How to Break 80 In Golf: Inside the Numbers

According to Shot Scope data, the 5-handicap golfer averages 7.98 strokes over par per round. If arithmetic serves, that means on a par 72 course they’re narrowly breaking 80, and coming in with a stroke or two to spare on par 71 and par 70 courses. That makes the 5-handicap player the perfect target for our breaking 80 benchmarks.

Here’s a look at the average statistics from tee to green of that 5-handicap player. We’ve also converted those percentages into 18-hole targets to save you from pulling out your calculator.

While it’s easy to look at statistics of players who break 80, actually breaking 80 on the golf course is easier said than done. That’s why, according to data from a National Golf Foundation study, only around 9% of golfers break 80 consistently.

That NGF study shows that 12% of golfers who keep score self-report average scores under 80. However, 23% of players reported not keeping a score. Assuming the players who don’t keep score aren’t breaking 80 without breaking Rules, the percentage of all players who break 80 consistently is only 9%. Considering that more than 50% of players admitted to taking scoring liberties, the actual percentage is likely even a little lower.

If you’re making a push to break 80, we’ll assume you’re knocking on the door already. To illustrate what it takes to get over the finish line, check out how those 18-hole targets for breaking 80 compare to the typical round that falls in the mid to low 80s, according to data provided by Shot Scope.

The table above illustrates that it’s not so much more fairways or fewer 3-putts that get you over the hump. Cut your double bogeys in half, hit two more greens in regulation, and try to get up and down half the time, and you’ll have a great chance at scoring in the 70s. 

Again, easier said than done.

*Shot Scope’s Performance Average distance, which removes outliers from the true average to give a more accurate representation of how far a well-struck shot travels.

It’s time to take a deep dive into exactly how players who break 80 perform in every statistical category on the golf course, starting with distance.

There may be things beyond your control that impact your potential for adding distance, the most common one being father time. Still, I encourage you to be open-minded about your ability to add distance. I gained 23 yards off the tee in eight weeks of training last year. I don't say that to brag, but to illustrate how quickly you can make a big difference in your golf game.

If you are physically capable of using one of the various speed training systems available today, you can add substantial distance in a relatively short time.

If you’re hoping that making more birdies is the key to breaking 80, then your math is sound but your reasoning is questionable. You’re much more likely to reach your goal by cutting down on double bogeys than making more birdies.

A player who shoots scores in the high 70s only makes about one more birdie every 36 holes than the average player who shoots around 85. That means firing at sucker-pins is likely backfiring, and can lead to more of those costly double bogeys than birdies.

While we’re on the topic of scoring, let’s check out the scoring averages of players who break 80 on par 3, par 4, and par 5 holes:

• Par 3: 3.4
• Par 4: 4.5
• Par 5: 5.3

If we extrapolate that over 18 holes on a regulation course with four par 3s, four par 5s, and 10 par 4s, here’s a rough overview of how you can aim to score on each type of hole each round:

• Par 3s: 1 over
• Par 4s: 5 over
• Par 5s: 1 over

*Performance Average

We’ve already illustrated that players who shoot in the high 70s hit driver an average of 261 yards and hit the fairway 49% of the time, but that doesn’t quite tell the whole story off the tee.

What’s interesting is that when those 5-handicap players opt for a 3-wood off the tee, they’re only hitting about two more fairway every 100 holes, which means it would take about three-and-a-half rounds of hitting 3-wood to hit one additional fairway, on average. 

Meanwhile, those players are giving up 16 yards on average every time they hit 3-wood instead of driver, or roughly a club-and-a-half on the approach shot.

These are big-data numbers, averages of thousands upon thousands of shots from countless players. Your performance with driver compared to 3-wood or 5-wood is likely much different, and it’s worth knowing exactly how those clubs compare to each other in both accuracy and distance to guide your decision-making off the tee. Don’t simply assume that because 3-wood is a shorter club you have a better chance of hitting the fairway or making par when you hit it off the tee.

Two things stand out about the approach statistics of the average player who breaks 80.

First, those players have a massive advantage when hitting approach shots from 100-125 yards as opposed to 125-150 yards. This stat should influence your decision-making off the tee. Being closer to the hole gives you the best chance to hit the green, and if you’re looking to hit two more greens per round, then hitting your driver as opposed to a “safe” club could be the difference maker. 

If you don’t have confidence in your driver, now is the time to turn it into a strength, not a weakness.

Second, check out how often players miss the green short compared to long. Knowing that there’s a 95% chance that you won’t miss the green long, and almost a 4-in-10 chance you’ll miss it short, should lead to better decision-making and more greens in regulation. 

Instead of playing every approach shot to your if I hit it perfectly yardage, try playing to the yardage to the back of the green. If you flush it, you should be on the green, and most mis-hits will still have a chance at finishing on the green. You may miss a few more long, but you will also hit a lot more greens and save strokes overall.

I don’t want to go too deep into the weeds around the green, but the Shot Scope provides some valuable insights as to which clubs, on average, lead to the most up and downs. The top three, in order, are:

• Putter (78% up and down, average proximity: 6 feet)
• 9 iron (49% up and down, average proximity: 12 feet)
• 8 iron (41% up and down, average proximity: 12 feet)

Sure, this data is skewed because when players are using a putter or iron, they’re likely much closer to the hole and facing a more straightforward shot than when they’re forced to use a more lofted wedge. 

Still, the takeaway here is that prioritizing using a putter or short iron from inside of 50 yards when the situation allows for it can help tidy up your short game. 

If you don’t have a bump-and-run and Texas wedge in your arsenal, those shots are easy to learn and can come in handy multiple times per round.

How’s your putting? If you want to break 80, you need to be a good putter, but you don’t need to be perfect. 

The players who break 80 regularly are the first tier of players who are actually more likely to make birdie than bogey when hitting a green in regulation, averaging just 1.94 putts per GIR.

Still, these players miss one-third of their putts from 3-6 feet and two-thirds from 9-12 feet. 

More than any other facet of the game, putting is a numbers game. Incremental improvement that leads to just one more make per round from somewhere between 6-18 feet can actually make a big difference. It could mean one fewer double bogey or one more valuable up-and-down that keeps your chances of breaking 80 alive.

Remember, players who break 80 average just about one fewer putt per round than players who shoot scores around the mid-80s.

Having access to this data is incredible, it paints a clear picture of what a typical round in the high 70s looks like.

However, this data is not personal to your game, it’s just the average of countless players and shots. If you want to make a plan to break 80, check out how your performance on the course compares to these figures in each facet of the game. I’d be willing to bet you’re right there in some areas, and have some noticeable ground to make up in others. Those areas are your biggest opportunities to make the final push to break 80.

Of course, that’s easier said than done.