It’s funny, despite one stroke separating shooting 80 and 79, almost every golfer will agree with you that there’s a huge difference between the two scores. The same goes with 100 and 99, 90 and 89, etc. These benchmark numbers are often how golfers judge their games, and you’ll always hear people say something along the lines of “finally broke 90 for the first time!” As a single digit handicapper, a lot of my friends ask me how they can break through that threshold and finally shoot the lower scores they’ve been after. We wanted to offer up a few pieces of advice for golfers at different skill levels to hit those benchmark numbers.
Breaking 100:
If you’re new to the game, welcome! We’re happy to have you along for the ride. We know golf can be crazy frustrating, but with these few small tips you can have a respectable round and start to shoot in the 90s.
- Slow it down: Most golfers who are new to the game swing too fast. You have to accelerate through the ball in order to make solid contact with the ball. Whether it’s putting, chipping, from the fairway, or off the tee, acceleration is key. When you slow down your backswing, it allows for acceleration through the shot, giving you better distance and control.
- Lighter grip pressure: Most new golfers grip their clubs way too tight. When you “throttle” the club, the hands loosen at impact and provide inconsistent strikes. A lighter grip pressure allows the hands to tighten at impact and provide better ball striking. The best way to work on grip pressure is with a swing training aid like this one from Frogger Golf.
- Distance control on putts: When you get on the green, eliminating 3 putts is key. A lot of new golfers struggle with learning how to “lag” putts (leaving the ball close to the hole). To practice distance control, you need to first establish a consistent stroke. Use a great training aid like this one to lock in your unique putter swing and improve distance control on every putt.
Breaking 90:
One of the greatest pieces of advice ever given to me when I was trying to get better was this: When you’re trying to break 90, try to make a 5 on every hole. If you can shoot 5 on every hole, you’ll shoot 90 on the number. Chances are, the courses you play are going to have at least 3 par-3’s. If you step up to the tee thinking, “okay just make a double bogey” it eliminates the pressure of trying to make pars or birdies. When you take the pressure off yourself in this way, you’ll stop focusing on what’s “par” and start focusing on just getting the ball to the hole in 5 shots. Consistency is key to this game, and when you can start consistently shooting 5 on every hole, shooting 4 every time will not be far off.
Breaking 80:
The most important thing for people to work on who want to start shooting in the 70s is short game. Chances are, if you can shoot in the low 80s, you know how to drive the ball and on pretty much every hole you can get around the green within a couple strokes. What’s really going to separate you and knock a few strokes off your round is being able to get up and down and make putts inside 10 feet. Eliminating three-putts and not taking extra chip shots can immediately shave off a half-dozen strokes. Use the Frogger Arc Angel Putting Aid to establish a more consistent putting stroke.
When it comes to chipping the ball close, consistency is also key. Check out this article, highlighting some chipping drills you can do from home to establish clean contact and acceleration through every shot. Also, when chipping, you need to make sure that you’re hitting the ball with the same clean club every time. Use a great golf brush to establish consistent contact and make sure your grooves and club-faces are clean for every chip.
We hope these few tips will help you get where you want to go in this game. If you have any other tips/tricks/ideas to help other golfers chime in below in the chat or reach out to us via social media @froggergolf!
