If you have recently picked up golf as a hobby and want to improve your game, you’ve probably wondered what you can do to break a score of 100 in 18 holes.
A lot can happen in a round of golf and many players are left wondering what they can do to manage their game and shoot a score lower than 100. If you are wondering how to break 100 in golf, we have prepared 9 easy steps you can follow to accomplish this goal.
Here are the 9 steps:
2 – Know & Trust Your Equipment
4- Use Lag Putts To Your Advantage
9 – Make It Count on the Green
1- Be Strategic
Breaking 100 in golf starts with going into your round with a plan. The best way to frame up your plan is to remember that breaking 100 means nine bogeys and 9 double bogeys. On paper, you don’t need to get one birdie or par through all 18 holes.
If you can approach each hole with a strategy of making solid contact with the ball and staying on a path in the fairway, you will reach the green with enough strokes left to make the putts that will keep you in the bogey to double bogey range.
Being strategic also means not complicating your shots. Managing the course needs to be a priority, which means knowing what to expect at each hole. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the greens before your round. Warming up on the practice green will give you a preview to the speed of the greens so you can make better putts during your round.
2 – Know & Trust Your Equipment
The clubs in your bag will go a long way in helping you break 100 in golf. Familiarize yourself with your clubs and plan to limit the clubs you use to the ones you know you hit well.
This means, for most golfers, keeping the driver in your bag for the round. While the driver can deliver distance to make your second shot more manageable, the risk of a slice or hook increases and makes the rest of the hole a bigger challenge than it needs to be.
Don’t let your mind tell you that hitting an iron from the tee box is going to make you look like a bad golfer. The path to successfully breaking 100 is in hitting shots that will allow you to reach the green in as few strokes as possible.
3- Choose The Right Tee Box
Players tend to defer to the blue tees because they want to show to others that they can hit far distances and are more skilled. There’s no need to try and impress others on the course. Your goal is already determined and hitting off tees that are closer should not be looked down on.
Hitting from the shorter tee boxes is completely fine in pursuing the goal of breaking 100. If the white tees are more comfortable for the distance you hit the ball, go ahead and make that your spot for the round.
4- Use Lag Putts To Your Advantage
The lag putt is a great tactic to use while on the green. Minimizing three putts on the green will go a long way in helping you manage your game.
A lag putt is defined as a long putt that you don’t expect to sink on the first shot but will be close enough to take a second putt into the hole. If you’re making a lag putt, aim for the hole but make sure your focus is on speed so that your putt can go the distance it needs.
Two putting on the green is going to be a vital part of breaking 100 and practicing the lag putt will get you there.
5- Avoid The Hazards
You are bound to encounter hazards on the golf course. Avoiding the hazards will help you reach the green without extra strokes added on.
This tip doesn’t need to be complicated: if you see a sand trap or a water hazard, aim at the opposite part of the hole. Even if your approach shots to the green require a little more distance by avoiding a hazard, you will have a better chance of reaching the green safely.
6- Forget About Par
We already covered that in order to break 100 for your round, you don’t need to shoot par. Thinking about par during your round is going to lead you to thinking about taking risky shots that will get you in trouble.
For example, if you are in the rough with some trees in your way, the thought may be to try and hit a draw around the trees to get on or close to the green. This is a risky shot and could jeopardize your game plan. Try to hit a low-risk shot back onto the fairway and set yourself up to reach the green on your next shot.
7- Meaningful Practice
All of your success on the golf course and breaking 100 starts before your round even starts. If you can take the time to have meaningful practice between rounds, you will have better technique to be successful in every swing.
Make sure that your practice involves all aspects of the game. Find drills and techniques that will help you develop swings that make solid contact with the ball. Develop repeatable habits on the green that will help you take the right line and speed on your putts. Everything you do in your practice will show on the course.
8- The Right Mindset
On your journey to break 100, your mind will go through a variety of emotions. It is important to keep your mind focused on the goal. Mistakes will happen during the round and the best thing you can do is be quick to forget. Don’t dwell on a bad shot that didn’t make the fairway.
Regardless of where your ball is on the course, go back to the fundamentals and focus on what you do best with the club in your hand. Breaking 100 is about keeping it simple and not overcomplicating the shots you take.
9 – Make It Count on the Green
We talked about using the lag putt on the green, but there is more you can do to make your strokes count on the green. If your ball is sitting on the fringe or just shy of the green, you may be tempted to take out your wedge and chip the ball on. An alternatate tactic you could utilize is the “Texas wedge”, also known as using your putter off the green.
Get your ball on the green by putting the ball on instead of chipping. You will find that eliminating some of the complexities of contact with a wedge will help you achieve the right distance on the putt rather than the wedge. Remember, breaking 100 is achieved when you eliminate complicated shots at each hole.
Conclusion
Playing 18 holes of golf with the goal of shooting below 100 can feel like a daunting task. It is easy for the mistakes golfers make during the round to compound into more mistakes and lose sight of breaking 100. With this guide, we hope that players can simplify and expand their game plan to reach the goal of shooting a score under 100.
If you want to find more ways to improve your game and shoot lower scores, check out our other tips and guides!