DEVELOP A GO-TO DRIVE
Hitting fairways is a key to saving
strokes, especially if you're currently
shooting in the high 80s or
low 90s. Every missed fairway is a
chance to lose strokes, and if you want to
reach your scoring goal, you're going to
have to start putting the ball in play consistently.
I tell my students that they need to
hit at least seven fairways per round if they
hope to break 80, so this should be your
goal. To do so, you'll need to shore up your
setup position and then develop a go-to
shot shape (see below). Forget about trying
to bomb it every time—if you want to shoot
a score, you have to think strategy, not ego.
BUILDING AN 'ANTI-SHOT'
Eliminating one side of the fairway means
building a swing that you know can only produce
one of two "anti-shots": An anti-slice shape
to avoid trouble on the right or an anti-hook
shape to avoid trouble on the left. This starts
by changing your setup to naturally produce the
shape you're looking for. The
proper setup will help you "feel" the shot shape
before you swing.
HOW TO ELIMINATE THE BAD SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY
Once you've determined what shot shape you're going
to use as your go-to drive,
you need to test yourself
and improve your ability to
play it under pressure. To do
so, find a practice fairway or
area of the range with plenty
of flat ground in front of you.
Picture a centerline to your
target and use that as your
guide. If you're going to use an
anti-right shot (draw) as your
go-to drive, for example, your
goal should be to start every
drive right of the centerline
and draw it back toward the
line without crossing over it.
If you want to fade the ball
(anti-left), do the opposite.
Take 10 balls and test
yourself with the intention of
getting at least 70 percent of
the shots in the target area. If
you can learn to do this, you'll
be on your way to breaking 80.
WEEK 2 ACTION PLAN (3 HOURS)
1. Find Your Go-To
Drive (60 minutes):
Decide if your "get it
in play" drive will be a
draw or fade. Shore up
your setup for the shot
you choose and spend
some time working on
hitting that shot on a
consistent basis.
2. Cross-the-Line Drill (60 minutes) Perform the Week 2 drill. If at first you don't succeed, stick with it. Your goal at the end of six weeks is to hit 7 out of 10 drives in the correct area of the fairway.
3. Scoring Club Distance Practice (60 minutes) Perform the wedge drill on the opposite page. At this point in the six-week plan you should be able to get at least 4 out of 10 balls in the 10-yard radius with each of your scoring clubs.
BREAK 80 PLANNING WORKSHEETS (PDF)
WEEK 1: DIAL IN YOUR SHORT CLUBS
