team plays his or her own golf ball throughout the round, and on each hole the low score – or “best ball” – of the group serves as the team score. Player A gets a 5, B gets a 4, C gets a 6, D gets a 6, then the team score for that hole is 4, because the low score of the group was B’s 4.

Best ball is usually played as stroke play with the total score added up at the end of the round. It can be played as match play, but best-ball match play with more than 2-person teams results in a lot of halved holes.

When using 3- or 4-person teams, it’s almost imperitave to apply handicaps so that the weaker players will be able to contribute.

A 2-person best ball match play competition is also known as Four Ball.

“Best ball” can also refer to a competition in which a single player plays match play against a 2- or 3-person team playing best ball. That variation is good for a low-handicapper taking on a team of higher handicappers.

In preparation for the new golf season, and to look ahead toward one of this season’s goals, let’s see exactly what a “golf scramble” is. Here is the definition from About.com’s Golf section:

Definition: The Scramble is one of the primary forms of tournament play for golf associations, charity events and the like. A scramble is usually played with 4-person teams, but 2-person scrambles are popular, too. At a 2-person scramble, handicaps are usually applied; at a 4-person scramble, handicaps are usually not applied – unless it is an Ambrose-style scramble.

In a scramble, each player tees off on each hole. The best of the tee shots is selected and all players play their second shots from that spot. The best of the second shots is determined, then all play their third shots from that spot, and so on until the ball is holed.

When played as a foursome, teams are usually constructed with an A player, B player, C player and D player, with those players designated based on handicaps. The A player would the low-handicapper, the D player the high-handicapper.

A scramble might require A and B players to tee off from the back tees and C and D players from the middle tees; or A’s from the back, B’s and C’s from the middle and D’s from the front; or the tournament organizers might specify that all players play from the same set of tees.