See what percentage of golfer break 90? Check out the table below.
| % Break 100 | % Break 90 | % Break 80 | % Break 70 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 26 | 5 | 1 |
Now you know how many golfers can break 90, you might wonder why golfers care about breaking 90…
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Why Do Golfers Want To Break 90?
Breaking 90 can be the white whale of most weekend bandits.
Breaking 100 is excellent, and you made a deal with yourself that if you could break 100, you would be happy.
But now that you’ve broken 100, you suddenly can’t stop thinking about breaking 90, which is why you’ve come across this article.
Finally breaking 90 means you’re officially better than the average golfer as you join the top 26% of the sport.
Which is fantastic until you realize that you‘ll want to break 80 and will never be satisfied…
Welcome to the club.
By now, you’ve probably asked yourself why can’t you stop focusing on how long it will take to lower your golf score and just have fun playing golf.
Well, like many golfers, you’re likely a little unhinged mentally when it comes to perfecting your golf game.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing it’s just your hard-wired desire to be competitive and demolish the competition.
The beautiful thing about golf is that your main competition is yourself.
Now, there are particular golf buddies you’ll want to beat for bragging rights, and there’s nothing wrong with some healthy competition, either… or toxic, depending on your choice of friends!
However, I would be willing to bet a new driver that there isn’t an avid golfer out there who could be upset losing a weekend competition if they shot their lowest-ever score.
That’s what is unique about golf.
The desire to swing better, drive longer, and score lower, not for anyone else but yourself.
This is great, but how long will it take?
How Long Does It Take To Break 90?
Like many golfers, you’re probably impatient and want your average score to drop fast just in time to receive an invitation to Augusta and to sign your Callaway deal next week.
Don’t mean to pop your bubble, but that shouldn’t be your goal.
However, if you do make it, hit me up with some tickets to the event it would be appreciated!
You’re better off trying not to focus on what you might see online regarding a timeline to break 90.
There will be websites that state it will take a few years, and there will be golf forums where people claim they did it quickly while using one hand on their first round.
This is why you should focus on improving and working on your golf game rather than on how long it will take.
From my experience, I went from shooting consistently in the 100s to the 90s and then the 80s within 3 months.
I had played a little when I was younger, so it wasn’t like I was starting from scratch (Pun Intended), but even back then, I would always shoot in the 100s.
If someone were to hold a rusted Scotty Cameron to my head and demand a solid answer, I would tell them to expect to break 90 in 1-2 years.
It could happen as fast as a few months or as long as a few years, depending on the work you are putting in.
You need to set your expectations based on the following questions.
Are you going to the range weekly? How often do you play? Are you getting lessons?
How Long Does It Take To Break 80?
Okay, so assuming you just read the section above, giving a definitive answer is tricky.
With so many variables, it comes down to you as a golfer and how badly you want it.
Breaking 80 is no joke; those who consistently shoot in the 70s are talented golfers.
But you’re reading this section for an answer, so it takes 2-5 years of playing frequently, practicing weekly, and getting a coach.
Having a structured practice routine and working on your shortcomings is the only way to join the sport’s elite.
Unless you’re gifted with buckets of natural talent, you won’t break 80 consistently by playing once a week. If you did this, 5+ years or never would be a more accurate timeline.
How Hard Is It To Break 90?
If you’re only recently after breaking 100, then you will find it more challenging than most golfers who consistently score in the 90s.
You might be better off focusing on breaking 95 first.
The reason for this is there is a good chance that you’re still catching your irons fat, 3 putting, losing golf balls off the tee box, and blading your chip shots.
While you are excited since you passed the breaking 100 milestone, it could be better for you mentally to get to a place where you break it consistently.
I’ve encountered many golfers I have played with who get so obsessed with shooting a particular golf score that they end up playing the worst golf of their lives.
They are quicker to lose their temper, throw a club, and insult how they’re playing… even though that’s just how they play!
How many golfers do you know like this?
The problem isn’t that they have a goal it’s that the goal isn’t realistic. Funnily enough, is something more common in golf than most other sports.
You would never find a bodybuilder bench 225 pounds once but then expect to be able to 230 pounds their next workout.
But a golfer will shoot the golf score of their life and then expect to put out similar scores week after week.
Maybe you’re not one of those golfers, but if you have recently broken 100, you should set a realistic goal.
But if you have been stuck in the 90s for a while now it could be harder for you than someone who just recently joined the club.
You’ve probably developed a mental block in your head and have put so much pressure on breaking 90 that it feels impossible… or that you’re just not good enough.
The good news is that if you have decided, you might not be able to do your wrong.
You just need to make a few minor tweaks to your game, and you will join the elites of the golfing world.
But what areas need tweaking? Well, let’s dive right into it!
How Can I Break 90?
If you’re serious about breaking 90, check out my Complete Guide To Breaking 90 In Golf.
It’s made up of 21 tips and tricks that helped me go from shooting in the 100s to shooting consistently in the 80s within 3 months.
Side Note: You don’t need to do all 21 tips to break 90; just find a few you’re not doing currently and add them to your game!
If you just want a crash course, you need to work on your mindset, tee shots, approach shots, and putting.
Getting your mindset right is needed if you drop your average score significantly.
Some people can work on this naturally and find a state of calm on the golf course.
Most amateur golfers can certainly… lack this natural ability to stay calm, which is why reading or listening to a golf book on the mental side of the sport is essential.
These books are particularly helpful in showing you how to improve your course management, which will result in you shooting lower scores and becoming a better golfer.
The next step to shooting in the 80s is getting your tee shot to safety.
This will mean learning to leave your driver in the bag on holes it’s not needed, or on days it’s spraying balls around the golf course.
Most golfers are too worried about their driving distance and not enough about keeping balls in play.
Then, you’ll want to improve your golf shots from 150 yards into the green.
If you can build confidence in this area and start hitting more greens, you’ll be on a fast track to penciling in sub-90 golf scores.
Lastly, your three putts have to come to an end. Ideally, you want to start aiming for 1-2 putts on every hole’s putting surface.
If you’d like to find out a little more on the mentioned areas above or what are some other things you need to work on then check out the Complete Guide For Breaking 90 here.
How Can I Break 80?
Breaking 80 and consistently shooting in the 70s will need more than what’s required to break 90.
To break 80, the first step you need to take is fixing your driving.
Breaking 80 will be almost impossible if you’re slicing, hooking, and spraying the ball OB multiple times every round.
You need to start hitting more fairways. 6+ would be ideal, and the shots that don’t hit the fairway are still in play, leaving you a shot at the green.
Next up you have to capitalise on your drives and get more greens in regulations every round.
So you must get to the range, dial in your long game with some driving drills, and work hard to improve your approach shots.
Finally, you must become a solid chipper around the greens, your goal should be to leave yourself with a makeable putt no matter where you are around the green.
More successful ups and downs will lead to more pars and birdies.
What Handicap Does Someone Have If They Break 90?
If you don’t know what the handicap system is, then don’t worry.
Basically, it’s a system used to level the playing field for many amateur golfers who play in competitions.
This means that someone who shoots consistently in the 90s can still compete with another amateur golfer who shoots in the 70s because of their handicap.
It can also determine if you must hole out, or you can pick up the golf ball and move to the next hole.
To break 90 would mean you would have a handicap of 17-18 or below, depending on how close you shoot to the course par.
Now, a handicap for a player who always breaks 90 would be a 10-14 handicap as you won’t always play to your handicap.
Some golf courses could be a par 72, which would mean to break 90, you would have to shoot 17 over par.
Another golf course could have a par of 71, requiring you to shoot 18 over par to break 90.
But I wouldn’t get too bogged down with worrying about what your handicap is if you’re not a club member or if you’re not playing in competitions.
Focusing on improving your average score over time is the way to go. It’s all that matters at the end of the day.
What do you think a professional’s handicap would be?
Don’t overthink it; scroll down a little further, and you’ll find out.
What Handicap Does Someone Who Breaks 80 Have?
Following on from the above if a golfer played level par with their handicap, they would have to have a handicap of 7 or lower to break 80.
Obviously, the ones who will consistently break 80 will be the lower single figures.
But it’s important to note that there is no reason a 17 handicapper couldn’t break 80 on a day they are playing exceptional golf.
And on the flip side, a 7 handicapper could play terribly by their standards and wind up shooting in the 90s.
That’s the beauty of golf!
What Handicap Would A Professional Golfer Have?
This isn’t going to be mind-blowing news, but professional golfers are really good at playing golf.
So good that they could probably beat most of us, average golfers, with a shovel… that’s right, they wouldn’t even need a golf club!
Okay, that could be a stretch, but they have no problem beating an average golf score.
On tour, you constantly see professionals break par with relative ease, and most of them would have a handicap of around +5 give or take.
This shows their superior skill level and how far away they are from what average golfers shoot on the weekend.