18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Look out, 80, here I come, July 8, 2005
For several years, I was locked in a zone of shooting around 95 on basically every course I went to. No matter how well I was swinging the club, there'd always be a couple holes with a double or triple bogey that would prevent me from breaking 90.
To be sure, my fundamentals have improved over that time: my drives are longer and straighter, and my short irons were ending up closer and closer to the pin. Still couldn't break 90.
Since I bought this book about a month ago, I have broken 90 in four consecutive rounds, and even had a darn good chance of approaching 80 my last time out. Yet, my swing is the same. So how has this book helped me? It drilled in three simple rules, which I will summarize:
1. Play to your level. I can have a difficult time with long irons, and this book taught me how to play a course wisely by using strategies rather than equipment. For example, there's a darn good chance that trying to land a 200 yard iron shot will get me in trouble, while two easy wedge shots will get me close to the hole. Why risk water, sand and rough in the unlikely chance for a birdie on a long par 4?
2. Stay out of trouble. The book gave me simple strategies to manage a golf course conservatively to encourage greater consistency. Golf is a lot easier to play from the short grass, and this book tells you how to leave yourself with easier shots.
3. Focus on the short game. There's great sections on chipping, pitching, sand play, and putting. It is simple tips that help me select the right shot for the right situation, and has opened up my eyes to the whole "feel" game. By learning how to read grains, survey bunkers, and a refresher on chipping, I now know how to select the right one of three pitch shots, for example. This saves valuable strokes. Believe me: golf is a much easier game when you're confident that your par-saving putt after a missed green will be within 5 feet of the hole, rather than having chips chunked, hit thin, off line, or just plain messed up.
Next thing for me to practice from this book is how to shape shots and how to better read greens. I am very confident that my scores will start to approach the low 80s by the end of this year because of this book.
However -- This book isn't for someone who has basic questions about grip, stance, or swing plane. There's probably three or four illustrations in the whole book. If you can consistently hit your short irons straight, fair pretty well with your 3 and 5 woods, and aren't a disaster with your mid irons, this book is for you. If you have a consistent slice or a tendency to chunk shots in the fairway, How to Break 90 isn't going to fix your swing problems. Get a few lessons at your local driving range, give 'em a few weeks to sink in, THEN buy this book.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book, even for high-handicappers, August 11, 2006
I bought this book, even though at the time I was trying to break 100 rather than 90. I really liked the way the authors focused on course management and the short game rather than swing changes. I also liked the little bits of humor scattered throughout.
The authors make the point that if you average a 5 on every hole (something they call "Level 5's"), then you will shoot 90. I took this a step further and told myself that if I could shoot Level 6's, that's a 108. So if I could shave a few strokes from there, shoot 5 on a few holes (which isn't that tough, even for me), then I could break 100.
Sure enough, using thier course management advice and focusing on shooting 6's, not thinking about par, I broke 100 several times in the my next few rounds.
I'm now re-reading the book, and practicing some of the advice I thought was too advanced back then, and refining some more to hopefully break 90 soon.
This book truly helped my game....one of the few books I can say that about!
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You! can break the 90 barrier!!, August 17, 2001
This review is from: How to Break 90 : An Easy, Step-by-Step Approach for Breaking Golf''s Toughest Scoring Barrier (Hardcover)
If you regularly card a 100 to 110 this is the book for you! There are no slick gimmicks or awkward exercises in this book. It just shows you how to maximize the swing you have and avoid the costly mistakes that most people make again and again.
I loved the early chapter about "personal par". To shoot a 90 means you average 5 shots per hole. Rather than pushing your game to shoot the stated par on a hole, take your shot-making ability and try to card a par plus one on every hole. Voila! You are now shooting a 90, which is a respectable score with any partner on any course.
Guess what?! This book worked for me and it can work for you, too. Read it this winter on those long, cold nights when you long for the chance to be out in the sun sinking a tough breaking putt.
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