I'd say just relax and take deep breaths

Short game short game short game!!!! I find when im lookin to fire a score, Being relaxed in my most confortable setting allows me to play free and enjoy the last holes and the excitement of firing a low round(becuase you should enjoy it!!)...  I find when I am to concerned with my score I will try to "not-miss" instead of JUST SWINGING!! It is essential to be loose and unaware of personal bests... This is very difficult but some Mental training - like breathing, yoga, "inter-connected" feelings with your body and mind is the only way to release this feeling from your body... This separation from mind and body will let you swing like you know you can... A great book that helped me with this is "Golf is not a game of Perfect" by Dr Bob Rotella - Check it out !!

Hi,

I just broke 80 on one of my home courses, shot a 79 - I had the same chance a few weeks earlier and 3 putted for an 81 instead.

On both occasions, I knew where I stood in my round and knew exactly what I needed to do to break 80.  Since you have tried the equivalent of "not looking at the leaderboard" type of playing, maybe you should know where you stand so you have a clear idea of what you need to do to reach your goal.  When I shot my 79 I knew on the 17th tee that I needed to shoot par or better on the last two holes to do it - and this time I was able to do it.  If I wasn't aware of what I needed to do, perhaps I would have gotten sloppy or lost my focus.  This way, I concentrated on hitting good tee shots and playing smart 2nd shots into the greens, and getting the ball in the hole.

I hope I can do it again and hope you reach your goal!

Jason 

Here's a little trick that works for me so I hope it works for you.

 I am a five handicapper so when I walk onto the first tee I visualise my name on the leaderboard at five under.

See how long you can get into the round before you get to "even par".

If you can get to the 17th or 18th tee still "under par" I guarantee you that you wont be thinking about 3 putts.

I do. I have figured out that my drives are hurting me. My instructor says my swing with my irons is great, but my drives are the shots that are hurting my game. If I could just get it in the fairway and have 160 or less in, breaking 80 would be a lot easier.

Just dont focus on score. I mean the reason we all play golf is to have FUN. If you let it happen rather than making it happen you will be in the 70s. Have fun and enjoy your round and I guarantee it will happen.

If you play the same course, or a course you're familiar with, develop plan of action for the last two or three holes (or any problem holes for that matter).  Figure out where you need to be to limit mistakes.

I know there's a short par 4 finishing the course I play most often, and I can drive the green if conditions are right.  Sure it's really fun to try to pull off the hero shot, but 9 times of 10 I'll end up shooting worse than I would if I just hit 7 iron to 150 and 8 iron to the fat of the green.  More times than not I'll end up with a par playing it safe, and I've probably birdied as many times going the safe route than the hero route.  The bonus is I've never gone worse than bogie when I've played it smart.

Happens to me all of the time. Like today for instance, I was 5 over through 16 and all i had to do was par 17 and 18 to break 80 (witch i've never done before) or even bogey 17 and 18 and shoot 79. But I went on to triple 17 and double 18 and shoot a 83. I just have to stay focused all 18, not just 16!

Focus on the goal which is two keep playing the way you have been playing for the previous 15 or 16 holes. If you get caught up with the score and over think the process of hitting good shots you will choke. It has happend to me way too many times. My main advice is to focus on the shot you have at that moment.

I broke 80 the first tie about a week ago. I shot 78. I think the real big thing is that you need to good putting. The range at my club opens at 7:30 so i'm  over there from then till about 10:00 just putting. after that I work on chipping and then my irons and so on. the point is you putting should be perfect. I have a 1.90 putting average so i'm doing good.

I am getting closer and closer each time i play. Whenever I play alone i play better because I guess its easier to focus, but the drawback is I might get too caught up and think long term and not focus on the specific shot i need to hit, so i do like to have someone to talk to sometimes. I really appreciate all the feed back. Ill let yall know as soon as it happens!

2 times in the past 2 weeks I've had the chance to break 80. First time was at a course I'd never played before (Eyemouth in the Scottish borders), when I was having a matchplay round with my dad. +5 through 9 after bogeying 6, 7, 8, 9. Then +8 through 10...managed to get back to +7 through 14 before putting it in the water at 16. then went par, par and needed to birdie the last for a 79. put my approach to 8 feet, then smashed the putt 12 feet passed. Didn't sink the 2nd putt and ended with an 81. I did at least win the match 6 and 4...then today was 5 over through 9, managed to keep it to 6 over by the time I was coming down 18, hit my approach shot into the bunker front left, then failed to get up and down for par. shot 80. i hate wet sand.

The first time I broke 80 was walking in a pouring rain. I was so preoccupied with keeping everything dry I hardly knew which hole I was on from time to time. I focused on hitting a good shot each time and stuck to my routines. The only deviations were to dry either me or my clubs. I would record the score for a hole and stuff the card back in the dry pocket and play on. When finished I went into the locker room to change and added up my first 77, having been oblivious to it during the round! Most important.....develop pre-shot routines for EACH shot and stick to them, and know how far you hit each club in your bag on a normal shot. Assuming you are striking the ball okay (you are scoring in the 80's), get some help with the mechanics of your swing to fine tune it. Then you will build a swing you can depend upon when the pressure is on. Also, work as often as you can on your short game (from 50 yards in) and PUTTING! Go to the ball fitting section on this website and look at the forms, especially the advanced ball fitting form; it will give you some great short game insight. Lastly, get a copy of Ben Hogan's 5 Fundamentals and practice with it. It's old school but still the best fundamentals book out there (Larry Nelson and other pro's learned to play from it). I know this sounds like a lot, but remember practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect!

I had been an average player for the last 7 years.  Never able to break 80.  It seemed like my learning curve had gone flat.  I had gotten better and better each of my first 7 or so years but seemed to platoe and not really improve for about the last 5 years, always being about a 10 handicap.  What got me over the hump and improved my game to the point that even par is my new 80 was the fundementals.  I had never understood the golf swing and the reason behind why my ball went the direction it did.  After almost giving up golf due to not getting any better for so long, I decided to give up the idea that a book could not teach you to golf any more than the radio teaches you to sing and studied what grip and swing path promoted a draw or fade, what was the perfect swing and then used what I learned to create my perfect swing.  Needless to say I am still golfing and enjoying it more than ever. 

Just thought of something else that might help. If you are losing it on 16, 17, or 18 play the course backward (start on the back 9). If your mind is telling you you have trouble with any of those holes coming down the stretch then get them out of the way earlier and finish strong on holes you are comfortable with. Don't know if this type thing has been a problem or not. And if you do have problems with them early it gives you time to make up for the miscues on your "comfort holes". Our pro also said concentrate on the par 3's and par 5's. Get eagle out of your mind on the 5's for now; try to make solid 5's. Remember: Greens in regulation, Fairways in regulation. No more than 29 putts per round.

Ever play a shotgun on your home course? It's amazing the mental games that are removed when your 18th hole is not the 18th hole. You're simply playing the 5th hole, just like all the other times. Personally, I just had one of those rounds where EVERYTHING was working, and I shot 74. I spent the whole round trying to concentrate on nothing but the shot I was about to hit. I tend to have an issue where I don't commit, or I don't follow through. I just repeated "commit and through" before each shot and stopped thinking. It worked wonders. Now, I need to prove to myself that I can do it again, but it has to stop raining around her first.

I tend to disagree with what seems to be the general consensus to not know where you stand in the round, to not know what you are shooting until you add it up at the end of the round.  

I have broken 80 twice this season, which went along with my goal of breaking 80 this year.  On both occasions, I knew where I stood in my round and knew exactly what I needed to do to break 80.  You should know where you stand so you have a clear idea of what you need to do.

I agree completely with playing one shot at a time and staying in the present - but if I don't know where I stand in relation to par how can make wise judgements on the course such as fire at the pin or play for the center of the green?, go for a risky recovery shot, or chip back to the fairway?, go for a par 5 green in two, or lay up, hit driver off the tee or 3-wood, or an iron???  If I have a chance to break 80, I may not go for the riskier shot, or if I need to make up some shots to par, I just might; the point is I have to know where I'm at score-wise to make those decisions.

Jason

Proctor,

I have broken 80 quite a few times on our home course. Skill is needed, I can give you some lessons when I am home. Give Ted my best.

Mott

Finally broke 80 at my home course -- shot 79 with punched greens. I've broken 80 many times and consistently elsewhere. However, shooting 80/81 on many occasions was the best on my home course. The problem with my home course is that every single hole has hazard, ob, or brush too dense to find or hit your ball on both sides. Plus, every green has junk on 3 sides, and a few have badness on all sides. As a result, I always find myself trying to steer every shot to avoid the trouble -- a missed shot is either a lost ball or a penalty. Yesterday, I finally was able to concentrate only on where I wanted the ball instead of where I didn't want the ball. I still faltered a few times, but it's hard when you have such a small margin for error.

Bottom line is not to think "don't go left". Instead picture the shot you want and swing away.

I'm an 11/12 handicap, I've broken 80 many times. The key to almost all of those rounds was being able to get up and down with a few good chips. Many of us go to the range, hit a few wedges a few mid irons, a couple woods and bang a few drives. Then we head to the putting area. Watch how many folks will practice chipping "barely any". I've had several players tell me I'm one of the best chippers in the club, well I practice chipping before each round, at least a dozen chips before putting.

I've been trying to break 80 for a while now. I have the same problem, I get ahead of myself and don't take it shot by shot. I have another chance tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.

Ain't that the truth.  Like Phil in the Masters.  Hits one into the woods (off the grand stand), tries to hit it out and misses, chunks it out, chunks into a bunker... disaster.  Like my Grandpa always said, just take your medicine and give youself a shot.  If he took an unplayable, and dropped, he would have saved at least one stroke.  If I'm feeling the blow up hole coming, I'll just take a little extra time between shots.  When I rush is when bogies turn into something worse.

false, i'd say 4-7 times actually. this past summer. check GHIN

another though on this - keep in mind that you can make bogeys and still break 80.  I know this goes without saying, but a lot of golfers freak out if they make a bogey, and it puts them in a bad frame of mind.   

It really depends ... if your last holes are played when you are tired (not due to lack of sleep, or over excertion), try using one more club (I know most men hate the thought, but personally I feel if that's what it takes ... I'll use two more when needed) .. I also eat 2 sandwiches while golfing to keep my strength up (age 50+ here) ... 1/2 on 3  another 1/2 around 6 .. then on 13 and maybe again 16 or 17.  I also drink green tea ...  I know .. the thought almost made me gag too, but I mix it with a fruit juice I like, and all these things seem to give me energy to play 18, and sometimes 27 :)   BTW I broke 70 this year  :)  Something that I found extremely helpful was keeping track of everything.  The titleist scorecard was very helpful, I also keep track of where my drives and approach shots go, it helped me, hope it helps you as well :)

I myself am trying to become more comfortable with shooting under par. I often get to two under and try not to screw things up.  I like the idea of playing the front tees and trying to shoot as low as you can just to become more comfortable with going low.  You must also try to keep the mindset of... i'm 2 over and I'm trying to get back to even to stay aggressive. I know it's difficult to get over the hump of breaking 80 but once you do it once, you will be doing it all the time. It's all about confidence.

Play golf between your ears....  

Driver only comes out of the bag on holes that are WIDE open.  Even on par 5s; if you have to shape a shot to be in the short grass, use your 3W.

Don't be afraid to hit your irons off the box.....  For example; we have a 318 yard par 4 that is drive-able.  If I were to try to drive that hole I would double bogey it ten times to every eagle and five times to every birdie.  Forget eagle..... I hit a smooth 7 iron off the box out to 145 then hit a full wedge into the green.  When I put it well, I birdie.  If I miss a shot, I par it.

I think the best bit of advice is to try and get off all the par 4 boxes with whatever club you have in your bag that will allow you to turn that particular hole into a 120-180 yard par 3. 

If you do that consistently, you'll be in the 70s.

thanks for all the feedback. I really appreciate it! Ill let you know when it happens! thanks.

It also takes a hole or two to get the feel of your short game. I've had quite a few instances where I would start out with a double bogey and two bogeys and then end up shooting 42 for the 9 holes as the pars and occasional birdies begin to roll in. I expect bogey on the 400+ par 4s because I barely have the distance to make the green in 2.

When I play the executive courses, I may use the driver on one par 4 (because the fairway is wide) and some of the fairways are so narrow that it necessitates a 3H or 7W (and there is one course with a 300 yd par 3 that requires a 5H off the tee since anything between 170-220 lands one in a creek bed; simple - hit a 5H or 7H to the green and make par).

Quite some time ago, I wasn't that great with a driver (I didn't start using one until 2007) so I often teed off with a 5 wood on the par 4s and shot in the high 80s this way. My driving has been pretty much dead center since I got a lofted draw driver at the beginning of 2011.

Even as I started getting better with the driver, I would still tee off on the first hole with a 5 wood and not even break the driver out until the 3rd hole. Nowadays I can walk up to the tee dead cold and put the driver dead center.

I think what is going to help me break 80 this year is reverting back to my 2009-early 2010 iron setup (5H-7H, 8-PW and Vokeys). I tried using a 6 and 7 iron occasionally for the middle game since early 2010 but my distance varies as much 15 yards with them (I had been using a persimmon 34H as a backup and often reverted to it).

3 months ago I acquired a Sumo SQ2 34H and I have been doing pretty good on the 135-145 yard par 3s and approach shots of that distance. Golf is also the equivalent of what we in the Engineering world call Six Sigma (Constant Process Improvement).

Thanks for all the suggestions, it has certainly helped me! Shot a 79 last night, first time ever! 40 on the front 9, then was even par thru 15 on the back. On 16, tee shot in the pond, leading to a double bogey, was in the trees on 17, resulting in another double. Put the driver away, and hit an easy 3 wood on the short par 4 18th, wedge to green, 2 putt for par! Really starting to get the feel for my new Scotty Cameron California Monterey putter too!

drink a bottle of water eat a tuna sandwich on hole number 14 keep that energy up strech if you need to