As you make progress in the game of golf there are always barriers to get to the next scoring level.
Some golfers get off to a get start and then might struggle to reach that 75 mark on a consistent basis.
Many times the golfer will first break 100, then 90, then 80 and then maybe the hardest level to get to is that 75 and below level. There are very few scratch golfers and many golfers find themselves in that 7 to 10 handicap range and struggle to get the handicap even lower.
It takes a certain level of commitment, ball striking, short game, swing speed, and course management to get to the next level.
Below, I will take you through 10 tips to help you break that barrier and break 75 on a consistent basis!
It is obtainable and with the right steps and commitment you can reach this latest level in your journey in golf.
My 10 tips on how to break 75 in golf include:
- Improve and assess these 3 fundamentals
- Spend 2 hours per week on the short game
- Increase swing speed
- Track 6 key data points
- 5 Scoring keys
- Improve your course management
- Understand ball flight laws
- Follow a coach or a swing system
- Understand how far you hit each club
- Find a way to play or practice 300 days days a year
Key #1: Improve and Assess these 3 Fundamentals
The Stack and Tilt Instructors said it best when they described what they believed were the fundamentals of golf. They explained it somewhat similar to this:
- Fundamental #1: The golfer’s ability to control the bottom of the golf swing. The best golfers will hit the ground in the intended spot, close to 100% of the time.
- Fundamental #2: The golfer’s ability to control the curve of the golf ball. The best golfers are able to start the ball to the right or left of the target line and have the ball curve towards the target without the ball over curving past the target.
- Fundamental #3: The golfer’s ability to have enough power to play the golf course. This means they are able to hit the ball far enough to play the course in regulation.
Drill for Fundamental #1:
The Drill: The Low Point Control Drill
- Take some yard paint and patina a 1-2 yard long line.
- Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side.
- Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!
- Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to to this successfully in trials of ten.
- You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings.
Drill For Fundamental #2:
Control your start line (Build a Stock Shot)
- Set up an alignment stick 6-8 yards down your target line in front of the ball.
- If you have one, set up a second alignment stick 2-4 yards right of that target line
- Go ahead and see how many swings out of 10 you can get the ball to start to the right of the first of the alignment stick. The goal here is to progress to 7 out of 10.
- Practice this drill everytime you hit golf balls.
The key to golf is being able to control your contact and your start line. Could you imagine a round of golf where you strike the ball solid and 7 times out of 10 the ball starts down your intended target line?
This is the ultimate in golf and helps you start to focus on your course management. You will gain confidence and the consistency that we all seek!
Drill for Fundamental #3:
Increase your swing speed through overspeed training
- Check out SuperSpeed Overspeed Training Protocols
- Train every other day for 10-15 minutes.
- See a 4-6% increase in swing speed as early as the first training protocol.
The number one thing that has helped me gain significant distance is the SuperSpeed Training System. This overspeed based system where you train every other day for about 10-15 minutes with different swing sticks can help you increase your swing speed by 5-8% which can be 20-30 yards.
Who wouldn’t want an extra 20-30 yards? Plus it helps improve your mechanics.
SuperSpeed Golf – Use Discount Code Golfjourney365 for some savings!
Assessments of Key #1:
Start off by assessing yourself in each of these three fundamentals. Three key questions to answers:
- How many times can your strike the ground on the intended side of the line out of 20 attempts?
- How many shots can you get to start to the right or left of your target line and curve the proper direction out of 20 times?
- What is your current swing speed?
Go ahead and get to work and measure your progress over time!
Key #2: Spend Two Hours Per Week on the Short Game
The quickest and easier way to get your game to the next level is the short game. Here are a couple of key facts to consider:
- Pro golfers only make 50% of putts from 8 feet
- Scratch golfers have a scrambling rate of 54%
- The make percentage within 3 feet skyrockets
Major Takeaway:
Learn to chip the ball inside of three feet and practice your 3-10 footers. Even if you only hit 9 greens in regulation on an 18 hole round of golf, if you can get up and down 5 out of 9 times, you will be right around the 75 to 76 mark.
Make a birdie putt or two or hit 10 or 11 greens and you are below 75 on a consistent basis.
The short game is the ultimate eraser in the short game!
Assessment for Key #2:
- The next time you practice your short game, after spending 30 minutes of chipping and putting complete these steps.
- Randomly toss your ball somewhere around the green.
- Go ahead and hit the chip and see if you can make the putt.
- Repeat these steps 30 times and track your progress over the next 3 months.
You will get good at handling pressure. The goal is to be able to get up and down 20 out of 30 times in practice. We know that when you get on the course with some extra pressure, reaching the the 50% is within reach!
As a young junior I was able to develop a quality short game and even shoot in the 60s based on being able to get up and down for par over 50% of the time!
It does not take great swing speed, athletic ability or perfect technique to be a great chipper and putter of the ball. What it takes most is the time spent week in and week out working on getting up and down and being able to hit a variety of chip shots.
Make sure you practice those 3-10 footers the most and your lag putts! These are most essential according to the analytics in golf.
Key #3: Increase Swing Speed
You can see drill #3 above under key #1 for the SuperSpeed Training that I recommend. Everyone can benefit from an additional 5-8% increase in swing speed in golf.
The analytics are pretty clear. The shorter the shot left into a green for the approach shot the closer we will hit the ball. The closer we hit the ball the higher chance we have of making the putt.
Adding 20-30 yards in the golf swing is a game changer and can help you lower the scores. The driver length and short game are two of the biggest areas and have specific ways to improve that don’t always include technique.
Chipping and putting is about spending the time and swing speed is about the training protocols and following the system that has been build based on research.
Assessment for Key #3
Track your speed over time. What is your current driver speed? Check each week when training with the SuperSpeed Golf and note this swing speed.
Key #4: Track 6 Key Data Points
Over your next five rounds be sure to track your data in the areas charter below. Take note on your areas of weakness. If you are struggling with greens in regulation find out why.
Are you missing too many fairways and having to punch out or are you missing from 150 yards with your 8 iron?
Or is your scrambling percentage really weak and causing unnecessary bogeys?
We have solutions for just about ever area below! Work on those fundamentals above, practice your short game, and train for additional speed with SuperSpeed Golf!
| Greens in Regulation | 67% |
| Fairways Hit | 53% |
| Putts Per Hole | 1.67 |
| Scrambling | 54% |
| Sand Saves | 59% |
| Average Driving Distance | 251 |
Key #5: 5 Scoring Keys to Track
I heard about these 5 stats that Tiger Woods used to help his scoring and to keep him in the hunt in most tournaments. Coming from arguably the greatest golfer of all time, they are worth considering:
- No 6s on par 5s
- No Double Bogeys
- No 3-Putts
- No Bogeys with 9 irons or less
- No Blown easy saves
Assessment for Key #5
Go ahead and track these stats as well over your next 5 rounds. How many bogeys or wrose did you make on par 5s, how many double bogeys are your averaging, how many 3 putts per round, are you making bogeys from 9 iron on in, and are you struggling to make simple pars on scrambling situations.
These sound so basic, but if you manage these elements and take advantage of a bridie or two per round and you will be in great shape!
Key #6: Improve Your Course Management
Golf can be a difficult game! If you are selecting the wrong clubs or the wrong strategy it becomes that much more difficult. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses. When you accept the bogey and when to try to push for a birdie.
There are times to be aggressive and times to play safely.
I know of some golfers I often play with that are used to playing a “skins” game and are always shooting for birdies, this aggressive nature might be difficult if you are trying to break 75.
If you are someone that wants to shoot your best 18 hole scores, you have to learn about your strengths and weaknesses and make the right decisions.
Your stats above and tracking them in keys 4 and 5 will play a role in helping your make decisions.
One key note, a 3 wood only hits the fairway 6% more often than a driver, but you give up 20-30 yards in total distance. This extra distance you give up can make a difference.
Consider getting really good with your driver and learning to hit the wedge shot from some rough. Most golfers will be better form 100 yards in the rough than 130 yards from the fairway.
If you are 240 yards out on a par 5 on your second shot and there is water in front, lay up and try to make the birdie with your wedge. Keep yourself in the game.
I have found the sharper your short game the better the person can manage their game and feel less pressure to hit every green in regulation. This frees up the swing to hit quality shots.
Key #7: Understand Ball Fight Laws
Why? If you understand the ball flight laws you can start to become your own swing instructor and make corrections on the range or the course by reading the flight of your golf ball.
Too often golfers turn to the video of their swing when everything you need to know can be read off of your ball flight. Did you know that your ball flight can tell you the following:
- Where your club face was at impact.
- If your swing path was left or right of the club face.
Once you know these two items you can make the corrections by checking out our 2nd Tip on understanding what swing thoughts can help you get the proper matchups.
So let’s dive into the ball flight laws:
- Generally speaking, the golf ball will start where the club face is aiming.
- The golf ball will then curve away from the swing path.
There are two different lines that we must understand. The target line and the start line. The best golfers start the ball left or right of the target line and then curve the ball back towards the target.
Let’s go over some examples to help you better understand the ball flight laws.
Example A: Let’s say that the club face is 3 degrees right of the target line and the swing path is 5 degrees right of the target line. What will the ball do?
Answer: The ball will start right of the target line and draw back towards the target. This is known as a push draw.
Example B: Let’s say the club face is 3 degrees right of the target line, same as in example A, but the swing path is only 1 degree right of the target line. What will the ball do?
Answer: The ball will start to the right of the target line and will fade to the right. Keep in mind that the ball will curve away from the swing path. In this example, both the club face and the swing path are to the right and the ball will curve away from the path.
Example C: Let’s say the club face is 3 degrees to the left of the target line and the swing path is 5 degrees left of the target line. What will the ball do?
Answer: The ball will start to the left and curve to the right. This would be a pull fade or pull slice. Keep in mind that even though the face is closed to the target line, it is open to the swing path and the ball will curve away from the swing path.
Example D: Let’s say the club face is 3 degrees to the left and the swing path is only 1 degree to the left. What will the ball do?
Answer: The ball will start left and curve left. This shot would look like a pull draw.
Hopefully, these examples help you understand the club face and swing path correlation and how they match up. Once you understand these ball flight laws, it will help you read your own shots and possibly make in round adjustments.
Key #8: Follow A Coach or Swing System
There are some great instructors and swing systems to follow. The reasons I recommend this approach is that it is good to have some keys to fall back on if your swing starts to falter.
Learning more and more about the swing and more specifically your swing can help you be your own coach as well. I have written many reviews about the different instructors that are popular throughout the internet world.
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
I believe that each of these instructors can help you get your game to the next level. Check them all out and work to follow an instructor or system that best matches up with your current swing, personality and learning style.
Key #9: Understand How Far You Hit Each Club
With today’s GPS golf watches and Rangedfinders having our front, middle and back distance and even our exact distance to a hole is no longer a mystery and we do not need to rely on a caddie.
Golf GPS Watch vs Rangefinder: Which One Should I Buy?
With these tech tools in hand, we can have the key data. However, we must also know the distances that we hit our irons and hybrids to give ourselves the best chance. Too many golfers count their distance as how far they hit the perfect shot.
I would recommend using a launch monitor and keeping track of your average distances over time. If you are going to do some speed training it is important to measure frequently and have a plan as your head to the course.
The launch monitors I would recommend are listed below. Each of these devices can give you some great insight on your carry distances and gives you a scientific way to measure.
The professional golfers of today all have access to some great technology including launch monitors to help measure their swing and know their numbers.
Can an amateur use this same or similar technology for game improvement?
Yes, absolutely and I would highly recommend it.
Even if you aren’t going to go all out and build an indoor golf simulator like I did (see below), you can still pick up a launch monitor at a reasonable price and use it in your indoor net or taking to the course or driving range with you!
Know numbers like spin rate, ball speed, spin axis and other key information is vital to your growth. Sharing these numbers with your instructor can be helpful and help with equipment selection as well.
I would recommend one of the three launch monitors listed below:
Key #10: Find A Way to Practice 300 Days A Year!
The reality…in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage.
I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.
This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day.
I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.
It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.
Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:
Final Thoughts
Pick your top 3-5 areas of maybe put all 10 into place as your head into this season. Golf can be a great game and an awesome journey.
With the combination of my golf simulator, following certain instructors online and increasing swing speed, I have been able to consistently shoot in the low 70s.
My goal is to now shoot more in the 60s and I will use the same formula above to continue to improve my game.