Breaking... 100, 90, 80, Par - What are the keys?

[Par5zN2]

If we can get out of our own way we all could score lower. These simple principles have helped me:

1. Swing your clubs with a consistent rhythm, ,and finish balanced, regardless of the club you're swinging; most amateurs tend to swing longer clubs faster. Full swings, regardless of club, should be made with the same tempo, the club will do the work. Watch and learn from the ladies on the LPGA.
2. Stop trying to drive the ball 300 yards; sure pro's do it, they're professionals, we're not. Big numbers start with a poor tee shot (most of the time) so emphasis should be placed on hitting the fairway, leaving a distance to the center of the green you're comfortable and consistent in hitting. If this means hitting less that driver, then hit less than driver.
3. Approach shots should be aimed at the center of the green; again, we're amateurs, we shouldn't be pin-seeking.
4. Emphasize short game and putting when practicing; if you hit driver at every opportunity you'll only hit it 14 times a round, so stop spending all your valuable practice time with it.
5. Learn to chip/pitch with less lofted clubs; there are reasons to use a lob wedge, and there are reasons not to.
6. Count all your putts, stop taking 'gimmies'; 35+ putts a round can and should be reduced to less. The easiest way to cut 5 strokes from your game is to become a better putter.

Golf, and scoring well isn't complicated; hit fairways, hit greens, two putt.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

I dunno, hard to see how folks who are picking up their 3-footers are going to score lower if they quit taking gimmes

Golf, and scoring well isn't complicated; hit fairways, hit greens, two putt.

Kind of like the sure-fire way to make a killing in the stock market. Just buy a bunch of shares in a company whose stock is going to double in price next month. Buy low, sell high, works every time.

 

[bigskyirish]

This is a cool question. It made me stop and think about what it really takes to break par. Here are my thoughts:

1. One of the huge keys is not to compound your mistakes. For the most part, everything needs to be going reasonably well. But don't think it has to be perfect. Even the pros hit bad shots. And plenty of people have put up really, really low rounds with multiple bogeys, etc. For me, this largely means trying to do whatever it takes to keep doubles off the card. You can recover from some bogeys. Not so much from doubles. (Side note: I've done an absolutely terrible job of this so far this year and it's really shown in my scores).

2. You have to hit greens. Not all of them by any means, but to break par, you need birdies. And you're probably not going to chip in all that often. So the more greens you hit, the more chances you have.

3. You have to have a decent putting round. Of course, if you hit to a a couple feet for birdie multiple times, you don't need to putt quite as well. But most of the time, you're going to have to roll in some putts. It could be an 8 footer to save par, or a longer one for birdie that you're not expecting. Either way, you're going to have a better chance to break par on days where you are making putts.

4. Make the easy up and downs. I don't think you need to get up and down every time. I've broken par a bunch of times, but I've never had a bogey-free round. And trying the hero shot on a really tough up and down usually runs a real risk of violating category #1 up above. But if you have a bunch of pretty flat chips from a couple yards off the green and aren't making pars, your chances of breaking par that day probably aren't great.

 

[CM5150]

The key to breaking 80 for those of us in that 10-12 handicap range is to first give yourself a chance to do so by avoiding the big numbers. Doubles and triples happen to everybody, you can never truly eliminate them, but when they pop up for us who normally shoot low-mid 80s then the fact is your chance of breaking 80 is extremely low that day unless you play absolutely great the rest of the holes.

You don’t have to play great to do it, you just have to stay calm and disciplined when you find yourself in trouble, keep it to bogey, and move on. Easier said than done...think of how often when we get off track, instead of finding a way to get it somewhere on the green then two putt for bogey, we try some idiot shot at a tough pin and end up with a double or worse. I do it all the time.

 

[MrDC]

"Avoid the big numbers"

I hate that phrase, as if the player isn't trying hard enough or conscientiously doing something wrong, nobody wants to miss but it happens.

Breaking 80 takes a complete game, no weaknesses, but of all the players I've seen who can break 90 regularly they all putt really well, none are weak on the greens, so if you don't sink those 10-footers once in a while, or 3-putt often, you know what needs work.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

"Avoid the big numbers"

I hate that phrase, as if the player is not trying hard enough or conscientiously doing something wrong, nobody wants to miss but it happens.

Breaking 80 takes a complete game, no weaknesses, but of all the players I've seen who can break 90 regularly they all putt really well, none are weak on the greens, so if you don't sink those 10-footers once in a while, or 3-putt often, you know what needs work.

I agree. As so-called "advice" or as a suggestion for "course management" it's completely backwards.

Yes, you will shoot lower scores if you don't have anything worse than bogey on your card than if you have a handful of doubles, triples or worse.

It's like saying the key to better putting is "don't 3-putt". A 3-putt is a manifestation of bad putting, bad putting doesn't happen when you decide to just 3-putt for the heck of it.

 

[BigMac]

I broke 80 today (79). Had 5 bogeys and two doubles, only hit 4 fairways and 4 GIR - but the misses were close, and my short game and putting were both solid today (8 up and downs, 28 putts total, with no 3 putts), and I had two birdies to help atone for the doubles. I also had zero penalty strokes and the ball was generally going in the direction I intended it to. There were a few times when I had to be smart and play the safe recovery shot rather than the hero shot, and avoided blowing up the scorecard.

Even <80 golf isn't always pretty.

 

[MrDC]

8 up and downs is very pretty IMO, it's all about perspective.

Short game and putting, not many who score well aren't good at it.

 

[BigMac]

8 up and downs is very pretty IMO, it's all about perspective.

Short game and putting, not many who score well aren't good at it.

Very true. A friend of mine who took the game up a few years ago was a 100+ shooter until fairly recently. He was a decent enough ballstriker most of the time, but get him around the greens and he wasted all kinds of shots - skulling it back and forth over the green, flubbing chips, 3 and 4 putting. In the past six months or so he's made huge improvements in his short game and putting, and now usually shoots low 90s, breaking into the 80s occasionally.

 

[InTheRough]

I see many threads out there about breaking score barriers - all of which I've passed through - except shooting a full 18 under par... yet.

As I think about the scoring journey what do you feel the key elements are to break certain scoring barriers?
100?
90?
80?
Break Par?

From one who shoots 90 regularly.... I've hit 10/14 fairways and have hit 50% of greens in that round and still shot a 90. Why? Because I started 35 to 50 feet away from the hole on most of those GIRs. That meant my lag putt was outside 4' at times and I missed the putt leading to a 3 putt or bogey. I also started that round with two quad bogeys... so there. Then I've hit only 2/14 fairways and shot 90. I've duffed every tee shot for the first 5 holes and shot 90. I've played terrible golf and shot 90. I've played decent golf and shot 90.

100? This is the easy one assuming you can hit the ball a fair distance - like a 7 iron about 140 - 150 yds. Keep the ball in play. Leave the driver and 3W in the bag. Play a course that allows you to reach the longest par 3 with a 6i. This may mean moving to the appropriate tee to do that if the course has a forced carry. Play the entire course using no more than a 6i from the tee. You're playing for bogeys and double bogeys. Granted it might not be "fun" to play this way, but unless you really suck at chipping and putting, you should be able to break 100. Get it done and move on.

90? You're playing for bogeys and a few pars. You should be better with your driver by this time. Your approach game is more important now. You want to get GIRs especially on the shorter par 4s and all the par 3s (except you'll likely miss the longest one). Your short game needs to be good because you'll need it to either save par or save bogey. You need to eliminate double bogeys. You'll still get them. Everyone gets double bogeys. You need to be better at lag putting and green reading. You need to sink more of those 6' putts. But like I said - approach game. The further you're out from 30' from the hole, the greater your chances of 3 putting.

80? Approach game is your priority. Driving is #2. Short game is #3. Putting is #4. The closer you can land the ball to the hole the easier time you'll have parring a hole. You hit 18 approach shots. You hit probably 14 drives. You hit probably 4 fairway woods or long hybrids. Maybe you only hit 2? Your short game is for when your approach game fails to deliver or you end up in those awkward distances. Putting - at this level you should be starting inside 30 feet. Your practice should reflect how you play (this goes for all levels). Priorities taken from strokes gained stuff by Mark Broadie.

Breaking par? Practice daily and hit about 500 balls a day with a purpose at the range.

Golf is hard.

 

[Luchnia]

Some great thoughts here and one that I cannot over emphasize enough is a strategic course plan with each level you are going for. Knowing your course conditions for proper yardage and your target areas for your approach shots and your greens is critical. When I go at a course with a plan and reduce errors there is potential for a decent score.

Just today I watched my teammates grab the big sticks on a number of holes that cost them strokes. One was a z shaped par 5. After three of them hit, two of them were in the woods, and the 3rd guy was in a thick almost unplayable area. There were some raised eyebrows when I hit my 5 wood off the tee and hit it where I knew I would have a second shot.

Next I hit a decent 7 iron over some trees to a 3rd shot location which the 3rd shot put me on the green. Next putted for birdie, missed but made Par. I am not a better golfer, I just played the hole smarter than my buds did. Smart course strategy makes a difference.

 

[Scooby45]

"A chip and a putt" was a phrase I learned from my grandpa. If you can do that most holes you can score well.

If only I could do it as easily as he let it roll of his tongue ...

 

[InTheRough]

I've been on a par 5. Sliced a tee shot onto the adjacent hole all the way across their fairway, but on their fairway. Hit a hybrid through a gap in the trees about 180 yds back into the hole I was playing onto a terrible lie on the side of the steep hill. Hit an 8i onto the green about 80' from the hole, lagged to 6' and ended up with a par, winning the hole in match play. Never give up. I felt like a right handed Mickelson after that - except I'm sure he would have dropped that 8i to about 10' and walked off with a birdie. One shot at a time. One shot at a time.

 

[BigMac]

Some great thoughts here and one that I cannot over emphasize enough is a strategic course plan with each level you are going for. Knowing your course conditions for proper yardage and your target areas for your approach shots and your greens is critical. When I go at a course with a plan and reduce errors there is potential for a decent score.

Just today I watched my teammates grab the big sticks on a number of holes that cost them strokes. One was a z shaped par 5. After three of them hit, two of them were in the woods, and the 3rd guy was in a thick almost unplayable area. There were some raised eyebrows when I hit my 5 wood off the tee and hit it where I knew I would have a second shot.

Next I hit a decent 7 iron over some trees to a 3rd shot location which the 3rd shot put me on the green. Next putted for birdie, missed but made Par. I am not a better golfer, I just played the hole smarter than my buds did. Smart course strategy makes a difference.

Course management is an important and highly underestimated part of it - and the lower you go, the more it matters. You can get away with a few high-risk hero shots and still break 100, but if you're trying to break 80 those doubles and triples when they don't pan out are going to hurt your scorecard. Playing smart/strategic golf is a good way to lower your scores without changing anything physically about your swing.

 

[razaar]

I first broke 80 within 6 months of taking up the game. I was playing national level basketball, both rugby codes on the weekend, and giving golf a go because I was sharing a house with the local golf pro (who was my age). All I can remember of that day was the pressure of keeping it together during the last three or four holes. I am sure it was my athletic ability and discipline and the desire to win the game bet that decided it. The confidence I got from that day has stayed with me for over 50 years.

 

[greenOak]

I agree. As so-called "advice" or as a suggestion for "course management" it's completely backwards.

Yes, you will shoot lower scores if you don't have anything worse than bogey on your card than if you have a handful of doubles, triples or worse.

It's like saying the key to better putting is "don't 3-putt". A 3-putt is a manifestation of bad putting, bad putting doesn't happen when you decide to just 3-putt for the heck of it.

I largely agree with you - most awful shots are the result of not executing. That being said many players aren't doing themselves any favors with their bad course management.

Examples:

-Trying to get a 20-foot birdie putt past the hole because "never up, never in".
-Trying to play a flop shot over a bunker and land it on the fringe because that's the only way you'll get it close.

And playing too conservative can hurt you just as much as playing too aggressive. I cringe every time I see someone pull iron out on a narrow hole to "just get it in play" and proceed to blow it OB anyways. "Just play for bogey" is more terrible advice I often hear given to higher handicaps. Playing for bogey is a surefire way to make lots of doubles and triples.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

I largely agree with you - most awful shots are the result of not executing. That being said many players aren't doing themselves any favors with their bad course management.

Examples:

-Trying to get a 20-foot birdie putt past the hole because "never up, never in".
-Trying to play a flop shot over a bunker and land it on the fringe because that's the only way you'll get it close.

And playing too conservative can hurt you just as much as playing too aggressive. I cringe every time I see someone pull iron out on a narrow hole to "just get it in play" and proceed to blow it OB anyways. "Just play for bogey" is more terrible advice I often hear given to higher handicaps. Playing for bogey is a surefire way to make lots of doubles and triples.

I waste more shots with chicken-out attempts to play conservative than I ever will from supposed "hero" shots. I did it again last weekend, playing an unfamiliar course with this ultra narrow dogleg left Par 4. I decided to hit a hybrid instead of driver and managed to hit it pretty straight but it just tricked into the left rough. So mission accomplished, I kept it out the trees on the right and the swamp on the left. But I didn't make it around the dogleg and I was still 170 yards from the green, blocked out by trees and ball and a crummy lie.

So it was doubly stupid. I don't actually hit a hybrid all that straight and just a little bit worse swing would have been a lost ball anyway. And when I did hit it straight I was playing a layup second shot, which was actually tougher than the original tee shot. I hit a poor layup, offline, back into the rough with more tree trouble. It turned into a blowup hole (triple bogey). Yeah, I might have lost a ball and made triple with driver but driver was still the proper choice.

 

[Bob M]

Lots of great comments already! For 2021 I have set a goal of breaking 90. Among the stats which I'm tracking this year are something I call "wasted shots", which include any shot which results in a penalty (water ball, OB, lost ball, etc), which counts a 2 wasted shots, and topped shots (i.e. a drive which is topped and goes half the distance which it should), shots which end up in a position such that advancing the ball is impossible, resulting in a sideways or even backwards shot to the fairway, etc. These latter shots are worth one wasted shot each.

The other day, I shot 95 with 13 wasted shots, 10 of which occurred on drives. Of these, four represented pull-hooks off two tees resulting in lost ball penalties, while the remaining 6 were tops, which made each hole play much longer than shows on the card. By eliminated 6 of these wasted shots, I would have shot an 89. Needless to say, my full swing is getting a lot of attention this week, particularly to consistently get my weight forward at impact.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

Lots of great comments already! For 2021 I have set a goal of breaking 90. Among the stats which I'm tracking this year are something I call "wasted shots", which include any shot which results in a penalty (water ball, OB, lost ball, etc), which counts a 2 wasted shots, and topped shots (i.e. a drive which is topped and goes half the distance which it should), shots which end up in a position such that advancing the ball is impossible, resulting in a sideways or even backwards shot to the fairway, etc. These latter shots are worth one wasted shot each.

The other day, I shot 95 with 13 wasted shots, 10 of which occurred on drives. Of these, four represented pull-hooks off two tees resulting in lost ball penalties, while the remaining 6 were tops, which made each hole play much longer than shows on the card. By eliminated 6 of these wasted shots, I would have shot an 89. Needless to say, my full swing is getting a lot of attention this week, particularly to consistently get my weight forward at impact.

Many years ago when I was either at the trying to break 90 stage or maybe I'd done it a couple times but trying to get my handicap under 20, I played around with quite a few ultra-simple stats like your Wasted Shots. Stuff I could easily count up mentally after a round without worrying about recording specific shot distances and such.

As I alluded to upthread, I pretty much found the Wasted Shots type metric just about explained the difference between my pretty good vs. so-so vs. bad vs. awful rounds. When you waste 13 shots on duffs and such there is just no way you're going to break 90. You'd have to play the rest of your shots almost like a scratch golfer. And if you happen to cut that down to just 4-5 wasted shots then you're going to break 90 every time.

Where that metric falls down is distinguishing between the pretty good rounds and the personal best type great ones. For instance my personal best is 75 it probably only had maybe 3-4 wasted shots. But 3-4 wasted shots means shooting 80 or thereabouts for me. I also made a zillion feet of putts that round as well as a couple easy birdies where I happened to hit an approach shot to just a couple feet.

So the long-term goal is to somehow improve your swing and your short-game technique to whittle down that typical 12-15 wasted shots to an average under 10. If you can keep the wasted shots to single digits you can can flirt with breaking 90 every time and once in a blue moon you'll also hit a lot of good shots and putt well and go much lower.

Easier said that done, though.

 

[Cinco]

Interesting but I’d disagree with the 3 putts point... I shoot in the 70’s (almost) every round but average 1 3 putt per round. To break 90 (high 80’s for example) you’d probably be fine with some 3 putts... just a thought .

Agree with this. When I've broken 80 I usually have one 3-putt but I have tons more 1-putts for up and downs and birdies.

 

[Bob M]

Many years ago when I was either at the trying to break 90 stage or maybe I'd done it a couple times but trying to get my handicap under 20, I played around with quite a few ultra-simple stats like your Wasted Shots. Stuff I could easily count up mentally after a round without worrying about recording specific shot distances and such.

As I alluded to upthread, I pretty much found the Wasted Shots type metric just about explained the difference between my pretty good vs. so-so vs. bad vs. awful rounds. When you waste 13 shots on duffs and such there is just no way you're going to break 90. You'd have to play the rest of your shots almost like a scratch golfer. And if you happen to cut that down to just 4-5 wasted shots then you're going to break 90 every time.

Where that metric falls down is distinguishing between the pretty good rounds and the personal best type great ones. For instance my personal best is 75 it probably only had maybe 3-4 wasted shots. But 3-4 wasted shots means shooting 80 or thereabouts for me. I also made a zillion feet of putts that round as well as a couple easy birdies where I happened to hit an approach shot to just a couple feet.

So the long-term goal is to somehow improve your swing and your short-game technique to whittle down that typical 12-15 wasted shots to an average under 10. If you can keep the wasted shots to single digits you can can flirt with breaking 90 every time and once in a blue moon you'll also hit a lot of good shots and putt well and go much lower.

Easier said that done, though.

I can't disagree with anything which you said above. My "wasted shots" metric, in particular where I wasted them, has provided me with clear focus that I need to improve my full swing motion. In the round which I mentioned above, I took 31 putts (only one three putt) and, with 267 feet of first putts, my distance putting was particularly good. Also my chipping and distance wedges were solid (NOT like a scratch player but much better than an 26). Much work to do.

 

[2Bad4u]

I'm going keep track of my wasted shots for the next few rounds and see how many I give away on average.

 

[GoldenBuff]

I like seeing this thread back on the first page.

Last couple of rounds I’m hovering in my “purgatory” zone, shooting 80, 82, 81. I’m bleeding strokes on a couple of holes each round. I’ll play 16 holes +3 or +4 where with just some reasonable putting (working hard on that) I’m even and then 2 holes +5. I have to better manage those holes. They sneak up on me. I’ll be on cruise control and then that one shot throws me off.

I feel so close to what I want in my game and it will come. I can drop 2-3 strokes putting and if I can reign in my poor management on those trouble holes, another 2 strokes is right there. I don’t need to hit the ball any better. I need to play better.

 

[nola-golfer-1234]

I agree not three putting is important, but it isn't a putting skill. Its an iron skill. The absolute best way to improve your three putt percentage isn't by becoming a better putter, its by becoming a better iron player. Tour players avoid three putting by not hitting it to 60 feet. "Working on" your putting from 55 feet is a huge waste of time. Work not being 55 feet away.

To break 100 - Two keys IMO. First, no duffs. Second, every shot within 100 yards of the green that isn't a crazy trick bag shot ends up on the putting surface or the fringe. Putting is absolutely irrelevant to breaking 100.

To break 90 - Every shot is useful. It advances the ball. 100 players punch out sideways, 90 players have the skill to punch out diagonally, so the punch out advances the ball. A 90 breaker will rarely leave a ball in the bunker, or fat a shot so bad it goes nowhere. Each strike moves the ball forward. Putting is still completely irrelevant.

To break 80 - No penalty shots, given a normal course can *either* (1) drive it 250 or (2) be unusually good with long irons/hybrids. Every short game shot gets on the green, and the player can hit 4-6 GIR per round. This is the place where par 5s go from "uh oh" to "oh yeah". Putting still doesn't matter.

Trying to break 75 - Putting starts to matter

Trying to break 72 - Putting is important

Trying to break 70 - Putting is incredibly important

From 36 feet a PGA Tour player is more likely to 3 putt than 1 putt. Eliminating three putts is a really inefficient way to shave strokes.

 

[JonMA1]

As is usually the case, what might be true for most is not true for all. Everyone has weaknesses preventing them from getting to the next level and they can be quite different.

Putting is absolutely relevant for an over 100 golfer who is a very poor putter. In my case, poor lag putting can ruin an otherwise (relatively) decent round of proximity to the hole. As a high capper, 100 can be broken with some poor shots, a penalty or two, and even a blow up hole or two. But there can't be too many of those and the rest of the round has to be a bit better than average.

On the occasions when I've broken 90, rarely did any part of the game stand out as exceptional. There was just enough consistent execution throughout the bag mixed in with a little luck.

That said, my experiences obviously do not apply to others.