Shooting under 100 in golf for the first time is a massive milestone, and it’s a lot closer than you might think. Getting there isn't about hitting more pro-level shots, it's about making fewer game-killing mistakes. This guide will give you a simple, practical roadmap that focuses on strategy and damage control rather than a complete swing overhaul, helping you eliminate the big holes that are holding your scores back.
The single biggest reason golfers get stuck shooting over 100 is because they try to play like the pros they see on television. They try for the miracle shot from the trees, the perfect flop shot over a bunker, or the driver squeezed down a narrow fairway. Pro golfers pull these off sometimes. Amateurs almost never do. These are the "hero shots" that turn a bogey into a triple bogey in the blink of an eye.
The secret to breaking 100 is to change your objective. Your goal is not to impress your friends or hit a highlight-reel shot. Your goal is to get the ball in the hole in the fewest strokes possible, even if it feels a little boring. This means playing high-percentage shots, aiming away from trouble, and accepting that a simple bogey is a great score on a tough hole.
Think less about what the "perfect" shot is and more about what the "safest" shot is. Where is the absolute worst place you could hit this ball? Now, aim somewhere else. Playing this way takes the ego out of the equation and replaces it with strategy. And strategy, not power, is what gets your score into the double digits.
Right now, your score feels like a runaway train. Let's install some emergency brakes. From this round forward, your new goal on every single hole is to avoid making a score worse than a double bogey. That’s it. No more triples, quads, or the dreaded "other."
Let's do some quick, encouraging math. A score of 99 on a par-72 course is an average score of 5.5 per hole. A double bogey is a 5 on a par-3, a 6 on a par-4, and a 7 on a par-5. If you manage to make just a bogey on half the holes and a double bogey on the other half, you'd shoot a 99 (9 bogeys = +9, 9 double bogeys = +18, total is +27 for a score of 99).
This mindset transforms the game. Suddenly, when you hit your tee shot into the trees, you aren't trying to thread the needle through a tiny gap to reach the green. You’re simply thinking, "How do I make a 6 from here?" The answer is almost always to pitch the ball safely back out into the fairway. You've now turned a potential 8 into a guaranteed 6 or, with a good next shot, even a 5. This one simple mental shift is the foundation of smart golf.
The tee shot sets the tone for the entire hole. A good one puts you in position and relieves pressure. A bad one puts you immediately into recovery mode. For the golfer trying to break 100, the tee box is where smarter decisions save the most strokes.
The driver is often the most difficult club in the bag to hit consistently. Hitting it 250 yards into the woods is infinitely worse than hitting your 5-iron or hybrid 170 yards down the middle of the fairway. As a rule, if a hole is tight, has water on one side, or you just don't feel confident with the driver, leave it in the bag.
Choose a tee club that you know you can get in play. Your goal isn't to get as close to the green as possible. Your goal is to have a second shot from the fairway. Here’s how you decide:
You’ll be shocked at how much easier the game feels when your second shot is consistently played from short grass, even if it’s a bit longer.
Don't aim for the narrow fairway, aim for the largest possible landing area. Let's say a fairway is 30 yards wide with the right side lined by trees and the left side completely open. Don't aim for the middle. Aim for the left-center of the fairway. Give yourself the entire left half of the planet as a miss. Pick a big, fat target and commit to it.
Your job on an approach shot is simple: get the ball on the putting surface. Not next to the pin. Not "flag hunting." Just get it anywhere on the green.
Up to 70% of amateur golfers' approach shots end up short of the green. They choose a club for their "perfect" strike, but a small mis-hit leaves them in a bunker, thick rough, or with a difficult chip. The solution is easy: take one extra club. If you think it’s a 7-iron shot, pull the 6-iron. A gentler, smoother swing with more club is far more consistent and will often produce better results than an aggressive swing with less club. Even if you hit it flush, you'll likely be on the back of the green, which means you have a putt - and putting is always easier than chipping from a hazard.
Forget where the flag is. The middle of the green is your new target on every single approach shot, no matter what. Look at the flag only to gauge the distance, then find the center of the putting surface and aim there. This strategy gives you the largest possible margin for error on every side.
Landing on the green, even 40 feet from the hole, is infinitely better than being just off the green with a tricky chip. This simple discipline will eliminate countless wasted shots.
High-handicap golfers bleed shots around the greens. A flubbed chip, a bladed bunker shot - these turn makable bogeys into frustrating triples. The goal from anywhere inside 30 yards is not to get it close, it's to get it on the green in one shot.
From just off the green, your mindset should be to use a maximum of two strokes to get down: one chip/pitch and one putt. To make this happen, you need to use the simplest, lowest-risk shot available.
Don't be the hero. Choose the shot that has the lowest chance of a disastrous result.
Three-putts destroy scorecards. The primary key to avoiding them isn't about making more long putts, it's about eliminating the short ones you miss after a poor lag putt.
On any putt from outside 15 feet, your one and only goal is to get the ball to stop somewhere inside a three-foot circle around the hole. Don’t even worry about making it. Just focus on perfect distance control. Most golfers are far too aggressive and blow their first putt four or five feet past the hole, leaving a tricky comeback putt.
Practice imagining a hula-hoop around the cup. Your job is just to get the ball to die somewhere inside that hoop. You will be amazed at how many more two-putts you have when your second putt is a simple tap-in.
On putts inside four feet, forget about the break (unless it's extremely severe). Pick a line just inside the hole and hit it with enough confidence to hold that line. Indecisiveness and tentative strokes are what cause golfers to miss these easy ones. Trust your read, make a firm stroke, and expect to make it.
Breaking 100 is absolutely within your reach, and the path there is paved with smart, conservative decisions. It requires letting go of your ego, focusing on avoiding blow-up holes, and playing a safe, strategic brand of ‘boring’ golf that keeps your ball in play and your scores in check.
Making those smarter decisions - like choosing the right club on a tight tee box or knowing the smartest way to play from a bad lie - is often the hardest part. When we built Caddie AI, it was to give every golfer an on-demand course management expert. It can give you a simple strategy for any hole, help you choose between clubs for an approach shot, or even analyze a picture of a difficult lie to tell you the smartest way to play it. It's designed to take the guesswork out of these critical moments, so you can play with more confidence and turn those big numbers into manageable ones.
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