How to Break 80 Your Way

It's amazing how many golfers want to learn how to break 80 but never fully commit themselves to the work that is going to be required of them.

In order for any golfer to break 80 they are going to have to put in the practice.

Here is an outline to how to break 80:

• Work on your short game

• Get your clubs fit

• See a teaching professional if you have swing problems

• Check the yardages for each club

• Practice with a purpose

• Develop experience with course management

• Work on your mental game
  

Short Game

For any golfer to learn how to break 80 they are going to need to be strong in several areas of their game. One area in particular is the short game.

The short game is usually what holds golfers back from shooting low scores and approximately makes up 60 percent of their scores. If you are going to break 80 you will need to be efficient in this part of the game.

As for areas you will need to cover can be found in: Putting Tips, Chipping Tips, Bunker Shot, and finally Pitch Shot.

Clubfitting

Before you start on the journey to breaking 80, you first need to get your clubs checked to see if they are properly fit for you. You can do this with a club/teaching pro or with a certified club fitter which I highly recommend. This is important because if you have misfit clubs you are more likely to have multiple compensations in your swing.

To learn more on how important it is to have your clubs custom fit, just visit Custom Fit Clubs

One fitting I highly recommend doing is a putter fitting. If you can aim your putter correctly, David Orr has shown from his research with the SamPutt Lab that "straight aimers had less compensation in 6 of 8 directional parameters and less compensation in 12 of 14 distance parameters."

Considering putting can account up to 40 percent and sometimes 50 percent of total strokes in a round, getting your putter fit should be a top priority. To learn how to check the aim of your putter check out Putting Alignment.

Golf Lessons

After your clubs have been checked you need to start working on the consistency of your swing if it needs adjustment. To do this you should see a qualified teaching professional.

Some qualities to look for in a teaching professional would be the credentials the person has and the success he has had with his students. To learn more on how to find these qualities, see What to Look for in a Golf Lesson.

If you would like to know my credentials, you can view them on my About Me page or you can see what lessons I currently offer in Greensboro, NC.

Practice Routine

After you feel like you have a consistent swing it is now time to make a list of yardages for each club. A good way to do this would be to go to a driving range and hit roughly 15 balls for each club. After you hit 15 balls take note of the average distance the balls flew and write them down.

It is important to have consistent yardage gaps for each club. When you know the yardage for your clubs then it is going to be an easier decision to make on which club to choose for a certain distance.

If you feel that you have a consistent swing and feel good about your yardages then it is time to start practicing with a purpose. If you want to learn how to break 80 and cut the time in half you will need to read into how to practice. By practicing with a purpose you will cut the time in half that it takes you to break 80.

Course Management

Another important aspect in how to break 80 is course management. For the players that have played for years usually figure this out with experience, but for those seeking to break 80 need to learn this.

The best way to teach yourself course management is to go out and play a round using 2 or 3 balls in critical situations. For example, if you hit a shot into the woods, proceed to play the original ball by taking a risky line out of the trees then play a second ball from the same spot and play it safe by punching out.

If you continue to practice these types of situations you will learn your tendencies on whether you should be aggressive or conservative.

Mental Game

The mental game is one of the biggest secrets to breaking 80. If you can train your mind to accept the good and bad shots then you are one step closer to the sub 80 mark.

To find out what thoughts are preventing you from breaking 80 then check out my mental game section.

I hope by following this outline to how to break 80 your scores will drop.

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