Though smashing driver may gain you distance, I would suggest that if one's 3 wood is only 20-30 yards or so short of driver, consider the 3 wood more than driver to tee off as one can have better direction control normally. Also, strengthen one's 180ish yard shot can get you off relying on smashing drivers all the time.
Thank you. I smashed driver at pretty much everything yesterday after watching this 😂 and shot an 83 on a Par 72. Im currently a 15 handicapper. It was a lot of fun. Confidence is very easily lost with driver, it tends to be periodical so i can understand the hesitancy with golfers trusting driver. But the stats dont lie…..
Keep working hard on driver brother. Never stop watching the ball as you stroke it on the tee and ‘stay on the ball!’ Imagine you’re hitting through a can of balls!!!
Rule number 1 should be stop 3 off the tee. If my driver is wild (which it is) then not choosing driver off the tee is my biggest gain. Obviously go and practice driver as much as possible until you have a stock safe shot with it but I hate how every good golfer never talks about how they literally never take 3 off the tee
I mean this video probably isn’t geared towards somebody who can’t keep their driver in play. That’s not to say people who are mid to low single digit handicaps don’t go through periods of time where they struggle with driver but it’s not going to be a constant issue.
yes, 100%! There is no way hitting driver off 1 makes sense when a 5 iron up there leaving like 80 yards in will let me make par 80% of the time or so. With driver, way too often it will be 3 from the tee. If the hole were 460 yds with some room to miss, then fine. But i do not see how being aggressive with driver on hole 1 is supposed to help break 80. Seems like a recipe to not break 90
Nice video, Jon, and what a pretty course! I break 80 occasionally, but usually am about 85. I don't think my problem is strategy, but that a few times per round I mix in some horrible hits. I need to get rid of those random worm burner or pull hook or banana slices mixed in with perfect drives. I need to lose my shanked or bladed chips. It is frustrating to be playing well, then hit something truly awful. My new plan is "no thinking!" Once I plan my shot and take my stance, I need to just relax and let the swing happen. If I get a good start to a round, I usually finish strongly, so I need more good starts. BTW, I'm loving my V5.
Glad you have a plan!! Don't know if it's useful but once I pick my shot and get over the ball, I just try and focus really hard on picturing the target. I find that helps me block out the swing thoughts or negative stuff. Anyway, good luck!
@@JonPerkinsGolf The plan worked today in that I hit a lot of great shots, but still I slipped in a few random terrible shots. I shot 85, but had 6 shots that added -8 strokes gained. If I can lose those, breaking 80 will be easy.
Played my best golf ever using your break 90 tips. Dont think im ready to be aggressive yet unfortunately. Went +3 through 9 though and my usually scores through 18 are 95-105
#1 Hit fairways. #2 Short game, I'll say it one more time Short game! #3 Make 4 foot putts like they were easy. #4 Stay away from double bogeys!...and sand.
Nice vid but try these rules on a heathland or links course in the summer with proper rough. Just smashing driver all the time is just not an option sadly.
Great tips on course management. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take into account that most players who can’t break 90 don’t control their misses well enough to keep it safe and occasionally play out of trouble which costs them a few strokes a round, not to mention the occasional blowout hole or card wrecker.
My only caveat to hitting driver more, is that driver is my least consistent club. I can get workable yardage with a wood off the tee more often. For me, most of my lost strokes are from bad tee shots out of the fairway. Especially recently. I've been hitting around 85 recently or 43ish for 9, and the short game and approach game are much more solid and make up for bad tees. I can usually dial in fairway irons to wherever I need them to go, I can chip and putt well, but that driver shot IS NOT consistent. I sit at about 15 handicap right now. I hit 1.9 putts per hole, 70% Fairways hit, and even though I have good chip and approach game, losing strokes due to the driver leaves my GIR% relatively low.
Good video, but I’d add know your dispersion. I’ve taken a few strokes off my scores simply by aiming about 5 yards right of my target with irons since my miss is a 10 yard overdraw. I also think assessing/learning the lie is super important. I’m a plus handicap on my simulator, but I’d guess that most of the difference in my actual handicap (about 12-13) is difficulty in real life lies.
@@Qalosoyeah, I’ve thought about that and you might be right. My 52-60 wedges are 2 degrees flat and go a bit right on full shots. Might be worth trying 1 degree flat on, say, my 8-PW where I tend to miss most left.
@@CharlesFromage if you get the chance, go for a trackman analysis with a club fitter(important not a swing coach). They’ll tend to adjust the club for you rather than change swing to work with the clubs. You might find some insight there too. Youre not too far off from single hcp so swing’s consistent enough to adjust clubs to your swing. Clubs tend to bend depends where you play and practice so make it a habit of checking loft and lies every 3 months so you wont compensate with a bad technique.
Sure, these are all sound advice. But I have also had single figure (about 4-5 hcp) for about 20+ years. Back then I could break 80 in my sleep! I would say if you did not learn those four rules you will never reach 5 hcp. But they mean nothing if you cannot execute on your plans. Today, I am struggling to get back to those levels of play after having about about 15 years of significantly less playing. I still know the rules, still strike the ball well, still know the tactics of the game but the consistency in my game is not there. I will will make par with no drama on many holes, but then a few times per round comes a catastrophic shot out of the blue (often adding a penalty) and it easy results in a double or triple bogey. So, unless you have the basic skills and can practice at least once a week you will never stand a chance to break 80!
Yeah three putts are a huge killer. Are there any patterns to your OB's or three putts - taking on bad shots, similar distances or sloping putts etc? Just thoughts, maybe a change of tactic or practice focus might help? Good luck.
@@JonPerkinsGolf lag putts are definitely a weakness. Too often I misjudge speed and leave a 5-8 footer short or blown by the hole. That's an easier fix. The OBs are a different story. Almost always come off a tee shot or a long approach with a wood. Even with a conservative swing and aim on tricky holes... Even when I put the driver away for a safer option... I'm still good for 5-8 OBs every round. My home course is tight and brutal 😆
@@asht7290 I have that... At least with irons. I hit 9 GIR. There's something mentally going on with me off the tee, I think. That and sub-optimal course mgmt choices possibly.
@@JonPerkinsGolfgreat little channel you have here, ended up here through watching Golf Sidekick's game management videos😊 If I could make a suggestion, could you name the courses in small text somewhere in the thumbnail or the main title 🤔 It's awesome seeing NSW courses on UA-cam 😁
Very interesting to be aggressive with your driver,but if you are like me and can drive it 330 yards,it can get you into more trouble,however,i hit my 4 iron around 250 yard,seems to be the safer option especially if you dont have alot of fairway to work with
Great production. Obviously aimed at golfers under 12 handicap who can hit a driver well. For the rest of us,being aggressive off the tee is golfing suicide. Maybe a break 90 video and keep it in play/course management/ avoid trouble type of video. 95% of golfers get nowhere near 80!!
Though smashing driver may gain you distance, I would suggest that if one's 3 wood is only 20-30 yards or so short of driver, consider the 3 wood more than driver to tee off as one can have better direction control normally. Also, strengthen one's 180ish yard shot can get you off relying on smashing drivers all the time.
Stunning course wow! And nice & relaxed no nonsense explanation. Cheers from the Netherlands!
Glad you enjoyed and thanks for following along.
Sound advice brother!!!
Thank you for sharing this!!
Thanks for watching along.
Thanks for visiting Jon, glad you enjoyed our stunning little course. Looks great in the winter!
Will get a round in next time - Darren
Thanks mate. What a course - loved the back nine and will definitely line up the full 18 next time out 👍
Thank you. I smashed driver at pretty much everything yesterday after watching this 😂 and shot an 83 on a Par 72. Im currently a 15 handicapper. It was a lot of fun. Confidence is very easily lost with driver, it tends to be periodical so i can understand the hesitancy with golfers trusting driver. But the stats dont lie…..
Awesome to hear
Keep working hard on driver brother. Never stop watching the ball as you stroke it on the tee and ‘stay on the ball!’
Imagine you’re hitting through a can of balls!!!
Good stuff! I'm hovering around 11 or 12 hcp. Can't seem to break 80 consistently enough though. Love watching others play and see what I can learn
Glad you enjoyed and good luck.
Great advice for sure! And *very* good production as well ❤
Appreciate that, thank you
Rule number 1 should be stop 3 off the tee. If my driver is wild (which it is) then not choosing driver off the tee is my biggest gain. Obviously go and practice driver as much as possible until you have a stock safe shot with it but I hate how every good golfer never talks about how they literally never take 3 off the tee
Sounds like you're onto something. Thanks for getting involved.
I mean this video probably isn’t geared towards somebody who can’t keep their driver in play. That’s not to say people who are mid to low single digit handicaps don’t go through periods of time where they struggle with driver but it’s not going to be a constant issue.
yes, 100%! There is no way hitting driver off 1 makes sense when a 5 iron up there leaving like 80 yards in will let me make par 80% of the time or so. With driver, way too often it will be 3 from the tee. If the hole were 460 yds with some room to miss, then fine. But i do not see how being aggressive with driver on hole 1 is supposed to help break 80. Seems like a recipe to not break 90
Nice video, Jon, and what a pretty course! I break 80 occasionally, but usually am about 85. I don't think my problem is strategy, but that a few times per round I mix in some horrible hits. I need to get rid of those random worm burner or pull hook or banana slices mixed in with perfect drives. I need to lose my shanked or bladed chips. It is frustrating to be playing well, then hit something truly awful. My new plan is "no thinking!" Once I plan my shot and take my stance, I need to just relax and let the swing happen. If I get a good start to a round, I usually finish strongly, so I need more good starts. BTW, I'm loving my V5.
Glad you have a plan!! Don't know if it's useful but once I pick my shot and get over the ball, I just try and focus really hard on picturing the target. I find that helps me block out the swing thoughts or negative stuff. Anyway, good luck!
@@JonPerkinsGolf The plan worked today in that I hit a lot of great shots, but still I slipped in a few random terrible shots. I shot 85, but had 6 shots that added -8 strokes gained. If I can lose those, breaking 80 will be easy.
You just played our Amen Corner Classic track. Great video and thanks for showcasing some of our course.
Like the Amen Corner comparison! What a gem of a course you have - hopefully I'll get to play the front nine as well next time.
Really enjoyed this video,and break 90 video, I have subscribed.👍
Great to hear, thank you
only been suggested a couple of your videos but love the info, pace, and tone of everything, sub'd
That's brilliant to hear, thank you
you should have many more subscribers! great video production!
Thank you, really appreciate that.
Played my best golf ever using your break 90 tips. Dont think im ready to be aggressive yet unfortunately. Went +3 through 9 though and my usually scores through 18 are 95-105
Awesome job, well done!
Someday I will break 80! Great video, thx for the tips🎉
Good luck!
#1 Hit fairways.
#2 Short game, I'll say it one more time Short game!
#3 Make 4 foot putts like they were easy.
#4 Stay away from double bogeys!...and sand.
Can't go far wrong with that.
Good advice Jon.
Hope it helps!
Where is this course .? Looks stunning .!
Hey Lee, it's a place called Leura Golf Club, in the Blue Mountains (Australia). It's a gem.
Another good video Jon! Keep up the great work! 👍🏌️♂️🔥
Thanks mate, appreciate it!!
Nice vid but try these rules on a heathland or links course in the summer with proper rough. Just smashing driver all the time is just not an option sadly.
Great tips on course management. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take into account that most players who can’t break 90 don’t control their misses well enough to keep it safe and occasionally play out of trouble which costs them a few strokes a round, not to mention the occasional blowout hole or card wrecker.
That’s where the practice comes in right inc coaching…learning to hit the ball more accurately!!
What a goat ranch of a golf course.
My only caveat to hitting driver more, is that driver is my least consistent club. I can get workable yardage with a wood off the tee more often. For me, most of my lost strokes are from bad tee shots out of the fairway. Especially recently. I've been hitting around 85 recently or 43ish for 9, and the short game and approach game are much more solid and make up for bad tees. I can usually dial in fairway irons to wherever I need them to go, I can chip and putt well, but that driver shot IS NOT consistent. I sit at about 15 handicap right now. I hit 1.9 putts per hole, 70% Fairways hit, and even though I have good chip and approach game, losing strokes due to the driver leaves my GIR% relatively low.
Good video, but I’d add know your dispersion. I’ve taken a few strokes off my scores simply by aiming about 5 yards right of my target with irons since my miss is a 10 yard overdraw. I also think assessing/learning the lie is super important. I’m a plus handicap on my simulator, but I’d guess that most of the difference in my actual handicap (about 12-13) is difficulty in real life lies.
Great input, thanks for adding!!
Your constant overdraw might just be too upright irons and wedges. Might just help abit with those
@@Qalosoyeah, I’ve thought about that and you might be right. My 52-60 wedges are 2 degrees flat and go a bit right on full shots. Might be worth trying 1 degree flat on, say, my 8-PW where I tend to miss most left.
@@CharlesFromage if you get the chance, go for a trackman analysis with a club fitter(important not a swing coach).
They’ll tend to adjust the club for you rather than change swing to work with the clubs.
You might find some insight there too.
Youre not too far off from single hcp so swing’s consistent enough to adjust clubs to your swing.
Clubs tend to bend depends where you play and practice so make it a habit of checking loft and lies every 3 months so you wont compensate with a bad technique.
The day I got my lies changed to 2 1/2 upright was the day I started to ‘play’ golf. Gotta go get fit!
Sure, these are all sound advice. But I have also had single figure (about 4-5 hcp) for about 20+ years. Back then I could break 80 in my sleep! I would say if you did not learn those four rules you will never reach 5 hcp. But they mean nothing if you cannot execute on your plans.
Today, I am struggling to get back to those levels of play after having about about 15 years of significantly less playing. I still know the rules, still strike the ball well, still know the tactics of the game but the consistency in my game is not there. I will will make par with no drama on many holes, but then a few times per round comes a catastrophic shot out of the blue (often adding a penalty) and it easy results in a double or triple bogey.
So, unless you have the basic skills and can practice at least once a week you will never stand a chance to break 80!
Thanks for the great commentary and good luck getting back to where you want to be.
Off the tee is my problem tho!! I hit 9 GIR in my tournament this weekend. NINE! Still shot 88. OB and 4 three putts killed me (13 hcp)
Yeah three putts are a huge killer. Are there any patterns to your OB's or three putts - taking on bad shots, similar distances or sloping putts etc? Just thoughts, maybe a change of tactic or practice focus might help? Good luck.
@@JonPerkinsGolf lag putts are definitely a weakness. Too often I misjudge speed and leave a 5-8 footer short or blown by the hole. That's an easier fix. The OBs are a different story. Almost always come off a tee shot or a long approach with a wood. Even with a conservative swing and aim on tricky holes... Even when I put the driver away for a safer option... I'm still good for 5-8 OBs every round. My home course is tight and brutal 😆
Yeah, so a prerequisite is good ball contact and relatively straight shots
@@asht7290 I have that... At least with irons. I hit 9 GIR. There's something mentally going on with me off the tee, I think. That and sub-optimal course mgmt choices possibly.
Fantastic course, unfortunately the weather turned terrible on all 3 occasions I've been.
That's a shame! Suppose it's hard to predict up in the mountains.
@@JonPerkinsGolfgreat little channel you have here, ended up here through watching Golf Sidekick's game management videos😊
If I could make a suggestion, could you name the courses in small text somewhere in the thumbnail or the main title 🤔
It's awesome seeing NSW courses on UA-cam 😁
@@kevinconnolly754 Thanks for that and good idea. The golf course in this case was Boomerang in Southern Sydney. I love a nice country type course.
@@JonPerkinsGolf Richmond in far north west is fantastic. Antill Park out at Picton in the south west is a hidden gem also😉
@@kevinconnolly754 thanks for the tips. I've not played either of those, but always keen to snoop out a fun new course to try.
Very interesting to be aggressive with your driver,but if you are like me and can drive it 330 yards,it can get you into more trouble,however,i hit my 4 iron around 250 yard,seems to be the safer option especially if you dont have alot of fairway to work with
My 3 rules: 1. No penalty shot. 2. Up and down with one chip onto the green. 3. Never 3 putts.
Good plan
Hey Jon! Do you edit videos by yourself, or have you hired someone? I can help if you haven't hired anyone yet.
Hey, thanks for the interest. I do everything myself (and it takes a long time haha)
@@JonPerkinsGolfIf you want high-quality edits and would also like to save time, let me know. I'm happy to help.
Im breaking 70 Saturday.
Do it! Good luck
Great production.
Obviously aimed at golfers under 12 handicap who can hit a driver well.
For the rest of us,being aggressive off the tee is golfing suicide.
Maybe a break 90 video and keep it in play/course management/ avoid trouble type of video.
95% of golfers get nowhere near 80!!
Appreciate all those ideas and comments, thank you!
You are Aussie, what’s the idea of using yards !
Grew up playing in the UK and for Golf the numbers just seem to ingrained in me that way...
what 4 rules?
This is my regular Saturday course but you are playing from the ladies tees try doing it from the back blue marker 😂
Couldn't tell you mate. I went off the winter tee's of the day.
What if all I need is a swing change? 😂
haha good luck
I’d be a single digit handicap if I could find 300 yd par 4s
you wouldn't as course rating is factored into the handicap. But you would be shooting lower scores.
@@DavidDavid-jb1cy it is a factor but a very insignificant one
Cant break 110 😅
🤣 don't give up!
Hit driver more 😂
yeah, "golf sidekick" who has a great channel advocates for the exact opposite of this advice