How to Break 100 in Golf Digest

Breaking 100 in golf for the first time is a milestone that has less to do with a perfect swing and more to do with a simple, smart strategy. This guide throws out the old, complicated instruction and gives you a clear roadmap focused on course management, high-percentage shots, and a realistic mindset. We’ll show you how to stop making big numbers and start posting your best scores ever.

First, Let's Change the Goal: The Simple Math of Breaking 100

Forget everything you think you know about what a "good" golf score is. Right now, our only mission is to write a number less than 100 on the scorecard. Let's do some simple math. A score of 99 on a par-72 course is 27 strokes over par. That means you can get bogey on every single hole and still shoot a 90. This simple reality gives you nine extra strokes to play with before you hit 100.

Your new mindset is this: Bogey is your new par.

Let that sink in. You don't need to make a single par to break 100. If you do, that's just a bonus. Your entire strategy from this point forward will be built around making a 5 on par 4s, a 6 on par 5s, and a 4 on par 3s. Seeing the game this way removes an immense amount of pressure. You're no longer trying to play like the pros on TV, you're playing a different, much more achievable game: The Bogey Game.

Your Secret Weapon: Smart Course Management

The fastest way to lower your score isn't by overhauling your swing, it's by improving your decisions on the course. High-handicap golfers consistently lose strokes not from bad swings, but from bad strategy. Here's how to turn that around.

Treat Every Par 4 as a Par 5

This is the most powerful mental shift you can make. When you step onto a 380-yard par 4, don't think, "I have to smash my driver and then hit a great iron to the green." Instead, think, "I have three shots to get near the green."

Here’s how a "bogey is my par" golfer plays the hole:

• Shot 1 (Tee): A high-percentage club - maybe a hybrid or 5-wood - that goes a reliable 180-200 yards and finds grass. You now have 180 yards left.
• Shot 2 (Advance): From 180, you hit your trusty 7-iron 140 yards, leaving you 40 yards short of the green.
• Shot 3 (Chip): A simple chip shot that gets onto the green, leaving you a putt.
• Shots 4 & 5 (Putts): A relaxed two-putt.

You just made a 5. A stress-free bogey. The player trying for par might hit their driver into the trees (3 strokes after penalty), hack out of the woods (4), blade a wedge over the green (5), chip back on (6), and then two-putt for a 7. Your new strategy is already saving you strokes without you needing to do anything more than think differently.

Tee Shot Mission: Get the Ball in Play

For golfers struggling to break 100, the driver is often the "blow-up hole" stick. It magnifies mistakes and leads to lost balls, penalty strokes, and frustration. Until you can reliably hit your driver straight, it should not be your automatic choice.

Before you tee off, ask yourself one question: "What is the smartest club to guarantee my ball is playable for my second shot?"

• Is the fairway narrow with trees on both sides? Hit your hybrid or a long iron. A 180-yard shot in the fairway beats a 240-yard drive in the woods every single time.
• Is there water or a hazard you can't carry? Don't try to be a hero. Hit a club that lays up perfectly short of the trouble.

Your ego will fight you on this. It will scream "Hit the driver!" Ignore it. The goal of the tee shot isn’t to hit it as far as possible, it’s to make your second shot easier. That is its only job.

Approach Shot Goal: Forward is Good, Green is a Bonus

You’re 175 yards away from the green. The 100-shooter grabs a 4-hybrid, swings as hard as possible, hoping for a miracle shot, and sends the ball slicing into a greenside bunker. Stop doing that.

Your goal on long approach shots is not to hit the green. The goal is to advance the ball toward your favorite chipping distance. Let's say you're really comfortablewith a chip from 30-40 yards out. If you're 175 yards away, just pick a club that you know you can hit 140 yards down the wide part of the fairway. Suddenly, you've transformed a very difficult, low-percentage shot into two very manageable, high-percentage shots.

Always play to your strengths. Aim for the widest part of the fairway and leave yourself a third shot that you feel confident about.

The High-Leverage Shots You Need

You don't need every shot in the bag to break 100. But having a few reliable options can make a huge difference. Focus 90% of your practice time on these three skills.

1. Your Reliable 150-Yard Club

Every golfer needs a safety club. A "get out of jail free" club. For many, this is a 6 or 7-iron. Your goal is to develop a repeatable, comfortable swing with this club that produces a predictable result. Go to the driving range. Find the club that you can hit 130-150 yards straight, 7 times out of 10. This becomes your go-to club for second shots on par 4s and layups on par 5s. When you're in trouble, or feeling unsure, this is the club you pull. It builds confidence because you know exactly what it's going to do.

2. The Basic, Never-Fail Chip Shot

Sloppy chipping is what sabotages most rounds. Players try to get too cute with a high-lofted wedge, only to skull the ball over the green or chunk it five feet. The solution lies in a simple, boring, low-risk shot that practically eliminates the big miss.

Forget the fancy wrist action. Just think of your chip as a large putting stroke with a bit of loft:

1. Stance: Put your feet very close together, almost touching. This helps you rotate your body without swaying. Point your feet slightly open to the target.
2. Ball Position: Play it off the inside of your back foot's ankle. This promotes a slight downward strike, getting the ball first.
3. Weight & Hands: Push about 70% of your weight onto your front foot and keep it there. Your hands should be well ahead of the clubhead.
4. The Stroke: Use your shoulders and torso to rock the club back and forth like a pendulum. There should be almost no wrist movement. Just make a simple back-and-through rotation, and let the club do the work. The club just comes along for the ride.

Practice this with a pitching wedge or 9-iron. The goal is not to get it close, the goal is to get it on the green every single time to eliminate those costly double chips.

3. Two-Putt Mentality: Let's End the 3-Putts

Three-putts are absolute score killers. Your priority on any putt from outside 15 feet is not to make it. Repeat with me: you are not trying to make the putt.

Your one and only goal is to lag it close. Imagine a three-foot circle - like a hula hoop - around the hole. Your mission is to get your first putt to stop somewhere inside that circle. This shifts your focus aaway from the perfect line (which is hard to read) to perfect speed (which is much easier to control). Making great speed your priority takes the pressure off and, more often than not, you'll leave yourself a simple tap-in for a stress-free two-putt. Master lag putting, and you can easily save 4 to 6 strokes per round.

Your Mental Game Plan: Control What You Can

Golf is as much a mental puzzle as it is a physical one. Adopting the right mindset is a non-negotiable part of breaking through the 100 barrier.

Develop Goldfish Memory

Did you hit a bad shot? Good. It's over. The most important shot in golf is always the next one. Great players have an incredibly short memory. A topped 3-wood that dribbles into the lake is frustrating, yes. But once the ball is wet, the memory of that shot must be washed away too. Dwelling on it and carrying that frustration to the next tee is what turns one mistake into three more. Take your medicine, and then immediately re-engage your focus to the present task. You can’t change the past, but you have 100% control over your attitude for the next swing.

Acceptance is Everything

You're going to hit bad shots. The world's best players chunk chip shots and miss 3-foot putts. It is simply part of the game. The key is to not get emotional about it. Accept that a poor outcome will happen a few times a round. Don’t get angry, don’t throw clubs, and don’t give up on the hole. This calm acceptance allows you to quickly switch gears back into your strategic, bogey-is-my-par thinking. The next time you hit a bad shot, a strong mental response is to simply ask, "Okay, that wasn't ideal. So what's my plan to make a bogey from here?" This reframes the entire hole and keeps you on your mission.

Final Thoughts

Breaking 100 has very little to do with the "perfect" golf swing or becoming a great ball-striker overnight. It is a game of strategy, discipline, and doing everything you can to avoid catastrophic mistakes. By treating bogeys as your goal, using smart course management, and making calm, logical choices, you can build a game that consistently delivers scores in the 90s.

This strategic approach takes mental discipline. It's easy to forget your entire game plan when you're standing over a tough shot from a weird lie. This is exactly where our app, Caddie AI, can act as your personal on-course coach and strategist. Instead of guessing, you can ask for a smart play on a difficult par 4 or even take a photo of your ball in the rough to get an instant, objective recommendation on how to play the shot. My job is to give you that expert second opinion that keeps your head in the game, stops single mistakes from snowballing, and helps you make the kind of smart decisions that will finally get your name on the list of golfers who have broken 100.