COMMUNITY

Congratulations! It must feel great...


I have only done it once. I have actually only come close 1 or 2 other times. It was at a difficult course near my home (Rock Manner, DE). I had a friend with me. Only 2 things really stand out. I was distracted all day because I was trying to buy a home (wife kept calling me with offers.) And the second thing is that one of the par 4's (a difficult hole) had a temporary green and was only 225 yards. I eagled that hole. But hey, a 79 is a 79! I have not come close since and that was 2 years ago.

The first time that I ever shot in the 70s was with three of my buddies who work for the local sheriffs department. I had just given one of them my old set of irons a few weeks earlier so that he could start playing. I had one of my best starts ever and was 3 under after 3 holes when I went birdie, par and eagle. After the great start things went down hill and I finished with a 78. I was really amazed by a 78 at the time especially since I had only played the course once or twice before that round.

Congrats! Awesome feeling ain't it? I did it for the first time last July at my home course of South Suburban. I had come close to breaking 80 quite a bit at the time, most notably an 80 at that course 2 days earlier. I played the first 3 holes in 3 over which was a drag because I deserved par on at least 1 of those holes, maybe even 2. But nope, went into the 4th hole at 3 over, forcing myself to play the final 15 holes in 4 over. 4th hole is a 190 yard Par 3, hit my tee shot short, chipped to about a foot though and got a par. Then on the next hole, a Par 5, I hit a marvelous 3 wood to 8 feet and made birdie. Long story short, I made 2 more birdies, 3 bogeys, and 8 pars the final 13 holes to shoot a 3 over 75. So I played the final 15 holes even par on a tough course (wasn't from the tips, but since then I've shot 79 a few times from the back tees) to get it done. Before a round I had this past March where I shot 76 and had 4 birdies, that round was the first time I had made 3 or more birdies in a single 18 hole round.

I don't remember all the particulars other than I had recently broken my driver in a rage so was only using 3 wood and WHADDYAKNOW, I kept the damn ball in play enough to shoot 79. I play a strong 3 wood so I can hit it almost as far as my driver and a helluva lot more accurately. This course is relatively easy and only 6400 y ards so for me as a fairly long hitter I was happy but wasn't exactly going to brag about it!
My more recent accomplishments that I'm more proud of are breaking 80 on a course that I only played for my 2nd time and on another that I only played 3 times. I think shooting great scores when you don't know the course at all is really the sign of improvement in ones game.

You forgot to tell us the distances on every drive. Any uphill bombs that round? 335+. LOL

Bryan, that is great! Very happy for you!

I had plateaued between a 16-18 handicap for a lot of years and my best round was an 81, which I got a few times, but could never break through.

I was a beta tester for a new learning system that involved clubs that initially played about 1-2 clubs shorter. After about 6 rounds with them I broke 80 for the first time and soon after I was shooting in the 70s half the time. In 13 months my handicap dropped to a 6! As you can imagine, all during that time I couldn't wait to get out on the course for the next round!

Ouch!

Congrats. Looks like a beautiful golf course with lots of distractions. Well played.

Now but you know I was hitting pitching wedges from 200 and knocked em all to tap in range ;-) must be the A flex wedge shafts I'm using, giving me great distance.

Congrats. I think you will find that this milestone will make it easier do repeat in the future.

First time I broke 80, I did it comfortably with a 77. It was an interesting round, because you see, I used to have a super-strong grip and got the club SO shut at the top...I'm talking more shut than Azinger...it was pretty nasty. (I didn't know this at the time, of course, but looking back at pictures I was like, wow that's awful!) As a result, I often couldn't get driver off the ground. This was one of those weeks...so I left the driver in the bag and hit 3 wood off the tee on every hole. I could get that club in the air and keep it in play, and lo and behold, I started stamping out par after par. It was also one of those days where I seemed to make every 6-foot par save. I remember, though, I missed a short par putt on the 18th for a 76...probably the only one I missed that day.

I was definitely a happy camper that day!

Congrats! May it be the first of many more. My advice to you going forward is to "lower" your standard. Don't aim for 79...aim for 72. If you're TRYING to shoot a 79, you only have 1 stroke before you're back in the 80s again. So move your goalposts a little bit...you are starting to get some real game, you know the scores are in there.

I don't remember the year, but I remember the course. It was Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Oregon. I had flirted with breaking 80 prior to that round but for some reason it came together on that amazing course. When I broke 80 there I knew that I could break 80 almost anywhere. From that point on my game was better. Breaking 80 is just a mental hurdle...once you realize that you can do it the game is easier.

Congrats Bryan, great job on a great course. I have yet to break 80. I am 60 and this is my 6th season golfing, but I have 8 rounds at 82 including one on Kapalua in Hawaii. I always lose it on the last two holes. I guess it is kind of like a pro getting his/her first win. It is super hard and it is always the last couple of holes that the pressure hits. I can say I have two hole in ones (both sloppy luck and one on a very short par 3). Last week I got my first Eagle 2 on a 404 par 4. Got a super drive with a kick off a hill which gave me a great run on the ball (much farther drive than I usually get). 148 left with a 7 iron. I went for the front center of the green. I knew the green broke to the left and the ball rolled up and dropped in the hole like I had putted it. That is one great feeling. 80 is and will be my goal (probably until I die LOL) but I know I can do it, just have to learn how to calm down and play smart on the last two holes.

First time I broke 80 I actually wasn't playing that well. I was 6 over through the front 9. As I was walking off the 17th green marking my scorecard I noticed I had recorded par on each of the last 8 holes. I duck hooked my drive on the par 5 18th, leaving me a LONG way to go to reach the green. I had a decent second shot, went over the green on my 3rd, chipped it close and tapped in for par...finished with a 78. It seems once you break 80, it gets a bit easier.....but that first one took many years.

I'm sure it was a 78 or 79 at Sandcreek G.C. in Idaho Falls, ID. Probably in the summer of 1989.

Even today, breaking 80 is a big deal to me. And breaking 80 for the first time on a new course still feels like winning the Open for me.

I had a chance to par No. 18 at Indian Creek's the Creeks in DFW this spring for a 79 the first time on that track, and I effed up an easy up-and-down for an 80. That score still helped my handicap (the back tees there are no joke ... ask Goynes), but, man, THAT would've felt like busting 80.