Golf Practice Routine to Break 100
When I think back to when I first started playing golf for the first time at age 16, I think about how I would practice differently and what I could do to help the old me, improve quicker. I take this same approach today as I want to help you learn what to do to break 100 in golf quickly. Maybe you’ve been scoring in the 120-150’s for 18 holes or maybe you’re someone knocking on the door of breaking 1oo in golf for quite some time but can’t seem to break it.
The follow golf practice routine will help you break 100 for 18 holes so you can start seeing scores in the 90’s and this will motivate you to keep pushing and get those scores down into the 80’s, which is a huge milestone in golf.
55% of golfers can break 100 but only 29% of golfers actually average scores in the 90’s consistently.
Our goal is to help you break 100 in golf but also stay below 100, averaging scores in the 90’s and then 80’s. Are you ready?
To make the most of today’s golf practice routine, you should also check out all of our additional resources mentioned throughout. Here’s some quick links to our best resources that help golfers trying to break 100 in golf.
- The Nick Foy Golf YouTube Channel (Video Help)
- The Break 100 / 90 Golf Program
- The Break 80 Golf Program
- The Par Golf (Score Low 70s) Golf Program
How to Break 100: Scoring Explained
Before getting into the golf practice drills to help you break 100, let’s explain the scoring that has to happen on the golf course to achieve a golf score below 100.
Par at most golf courses is 72. This means if you make the par score on the scorecard for every hole then you’ll achieve the par total score of 72.
To break 100, you can score up to 27 strokes higher than par. (72+27=99)
Taking 27 extra strokes over 18 holes is an average of 1.5 extra strokes per hole.
Since you can’t score a 0.5 stroke on a hole, you’ll have to balance and average things out.
For example, on a par 3 you could make a 5 which would be 2 extra strokes above par (3 strokes). But then on the next par 3 hole, you might make a 4 (1 extra stroke) so it balances out and you’re still on pace to break 100.
During your 18 hole round you can break 100 if you achieve the following:
- 9 bogies
- 9 double bogies
For every extra double bogey made or worse, you’ll need to balance it back out by making a par or more bogies than required.
For example, a quadruple bogey (+4) on a hole would be like making 2 double bogies on two holes. So now you’ll only be allowed 7 more double bogies, and you’ll need to make a par to counter the quad bogey.
It’s confusing, but it’s a plus minus game. You’re allowed to make worse than par scores. In fact, you don’t have to make any pars at all. You can make 9 bogies, and 9 double bogies and still break 100.
But every par you can make will give you extra breathing room so you can afford to have a bad hole or two where you make worse than a double bogey and still be on track.
Practice Routine to Break 100 in Golf
Every practice routine should include all 3 components of the golf game:
- The Golf Swing
- Chipping Practice
- Putting Practice
Chipping practice can be inclusive of pitching and bunkers in addition to normal chipping from the fringe and rough.
Let’s cover some basic vocabulary terms first:
- Golf Swing – swinging golf clubs (drivers, irons, wedges) to hit the golf ball from point A to point B.
- Chipping – short distance golf shots (1-10 yards) with the goal of getting the ball onto the green
- Pitching – longer distance wedge shots (10 yards to 50 yards) trying to get the ball on the green
- Bunker Shots – hitting out of sand bunkers
- Putting – using the putter to roll the ball across the green into the hole
Driving Range Practice Routine to Break 100
Start off at the driving range. Spend 50% of practice time here and the other 50% on short game (putting and chipping).
- Take 5 practice swings with your driver (no golf ball) to warm up and get the muscles loose
- Stretch out the legs and shoulders and back
- Tee up 10 golf balls (one after the other) and aim at a target fairway on the driving range. Try to count how many balls get inside the boundary and count as a Hit Fairway vs Missed Fairways that land outside the target boundary.
- Hit 10 golf shots with 7 iron, aiming at the 140-160 yard target depending on how far you hit your 7 iron. Count how many balls land within 10 yards of the target
- Hit 10 shots with your wedge to a 50-100 yard target. Focus on how straight you hit each shot. Track how many out of 10 successfully stay straight at the target and don’t fly more than a yard or two left / right.
- Hit 10 shots with your 9 iron focusing on distance control. How close to the intended distance did the ball fly? Are you coming up short? Hitting long? Practice changing targets and adjust your swing power with your 9 iron to hit the correct distance to the target.
- Hit 10 shots with your wedge focusing on distance control. Switch targets on the range and adjust power. Track how many you hit the correct distance out of 10.
- Remaining golf balls use up by hitting more drivers, focusing on contact in the center of the face. Take note of tendency. Do you hit drives left, right, or center more often. Play to this out on the golf course. Aim left if you know you hit right usually to account for the ball moving right.
Chipping Practice Routine to Break 100
Work on contact drills so you can build confidence that when you need to chip the ball onto the green you can get good contact on the ball with your wedge consistently.
Start by setting 10 balls on the fringe of the practice green.
Pick a nearby hole to chip to. Make practice chips, focusing on the clubs bottom edge making crisp contact with the ground (fringe short grass).
Once you feel confident on making contact with the ground, add in golf balls and begin making short distance chips to a nearby hole.
Focus on contact still. How well can you keep the ball straight on line to the hole.
Focus on where the golf ball is landing and imagine a line between you and the hole. Is the ball landing on the line? Or is it landing left or right of that imaginary line?
Keep practicing short chips with not much power needed until you master control over the wedge and get these chips landing straight on the line, not flying left or right.
Next work on distance control. Find a spot on the green to land the ball on and hit chips, focusing on keeping it straight but also landing on the target spot on the green.
This will take skill and time to build control over the wedge and how much power to hit chips with, but the reward will pay off.
Once you practice these beginner drills for a few weeks and feel confident, move