Every golfer out there good or bad at one point or another has thought of what it would be like to shoot in the 70’s.  Some players get that 70’s feeling after almost every round, and others never get to feel it.  This post is more about the player who regularly shoots 81-85, you are close to breaking 80 but need that final push on how to shave those last few strokes.  I hope that this article will give you a new view on how to break 80 rather than be a low 80’s shooter.

I am sorry to say that there is no secret golf tip out there that will move you from the 80’s to the 70’s (if there was I would be selling it and living the high life at some country club in Hawaii).  This post is going

to touch on how to perceive your score, rather than a grip change.  When good golfers (and yes a guy or girl who regularly shoots low to mid 80’s is a good golfer) try to imagine what a good round looks like they try to imagine either the entire 18 holes, or if they have a great mental game a front nine and back nine score.  Let’s say that you are one of the good guys and you think of your rounds in two parts (front and back nine).  You are aware of how many over par you are, and know that if you break 40 then you are going to have a good round.  When a bad nine comes up, then you are aware of what you would need to shoot on the back in order to card a good score.  The problem with this strategy is the length of time it takes to play 9 holes.  Think about it, on a weekend you are looking at 2.5 hours for each nine (2 hours if you are lucky).  That is a long time to try to grind out a mental game.  Most average golfers cannot keep a good mental game going for 2.5 hours with out bad thoughts creeping in.  For example you remember that double you made on the previous hole, or you remember that one time you hit it out of bounds on this hole last year, how about that time you 3 putted from almost the same spot.  Bad thoughts creep into your mental game on a regular basis, the good players are the ones who can step away and regroup.

So what the heck does this have to do with breaking 80? My thoughts are this: Do not think of golf as 18 holes, or two nine hole scores.  Think about every three holes.  If you can manage a score of 13 for every three holes (doesn’t matter what the holes are just that your aggregate score is 13).  If you are a like me and quickly trying to do the math a score of 13 on every three holes adds up to an 18 hole score of 78.  A score of 13 on every three holes, with there being 6 sets of 3 hole gropings, means that you broke 80, and you broke 80 by a few shots.

The reason that I love this look on golf is the fact that its much easier to go three holes without a bad thought popping up, or a bad hole for that matter.  Being a low handicapper, sometimes I find myself thinking if I can play the rest of this nine even I will shoot 37.  That could be after the second hole.  Golf is about the now, and not the future.  This little 3 hole stretch tip will really help you stay in the now, and give you a realistic goal to break 80.

Chicago Golf Guy’s Hot Tip:
In order to break 80, you can make a bogey once in every three holes.  An easier and more positive way to view this golf tip is to think of the lucky 13’s.  If you score a 13 on every three holes, you will find a beautiful 78 at the end of your round, not to mention all the golf bets you will be pocketing from your buddies.