How To Break 80 In Golf Consistently

In this article, we’ll cover the core metrics you need to hit to break 80 in golf along with some effective tips for how to practice and how to prepare to break 80 on the golf course. We also show some real-life examples of golfers who have made the step to consistently breaking 80.

How to break 80

1. Drive the golf ball over 230 yards ( men’s avg) / 190 yards (women’s avg).
2. Hit over 50% of fairways.
3. Hit at least 35% of greens (6 per round).
4. Get up and down 45% of the time from inside 50 yards.
5. Average 31 putts per round or lower.

Breaking 80 means averaging fewer than eight bogeys are round, or combatting extra drop shots with birdies. The metrics above are based on our average data of what it takes golfers to break 80 consistently.

Obviously, there is variance around each metric. Some golfers drive the ball further but hit fewer fairways and may be worse at putting. Whereas, other golfers who break 80 are very straight, not as long off the tee, but excel at chipping and putting.

One of the biggest challenges with consistently breaking 80 is keeping double bogeys off your scorecard. Ten handicappers average 2.88 doubles a round, whereas 5 handicappers average only 1.44 double bogeys a round.

In the same jump from a 10 to 5 handicap, the average number of birdies only rises to 0.72 to 1.26. With this in mind you should focus on bogey and double bogey avoidance, rather than trying to chase birdies.

How long will it take to break 80?

We launched Break X Golf 13 months ago, and we’ve seen golfers make some great moves in their handicap over that time. Below are some of our users around this stage and how long they’ve been using Break X Golf.

Start Handicap	Current Handicap	Handicap Change	Time with Break X Golf (months)
19	9.4	9.6	13
20.7	14	6.7	13
7	4.3	2.7	10

This data just uses their start handicap and their handicap at the point of writing this. So the golfers above may have dropped to their current handicap in a shorter timeframe than shown above.

However, this gives you a great insight into how much you can improve within a year or less if you have a focused practice plan.

How should I practice to break 80?

The best practice plan to break 80 will be one that takes into account your playing stats. Break X Golf builds you personalised plans based on your strengths and weaknesses as a golfer.

However, to get you started, try out these games below to give your range practice session a bit more focus. As you complete more Break X Golf skills games, you unlock harder challenges, ensuring your practice stays optimally challenging.

Further tips to break 80

Below are some additional tips to help you save some shots and start breaking 80 consistently.

Focus on your weakness & building a super strength

As the data at the top of this article shows, there are core metrics that golfes who break 80 show in their driving distance, accuracy, approach play, short gae and putting.

Working on your weakest area ensures you keep those bogeys off your card.

Another tip is to take the area you are great at and keep working on that area. This sounds conter-intutive, but your scoring ability is likely based on one to two aspects in your game that you do really well. It is time to double down and move these to the next level as you continue to work on the weaker areas.

Focus on short game skills

Many of our golfers making the big improvements have made big gains in their short game. A solid short game can make up for a lot when you long game isn’t on form. It also becomes more important for getting up and down on long par fours and helping you make the most of birdie opportunities on short par 4s and par 5s.

You should focus on building a robust skill level from a variety of situations. The short game task below is a great skills game to help you achieve this.

Happy golfing – Will @ Break X Golf