Learning how to break 100 in golf is usually one of the first obstacles amateur golfers face in their playing journey.
It’s the first hurdle between telling people you play golf and actually knowing how to play golf.
It can also be the difference between being a casual golfer and being a full-blown addict.
But, if you’re here, something tells me you might already be in the addict category.
The fuel of any golf addiction is that which has no finish line.
The first time you break 100 only leads to a yearning to break 90.
And then 80.
And, for some, the immortal par.
When I first started my golf journey, I have to admit this was not front of mind for me.
I vividly remember laughing at a friend who wanted to know what his handicap was.
He just wanted to GET a handicap.
And we were all laughing at him like cackling hyenas.
Safe to say times have changed since then and I became the weird one of that group who got their handicap.
I caught the itch and I’ve never looked back.
But back to why you’re here.
You need to figure out how to break 100 in golf.
It seems simple enough.
The wise-ass in your group (you know who they are) will tell you to simply take 99 shots and walk off the course.
“Voila, you broke 100!” They would tell you.
But you’re better than that.
Unfortunately, it’s more complicated than that.
A lot can happen between a tee box and each pesky hole and I know I’ve had my days of finding places on courses that superintendents didn’t even know existed.
Lucky for you, there’s a cheat code.
A game within the game, if you will.
Here are 7 tips on how to break 100 in golf.
Including one that will guarantee you break 100 every time you do it.
>> Related: 5 Best Ways to Lower Your Handicap
Mastering the Basics of How to Break 100 in Golf
The first, and arguably most important skill in golf, is hitting the center of the club face.
You MUST learn to make solid contact consistently.
If you can’t, literally nothing else matters.
There should never be a thought in your head about shaping a shot until you can consistently hit square shots dozens of times in a row.
Yes, there will always be a squirrely shot lurking no matter who you are.
But you need to eliminate them happening on every other shot.
Consistency is key here.
The more consistent you can be, the easier it will be to plan your shots and land the ball in optimal locations.
This leads to better club selection because you are more familiar with your distances based on consistent and repeatable outcomes.
How do you get to this point?
Repetition.
You have to practice it.
Like an energizer bunny on repeat.
Whether that means going to the driving range, taking extra swings in your backyard, getting time on a simulator, or all of the above, just practice.
Any time, any way.
If you want some tips on good ways to practice, you can find some here.
Become a Lag Putting Master
I’m gonna let you in on a little secret…
You’re not going to make every putt.
In fact, you’re not going to make most of your putts.
If shooting in the 90s is in your goals, stats say that you will miss more putts than you make from just 4 feet.
4 feet!
This shocked me the first time I saw that stat.
And in my opinion, “Never up, never in,” may be the worst advice in golf.
While it may literally be a true statement, you should NEVER putt with that intent if you are more than 15 feet from the hole.
Let me prove this in the form of asking a question.
Which Would You Rather Have?
If you knew you were going to miss a putt, would you rather miss it 5 feet past the hole, or 3 feet short of the hole?
The obvious answer, hopefully, is 3 feet short of the hole.
“But if I’m 5 feet past the hole, it could have gone in.”
Maybe, but you’re risking way too many three-putts.
The point is, for most of us amateurs wanting to know how to break 100 in golf, we are going to miss almost every putt from 20 feet anyway.
So instead of aiming past the hole in case you happen to hit the hole, you should be aiming at the hole to give you the lowest dispersion pattern for your second putt.
For example, let’s say you have a 20-foot putt and aim 2 feet past because ‘never up, never in.’
We will assume you have a somewhat normalized dispersion pattern between 4 feet long and 4 feet short of your target.
This means on your best putts (the ones you hit your target distance), you will still have a 2-foot comebacker for a 2-putt.
AND you could have as many as 6 feet left on your worst putts.
Which, spoiler, we miss more than we make.
Now you could be looking at a 3-putt.
All this to say, if you’re inside 10 feet I would give yourself a chance to make the putt.
In the 10-20 foot range, you can use your best judgment if it’s a straight putt and maybe you want to give yourself a chance to make it.
But in reality, anything over 15 feet, especially if your goal is to break 100, should be to set yourself up for a two-putt.
If it happens to go in, that’s just a bonus for your score.
Use it as insurance in case there’s a 3-putt lurking later in the round.
Precision Approach Play: Aim for the Middle of Greens
Remember all the mean things I just said about us amateurs and putting?
There is good news when it comes to putting.
We’re better at putting than chipping.
I guarantee it.
There may be specific cases where chipping can be advantageous. (I.e. avoiding a large slope or skirting the corner of a bunker)
But in general, you want a putter in your hand no matter what.
What’s the best way to guarantee you have a putter in your hand?
Be on the green.
Golf is hard.
Don’t make it harder.
It’s going to sound very dumb, especially when you’re 50 yards out and have a clear look at the pin…
You should ALWAYS aim at the middle of the green.
The only exception is if you’re aiming away from a hazard, or if you are already close enough to the green and chipping toward the hole.
Make no mistake.
This takes practice and diligence.
There’s probably someone in your group who’s going to take their rangefinder and tell everyone what the distance is to the hole.
Ignore them.
You don’t care.
You’re aiming at the center of the green and no one is going to stop you.
Your sub-100 score will thank you later.
Scoring Opportunities: Putting from Everywhere
I’ve touched on this already, but the repeating of it should exemplify the importance of it.
You’re better at putting than chipping.
On the fringe 50 feet from the hole?
Putt it.
In the fairway 5 yards from the green with a clear path to the hole?
Putt it.
Yes, you’re probably going to miss it, but you’ll be a heck of a lot closer than if you chipped it.
There are some exceptions depending on course conditions and avoidance of hazards, but you get the point.
If you can take a clear shot with your putter, you should be putting.
I know how hard this is to grapple with mentally, but I promise it makes a difference.
I also promise that I’ve become prey to my inner ego and not obeyed this rule.
And I’ve often regretted it.
We’re all human and it’s hard to be disciplined when it comes to this part of the game.
But the rewards are plentiful the more you can keep the ball on the ground.
If you have to ask yourself whether you should chip it or putt it.
Putt it.
Mental Game Strategies
The theory of golf is easy.
Hit a ball as few times as possible to get it into a hole.
It’s the human in us that makes it hard.
Most of which comes from the mental part of trying to deal with poor shots.
Luckily, there are plenty of people that have studied the mental side of golf so we don’t have to.
All we have to do is listen to them.
Two of the best at this are Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriot from Vision 54.
You can get their book “Be A Player” for a full version of this and many other tips.
Their process goes something like this.
You have 3 mental “boxes” while you are hitting a shot.
A Think Box.
A Play Box.
And a Memory Box.
The most important part is while you are in one of the boxes, you must not be in any of the other boxes.
They aren’t something to be straddled with one foot in and one foot out.
However, a lot of us struggle with this in our head.
As we step up to hit our shot, we’re still trying to convince ourselves that we grabbed the right club.
And it’s often this crossing over of these mental states that destroys us on the course.
Get in Your Boxes
The Think Box is all about making the decision.
What club should you hit?
Where should you aim?
Should you take a full swing or a half swing?
Anything that involves the decision of the shot goes in the Think Box.
As soon as you’ve made that decision, grab a club and COMMIT to it as you go to stand over the ball.
Now you’re in the Play Box.
If you haven’t fully committed to anything, you shouldn’t be standing over the ball yet.
Period.
Without 100% commitment to a single shot, you’re almost guaranteed to take a substandard swing.
Will you still have some less-than-stellar shots even when you’re 100% committed?
Yes, of course. It’s still golf, after all.
But at least you gave yourself the best chance.
The last box is the Memory Box.
This boils down to how you react to every shot you hit.
I’m willing to bet you probably don’t treat yourself very well on the golf course.
I don’t either.
The goal of the Memory Box is ALWAYS reacting with a neutral or positive emotion.
It’s ok to not be ok with a bad shot.
But you shouldn’t react by throwing a club and cursing at yourself as you slam it back into your bag.
Instead, how about a thought that goes something like, “Wow, I can’t believe I just did that. This recovery shot is going to be epic.”
Don’t beat yourself up to the point where it makes hitting the next shot impossible.
Golf is a game of misses.
If you can treat your misses with a positive spin, you’re already better than most golfers out there.
Practice Like You Play
If you’re going to get better at golf, you have to practice.
There’s no two ways about it.
We’ve got an entire guide for the best ways to practice.
But one of the important things to practice is your preshot routine.
What’s the last thought you want to have before you step up to the ball?
Do you take a deep breath before you stand over the ball?
How do you set your grip?
What do you use to make sure you’re aimed correctly?
These are all simple things that can be practiced before you ever get to the first tee.
For me, I have a trigger that starts my routine and everything else just sort of happens after that.
It’s become second nature to me.
When you are out on the course, you need to find what works for you.
Unfortunately, this is not something someone can find for you.
Watch a PGA Tour event and see just how many different preshot routines there are.
From Keegan Bradley twirling his club like a nervous twitch to Jason Day closing his eyes while he takes a deep breath and visualizes the shot.
If you fall into the golf sicko category, this is definitely something a coach can assist you with.
As mentioned with Mental Strategies, Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriot with Vision 54 are a great option.
Tracking Progress and Adjusting Strategies to Break 100
What’s the best way to know if you’re getting better?
You need to track your game and see where your trends are.
Matt Fitzpatrick keeps a journal of every shot he hits on the golf course.
I’m certainly not suggesting that, but you need some sort of system.
Two of the best options are Arccos and Shot Scope.
But if you’re not ready to fork over a few hundred bucks to track your stats, simple free apps can give you enough information to at least get you started.
There are two parts of tracking stats that you can use to help.
Tracking and Goal Setting
The first, and most obvious, is so you can compare your stats to yourself.
Are you actually improving or do you just think you’re improving because something ‘felt good.’
The second part is important for goal setting.
I’ll use handicap for this example…
If you know you want to be a single-digit handicap, go look up the stats for single-digit handicaps and compare it to the stats you currently have.
For reference, it’s long been my goal to be a scratch golfer, and the stat I use for comparison most often is greens in regulation (GIR).
GIR is the best indicator of success of all the traditionally kept golf stats.
I know the average scratch golfer hits about 60% of greens in regulation. (See GIR stats for every handicap here.)
So every time I play, that’s one of my goals.
I usually write down two or three goals for every round I play, and this is always the first one.
If you’re still here with me, we’ve established your goal of how to break 100.
Which means your goal should be somewhere between 20 and 25%.
In other words, if you can hit just 4 greens-in-regulation, there’s a pretty decent chance you will break 100 in that round of golf.
Assuming you don’t blow up on all of the 14 other holes.
The Guarantee to Break 100: No Penalty Shots
You’ve arrived.
Are you ready?
The secret of all the secrets.
Do this and you will break 100 every time.
Assuming you’ve read the heading, you already know what I’m about to say…
Don’t have any penalty shots.
The trick to break 100 in golf is as easy as not having any penalty strokes.
Especially when you’re just starting out.
No balls out of bounds. No balls in the water. And no balls getting lost in someone’s backyard.
Just keep the ball in play.
No matter what.
The theory here is based on simple math.
If we think about what a lost ball means, it’s far more than the $5 Pro V1 you aren’t getting back.
It means strokes!
And lots of them.
Every time you throw a new ball down you’re adding another penalty stroke to your score.
You’re oftentimes losing distance from where your last shot would have landed, too.
Which costs you yet another stroke.
All of a sudden, BOOM.
Just like that, the bogey you thought you could get is suddenly a triple-bogey.
Or worse.
How to Achieve Not Having Any Penalty Strokes
Obviously, this practice is easier said than done, but there are some strategies to help make it a little easier.
The most basic of these comes with choosing clubs that steer you away from danger. Particularly on par-5s.
If you are trying to break 100 in golf, par-5s are your best chance to sneak in a par and give you some breathing room on other holes.
The mindset should be this:
“Aggressive swings to conservative spots.”
We’ve already talked about this when it came to not aiming at pins with our approach shots to the green.
And it applies here when talking about any shot we hit.
Think you need to be on one side of the fairway to have a better line to the green?
Nope!
Aim at the middle of the fairway.
Give yourself the best chance of being on the fairway at all.
And limit the chance you’ll miss and end up out of bounds.
Golf is a game of misses.
This is the first step in learning how to miss better.
Play an entire round without penalty shots and I promise you’ll be breaking 100.
Combine this with hitting 4 greens and you might even be breaking 90 while you’re at it.
How to Break 100 in Golf: Final Thoughts
Knowing how to break 100 in golf is a cool feeling.
I remember it being the first time I felt like I could give golf a fair shake at being a lifelong journey.
And that’s precisely how I would suggest you treat it.
A journey.
There is no destination for any of us in this game.
Whether we are there to lower our scores, enjoy good company in the outdoors, or somehow try to marry both together, just enjoy it.
Embrace whatever wins you can get in this game.
I mentioned my goals earlier and how the first one is always about how many greens I want to hit.
But the last one is always this:
“Have fun. Embrace the shit.”
Golf is a game and bad stuff is going to happen.
However, when I’m done, I come home to my wife and kid who don’t care whether I shoot 75 or 105.
They still love me.
So my best advice is to enjoy your pursuit but don’t let it consume you.
Stick to these tips and you’ll get there.
But on the days you don’t, remember why you play this game and get right back to practicing.
Nine bogeys, nine doubles.
That’s all you need!
Throw in a par or two and you’ve just made it that much easier.
Finally, when you’re done chasing 100(!) come back and I’ll tell you how to break 90 and then 80.
Good luck out there.
Leave a comment about how your journey is going!
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