I thought this was an excellent article from Mark Broadie showing how different scoring looks from a golfer who shoots a 90 versus on that shoots an 80.
Have a read:
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Just copied this to my iBooks so I can read it on the plane.
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Great read thanks for sharing. If only he can save me 10 shots as a 70s shooter!
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Iād take 6 shots as a 6 handicap!
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I love these types of articles that are specific to a given handicap range.
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It was well done. His research has really changed the way that we think about the game (for the better).
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Easier said the done to just reduce the number of awful shots. Most of us hit awful shots because our swings suck and swing changes take a lot of time, effort, and feedback to ingrain. Still as someone who averaged 2.8 driving errors per round this year this is the path Iām currently on.
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Youāre right about it being easier said than done. But at least having a practice program that is tailored to your current skill level makes more sense than practicing the same thing the pros are working on.
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What I like about his approach is he takes into account the fact that you are going to missā¦ the whole concept of taking the big mistakes out of play (even if it means aiming for the rough) is incredibly useful across most skill levelsā¦
Once you learn to keep the ball in play off the tee, it makes things easierā¦ even as a single digit handicap, this was a big improvement for meā¦ there are holes where Iām aiming down a tree line because my miss is wide right and my ball shape is a fadeā¦ if I hit it straight, itās in bounds and if I hit my big miss, itās in playā¦ Iāll have to scramble for par, but Iām not hitting 3 off the tee box. Itās significantly helped my scoring on that particular hole!
Thatās kinda where Iām at - 90s shooter, going thru a series of lessons encompassing major swing changes and committed to the process, making better contact with the ball but still working on some minor 
directional issuesā¦
So not scoring better yet but constantly trying to improve my on-course strategy with each round to work to reduce both the number of errors plus the ābadnessā, if you will, of them. Work in progress!
Yeah Iām dead smack in the middle between 80 and 90 but I hit just as many if not more awful drives than a typical 90-shooter. I can usually count on blowing a couple drives off the planet per round.
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My situation too. This was a great read - always good to be reminded that it doesnāt take perfection to improve.
My issue is keeping all this in mind while on the course!
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Great content again Jon!
Explained in simple but applyable terms. If only we knew how to turn off the emotion switch 
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Iām a bit surprised that 90 golfers only lose 3 strokes per round to āawfulā drives. My personal numbers are triple that. I had an out-of-nowhere 9 holes last week where I hit 7 solid drives. It knocked 6-8 strokes off my average over that 9 alone!
I would have thought the number would be closer to 8 strokes per round.
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What do you consider solid?
Awful generally means a drive that gives you no chance of a green in regulation (penalty, duff, sideways punch out). If youāre actually hitting 7-8 of these per round then reducing that number needs to be your top priority.
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One of the best golf books I ever read, āThe Elements of Scoringā by Ray Floyd is mainly concerned with making good misses, because as he points out, unless youāre Ben Hogan, virtually every shot you hit is a mishit to some degree.
I also love the very first line in the book ~ āGive me your golf game with my head and I beat you 99 times out of 100ā
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I remember when I was at the breaking 90 stage, I just thought in terms of fives, you can absorb a few 7s if you make a few 3s and 4s on the par threes. Just eliminate the really blow up scores by playing safe.
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His book gets named checked in multiple other books Iāve read!
Possibly the best investment you can make entering the winter is book some time at a facility with Foresight or Trackman and not only reconfirm your yardages with each club (including 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 wedges) but map your shot patterns. Especially with the driver. Book at least 3-4 sessions.
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I try to do that ā¦ Iām not a long hitter so Iām generally playing for bogey ā¦ and try to hit the shots that I can towards safe spots, butā¦
ā¦ But I do still have to continue to develop the ball striking skills in each of the areas mentioned - eg. hit more playable tee shots, make more approach shots count, improve my awful bunker play, continue to sharpen the short game and putting.
When I do hit a shot into trouble I try to remind myself ā¦ ājust get out of the trouble - donāt compound the mistakeā
Work In Progress!!