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How to Break 100 in golf

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5 min read - 5 views - Published 4 Aug 2026 - Updated 5 Aug 2026

How to Break 100 in Golf

Breaking 100 is not about hitting perfect golf shots.

Most golfers trying to shoot under 100 lose shots through penalties, duffed chips, three-putts and poor decisions. The swing matters, but the quickest improvement usually comes from playing cleaner golf.

If you can keep the ball in play, avoid disaster holes and make sensible choices around the green, breaking 100 becomes much more realistic.

To break 100, you do not need more hero shots. You need fewer wasted shots.

What Score Do You Actually Need?

To break 100, you need to shoot 99 or better.

On a par 72 course, that means you can be 27 over par and still do it. That is the bit most golfers forget.

You do not need loads of pars. You do not even need many bogeys. You can make plenty of double bogeys and still break 100 if you avoid the really damaging holes.

A simple target is:

Bogey on easier holes
Double bogey on harder holes
Avoid anything worse than triple bogey
Keep penalties off the card
Stop chasing pars after one bad shot

If you make 9 bogeys and 9 double bogeys on a par 72, you shoot 99.

That is not glamorous, but it works.

Golf Monthly’s break 100 tips make a similar point. Breaking 100 is usually less about one magic fix and more about building a round that avoids the obvious disasters.

Stop Trying to Play Par Golf

The biggest mistake high-handicap golfers make is playing every hole as if par is the only acceptable score.

That leads to bad decisions. Driver on tight holes. Going for greens from trouble. Trying to hit long irons over bunkers. Taking on shots that need a perfect strike.

If your goal is to break 100, your job is not to attack every pin. Your job is to keep the ball moving towards the hole without big mistakes.

Think of most holes as having one extra shot to use. On a par 4, you do not need to be on the green in two. You can be near the green in three, chip on and two-putt for a double.

That still keeps you on pace for 99.

Keep the Ball in Play Off the Tee

You will not break 100 regularly if you keep losing balls from the tee.

That does not mean you should never hit driver. It means you should stop using driver when it brings too much trouble into play.

If driver creates penalties, reloads or punch-outs, it is costing you more than it gives you.

What to do instead

Use the club that keeps the ball in play most often
Aim away from out of bounds, water and thick trees
Accept being shorter if it gives you a clean second shot
Tee the ball lower if driver balloons or slices badly
Pick a side of the fairway that gives you the biggest safe miss

A 170-yard tee shot in play is better than a 230-yard drive that needs a provisional.

This is especially true on tighter UK courses. At Saltburn Golf Club, for example, sloping lies, exposed sections and changes in elevation can punish loose tee shots. You do not need to overpower that sort of course. You need to stay in position.

The same applies at many coastal and clifftop venues. On a course like Whitby Golf Club, wind and exposure can turn a small miss into a much bigger problem.

Know When to Hit a Provisional

If your ball might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds, knowing when to play a provisional can save time and avoid confusion.

The R&A Rule 18 guidance explains stroke-and-distance relief, lost balls, out of bounds and provisional balls. You do not need to memorise every detail before trying to break 100, but you should understand the basics.

A provisional matters because walking back to the tee after searching for a lost ball can ruin pace and mindset. It also tends to make the hole feel worse than it already is.

Simple rule of thumb

If the ball might be lost or out of bounds, hit a provisional
Clearly say it is a provisional before you hit it
Do not hit a provisional just because the ball may be in a penalty area
If you are unsure of the rule, check it properly before the round

Breaking 100 is partly about avoiding penalty shots. It is also about knowing what to do when one happens.

Aim for the Middle of the Green

Pin hunting is usually a poor strategy when you are trying to break 100.

Most golfers at this level do not control distance or direction well enough to aim at tight flags. Aiming at the middle of the green gives you more room for a normal miss.

If the pin is tucked left, aim middle. If there is a bunker short right, aim away from it. If you are between clubs, choose the one that avoids the worst miss.

Why it works

You hit more greens or near-greens
You avoid short-sided chips
You reduce bunker trouble
You make fewer double and triple bogeys
You give yourself easier two-putts

Breaking 100 is mostly about avoiding the expensive miss.

Stop Trying to Smash Long Irons

Long irons are hard to hit well, especially from poor lies.

If you are 190 yards from the green and need a perfect strike to get there, the smarter play is often to hit a shorter club you trust. Put the ball back in position, then play from there.

That might feel boring, but it removes the topped 4 iron, the heavy hybrid and the shot that goes 40 yards into more trouble.

Better options

Lay up to a comfortable wedge distance
Use a hybrid only if you strike it reliably
Take a 7 iron back into play from trouble
Avoid clubs you only hit well once every five attempts
Choose the shot that leaves a simple next shot

You do not need to reach every green from distance. You need to avoid turning one bad position into three more bad shots.

Improve Your Chipping Without Getting Fancy

Around the green, simple is better.

A lot of golfers waste shots by trying to play high, soft chips when a basic bump-and-run would do the job. If there is no bunker, rough or slope forcing the ball into the air, get it rolling sooner.

How to chip smarter

Use less loft when you have green to work with
Land the ball on a safe spot, not next to the hole
Keep your weight slightly forward
Make a small putting-style motion
Choose the shot that removes the duff

Your goal is not to hole the chip. Your goal is to get the next putt close enough that you are not panicking.

For a useful video version of this idea, Rick Shiels has a good YouTube lesson below. The useful takeaway is simple: stop making the hard shot the default shot.

Cut Out Three-Putts

Three-putts kill rounds quietly.

You can break 100 with average putting, but you will struggle if you keep taking three or four putts from normal positions.

The first putt should be about pace. The second putt should be short enough to make most of the time.

How to reduce three-putts

Practise long putts before the round
Focus on speed more than line from distance
Pick a stopping zone around the hole
Do not leave downhill putts when you can avoid it
Take short putts seriously
Use the same routine on every putt

From 30 feet, your aim is not to make it. Your aim is to avoid leaving yourself six feet coming back.

Manage Trouble Properly

Bad shots happen. The score damage comes from what you do next.

If you are in trees, deep rough or a poor lie, do not automatically look at the green. Look for the shot that gets you back into the hole.

Sometimes that means sideways. Sometimes it means pitching back to the fairway. Sometimes it means taking your medicine instead of trying to thread a shot through a tiny gap.

Trouble-shot rule

If the risky shot needs a perfect strike, do not play it
If the safe shot gets you back in play, take it
If the lie is bad, use more loft
If trees block the shot, go under or out
If you are angry, choose the easiest shot available

One sensible recovery can save a double bogey. One stupid recovery can create an eight.

Keep Pace Without Rushing

Trying to break 100 does not mean taking forever over every shot.

You still need to keep moving. The R&A pace of play guidance is worth reading because it explains the difference between being ready and rushing.

Good pace helps your score as well. When you are organised, you make clearer decisions.

Simple pace habits

Choose your club while others are playing
Mark your card on the next tee
Take a provisional if your ball may be lost
Leave your bag or trolley on the correct side of the green
Do not take three practice swings over a basic recovery shot

Good pace and good scoring are linked more often than golfers think.

Use a Simple Practice Plan

If you want to break 100, your practice should match the shots costing you scores.

Do not spend every range session smashing driver. You need the shots that keep a scorecard alive: tee shots in play, wedges, chips and putting pace.

Useful practice split

20% driver or tee shots
30% irons and hybrids
25% wedges
15% chipping
10% putting pace and short putts

This does not need to be perfect. The main point is to stop practising only the fun shots.

FootWedge Range can help here. You can save a range session, add notes and track what you actually worked on. If your notes keep saying “driver slice” or “poor wedge distance”, that gives your next session a clear job.

You can also use FootWedge Range Replay to review selected swing clips with shot tracer, rather than relying on memory.

Track the Mistakes That Cost You 100

Most golfers know their score but not why they shot it.

That is a problem. If you want to break 100, you need to know where the wasted shots are coming from.

After each round, write down the obvious score-killers.

Lost balls
Penalty shots
Three-putts
Duff chips
Bunker shots left in the bunker
Failed recovery shots
Tee shots that forced a chip-out
Holes where you made triple bogey or worse

This is where FootWedge fits naturally. If you track your rounds properly, you can start seeing patterns rather than guessing.

Maybe the problem is not your irons. Maybe it is three tee shots a round. Maybe it is short game. Maybe it is one bad decision every few holes.

Once you know the pattern, practice becomes much easier to plan.

Use Your Handicap as a Reality Check

A handicap gives you a better view of your golf than one good or bad round.

In the UK, official handicaps are handled through the World Handicap System. England Golf explains the World Handicap System, including Handicap Index, general play scores and how scores can be submitted.

FootWedge also has its own built-in handicap feature. Once you sign up, you can track your FootWedge handicap inside the platform and use it to follow your scoring progress over time.

That is useful if you are trying to break 100 because it gives your improvement a number. You are not just hoping you are getting better. You can see whether your scores are moving in the right direction.

Choose Courses That Help You Learn

Breaking 100 is easier when you play courses that let you build confidence.

That does not mean avoiding proper golf courses. It means understanding what each course asks from you.

A tight, exposed course teaches discipline. A wider parkland course gives you more room off the tee. A hilly course tests lies and club selection. A coastal course tests wind control.

Use FootWedge course pages to understand that before you play.

If a course has trouble everywhere off the tee, plan for it before you stand on the 1st. That is not negative golf. That is course management.