What Does it Take to Break 100 in Golf?
The first requirement is a big shift in your mindset. If you’re trying to golf like a touring professional, you’re actually going to score a lot worse than if you play smart based on your skill level. If you’re trying to break 100, there’s no reason for you to ever be trying to wrap a 3-wood 270 yards around a big tree in front of you. Play the best strategy for your game. You must understand the odds of hitting a good golf shot based on your lie. Understand the risk vs. reward of each decision, and have a sound understanding of what your average score will be based on each of those shot decisions.
Stress-Free Golf
The mindset shift we talked about above will result in you enjoying your round of golf a lot more. You won’t be angry when you chunk a 5-iron 100 yards, because you will have a strategy in place to recover from that shot and end up with a double bogey instead of a snowman. We’re trying to build confidence here. That confidence comes from making the right decisions on the golf course. You with me?
Breaking down a score of Less Than 99 on The Golf Course
If our goal is to shoot a 99 or less, that means we need to shoot 27 over on a par 72 course. If our par is 99 instead of 72, that’s going to relieve a whole lot of stress already. That means you need to get a double bogey on half the holes, and a bogey on half the holes. So when you go to play, take a look at the score card.
You’ll notice that each hole has a handicap ranking or a stroke index. This is essentially ranking each hole on the course from hardest to easiest. An index of “1” is the hardest hole on the course, and an index of “18” is the easiest hole on the course.
Knowledge is Power
Take that knowledge and use it baby because knowledge is power! So what we’re going to do is change par on our score card. On the holes with an index of 1-9, we’re going to raise par by 2 strokes. On the holes with an index of 10-18, we’re going to raise par by 1 stroke. So, if a hole is a par 3 with an index of 8, we’re going to change that par 3 to a par 5. Boom. No more stress. Easy golfing baby.
Doesn’t that sound a lot better? That means you could be playing a 150 yard par 3, and you have 5 strokes to get it in the hole. Hit a bad tee shot left in the trees. Punch it out and miss the green. Bad chip onto the green leaving 20 feet. 2 putt it. Still got your par and your on track to break 100. When you get in that mindset of a higher par, suddenly breaking 100 feels a lot easier. That brings you confidence which improves your ball striking, along with the rest of your game. Follow these guidelines and you’ll be breaking 100 in no time.
This is Not a Joke or a Metaphor
You literally need to change your scorecard. Change the par on your scorecard so you can really wrap your mind around the new par. You’re not going to be fully committed to this new mindset unless you have your new goals and targets written down on the card. And once you do, you’ll find yourself in a much better mood after each hole you play. Because your brain is so mighty and powerful.
The Short Game
You should expect yourself to be able to two putt any hole. If you’re not confident here, then that’s where you should be spending all your practice time. The two putt is the low hanging fruit. It’s the easiest place to improve your game. So don’t be lazy. Figure out your putting and get confident with the 2 putt from anywhere on the green.
That gives you a new goal for gir or green in regulation as well. To break 100, you just need to get on the green in 2 shots under par. So if a hole has a stroke index of 3, and it’s a par 4, the new par for you is 6. So you have 4 shots to get it on the green. If the hole is 350 yards, you could hit 3 shots 120 yards and chip it on, and be on track for your par. I’m pretty sure you can hit it further than 120 yards so this gives you some wiggle room and ability to hit errant shots and still be on track to break 100.
The Pressure is Gone
Now if the hole stroke index is a 10, then you only get to add 1 stroke to par. That still gives you 3 shots to reach a green 350 yards away. Average distance of 117 yards per shot. You don’t need to be aggressive and attack the hole with clubs you aren’t comfortable with. You can lay it up and play a smart shorter club that you have more confidence with, resulting in, you guessed it, more confidence. Less pressure. More fun. It’s time to enjoy golf again WHILE improving your score! The game of golf is best played light heartedly. We all have goals of improving our score and playing better golf. But most of us approach it with unrealistic expectations, creating pressure situations for ourselves and getting angry when we don’t lace a 270 yard 3-wood onto the green. Don’t be ridiculous. Be smart.
More Mental Golf Tips
You’ve probably noticed that most of the requirements for breaking 100 don’t directly have a lot to do with your ability to hit the ball perfectly. It’s about getting your brain in the right place to build confidence. Which brings me to my next point. Don’t keep track of your score. You can’t be saying to yourself, “Oh boy I’m on track for 99, I’m gonna’ make it!” or “Oh no, I need to hit some hero shots to get back on track.” Both of those thought processes are going to derail your round because they distract you from where your brain should be. Which is, “This hole is par _ on my scorecard. What’s the best way to reach the green in _ (2 under your par for the hole).”
That’s all you should be thinking about on every hole. Those thoughts alone will get you your first score under 100. Don’t complicate it. Don’t track your score. You can add it up in the end. Just stick to the plan and watch yourself break 100.
What Golf Clubs Do I Need to Break 100?
The next thing we need to talk about, which also relates back to our mental state on the golf course and our confidence with the golf club, is which clubs we are using. Do you know how far you hit each club? If you don’t, you need to find out. When you strike the ball well with a 6-iron, how far does it go? If you don’t know the answer to this questions, we’re going to have a tough time breaking 100.
So before you read any further, go play a round of golf, and when you hit a good shot, measure it. If you don’t have an app or a tool to measure your shots, there are tons of free apps you can do that with. I recommend 18birdies. This app has a shot measuring tool that lets you plug in what club you used so after several good shots with each club, you’ll quickly get an idea of how far you are hitting each club. You need to know this information, specifically from 150 yards and less.
150 Yard Club
150 yards is a key number. It doesn’t matter if you’re hitting 150 with a 9-iron or a 5 wood, you just need to know what club goes 150 yards for you. So the first club you need in your bag to break 100 is your club that goes 150 yards.
Pitching Wedge
The next club will be your pitching wedge. The pitching wedge is very versatile and has many uses for you once you get within 135 yards or less. You can use it for full shots from distance, or punch shots, chip shots, and pitches. It will be one of your most used clubs in your bag.
54 or 56 Degree Wedge
You’ll also need a sand wedge. I prefer a 56 degree but you may want to try out a 54 degree as well. Everybody has their own preferences, just find what you feel most comfortable with. The sand wedge will be useful for full shots around 80-90 yards. It will work well for bunker shots, and for shots around the green when you don’t have a lot of room to roll the ball up to the hole.
Putter
Obviously, you need a putter as well. And you better be pulling it out more than just when you’re on the green at the golf course. You need to spend a lot of hours on the practice greens, getting confident with your 2 putts because that’s going to be a huge road block for breaking 100 if you’re going about 3 putting every hole you come to. It’s easy to fix and if you’re still 3 putting and want to break 100, stop being lazy and go spend some time on the practice greens. Anybody can do it. Anybody can become a consistent 2-putting machine. It just takes practice time. So practice putting. Got it?
Optional 200+ yard club
There’s one more club that is optional, but not necessary for breaking 100. If you have a club that goes over 200 yards that you feel confident with, you can add it to your bag. It will be very advantageous and give you a little more room for mistakes in your round while still being able to break 100. Just one club though. Find a club that you feel like you can hit fairway 60-70% of the time over 200 yards, and stick to that one club for your longer shots.
Club Summary
We’re simplifying the game here. We want to give you every opportunity to break 100 as we can. In order to do that, we need to focus on the clubs you’re confident with, and give you a more narrow focus to improve clubs you’re not confident with. So here’s what you need to break 100:
- Reliable 150 yard club
- Pitching Wedge
- Sand Wedge (54 or 56 degree)
- Putter
- Somewhat reliable 200+ yard club (Optional)
That’s it. Only 4-5 clubs and you’ll have everything you need to break 100 for the first time. This works. You have to trust the system and follow my outlines, and you will soon be having a lot more fun on the golf course while seeing your scores drop quickly. If you can master 5 clubs, you will play much better than your friend who is trying to be fancy with his 14 clubs in the bag, half of which he has zero confidence with. Put your ego aside and do what make sense. Crunch the numbers and make your game work for you.
Learn Your Shot Distances
We’ve discussed this a bit previously, but it’s hugely important. You’ve got your 150 yard club. Find out how far your pitching wedge goes on a full swing. Find out how far your sand wedge goes on a full swing. Get those distances dialed. I don’t want to hear any excuses. Use an app like I mentioned above and track your good shots. Know your distances.
Ok, now that we’ve got that out of the way let’s talk more about your 4-5 club bag. Your 150 yard club is going to be your go-to. (Unless you have a 200+ yard reliable club) You’ll be teeing off with this club most of the time. We want to work backwards from the green. So for your second shot, you need to be able to put the ball in a position that you like. If your sand wedge goes 90 yards and you love that distance, set yourself up for that. Let’s say a hole is 330 yards. You hit a beautiful tee shot 150 yards into the fairway. You have 180 left. Well we already decided you like 90 yard shots. You now have 180 left. Hit a 90 yard SW and another 90 yard SW and you’ll be in good shape. 2 putts for bogey. Perfect.
Another Example
Maybe you’re on a 500 yard par 5 with an index of 3. That means for you it’s a par 7. Hit your 150 yard club twice, leaving 200 yards to the hole. At this point you could hit another 150, leaving 50 yards on your 4th shot, or you could hit your 90 yard club leaving 110 yards. Everybody has different distance preferences, so learn where you’re more comfortable. You don’t need to be thinking about getting your 3rd shot on the green on a par 6 or 7 on your score card. Either your 4th or 5th should be going on the green. This gives you the opportunity to position yourself better and give yourself much better opportunities to hit your par and break 100.
Playing the Right Distance
Part of this equation involves playing the right tees. Don’t play 7,000 yard tees if you’re unable to hit it 290 yards with your driver. This is about enjoying your round and improving your scores. So play the tees that help you do this. It will build your confidence and help you improve your golf game much more quickly. You’ll have so much more fun playing tees that correlate to your distances and skill level. Don’t fight it. Embrace your distances.
Work Your Way Back From the Green
Let’s expand a little on working back from the green. On every hole you approach, the first thing you should do is look at what your new par is and subtract two strokes from that. That’s how many strokes you have to get it on the green. Next, plan your route to the green. You’re only allowed to use your 150 yard club (Or 200 if it’s reliable), your 54 or 56 degree, your pitching wedge, and your putter. How are you going to get par?
Want to look at another example? Okay, here we go. You’re at a 200 yard par 3, index of 8. You’ve added two strokes to par on this hole, making it a par 5. You have 3 shots to get it 200 yards and on the green. What’s your game plan? Above, we decided that you really like 90 yard shots. Hit two of those. That may be enough to get it on the front edge of the green. But if not, you have an easy chip and two puts to get your par. You’re very likely to get a 4 on your par 5, putting you ahead of schedule for breaking 100. It makes the course so much easier when you break it down like this.
Aside from 3 putts, the other thing that is going to kill your score is penalties. That’s why we are avoiding those bomber clubs. They get you into trouble and add multiple strokes to your score very quickly. If you have decent ball striking, breaking 100 doesn’t have to be difficult until you start making bad decisions. Use the clubs you’re good at instead of trying to smash it. You’re not Bryson DeChambeau, you’re a guy trying to get better at golf and enjoy his rounds.
Where’s the Trouble?
When working back from the green on each hole, pay attention to the hazards. Pick your clubs so that you have no chance of hitting those hazards. This includes water, bunkers, ob, anything that’s going to add meaningless strokes to your score. Let’s go back to that 200 yard par 3. (Par 5 for you). Imagine there’s a Lake from 110-150 yards away. This bodes well for your strategy of hitting your 90 yard sand wedge twice, so you wouldn’t need to change anything. But what if the water is from 50-110. Obviously you’ll need to switch to your 150 club to get it over the water and stay dry.
What if we are on a 400 yard par 4 with a stroke index of 16? That means it’s a par 5 as well. You have 3 shots to get it on the green. Let’s say you have a club that you can confidently hit 200-210 yards. But on the left side of the fairway you have 2 big fairway bunkers from 180-250 yards out. Don’t hit your 200 yard club. You’ll end up in that fairway bunker and risk a poor sand shot. Play your 150 club twice. That leaves you 100 yards to the middle of the green, which means your 90 yard club will put you in position to 2-putt for a 5. Easy, breezy, beautiful. Golf guy.
Closest to Green isn’t Always Best
In our examples above, you have a club you can confidently hit full swing 90 yards. What about 40 yards? 50 yards? Often those shots are much more tricky because it’s not a full swing. Use that to your advantage. If you cannot safely reach the green with a shot, don’t just assume you should hit it hard and get it as close as possible, because that 40 yard shot is going to be a lot more finicky than your 90 yard shot that you know you can hit with your 54 degree sand wedge. If you’re 180 out and you don’t have a confident 200 yard club, or if there’s hazard behind the green, it will serve you best to hit your 90 yard club leaving yourself 90 yards out, leaving another easy 90 yard approach.
Now Go Play Some Golf and Break 100
It’s really a simple concept. Follow the steps I’ve outlined. Don’t try to smash it. Get proficient with five clubs and you will break 100 on one of your next few golf rounds. If you get your head in the right place it will come a lot sooner than you anticipated. Here’s what you need to know:
- For Stroke Index 1-9, add 2 strokes to par
- For Stroke Index 10-18, add 1 stroke to par
- Put 5 clubs in your bag: 1 200+ club (optional), 1 150 yard club, 1 pitching wedge, 1 54 or 56 degree sand wedge, and 1 putter.
- Master the 2 putt. Anybody can do it.
- If you can’t hit it somewhat clean 90% of the time, work on ball striking.
That’s literally all it takes. If you’re ready to move on to the next step, here’s a guide on breaking 90!
Remember, if you’re not having fun you’re doing it wrong.
