According to the NGF only about 26% of golfers score in the 80’s and very few ever shoot in the 70’s. Golf is a difficult game but most players should be able to score in the 80’s if they understand their game and manage it properly. Here are some keys to scoring in the 80’s
- Get the ball in play off the tee – It is really important to hit the ball long with a driver if you want to shoot par but not that important to shoot in the 80’s. Most golfers take driver and swing way to hard and cost themselves 4-8 penalty shots a round. Many players would be better off using 3 -wood from the tee. Make your goal to hit a shot you can find and play your next shot from.
- Curve the ball one direction – Unless you are a very good player you should try to curve the ball one direction and don’t try to hit draws and fades like a tour player.
- Understand your ball flight- Don’t make adjustments to your swing unless you know why the ball went the direction it did. Approximately 75-85% of the starting direction of the ball flight is from the direction the face is pointing at impact. Next in importance is the path the club is traveling at impact which creates the side spin or curve of the ball. Angle of attack also has an impact, the more down the club is traveling at impact the more the ball starts right and up causes left…….
- Understand how far you carry each club- 90% or more approach shots are well short of the target. Go to a range or test on a golf course and see how far you hit each club. Many guys I play with say they hit there 7 iron 160 yards. When they hit a shot from that distance they are normally 10 yards short of the green and 20 short of the pin. That indicates they hit the 7 iron 140 not 160.
- Be effecient inside of 125 yards- it is vital that you can hit greens from 125 yards and closer. Most of your shots during a round of golf are from within this distance.
- Chip and pitch – If you can’t chip or pitch the ball decent you probably can’t break 90. You need to make sure you can get the ball up and down most of the time when you are within 30 yards in 3 shots or less.
- Sand shots- Learn to get it out of the bunker and on or near the green every time. If you can’t do this go take a lesson, bunker shots are very easy with the proper technique.
- Good putting – Learn to stop three putting most of the time. Make 3 footers 75% of the time, 5 footers 50% of the time 10 footers 20% of the time and lag the rest of your putts.
This is not the full list but a good guide to scoring. The mental game and course management are their own subjects but it you learn to use these 8 ideas odds are you will shoot int he 80’s or better.
Jim Hartnett, PGA
