Breaking 100

[sjw]

In all seriousness though, while I don't think new clubs would make me a better player, I'm not sure the lie angle is right on mine at all. When I look at them behind the ball, when I'm stood comfortably in what feels like a good stance, sometimes it looks like the toe is up, sometimes the club is addressed flat on the ground... because I'm not confident on how they should sit, sometimes I'm trying something different, sometimes it works for a few shots and then not for a few... I think having fitted clubs when I know they are all right would lead to much better consistency, and I know I would then have to place the blame on myself. Just remove another variable.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

if you take up golf as a junior, you will likely improve quicker, it's just a fact that kids learn new skills faster.

If you take it up as an adult, golf is a very difficult sport, you obviously don't know that as you took it up as a kid. I too started when I was young and broke 100 quite early, but I have also played with friends who have taken up the sport in their 30s, and it is an extra layers or two of difficulty.

I know many adults who achieved a low handicap in a short space of time.
One 17 year old got down to 8 handicap within about 18 months, then stopped playing.

 

[Orikoru]

In all seriousness though, while I don't think new clubs would make me a better player, I'm not sure the lie angle is right on mine at all. When I look at them behind the ball, when I'm stood comfortably in what feels like a good stance, sometimes it looks like the toe is up, sometimes the club is addressed flat on the ground... because I'm not confident on how they should sit, sometimes I'm trying something different, sometimes it works for a few shots and then not for a few... I think having fitted clubs when I know they are all right would lead to much better consistency, and I know I would then have to place the blame on myself. Just remove another variable.

You might be right or you might not be. I have the toe slightly up when I address the ball, but when I did my fitting recently, I found out that when I bring it back through to strike, it's now a fraction toe-down if anything. We decided it wasn't enough to adjust the lie angle as I didn't want to start hitting draws instead of fades. So you never know until you try - but personally I'm not it's totally worthwhile for a high handicapper to have an iron fitting. Surely as you improve your swing is liable to change - especially if you have lessons as well - and therefore a set of irons that fits now might not do in six months time. I never really thought about fittings until I was under 18 handicap as I at least had a little bit of consistency by then.

 

[sjw]

You might be right or you might not be. I have the toe slightly up when I address the ball, but when I did my fitting recently, I found out that when I bring it back through to strike, it's now a fraction toe-down if anything. We decided it wasn't enough to adjust the lie angle as I didn't want to start hitting draws instead of fades. So you never know until you try - but personally I'm not it's totally worthwhile for a high handicapper to have an iron fitting. Surely as you improve your swing is liable to change - especially if you have lessons as well - and therefore a set of irons that fits now might not do in six months time. I never really thought about fittings until I was under 18 handicap as I at least had a little bit of consistency by then.

Well this is the flip side of the argument and the reason why I haven't yet done a fitting! I will probably head down to my local shop and pay for a fitting (£50) to get an idea of my specs rather than go all out and buy a whole new set.

Arguments for new clubs:

• Might increase confidence
• Might increase consistency
• Current clubs are a crap, 10-year old package set that probably don't even have consistent specs from one club to the next

Arguments against:

• Swing will likely change over time
• Money better spent on lessons/range

 

[BiMGuy]

I agree with those saying breaking 100 is relatively easy.

If you can’t then you need to think about where you play and how you approach a round. And play off the forward tees.

Ditch half the clubs in your bag for a start. A 5 hybrid, 7 and 9 iron, a 52* wedge and a putter would make breaking 100 easier than a full set.

When I started I played at a local 9 hole muni until I thought I was good enough to get round a proper course reasonably well. Even then I joined a club with a relatively short, fairly easy layout.

We seem to have a few new players at our club that look like they have only just started playing, and seem to struggle their way round. Again this is their choice, but when they are a 4 ball taking a long time it causes issues.

We’re not a particularly easy course. So not entirely suited to beginners.

All in my opinion of course.

 

[BiMGuy]

Well this is the flip side of the argument and the reason why I haven't yet done a fitting! I will probably head down to my local shop and pay for a fitting (£50) to get an idea of my specs rather than go all out and buy a whole new set.

Arguments for new clubs:

• Might increase confidence
• Might increase consistency
• Current clubs are a crap, 10-year old package set that probably don't even have consistent specs from one club to the next

Arguments against:

• Swing will likely change over time
• Money better spent on lessons/range

If you wait for your swing to stop changing you will never get fit.
Fitting should be about reducing the impact of your poor shots not about improving your best.

Is a fitting going to do any harm? No.
Could it help? Yes

Do it and buy second hand clubs that you can move on as you see further improvement.

But complement that with getting lessons.

 

[timd77]

Breaking 100 is a big and often first achievement for new golfers, regardless of age. Took me a while once I’d taken it up properly and it was great feeling, relief! My course handicap where I play is 18, so my aim is always to break 90 now. If I’m in the mid-low 80s I’ve had a good day, 90+ I’ve had a poor day, and the odd 100+ round still occasionally rears it’s head and normally coincides with a couple of weeks off!

 

[LincolnShep]

Well done! My first round under a hundred was 91. Absolutely smashed it but it then took me best part of a year before I had my second round in the 90s, and then another year before I beat 91. Worryingly, I have not had a score in the 80s yet in 2023, unless I remedy that in the next few weeks, it will be the first year since 2012 where my lowest score has not been in the 80s.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Nope. "Same here" meant I broke 100 while still at primary school, which was same as DfT's experience.

I could hit my spoon about 140yds from the tee, if there was good roll out. Maybe 125yds from the fairway, barely 100yds if uphill.
Mashie was 80yds and mashie-niblick 50yds.

I had spent the previous two summers at Thornes Park Wakefield on the 18-hole putting green and the 18-hole pitch-and-putt.
Two years of learning to play golf, before going on a golf course.

The reason I see so many players struggling to break 100 is that they try to run before they can walk and continually fall over.

I had a cut down hickory 3 wood, 3.5.7.9. Joyce Weatherhed irons and a putter.
No sets of fitted irons or woods, no choice of 5 wedges, no electric trolly, no satnav, no halfway house, no golf shoes, and no glove.

 

[Bdill93]

Honestly think breaking 100 is harder than breaking 90! A solid achievement for any golfer

 

[Slab]

I had a cut down hickory 3 wood, 3.5.7.9. Joyce Weatherhed irons and a putter.
No sets of fitted irons or woods, no choice of 5 wedges, no electric trolly, no satnav, no halfway house, no golf shoes, and no glove.

And likely a dinky wee course with no cost of clubs, no cost of balls, no green fee or membership cost, no work or family distractions, no time constraints, no cost of lessons, no fears or causes of embarrassment... In short no hang ups or concerns of the outcome of any shot and no tension (which is very hard to learn as an adult)

 

[Doon frae Troon]

And likely a dinky wee course with no cost of clubs, no cost of balls, no green fee or membership cost, no work or family distractions, no time constraints, no cost of lessons, no fears or causes of embarrassment... In short no hang ups or concerns of the outcome of any shot and no tension (which is very hard to learn as an adult)

Par 70 course, 7/6d boys season ticket, found balls.

The rest is just chiff chaff.
Why take up golf in the first place if you have all those hang ups,

PS Interesting little historical note.
My father won the village primary school golf cup in1930 aged 12
I won it in 1960 aged 12
My nephew won it in 1990 aged 12.

 

[Slab]

Par 70 course, 7/6d boys season ticket, found balls.

The rest is just chiff chaff.
Why take up golf in the first place if you have all those hang ups,

PS Interesting little historical note.
My father won the village primary school golf cup in1930 aged 12
I won it in 1960 aged 12
My nephew won it in 1990 aged 12.

Hang ups? Adult life isn't a hang up

At 12 I'd never set foot on a golf course let alone ever swung a club
I remember my biggest worry from my dad was that he'd find the damaged wall where I'd hung a poster on my bedroom wall
Your biggest worry seemed to 3 putting the 85yrd Par 3

Good on you

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Hang ups? Adult life isn't a hang up

At 12 I'd never set foot on a golf course let alone ever swung a club
I remember my biggest worry from my dad was that he'd find the damaged wall where I'd hung a poster on my bedroom wall
Your biggest worry seemed to 3 putting the 85yrd Par 3

Good on you

I have never played an 85 yard par three so nae worries about that.
The shortest par three on the PAR 70 course was about 160 yards, mind you that one was downhill

 

[r0wly86]

I know many adults who achieved a low handicap in a short space of time.
One 17 year old got down to 8 handicap within about 18 months, then stopped playing.

of course some can, naturally gifted sportsmen will be able to success quite quickly, that is not going to be the case to the "normal" 30 year old taking up the sport. If you are naturally gifted sportsman, better to accept that you have advantage than come across a insufferably smug.

I would expect most people to break 100, but it is usually the first milestone there is for new golfers, nice round number. Doesn't matter how long it takes, everyone should take a lot of pride of reaching that milestone

 

[BiMGuy]

I know many adults who achieved a low handicap in a short space of time.
One 17 year old got down to 8 handicap within about 18 months, then stopped playing.

Not as impressive as above. I started playing at 18. It took me less than 3 years to go from never having hit a ball to single figures. Eventually getting down to 5 for a short time before I stopped playing. I now know too much focus on accuracy over distance, and short game over tee to green held me back.

 

[jim8flog]

I used to wonder if that's why handicaps used to be capped at 28. i.e. traditional course par of 72 + 28 = 100.

Probably part of it. When I first joined the club and for sometime afterwards you could only play in comps if you had a handicap of 24 or better.

If a new player returned 3 cards around but better than 100 they probably were given an initial handicap of 24.