The Easiest Way To Break 80 l The Game Plan l Golf Digest

"How do you break 80?" is one of the most common questions in amateur golf. If you’re consistently shooting in the low 80s, the easiest way to shoot in the 70s probably isn’t making more birdies. It’s avoiding double bogeys, improving your golf course management and making smarter decisions from tee to green.

In this episode of The Game Plan, Golf Digest’s Luke Kerr-Dineen breaks down how to break 80 using golf statistics, shot-pattern data and simple course-management strategies that can help golfers shoot lower scores without changing their golf swing.

Breaking 80 can feel like a huge jump, but the math is actually pretty simple. You don’t need to make a single birdie.

The biggest difference between golfers who regularly break 80 and golfers who shoot in the 80s is often avoiding the mistakes that lead to double bogeys and worse.

Using data from Arccos, research from golf statistician Lou Stagner, insights from top golf coaches and players, and real scoring patterns from different handicaps, Luke builds a complete strategy for breaking 80.

First, he explains why golfers trying to break 80 should think differently about driving accuracy. Penalty shots matter, but drives that finish in recovery positions can be just as damaging. Fairway bunkers, blocked-out drives, punch-outs and difficult rough can quickly turn an ordinary hole into a double bogey.

You’ll learn how to choose the safe side of a golf hole, when to club down off the tee and why simply hitting the fairway isn’t always the most important goal.

Next, Luke breaks down one of the most dangerous approach-shot distances for a golfer trying to break 80: roughly 150 to 200 yards.

From this distance, double-bogey risk rises quickly for golfers around a 10 handicap. Instead of automatically aiming at the flag, Luke explains how to use a Greens in Regulation +1 strategy, identify the easiest miss around the green and choose smarter approach-shot targets.

The goal is simple: give yourself the easiest possible path to par or bogey while keeping double bogey out of play.

Finally, Luke looks at putting and one of the biggest scoring leaks for golfers trying to shoot in the 70s: three-putts.

Poor speed control on long putts can cost multiple shots per round. Practicing lag putting from 30 feet and beyond can help eliminate three-putts, improve distance control and make breaking 80 significantly easier.

Breaking 80 isn’t about playing perfect golf.

It’s about understanding where golfers lose strokes, avoiding unnecessary mistakes and making better decisions on the handful of shots each round that have the biggest impact on your score.

In this episode:
• How to break 80 in golf
• The easiest way to shoot in the 70s
• Why avoiding double bogeys is more important than making birdies
• Golf course management strategies for a 10 handicap
• How many pars and bogeys you need to break 80
• How to choose smarter targets off the tee
• Why recovery shots can destroy your score
• When to club down off the tee
• How to play approach shots from 150 to 200 yards
• How to use Greens in Regulation +1
• Where to aim when you shouldn’t attack the flag
• How to avoid three-putts
• Why lag putting can help you shoot lower scores
• Simple golf strategy for breaking 80 consistently

If you’re trying to break 80 for the first time, what part of your game usually costs you the most shots: driving, approach shots, short game or putting? Let us know in the comments.

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Host: Luke Kerr-Dineen
Producer: Ben Walton
Video Editor: Ben Walton
Executive Producer: Christian Iooss

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:19 The Math of Breaking 80
02:53 GIR + 1
04:30 What is a D.I.R.T.?
08:25 The 50 Yard Black Hole
10:25 Aiming A & B
12:22 Putting Strategy
13:54 Conclusion