The Best Drills for Breaking 80

Drills need consequences

Better players don’t need more random balls. They need practice that exposes patterns. Breaking 80 usually depends on whether your stock shot holds up when the target is narrow and the next shot matters.

Four scoring drills

1. Nine-shot approach test: Hit three balls each to short, middle, and long targets. Score green, safe miss, or short-side miss.
2. Wedge ladder: Carry wedges to 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 yards.
3. Up-and-down game: Drop one ball in nine short-game spots and keep score.
4. Four-foot circle: Make 20 putts from around the hole before leaving.

Practice the miss

Pick a target and name the side where you can live. If the pin is right, aim center and accept a left miss. If long is dead, take the club that can’t fly over. Scoring golf is often the art of choosing the least expensive mistake.

Coach’s tip: The goal isn’t to remove bogeys. It’s to stop turning ordinary bogeys into doubles.