Morris on breaking 100

How to break 100: a six-week plan

First the good news: you do not need to hit it farther to break 100, you need fewer disasters. A bogey on every hole is 90, so 99 leaves room for nine doubles. Here is where the strokes go and a plan that takes them out.

Short answer: To break 100 on a par-72 course, score 27 over par or better. Take out the big numbers first: penalty strokes, three-putts and shots that go nowhere. Over six weeks, work on clean contact, a chip you can trust, the first putt from distance, and a tee shot that keeps the ball in play, and track the result on the card.

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By Morris, by Badgie Golf · Updated 17 October 2026

Where the strokes go

On the card, count four things after every round: penalty strokes (out of bounds, water, lost balls), three-putts, shots that travel less than half the distance you wanted, and double bogeys or worse. Most players near 100 find that one or two of these cost them ten strokes between them. That is your plan, and it is not the same for everyone.

The numbers behind it: a bogey on every hole is 90 on a par-72 course, and 99 allows nine doubles. Shot Scope data, as reported by First Call Golf, shows a 10 handicap averaging about three doubles a round and a 15 handicap nearly five, so every double you remove moves you a long way.

Six weeks, one thing at a time

1
Weeks 1 and 2: contact
Hit the 7-iron cleanly. Ten balls with foot spray on the face show where you strike it; the goal is the middle of the face and a divot after the ball. Use half swings and no hurry. A solid 7-iron is the club that builds the rest of your game.
2
Week 3: the chip
Chip from the edge of the green to a spot, not a hole: a landing zone one step on the green, with the ball running to the pin. Ten balls, count how many finish within a club length. Pick one club, a pitching wedge or an 8-iron, and use it every time.
3
Week 4: the first putt
From 30 feet, putt ten balls to a three-foot circle around the hole; the goal is speed, not line. Track how many stay inside the circle. Three-putts are speed problems far more often than line problems.
4
Week 5: the tee shot
Find the club that keeps the ball in play and use it. Play nine holes with it and keep a count: fairway or playable, yes or no. The aim is the third shot from a good position, not the longest drive.
5
Week 6: play it
Play 18 holes and play for bogey. Take the safe line from every tee, take your medicine from trouble, and count your penalties. The round will not be perfect, but the doubles will be fewer.

Your own cause on video

If chunks, thins or a slice keep costing you, the cause is in your swing, and a video shows it. The analysis below measures your body on each frame and names one cause, a feel and a drill with reps, in about three minutes, free and without an account. More on the method: how the swing analysis works, how to fix a slice and golf drills with reps. To read your score against your handicap, see what is a good golf score.

Sources

Golf Monthly — What Qualifies As A 'Good' Round Of Golf For Your Handicap? (2026 data benchmarks, Shot Scope) — About 29 over par for the average 25 handicap. Figures as reported on 17 October 2026.
First Call Golf — Shot Scope data deep dive: is chasing birdies the quickest path to lower scores? — Double bogeys per round for 10 and 15 handicaps. Published 10 December 2025; figures as reported on 17 October 2026.

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Breaking 100 questions

What does it take to break 100?

On a par-72 course, 99 is 27 over par: a bogey on most holes and a few doubles. If you bogeyed every hole you would shoot 90, so the target is not good golf, it is fewer disasters. The strokes come from penalties, doubles and three-putts, not from distance.

Is breaking 100 realistic for a new player?

For most players who play regularly and practise a little, yes, but we do not promise a timeline. Golf Monthly's 2026 benchmarks, built from Shot Scope data, put the average 25-handicapper at roughly 29 over par, so the average player in that group is about two strokes from the line.

Should I use the driver?

Only if it keeps the ball in play. If the driver puts you in trouble more than once or twice a round, take a club you can hit straight, a 3-wood, a hybrid or even a 7-iron, and accept a longer approach. A bogey from the fairway beats a double from the trees.

What matters more, the short game or the long game?

Getting the ball in play and reaching the green in two or three shots comes first; after that, the short game decides how many strokes you lose. A chip that lands on the green and a putt that stops close turn a bogey into a safe one. Work on the contact first, then the chip, then the lag putt.

How many practice balls and rounds do I need?

Few and regular. A session of 30 to 50 balls with one aim beats a bucket of 100 with none, and one or two rounds a week keep the feel. We do not have a magic number; what matters is that each session has a measurable target and you track it.

What if I score 105 and cannot get lower?

Count your strokes by type: penalties, three-putts, chunked or thinned shots, and doubles. The type that repeats most is your plan. If you cannot see it on the card, a video of your swing shows the cause behind the chunk or the thin, and that is where the analysis below helps.

A practice plan built for you

Tell him what's going wrong and how much time you have: Morris plans your range session and checks in on how it went.

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