Opinion & Analysis
A Modern Blueprint to Breaking 80
Background
When I was lucky enough to join a golf club many years ago, my No. 1 goal was to become a real 5-handicap. But first, I had to figure out how to break 90 on my new difficult golf course. I played on weekends and 9-holes after work without seeing improvement. I took one lesson from the pro, who laughed at my list of ambitious goals. His response was, “OK, but how about we start with letting me see you hit a 5-iron.” His prescription was a minor grip change and much more practice time on the range.
In my second month of membership, I signed up for my first event: a one-day member-guest with my 70-year-old, 36-handicap father who had introduced me to golf when I was seven. We played nine holes every Saturday at a public course in Washington, DC, that had no hazards and no sand traps – just nine tees, nine circular greens and one gigantic fairway. When I was 12, “real sports” took over and I dropped golf and my dad.
Anyway, here we were at my great new club getting ready to play in our first event together. My dad, a lofty 36, and me, a shiny new 14-handicap. I was nervous for myself, but I was much more nervous for my Dad. How he would enjoy — or NOT enjoy — the long, difficult test of golf. I was so nervous, I guess, that I started to hit shanks on the practice tee… and I couldn’t figure out how to stop them. Finally, it was time to head to the tee for the shotgun start. To my horror, we were starting on the most difficult par-3 on the course. It was 165 yards over WATER and we were paired with two fairly good golfers that I didn’t know.
“Go ahead,” one of them said. “Lead us off!”
Not wanting to expose my dad to the extreme pressure of going first, I took the tee. I somehow summoned my inner pride and made a fairly good swing with my 6 iron. I did NOT s_____, and my tee shot hit the green. I not only broke 90; I shot 78. Dad chimed in on a couple of holes with his two strokes and we won low net. It’s amazing what can happen when one totally forgets score and focuses on the process of selecting and hitting quality shots.
From there, I worked hard on my game and reached my 5-handicap goal and more. It led me to start a business providing a new type of golf statistics and analysis for golfers, now known as Strokes Gained, and you can read about the History of Strokes Gained on my website www.ShotByShot.com.
Want to break 80? Here is my blueprint
The game of golf is a puzzle and all the pieces fit together. Further, each round is a mix of good shots, average shots and bad shots/errors. The challenge is to determine which piece of your game’s unique puzzle is your greatest weakness in order to target your improvement efforts on the highest impact area. If you track the simple good and bad outcomes listed below for a few rounds, your strengths and weaknesses will become apparent.
Tee Game/Driving
Distance: I’ll ignore this and assume you’re playing from the appropriate tees for your game.
Fairways: Hitting fairways is important, as we are all more accurate from the short grass.
Errors: Far more important than Fairways Hit is the FREQUENCY and SEVERITY of misses. ShotByShot.com users record THREE types of Driving Errors:
- No Shot: You have missed in a place from which you do not have a normal next shot, requiring some sort of advancement to get the ball back to normal play. Preferably, your one error will be of this, less costly, nature.
- Penalty: A one-stroke penalty due to hazard or unplayable lie.
- Lost/OB: Stroke and distance penalty
Approach Shots
Error = Penalty/Second: This means either a penalty, or a shot hit so poorly that you are left with yet another full approach shot from greater than 50 yards of the hole.
Short Game (shots from within 50 yards of the hole)
If you miss NINE Greens, you will have EIGHT of these greenside save opportunities.
Chip/Pitch shots
Errors = Shots that miss the green. The fringe does not count as an error
Sand shots
You should have ONE of these greenside save opportunities.
Errors = Shots that miss the green. The fringe does not count as an error
Putting
You need 32 putts.
Good luck, and please let me know if and when you are successful.
Chart
Click to enlarge.
Opinion & Analysis
Brandel Chamblee PGA Championship Q&A: Rose’s huge McLaren risk, distracted LIV pros and why Aronimink suits the bombers
PGA Championship week is here, and Brandel Chamblee did not hold back in our latest discussion ahead of the season’s second major.
In our 2026 PGA Championship Q&A, golf’s leading analyst made the case that PIF pulling LIV’s funding has left its players competing in a state of confusion, called Justin Rose’s mid-season equipment switch a huge risk at 45, and explained why Aronimink will be a bombers’ delight this week.
Check out the full Q&A below.
Gianni: With the PIF confirming that they’re pulling funding from LIV at the end of the season, what impact do you expect that to have on the LIV players competing at the PGA Championship?
Brandel: I would imagine that they have all been thrown into a state of confusion, and will be distracted, not knowing where they are going to play next year and not knowing exactly their road back to either the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour. Or in Rahm’s case, being tied to a sinking ship for the next few years, likely playing for pennies on the dollar in events that no one cares about or watches.
I doubt this would put him in the best frame of mind to compete at his highest level. Keeping in mind, however, that majors are the only time that LIV disciples get to play in events that matter, so never disregard the motivation they have to prove to the world they are still relevant.
Gianni: Justin Rose switched to McLaren Golf equipment mid-season while playing some of the best golf of his career. What do you make of the change?
Brandel: I don’t really know what to make of Rose switching equipment. It seems a huge risk on his part, even though it is likely, in my opinion, that the clubs he’s playing are similar, if not the exact grinds, to what he was playing previously, with a McLaren stamp on them.
Having said that, at best, it is a distraction when he seemed to be as dialed in with his game as any 45-year-old could be and trending in the majors to perhaps do something that would definitely put him in the Hall of Fame. At worst, given the possibility that these clubs aren’t just duplicates of his old set stamped with McLaren on them, he’s made an equipment change that would take time, and 45-year-old athletes don’t have the time to do such things.
Gianni: Aronimink has only hosted a handful of professional events since it hosted the 1962 PGA Championship. What kind of test does it present, and does a course with less recent major championship history tend to level the playing field?
Brandel: Even though Aronimink has only hosted a handful of meaningful professional events, it has been fairly discerning in who can win there. When Keegan Bradley won the BMW Championship on the Donald Ross masterpiece in 2018, he was the 2nd best iron player on tour coming into that week. When Nick Watney won the AT&T at Aronimink in 2011, he was 2nd in strokes gained total coming into the week.
In 2020, Aronimink hosted the KPMG Championship, and Sei Young Kim won. On the LPGA that year, she was first in greens in regulation, putts per green in regulation, and scoring average on the way to being the LPGA player of the year. And then there is the 1962 PGA Championship won by Gary Player, who eventually became just one of a few players to win the career grand slam on the way to winning 9 majors. It is a formidable test, and if it’s not softened by rain, it will bring out the best in the upper echelons of the game.
Gianni: Is there a specific hole at Aronimink that you think will do the most to decide the winner?
Brandel: The hardest hole at Aronimink in each of the three tour events that have been played there since 2010 has been the long par-3 8th hole, with the par-4 10th being the second hardest, so most of the carnage will happen around the turn, but with the par-5 16th offering opportunities for bold plays and the tough closing holes at 17 and 18, the finish is likely to be frenetic.
Gianni: The PGA Championship has always sat in the shadow of the other majors. What does the ideal PGA Championship look like in your eyes, and what would it take for it to carve out its own identity?
Brandel: The PGA Championship, to whatever degree it suffers from the comparison to the other three majors, is still counted just as much when adding them up at the end of one’s career. Almost 1/3 of Nicklaus’ major wins were the five PGA Championships he won. Walter Hagen won 11 majors, five of which were PGA Championships.
Tiger Woods twice in his career won back-to-back PGA Championships, and those four majors count just as much as the other 11 he won. The PGA may not have the prestige of the other three, but it carries the same weight. Having said that, I preferred the identity that it had as the last major of the year.
Gianni: You nailed your Masters picks. Rory won, Scottie finished solo second, and Morikawa surged to a tie for seventh. Who are your top 3 picks for the PGA Championship and why?
Brandel: I am not a huge fan of majors played on golf courses that have been shorn of most of the trees, although I understand some of the agronomic reasons for doing so and of course the ease with which it allows members to play after errant drives. However, at the highest level, it all but eliminates any strategy off the tee and turns professional golf into an even bigger slugfest. That means that it will likely be a bomber’s delight this week, but fortunately, Scottie Scheffler is long enough to play that game and straight enough to play it better than anyone else.
The major championships give us very few surprises anymore, going back to the beginning of 2012, so the last 57 majors played, the average world rank of the winners has been better than 15th in the world. So look at the highest ranked and longest drivers who are on form coming into the PGA Championship who also have great short games as the surrounds at Aronimink are very challenging. That’s Scottie Scheffler by a mile and then McIlroy and Cameron Young with a far bigger nod towards DeChambeau than I gave him at the Masters.
In this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, we dive into one of the most interesting flatstick releases of the year with a full review of the new TaylorMade SYSTM 2 putters. After spending time on the greens, I break down what makes this design stand out, where it performs, and why it has me completely torn between loving it and fighting it. If you are into feel, alignment, and consistency, this is one you will want to hear about.
We also take a look at some of the putters in play on the PGA Tour last week. From familiar favorites to a few surprising setups, there is always something to learn from what the best players in the world are rolling with under pressure.
To wrap things up, I walk through the process of building a set of JP Golf Prime irons paired with Baddazz Gold Series shafts. From component selection to performance goals, this is a deep dive into what goes into creating a unique custom set and why this combo has been so intriguing.
This year my 50th birthday. Gosh, where has the time gone?
As a teenager in rural Missouri, some of my junior high and high school years felt interminable. Graduation seemed light years away. But the older I get, the faster life seems to fly by.
I’m also increasingly aware of my mortality. My dad died recently. Earlier this year, a friend and fellow PGA of America professional and I were texting about our next catch-up. The next message I received was news of his unexpected passing at 48. Shortly after, a woman I dated in college succumbed to cancer at 51.
Certainly, one can share perspective at any age. Seniors help freshmen, veterans guide rookies. But reaching this milestone feels like as good a time as any to do one of those “what would I tell my younger self?” articles.
I’ve had a uniquely varied career in golf. I started as a 27-year-old, average-length-hitting, 14-handicap computer engineer and somehow managed to turn pro before running out of money, constantly bootstrapping my way forward. I’ve won qualifiers and set venue records in the World Long Drive Championships, finished fifth at the Speedgolf World Championships, coached all skill levels as a PGA of America professional, built industry-leading swing speed training programs for Swing Man Golf, helped advance the single-length iron market with Sterling Irons®, caddied on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, and played about 300 courses across 32 countries.
It’s been a ride, and I’ve gone both deep and wide.
So while I can consult and advise from a lot of angles, let me keep it to a few things I’d tell the average golfer who wants to improve.
1. Think About What You Want
Everyone has their own reason for picking up a golf club.
Oddly, as a professional athlete, I’m not internally driven by competition. That can be challenging, as the industry currently prioritizes and incentivizes competition over the love of the game.
For me, I love walking and being outdoors. Nature helps balance my energy. I prefer courses that are integrated into the natural beauty of their surroundings. I’m comfortable practicing alone. I’m a deep thinker, and I genuinely enjoy investigating the game, using data and intuition to unearth unique, often innovative insights. I’m fortunate to be strong and athletic, so I appreciate the chance to engage with my abilities. Traveling feels adventurous. I could go on.
You don’t have to overthink it like I do. For you, it might be as simple as hitting balls to escape work, hanging out with friends, and playing loosely with the rules and the score.
The point is to give yourself permission to play for your own reasons, and let that be enough.
But if improvement is your goal, thinking about your destination—and when you want to get there—is important, because it dictates the steps you need to take. When I set out to go from a 14-handicap to the PGA TOUR as quickly as possible, the steps I needed were very different from those of a working golfer trying to break 90 in six months. That’s also different from someone who just wants a few peaceful hours outside each week, away from work or family.
None of these goals are better than the others, but each requires a different plan that you can work backward from.
2. There Are Lots of Things That Can Work
One of the challenges of golf is that, although there are rules for playing, there aren’t clear, industry-wide standards for how to best play the game. There’s a lot of gray area.
You might hear a top coach or trainer insist that a certain move is the best way to swing or train. Then you dig a bit deeper and, much to your confusion and frustration, another respected coach or trainer says something completely different. I don’t think anyone is trying to confuse you—at least I hope not. It’s just where the industry is right now.
You have to be careful with advice from tournament pros, too. They might be great at scoring, but they’re also human and sometimes just as susceptible as amateurs to believing things that don’t really move the needle. Tour players might describe what they feel, but that’s not always what they’re actually doing when assessed with technology.
I recently ran a test on my YouTube channel (which connects to my GolfWRX article “How to use your hands in the golf swing for power and accuracy”), and, interestingly, two of the most commonly taught hand actions produced the worst results in the test.
Coaches can certainly help. If you find someone you connect with to help navigate, that’s great. But there are many ways to get the ball in the hole. In the current landscape, you may need to seek multiple opinions, think critically, and use your own intuition to discern what seems true and whose advice resonates with you.
I’d recommend seeking someone who is open-minded and always learning, because things constantly change. Absolutes like “correct” or “proper” should raise a red flag. AI can be useful, but it tends to confidently repeat popular advice, so proceed with caution.
3. Get Custom Fit
If you’re serious about becoming a better player, getting custom fit is hugely important. There’s no sense fighting your equipment if you don’t have to. Most better players get fit these days and, if they don’t, they’re usually skilled enough to work around clubs that aren’t ideal.
If you plan to play for a long time, it’s worth spending a little more upfront to get something that truly fits you and your game, rather than continually buying and discarding equipment.
Equipment rules haven’t really changed significantly since the early 2000s. To stay in business, manufacturers keep pushing those limits. If you pull a bunch of clubs and balls off the rack and test them, you’ll find differences. I’ve tested two new drivers and seen a 30-yard total distance gap. Usually, the issue isn’t bad equipment; it’s that the combination of components simply isn’t the best fit.
It’s like wearing a new pair of floppy clown shoes. Sure, they’re shoes—but you won’t sprint your best in them compared to track shoes that fit perfectly.
Be wary of what’s called custom fitting, too. Sometimes the term is used as a marketing strategy rather than an actual fitting. In some retail settings, fitters may be incentivized to steer you toward higher-priced components. That doesn’t automatically mean it’s not the best fit, but you should be aware of potential biases.
I learned a version of this lesson outside of golf. Years ago, I bought a tennis racquet at a big box store from a seemingly knowledgeable employee who thought it would suit me best. The racquet gave me tennis elbow, and I spent months recovering with rest and acupuncture. The next season, I invested more time and money to find what actually fit me, and I walked away with something amazing that I still play with years later.
So if you’re going to get fit, be smart about it.
Find someone you believe has deep knowledge—possibly with certifications, but not necessarily. Make sure there’s a wide inventory across many brands. Check recent reviews for the individual fitter if possible. Make sure you trust that the fitter has your best interests at heart. If they’re wearing a hat or shirt with a specific brand’s logo, proceed with caution. Unless you specifically want a certain brand or look, be wary of upsells, especially if two options perform nearly the same.
Also, while golf is called a sport of integrity, there’s a thread of manipulation in the industry. I once drafted an equipment article for an industry magazine, structured just like one of their previous popular stories, with matching word count and great photos. The assistant editor loved it; it was useful to readers and required little work on his part. But the editor-in-chief nixed the story. When I asked why, I was told it was because I wasn’t an advertiser. It turned out the article I’d modeled mine after was a paid ad cleverly disguised as editorial content.
I really dislike games, clickbait, and fear-based manipulation. I hope this changes, but golfers deserve to know it exists.
4. Distance and Strategy Matter
There’s a real relationship between how far you hit the ball and your scoring average, even at the PGA TOUR level.
I experienced this early in my pro career. I started as a power hitter, swinging in the high 120s and breaking 200 mph ball speed with a stock driver.
Back then, some instructors advised swinging at 80%, so I tried slowing down for more accuracy. That worked fine on shorter, tighter courses. But on longer setups, I was coming into greens with too much club, and par 5s stopped being
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EddieEdwards
Aug 2, 2017 at 1:14 am
Most important, you need to keep your drive in play, minimize penalties, and have a shot at the green most of the time. Next you need to hit greens or miss close. If you can do this, it’s unlikely your short game and putting will be that far behind. A couple up and downs, longer putts made, close approaches and you will break 80 and have a good day. On a bad day, penalties, duffs, 3 putts, burning the edges, an errant shot will keep you in the eighties.
I’ve broke 80 several times, par once recently. Hopefully, I don’t have to resort to playing from the womens tees to break 70.
BobInNH
Jun 14, 2017 at 9:32 am
I walk half the time and ride half the time on a very hilly course in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. My scores do not depend on that fact. But, while walking I sometimes shoot my lowest scores because I am totally focused on my game, and not for looking for balls and taking care of the other guy.
golfraven
May 18, 2017 at 8:47 am
Stats are way to go and each serious player should collect their own independent of Hcp. I would be looking at the avarage on the PGA tour. Considering that avarage for GIR is 66%, FIR 61% and scrambling 60% ish, this are the numbers to strive for in the first place to put down a reasonable score. Assuming you don’t 3/4 putt on 50% of the holes you should be in good shape.
If you want to break 80 or Par then my best advise is to take your scorecard hopefully with a course map and set a strategy for each hole how you hit it of the tee (fade, draw or straight) and most importantly the landing spot of the ball on the fairway and green. Start recording where you miss it (also on the green) and this will give you and idea what to work on.
Play your game and shots for instance the hybrid (if what is required) of the tee even if big Joe hits a driver – don’t bother what others play unless those guys are aspiring players and you practice with them.
From the stats you should get a picture of your range, patterns and tendencies and you can adjust your practice and course management accordingly.
Photo
May 18, 2017 at 1:10 am
The more I play and the closer I get to breaking 80, my tee ball has become the difference maker. An OB on the back 9 has been my downfall each time i’ve been close. Distance plus the strokes are killer. Other than driving, 3 putts are a nemesis. Outside 40 feet, the 2 putt % needs to be much higher. Good data!
Dell Man
May 17, 2017 at 5:32 pm
This is great. I started keeping stats when I play almost any round. Fairways, Greens, and Putts. I also putt little tick marks when I get into the sand and circle it when I get up and down. Keeping the stats don’t necessarily make you play better, but they give you a better idea of what is costing you strokes. And if you can figure out what is really costing you strokes based on trends over several rounds, then you can use your likely minimal practice time to focus on those aspects. I struggle hitting full mid-irons shots and it has cost me because I hit 10 or more fairways quite often, but I’m hooking 7/8-irons and wasting the opportunities. So instead of hitting drivers on the range, I have been working hard on mid/short irons. This is a good way to break down your rounds. Good stuff.
larrybud
May 17, 2017 at 3:30 pm
9 GIRS is PLENTY to break 80. I’m a 2 index who averages 55% girs. I just don’t make big numbers.
Even when I was a lousy 40-42% GIRS I shot half my rounds under 80 and was a 4-5 index.
setter02
May 17, 2017 at 1:47 pm
Personally off the tee is the biggest issue. If I’m in the fairway off the tee, I’ll likely have a good day regardless of ball striking and putting (unless a complete outlier day happens) as I know I will avoid big numbers unless something is seriously off. Can’t go wrong with avoiding costly penalties (which likely also hurt you mentally for the rest of the hole) and being in a good position into the green.
Scott
May 18, 2017 at 12:12 pm
Agreed. I have never had a great round if my driving was bad.
Gurn
May 16, 2017 at 5:14 pm
95- (GIR *2) = score
Assuming you putt to a Hula hoop distance… NO 3 putts
So 8 GIR is minimum to break 80, 9-11 is a better goal..
4-5 GIR a side is my goal…
Gurn
Adam
May 16, 2017 at 3:56 pm
This matches up with my experience really well. I got down to a single digit handicap after just a few years of playing. From my second season to my third I dropped from a 16 to a shaky 6, and it was almost entirely due to cleaning up mistakes. My ball striking improved just enough that I largely stopped hitting tee shots into the woods/water, and largely stopped duffing iron shots. I still missed half the greens, but I learned how to miss in places where I had relatively straightforward chips. I don’t think I even made more birdies – I just stopped throwing shots away.
Max
May 16, 2017 at 2:39 pm
Nice blueprint. For me, the GIR is definitely the difference for breaking 80 since I count anything withing 6 feet as a gimme. On a good day 7 GIR can get it done, but the more the merrier.
Also, you forgot the number one tip: Play a par 70 course!
Jack
May 16, 2017 at 11:01 pm
Anything within 6 feet as a gimme? Well that’s one way to lower your score lol. Look up the pro averages from 6 feet.
ROY
May 17, 2017 at 11:02 am
Why not move that magic circle back to 10 feet and shoot for breaking 70?? At 15 feet the course record is in danger!!!
Scott
May 18, 2017 at 12:15 pm
HAHAHAHA. 6 foot gimmes! I love it! You turned your course into a par 60 with that method.
Sh
May 16, 2017 at 2:27 pm
Try doing that on a US Open set up. You’d be hard pressed to break 100 this way.
JC
May 16, 2017 at 4:40 pm
When was the last time any of us played on a US open setup, dweeb.
B
May 16, 2017 at 10:03 pm
That’s the point. That this article doesn’t put handicap and slope to the formula because different courses will require different means to break that same 80.
Jack
May 16, 2017 at 11:02 pm
If you can’t break 100 on a US open setup then you shouldn’t be playing on it expecting to score well. What’s your point? Most of us should pick courses that suit our skill level.
DW
May 17, 2017 at 2:55 am
1000 yard Par 3 9-hole courses, then?
birdie
May 16, 2017 at 2:25 pm
Another example of good shot or bad shot…you’re 120yd out, you cold top your approach and it rolls to front of green?
just seems there is a difference in using the above in tracking scoring and tracking actual ball striking or playing level. are we trying to get to a point we’re tracking the quality of shots or simply the outcomes.
BobInNH
Jun 14, 2017 at 9:38 am
“you’re 120yd out, you cold top your approach and it rolls to front of green?”
We call that a “son-in-law” shot. Meaning that, it was not what you expected, but in the end it turned out pretty good!”
dapadre
May 16, 2017 at 2:24 pm
Love love love this!
My pro who also happens to have played pro sports ( NHL) and became scratch himself within 2 years of taking up golf, uses this philosophy and Ive used it to break 80 several times. His approach, cut the game into little strategical pieces based on GIR. 7-10 GIR almost guarantees me I will break 80. I simply focus on the task at hand, hitting the green, INSTEAD of getting to the hole. I know it sounds absurd, but that mental picture is easier.
birdie
May 16, 2017 at 2:22 pm
my only question is regarding tracking errors in driving. is it only based on the outcome of the shot, or the actual shot. if you slice it into an opposing fairway and have a good look at the green, do you count this as an error even though the outcome is very playable.
PSG
May 16, 2017 at 2:10 pm
This is a great format in terms of how to think about how to break 80. I think it is a very thought-provoking article.
My only issue with it is that it is way way too broad, and ignores that each shot influences the next, so it doesn’t actually show you what you need to work on.
For example, you want five one-putts. But practicing putting isn’t the best way to improve your one-putt percentage or number. The best way to get better at putting (And it isn’t close) is to hit the ball closer to the hole. There is no putter on Earth who is worse from 10 feet than the best PGA Tour putter is from 20. “5 one putts” sounds like a putting statistic, but it isn’t. Its an approach statistic. It should be in the approach box, not the putting box. Avoiding 3 putts should be the only thing in the putting category, because it is the only thing that evaluates solely putting skill.
Similarly, “fairways” is meaningless. I can hit the fairway with a pitching wedge. While this is an extreme example, you will always be less accurate the longer you are (i will miss much further 1* open swinging 110 than 90 – the 90 will be a “fairway” in your system, the 110 won’t).
Its the same thing with “chip/pitch” shots. Whats the best way to get up and down more often? And by “best way” I mean “most efficient way to practice”. Its not to hit pitches and chips until your hands bleed, its to improve your approach shots! If you hit one extra green, you can “get up and down” one more time by two-putting instead of pitching/chipping.
This entire article should simply say “practice your driving and your approach shots” because that’s all that matters until you are around scratch. There is no amount of chipping, pitching or putting practice that will make up for hitting it closer and hitting the green more often. None. Zero.
It is always more efficient to improve your putting, pitching and chipping by improving your approach shots. Practicing putting, chipping and pitching is a horrifically inefficient way to break 80 (and this doesn’t even include missing in the right spots – your article treats all missed greens equally, when this couldn’t be further from the truth – missing in the right spot is just as important to pitching and chipping success as technique).
So, great article concept, just too long – you didn’t need to go past driver and approach. The rest doesn’t matter until you get up around scratch.
Please note I DID NOT SAY pitching, chipping and putting don’t matter. I said that practicing them is way less efficient than practicing your full swing and your full swing controls how difficult your putting, chipping and pitching are on the course. Of course practicing them will “help”, but practicing chipping is silly unless your approach shots are around scratch level – you will automatically be better because you’ll hit more greens and have to chip less.
“A Marine and a Navy man are using the restroom. The Marine leaves without washing his hands. The Navy man says “in the navy, they teach us to wash our hands. The marine says “in the marines, they teach us not to piss on our hands. ” Hitting greens is not pissing on your hands.
“32 putts” is meaningless. If I hit it an inch from the hole on every hole I would get 18 putts!!!!! Best putter in the world!!!!!!! Until a certain very high level, the full swing is all that matters.
Brandon
May 16, 2017 at 3:00 pm
Great comment
Iutodd
May 16, 2017 at 5:02 pm
I disagree that tee shots and approach shots are all that matters until you are around scratch. Nor do I think that practicing putting is an inefficient way to practice if you are trying to break 80.
I’m actively trying to break 80 so I feel like I can comment on this with some meaningfulness. I’ve broken 40 for 9 many times but have never been able to put it together.
Because on a par 72 course – getting to 79 means only giving up seven shots to par. Obviously if I hit every fairway and hit every approach shot to an inch I’d break 80. Then I’d have my girlfriend Jennifer Lawrence pick me up from the course in her Ferrari and fly to Vegas for the weekend. Practicing with that goal in mind just has no basis in reality.
Missing fairways and greens are all part of being a golfer. The best golfers in the world miss fairways and greens all the time so it’s quite likely that I’m going to miss just as many, if not more. So in order to only give up seven shots to par you have to be able to limit mistakes in every aspect of your game. So you need to hit about 8 of 14 fairways. You need to hit about 9 of 18 greens. You need to have around 5 one putts and maybe sneak a birdie in there to make up for the inevitable 3 putt or drive that goes awry. When you miss the green you need to be able to get up and down 3 or 4 times out of 9 or 10 greens missed.
The point he is trying to make – and he says it pretty clearly – is that breaking 80 involves EVERY skill you have. You have to drive the ball cleanly, get onto the green and 2 putt. You only have 7 strokes to give up. Yes limiting mistakes off the tee and on your approach is important…but it’s not any more important than chipping and putting well.
I think if you were trying to break 90 focusing just on tee shots and approach shots would make sense. But if you’re trying to break 80? You gotta make putts and you have to score. That means you have to make putts.
Denny Jones
May 16, 2017 at 9:19 pm
+1
TR1PTIK
May 17, 2017 at 8:53 am
Agreed. The one and only time I’ve managed to break 80 I drove the ball decent (only getting into severe trouble on one hole – damn water!), hit 7 greens, pitched/chipped well, and putted slightly better than average (which is about 1.89 putts/hole). Simply put, it took every aspect of my game working together to achieve that feat. Since then, I haven’t been able to sniff 80 because pitching/chipping has been horrible and I haven’t been hitting enough greens. On the rare occasion pitching/chipping has been good, my driving or putting has slipped. You gotta be able to do it all moderately well and manage the course.
PineStreetGolf
May 17, 2017 at 9:19 am
Read the part of my post that said “PLEASE NOTE”.
I’m not saying putting isn’t important. Of course it is. What I’m saying is that no amount of practice with your putter will make you better at putting than hitting the ball five feet closer to the hole. Its not that “putting doesn’t matter” or “putting practice is stupid” its that “the best way to practice putting is to hit it closer”.
There is no better way to get “good” at putting than to make your putts shorter by being better at irons.
Iutodd
May 17, 2017 at 5:19 pm
I just don’t agree. Billy Horschel is T51 in terms of proximity to hole after his approach shots. He averages almost 36 ft! Number 1 is Chez Reavie at 33′. Alex Noren is last at 43′.
The average 10 handicap golfer is probably, what, 50 feet? What does being 5 feet closer to the hole get me?
I don’t think I’d make significantly more putts from 45 feet than from 50 feet – I don’t think anyone would. I make more 5 footers than 10 footers for sure – but THAT is down to chipping and lag putting – not approach shots or tee shots. That is true for pros as well and the statistics bear that out. Even inside 100 yards the average pro hits it to like 15-20 feet.
Bottom line here: 79 is a great score for me – it’s about 6 shots better than my average round of 85 – so it’s like Rickie Fowler shooting a 62. Rickie can’t ball strike his way to a 62 and I can’t ball strike my way to a 79. Gotta make putts and I have to save strokes in all aspects of my game.
wrxer
May 17, 2017 at 5:01 am
@ psg- players who hit their shots 1 inch from the hole struggle for breaking 50 in stead of 80.
Nevertheless your point is clear.
Leezer
May 17, 2017 at 1:59 pm
Sounds like you’re looking for a real plan. Here’s the article from 2012… the links are dead on this site but you can find them by digging a little. http://www.golf.com/instruction/how-break-80-your-six-week-plan-lifetime-low-scores
iShankEveryArticle
May 16, 2017 at 2:10 pm
Great article. A hack like me needs a blueprint for breaking 90 though…
Radim Pavlicek
May 18, 2017 at 3:49 am
No OOB. Simple as that.
Alex
May 16, 2017 at 12:20 pm
What you just described is looking at every shot in a vacuum. Don’t look at the entire round, don’t think about the hole on the score, focus on the task that is immediately at hand. There is no water, there is no green side bunker, the only thing that should be going through your mind is if you hit that 6 iron the way you should, it will go 170, and the rest will take care of itself. Getting to low single digit handicap is entirely mental. Being able to repeat the right mindset over 18 holes is what makes for good scores.
Gareth Roberts
May 16, 2017 at 11:00 am
Hi Peter,
How would you recommend tweaking those numbers to look at shooting low 70’s? (for context I’ve just been cut to 5 and keen to keep getting lower meaning regular rounds in the low 70’s are necessary)
Thanks,
Gareth
Peter Sanders
May 17, 2017 at 8:36 am
Gareth,
Briefly, GIR’s should go up to 11 or 12 and weed out all the errors and short game saves to 50%.
I hope this helps.
Steve Dodds
May 16, 2017 at 10:28 am
I’ve always based it on GIR. If, using your formula, you have 9 GIR, and get up and down on 40% of the greens you miss, that’s 13 pars. That gives you an 8 shot buffer for the other five holes. So you can have 3 bogeys and two doubles.
First time I broke 80 I had a couple of birdies which made up for the triple I had on the last as I limped over the line.
Peter
May 16, 2017 at 10:42 am
Thanks Steve,
Yes, birdies provide a nice cushion. Bear in mind, those 9 GIR’s are only pars if followed by 2-Putts. Also, the errors sited tend to result in bogeys or worse unless followed by 1-Putts. It is a complicated puzzle.
BobInNH
Jun 14, 2017 at 9:41 am
Seven shot buffer, not eight.