Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/106075
ELEVATE! What It Takes To Break 100 90 80 by Matt Meneghetti, PGA Professional-Centennial Park & Purdue University Calumet Head Golf Coach G olf requires a great deal of skill, mental discipline and patience to be good at it. You need to have good hand-eye coordination, athletic function and be a creative thinker. Because your mental game affects how you break 100/90/80, you must play each and every golf shot before you tee off. If you can see where you want the ball to land in your mind, you will be surprised how the body reacts. The body responds very in tune with the brain and you will learn how to break 100/90/80 faster this way. If your game is in the 90s or above range, you may think it's impossible to learn how to break 80, but you can. So change your mindset is first and foremost when learning how to break 100/90/80. You must be able to play the short game. I never would have broken 80 if I had not learned how to putt and chip well. I still don't do well in the sand, so I try to stay away from it. Going back to mental, if I land in the bunker, the mind is already saying bogey or worse. Hitting bad shots can emotionally and mentally ruin your round and enjoyment of the game. Learn a bulletproof method to handle these tough times, but also turning them into opportunities for lower scores. If you can play more consistently by avoiding those wasted shots you will be breaking 90/80 faster. It requires lots and lots of concentration and dedication along with a positive attitude. Finally ask any golfer, where they said they could have broken 100, 90 or even 80, it's just a matter of shaving off those few strokes that always put you over where you want to be. Practice that short game and putting and keep a cool head (positive attitude) and you, too, can break 100, 90 or 80. Matt Meneghetti is in his third season as the head golf coach at Purdue Calumet, after helping start the program in 2010. He has over 20 years of experience as a golf professional, including 18 years as a Class A member of the Professional Golfers Association. Meneghetti came to Purdue Calumet from Centennial Park Golf Course in Munster, Ind., where he serves as the PGA Professional. He has held a number of clinics for ladies, men and juniors of all levels, while also conducting a junior program that averaged 110 golfers per session.