How to Break 90 in Golf

Most people who play golf have never broken 90 in their golf careers.

This is obviously a major goal for these folks and a source of major frustration...

When I talk and play with these golfers, there is one common observation that I can make about their games that is creating a serious mental barrier to their progress... and that is an intense desire for "more distance".

The other common observation I can make about their game is that they are passionate about golf and will do whatever it takes to improve.

The golf industry thrives on these desires:

"buy this driver and add 10 extra yards to your game"
"buy this ball for extra distance"
"Learn to swing like the pros"
"Turn more for more distance"

Whenever you look in golf magazines or watch infomercials on TV these headlines are everywhere....its no wonder that this distance message has rubbed off on the struggling golfer.

Yet, when you do the math on what distances you require to break 90 off the standard white tees on the typical golf course, the numbers will surprise you...

Understand the Numbers
Golf is all about numbers and making smart decisions. If you can understand the numbers that are necessary to meet your scoring goals, you will begin to make smarter decisions that will quickly lead to lower scores.

I say this because it is this lack of understanding of the numbers involved in the game that leads golfers to make bad decisions both on and off the course:

"I need this new $600 driver to get my drives to 230 yards....that will make a huge difference to may scores"

"If only I could get my irons to go further, what a difference that would make"

Yet, talk to these same people 6 months after their purchase and many of them have made little difference to their scores.....

This push for distance is a huge mental barrier. Those golfers who progress faster with their games are those who have discovered how to overcome this mental obstruction.

What they need to do is make mental shift away from distance, to one of "consistency"...

If you can make that change, you will find your game will accelerate rapidly to lower scoring.

That process begins by knowing your numbers....

Average distances to Break 90

Let's assume you play on an average length course of 6,100 yards. I am going to throw some average distance requirements per stroke out there to break 90 that are based on different putting abilities:

45 putts/round - average distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 138 yards
40 putts/round - average distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 124 yards
36 putts/round - average distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 115 yards
(average distance = 6,100 ÷ (89 - # of putts/round) )

For ladies on a 5,500 yard course the numbers are less:

45 putts/round - average distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 128 yards
40 putts/round - average distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 115 yards
36 putts/round - average distance/stroke to shoot 89 = 104 yards

As you look at these numbers, even some absolute beginners using a set of old clubs can reach these distances!

So where is the need for distance?

If you are any good at putting you could probably get round the course in 89 using only a 9/8 iron and a putter...

"Ah, but that is not how the game is played..." some might say.

That is certainly true. But then I would ask "how should you play the game and what are you trying to achieve?....

In showing you these distances and prodding these questions I am not trying to be critical of those who play in the 90's or above.

I am simply trying to help you clarify the numbers to encourage you think a little more about how you may be approaching your own game.

Of course I would not suggest you go around the course with nothing but an 8 iron and a putter. That is silly. However, these numbers clearly suggest that you do not need a 230 yard drive either.

So what can we learn from just studying these distances?

1. For starters, if you are able to average a 2 putt on every green for your round, you remove a huge distance requirement from your game.

This then should be your top priority for breaking 90...practice putting at home to get your putting average down to 36 or less per round.

2. The second observation that jumps out at us is that distance is not an issue if you are able to execute every shot cleanly during the round without a miss hit or duff shot.

Swing consistency becomes key, not distance.

Here is how your thinking and mental approach to your swing has to change:

It does not matter how far you hit the ball, but it is vital that you hit every shot with some level of consistency.

Consistency comes with a lot of practice, but it can also come from making smart decisions with your shot making to reduce the pressure to swing for distance with every shot.

Placing yourself under this pressure is what causes miss hits and inconsistency...

You can reduce the pressure to swing for distance from your swing by accurately knowing what distance you need to achieve your scoring goal for every hole to break 90.

On a par 72 hole course you need to score 17 over par in order to achieve an 89.

You can break that down to a scoring goal for every hole of a 1 over par, only needing a single par on any one hole somewhere during the round.

Now let's look at how knowing this information affects your decision making and club selection on the course...

For those of you who feel you need to add more distance to your game but have yet to break 90, I want to try and dispel this mental obstacle once and for all with this following example...

Let's put you under a pressure for distance scenario on the course by imaging you are standing on the tee of a 410 yard par 4. Does this intimidate you? You bet!

"I need to have a long drive so that I can give myself every chance of getting on or near the green with my approach shot"

"It is holes like this that bring out the need for that 230 yard drive! Even with that drive I still have 180 yards to go with the next shot."

How do you rate your chances of pulling off consistent shots under this amount of pressure?

Not very high is my guess...

Before you reach into the bag for the heavy artillery and psych yourself up for a monster drive, step back for a minute and think about what you are trying to achieve on this hole.

You are not trying to play for par, you are trying to play for a one over par because that is your goal for this hole.

Come to think of it, even a 5 handicap golfer does not need to go for par on this hole because holes of this nature usually have a handicap index of 5 or less!

Knowing you have 5 strokes to meet your goal, how can you best use those strokes to make each shot as simple as possible?

The trick lies in working your way back from the green to the tee, not from the tee to the green in your club selection...

The most important shot from tee to green is the approach shot...the more difficult the approach to the green, the more likely you are at getting into trouble around the greens with wayward shots.

This is where double and tripple bogies come from...

That being the case, design your strategy for every hole from the green back to the tee.

Instead of always trying for the green in "regulation" which leaves you with a wide variation of approach shots anywhere from 130 yards to 190 yards out, design a strategy around only approaching the green from no further than 65 yards out.

"Are you crazy? That is going to consume an extra shot from tee to green!". I hear you say.

Exactly, but the point of setting a scoring goal for each hole (1 over on 17 holes) allows you to take that "extra" shot and still leave yourself 2 putts on the green to get down to meet your target.

Your playing strategy for the par 4's will be 3 shots tee to green and 4 shots for par 5's.

Before you dismiss this strategy, look at the benefits:

1. You have a higher chance of hitting the green from 65 yards, compared with 130 - 190 yards.

2. By adding this "extra" shot into your strategy from tee to green you take the pressure for distance off "all" the shots which makes them easier execute and reduces the number of miss hits you will experience during your round.

3. Not only do you reduce the chip shots and bunker shots with this strategy, you also have a very good chance of getting on the green with your approach shot, giving yourself a chance of a single putt for par on every hole.

4. If you standardize this as your approach shots on all par 4's and par 5's, in no time you will develop a skill with the wedge/9 iron that is deadly effective for not only avoiding the short game, but also as a stroke saver as your game develops into the future.

5. The final point to consider is that if your practice time is limited, focus your time on the range with your wedge. If you combine that practice time with a few minutes a day on the living room carpet with your putter, you have now covered 65% of the practice requirements for this breaking 90 strategy.

Some of you might be thinking that you are already taking extra shots or more from tee to green....so what is the difference?

The difference is all in the way you are think about every shot...

A tee to green mentality is one of trying for as much distance off the tee to make the following shots easier.

This places you under pressure to swing for distance which invariably ends up as miss hits or wayward shots off the tee...once this occurs, you are now under further pressure for distance on your second shot, and so on all the way to the green...

A green to tee mentality focuses your plan for the hole entirely on the approach shot.

By working your back from the green, your aim is to select shots that are easy to execute...with a focus of achieving consistency.

Start with the 65 yard approach. The next shot is what I call a "setup" shot which is designed purely to get yourself into good position for the approach shot (45-65 yards from the hole).

The setup shot should be one that is easy to execute - even from light rough, say 125 - 135 yards range with a 6 or 7 iron.

On most short to medium par 4's that leaves you with a tee shot of anywhere between 175-190 yards...

You can execute that shot for better consistency and accuracy with a 3 wood instead of risking a miss hit driver.

Long Par 4's
If we return to the long 410 yard par 4 example and conduct the same approach, the setup shot in this case would need to be a little longer in the range of say 155-165 yards to get you into position for the 65 yard approach.

Again, this not an unreasonable shot that can be achieved with a hybrid or a 3 wood...even from light rough.

Your tee shot could still be executed with the 3 wood in the 180 yard range...

Take the same appraoch with the par 5's...work back from the green.

The distances that I have outlined are not unreasonable for most golfers shooting in the 90's.

If these distances are out of your reach, you can make adustments starting with your approach shot.

A 10-15 yard increase in distance can still be executed without too much trouble with an easy 9 iron, taking more pressure off the proceeding shots.

What you will discover, when you apply this process to the par 5's and even the long par 3's is that the number of shots that you need to be proficiency with are greatly reduced compared to the "tee to green" approach:

- Standard tee shot 175-190 yards
- Setup shots 125 -135 yards and 155 -165 yards
- Standard approach shot 45-65 yards

Now when you go to the range you only need to practice shots within these 4 ranges only...there is no need to try and be proficient with every club in the bag.

The club that should get the most practice time is the approach shot.

Develop that one shot and you will reduce the need for a strong short game since you will be hitting greens with more consistency.

Keeping your practice sessions focused on fewer clubs will develop your skills faster as these clubs will receive more attention and directly impact your ability to execute this strategy.

Conclusion
I realize this strategy goes against the "natural grain" on how best to play golf.

If you have never broken 90, you have nothing to loose by giving this approach a serious try.

I guarantee you will begin to lower your scores, simply because you are no longer pushing yourself for distance...

Good luck and good scoring,

Les

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How to Break 90 Video Presentation Series

How to Break 90 Video Presentation Series
If you would like to learn more on how to create a golf strategy to break 90, I produced a three part video presentation series for both men and women that also comes with a 50 page e-book covering:

- A 5 step process on how to create a golf strategy that you can use for breaking 90.
- How to eliminate 3-4 wasted strokes from your round immediately.
- How to improve your swing consistency with smart decision making on the course.
- How to create effective practice plans to develop the specific skills you need to break 90.

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