This Lesson (And Simple Swing Thought) Helped Me Break 90 For The First Time Ever

I’m not going to assume that people have been eagerly refreshing the Golf Monthly site daily for updates on my pursuit of breaking 90 for the first time ever, but for anyone who has read about my struggles in the past… I finally did it!

The feeling of achieving one of golf’s great milestones was exhilarating, especially considering I had been close time and time again without getting over the line.

I was almost resigned to the fact that it wasn’t going to happen, but one lesson with Top 50 Coach Ben Emerson fixed the biggest problem in my game (in just 10 shots) and provided a simple swing thought that unlocked the greatest moment in my golfing life.

Plenty of great coaches have supported me on this journey. I’ve had a short game lesson with Dan Grieve, a putting lesson with Jamie Donaldson, a playing lesson with former World No.1 Lee Westwood and plenty of tuition from the head pro at Sand Moor Golf Club, Alex James.

Each of those experiences helped move me further down the path to the magical land of sub-90 scores, but a quick lesson with Ben provided a true lightbulb moment.

As you can see in the video below, Ben had just 10 shots to rid me of a wild slice that had plagued my game for years.

Not only did he achieve that, by helping me to calibrate the clubface and deliver it squarely at impact, but he also gave me a drill that stuck in my mind throughout the fateful round of 87 at Modry Las Golf Resort in Poland.

Every time I stood over the golf ball, I said one simple word to myself… “Baseball”.

The Power Of 'Baseball'

No, I haven’t gone mad. I realise we are playing golf and the swing is very different to hitting a baseball… or is it?

As Ben correctly pointed out, you would never swing a baseball bat at an oncoming ball with an over the top motion - the likes of which you would see when a slicer hits their driver.

He even got me to practice the incorrect action and it felt ridiculous. Essentially, if you swing the driver like a baseball bat at chest height, you are much more likely to deliver the face closed at ‘impact’ - or at least be more aware of it right in front of your face.

As you then move down from that position into golf posture, the movement is essentially the same.

Clearly, as evidenced by shot 5 and 7 - I am not yet a scratch golfer.

But, by swinging the club more around my body, consciously trying to prevent that over the top move and ensuring I roll my forearms to close the face it arrives into impact - progress has certainly been made.

It might not work for everyone, but for me that simple swing thought banished all the negative ideas from my brain. That’s powerful in itself.

Yes, perhaps I look a bit ridiculous rehearsing a baseball swing with driver on the tee - but that intervention has since led to a score of 37 points at the Golf Monthly Test Day, where I finished tied second in the competition, and, more importantly, to my first ever score in the 80s.

Story of the 87

In a similar way to many of my rounds, the first few holes were uninspiring. I am a habitually slow starter and that has cost me on many occasions.

This could so easily have been another similar case. I started seven-over through four holes (gross) and recorded just six Stableford points - meaning I was two-over my handicap on the day.

A par on the short par 3 5th was the turning point, as I played the final five holes of the back nine in four-over (gross) with 13 Stableford points… so three-under for that stretch.

The bunkers were a foe that threatened my hunt for the elusive accolade, but even they were no match for my new found, aggressive, multi-faceted approach to taking on the golf course.

A pause halfway to escape the chilly winds of north-western Poland in October was much needed, as was the delicious charcuterie board and freshly-brewed coffee… I know, who do I think I am?

The second nine felt like a real opportunity. I was swinging it well and full of confidence from the recent uptick in my performances following the lesson with Ben, but that’s also a dangerous place for me to be.

In the past, I have crumbled mentally at the first sign of things going awry. Compounding mistakes is my modus operandi, but I was determined to re-write that particular script.

The back-nine started much like the front, with three bogeys and a double - meaning once again I was over par after the first four holes.

I once again had to have a little word with myself, which appeared to work as par-4 14th returned a par which delivered a handsome four points to my Stableford total.

The signature par-3 15th might be the single best (and also worst) moment I've had on a single golf hole. It measured 140 yards from the yellow tees, with water spanning the stretch between the tee box and the island-style green.

I pulled a 6-iron, with a little wind into my face, and went about swinging the club like I was prime Babe Ruth.

When I eventually pulled the trigger, the ball rocketed off on my intended start line… it was all over it.

My playing partners and I held my breath. Well, until I started shouting at it to ‘go’. Turns out that wasn’t necessary, as the ball pitched on the edge of the cup, ricocheted off the flag and stopped 2ft from the hole.

When I eventually got up to the green, I spotted the pitch mark. It had damaged the perimeter of the hole and almost forced the turf into the cup.

I know my colleagues hate stories about nearly making a hole-in-one, but that was the closest I or anyone could ever get without making an ace.

It would have been ludicrous to ask my playing partner to run up and take the pin out before I hit my tee shot, especially as a 20-handicapper, but I am convinced that without the flag it would have dunked straight in.

In the end, I had to settle for a birdie two and collect my second four-point haul in two holes - a run that would continue to the par-5 16th to really make the break 90 chase a reality.

The final five holes at PGA National Poland is the best golf I have ever played.

I carded four pars and a birdie to play the closing stretch in one-under par (gross) and return 19 points.

The final hole was a little nervy, but as you can see in the video below it was more of a victory lap. I had seven shots to burn on a par-5 when I was striping it like a far superior player to what my handicap would suggest - so the result felt inevitable.

Still, a back-nine of 40 was beyond my wildest expectations and a score of 87 actually felt like it could have been a bit better had I not been slow out of the gates on both nines.

I relished in telling almost anyone who would listen about my 45 point, sub-90 round - culminating in sharing the news with you.

“Below average amateur golfer who nobody knows breaks 90 for the first time” is perhaps a less compelling headline, but the story is actually far more than that.

It’s about perseverance, resilience and hope.

High-handicap golfers often struggle to see the progress they would like, at the speed they hope for, but hopefully this acts as a signal that sometimes it’s just one lesson (or swing thought) that could totally change your fortunes.

Stick with it, gang. I’m pleased I did.