What’s Needed & What Actually Matters

Loads and loads of golfers have the long game skill and athletic ability to break par every round they play, but still, they have issues breaking 80. To be blunt, they let noise in and have no focus on relevant stuff. The scorecard doesn’t care about the wonderful emotions that went through your body when you hit that penetrating 4-iron on the par-3, carrying the flag and going 15 meters long with a downhill lie, only to three-putt due to the close-to-impossible lag putt. The scorecard doesn’t care about how unfairly you were treated when you got that bounce on the fairway, putting your ball in the fairway bunker where you had to blast it out with a lob wedge. It only cares about you scrambling that easy chip and run or the birdie that you converted on that reachable but tight par-5.

Breaking Par is all about identifying what is actually important and just getting rid of all nonsense. It’s quite relieving, to be honest. I’ll dive into this identification in the following way:

What’s Needed - Course Performance, Swing Speed & Swing Mechanics

What Actually Matters - Factors That Boost or Kill Your Score

What’s Needed

Course Performance - Greens and Fairway Hits

All examples I will use here are made for a 6,000 meters (6,550 yards) course played in normal conditions. The course in question has 4 par-3s and 4 par-5s. Just a note here before I start: I don’t care about statistics during the round; I only look at them afterward to see what I need to train. With that said, let’s get on with it.

The number of Greens In Regulation (GIR) you need has a direct connection to how good your short game (chipping, bunker & putting) is. If you are a top-notch short game golfer, you need 10 GIR to break par. If you are more average in terms of your short game, you need more GIR. Most students, including myself, need 12-13 GIR to break par.

Regarding Fairway In Regulation (FIR), I honestly don’t care that much. Instead, I look to see if I put myself in a good or bad spot to make a good approach shot. A bad spot would be somewhere on the playing field where you basically can’t make it to the green, and it starts a fight for par rather than hunting a birdie. You have 14 tee shots to hit (4 par-3s), and I would say that I can’t handle more than 2-3 bad spots from the tee if I want to break par.

Course Performance - Birdies vs Bogeys

I have never broken par with fewer than three birdies, and I have never broken par with more than one double bogey. Most of my 68-69 rounds have 5-6 birdies and 3-4 bogeys. Most of my 70-71 rounds have 3-4 birdies and 2-3 bogeys in them. So, birdie production is key, and three is the threshold for me.

Swing Speed

The need for speed is massively overrated in modern golf. You need somewhere around a 95 mph clubhead speed with the driver to achieve adequate distances from the tee for acceptable approach distances—about 220 meters in total length. Anything more than that is just a luxury distance that can make the task easier as long as you keep it within the playing field.

Driver: 220 meters (total length)
7 Iron: 130 meters carry

Why do I write this? Too many golfers are obsessed with distance when they should be focusing on entirely different things. Many of the 'new fancy swing techniques' on Instagram emphasize pure long-driving aspects of golf—stuff that can hurt your accuracy and, if you aren’t strong enough, your body. Is it reasonable to expect that you hit your 7 iron the same distance as PGA tour players? Not really, right? Figure out your 'accuracy distance numbers,' which is the swing speed you have where you actually achieve good shot dispersion. The rest is more long-drive speed-hungry garbage that won’t help your efforts to break par

Swing Mechanics & Ball Striking Skills

If you have read my Golf Technique Change Guide, you know that I’m a technique junkie, but it has very little to do with my ability to break par. Common misconceptions of what you need to be able to do include hitting it in the sweet spot every time, playing different curved shots on command, and playing high and low shots on command. Honestly, those are the skills the pros utilize to win fat checks every weekend. This, however, is about a club golfer breaking par. Again, erase the noise!

The only feature you need to break par is a one-dimensional shot pattern. What does this mean? Basically, you eliminate one of the two big misses (left or right). This will enable you to create a shot dispersion pattern that you can rely on. You play this shot pattern 99% of the time. You don’t get cute. You grind it out.

For instance, I play a draw pattern, so I will never miss big to the right (of course, it happens but not often). 25% of my shots are the draw I want, 25% are slight pushes, 25% are overdraws, and 25% are a big miss to the left. All of this is very acceptable for beating par. People think they have to hit it 90% perfectly. I completely disagree.

Most modern players are one-dimensional, where the big miss left never happens (yes, it happens but rarely). They play fades on most shots. Check out the Taylor Made video with Colin Morikawa (always top approach player on the tours) where he talks with Tiger. He can barely play a proper draw on command, and he is world top in approaches. So what? He grinds his little fade and is always top in stats at the end of the week.

Why not hit a straight shot?

It took many years to realize that this is the most difficult thing in golf, and given your 'perfect shot rate,' where will your miss now be? It can be big to the left or big to the right. Hence, it’s not statistically viable, and it’s emotionally terrible to try to accomplish. I’d rather play a '25% perfect shot style draw pattern' than a '75% perfect straight shot pattern.' Again, this is about breaking par.

A last comment about curving the ball: How often are you faced with the 18th tee shot at Augusta? How often do you play green areas that only accept one shot shape? Let’s be honest. It happens so seldom that training this specific subset of your technique makes zero sense.

How do you go about getting a one-dimensional pattern?

It’s all about your release style. The release style determines in which way you produce power and close the clubface. The clubface positioning (together with club path) ultimately determines which trajectory you have.

The only requirement for having a one-dimensional pattern is that you can’t have a non-functional release style. You cannot use the 'WRONG' closing mechanism of the clubface because it makes life too chaotic in the ball-striking department. (For the interested - read here about the most common non functional techniques.) 

In a nutshell, there are two release styles that dominate functional techniques: The slingshot flap release style and the forearm supination release style.

Are you a player that holds off the release like many of the top tour guys? Then you should work for never missing left (make sure to hold it off). This technique I describe in detail in the Modern Slingshot Framework in my technique guide and very few people I have ever met master this. 

Are you a player that supinates your forearms (rotates the forearms on purpose) in the downswing? Then you would be a more hand-dominant player, and odds are that you fit better with a draw pattern. The big miss left will be hard to eradicate with this release style, but the big miss right you can get rid of with proper training. I really like to use the Lag & Supination Framework in my technique guide for this. It works very well. The easiest and most pragmatic way to do it would be the John Erickson and Bradley Hughes system because it is taught in very intuitive drills. Check it out here.

Don’t wish to dig that deep or think that you are good enough already? In that case - awesome! Just go to the range and take a 7 iron, 4 iron, and a driver. Hit 20 balls each. Which miss never happens - big right or big left?

Do it however you see fit, but just have in mind that eliminating one big miss out of your repertoire will make life so much easier for course management and the mental aspect of the game.

What Actually Matters - Boost or Kill your Score

Breaking par in golf is all about handling the key factors in the best possible way. I identify them as below and intentionally leave the mental part to its own chapter further down the road:

Bleed Out Factors

• 3-Meter Putting
• Basic Chipping
• 10-Meter Bunker Shots
• Playing Perfect Golf Distances
• Not Leaving Your Approach Play to Chance

The Bleed Out Factors

All of these factors will influence other parts of your game whether you want it or not. It’s why I call them bleed out factors. 

Short Putting Distance - 3 meters / 10 footers

Professionals make 40% of their 3-meter/10-footer putts, considering they often contend with slippery, mountain-region-like greens. On our comparatively easier greens, we have the potential to hole 50% of our 3-meter putts.

I've chosen 3 meters/10 feet because this is often our scrambling distance. Once you feel confident in your ability to sink putts from this distance in all directions, shorter putts start to feel more manageable. Moreover, being adept at this distance can significantly reduce the stress associated with chipping.

Basic Chipping - Chip & Run

The most common miss on an approach will leave you with a standard chip lie. Here, I'm not referring to fancy lob wedge spinny checker chips; I'm talking about good old-fashioned chip-and-runs—boring and effective. (If you find yourself forced to execute multiple lob shots per round, you probably have lousy course management skills).

Being able to scramble around the greens with chip and run is a crucial aspect of going under par. If you can't successfully scramble 50% of your missed greens, you will encounter issues with too many bogeys.

Technically, it's all about understanding the low point of the club. Don't buy into the whole 'use the bounce' nonsense; we're not aiming to be short game geniuses here, just trying to scramble. In other words, figure out how to make contact with the ball first and practice 10m, 20m, and 30m chip shots. Personally, I use two clubs—one for high shots and one for low shots. For me, it's an 8 Iron and a SW. More about this in the training segment.

10 Meter Bunker Shots

The second most common non-green lie you’ll encounter is a close-range bunker shot. Phil Mickelson very deliberately focuses on training 10-meter shots since statistics indicate this is a critical distance, and I don’t disagree with this approach.

The relatively short bunker shot also demands a solid technique, and once again, your goal is to successfully scramble 50% of the time. The key from a technical perspective is to play a shot that aligns with the amount of sand in the bunker. If there's very little sand, make sure to set up with a more square blade and get the heel of the club down (these components will help you dig). For thick sand bunkers, open the face more and play more upright (it will enable the club to bounce more).

I see very few people actively training bunker shots for scoring. If you do, you will gain a significant advantage in this game.

Here's another hidden gem in the mental department: If you start viewing bunkers as something intriguing to play from, you will approach approaches much more positively. As a bonus, you will now have extensive landing zones for second shots on par-5s (if you are in a position to hit the second shot towards the green area).

Playing Perfect Golf Shot Distances

This is a short one. When you choose your club for your landing area, do you count on hitting the perfect shot to reach the spot? If yes, then please think again. No golfer hits it perfectly every time. Personally, I achieve my intended shot only 25% of the time, with the remaining 75% being small misses.

Ninety-five percent of the people I have played with over the years choose a club based on the best shot of their life. Don’t go down that path. Simply accepting that you aren’t golf's next messiah will save you something like 3-4 strokes per round, and it’s probably the lowest hanging fruit out there. Being 5 meters long has never killed anyone.

Not Leaving Your Approach Play to Chance

With approach play, I mean every par-3 tee shot, every par-4 second shot, and every par-5 third shot. Do you know your carry numbers? And again, not your best shot of the year distance, but your normal, boring, semi-good 8-iron number. Mine is 142m.

Have you ever gone to a studio with TrackMan numbers? If not, do it. Hit 20 shots per club and figure out the true carry distance for your average shot. It’s nothing fancy, but you should know it. Mine are 58W - 90m, 54W - 102m, 50W - 114m, PW - 121m, 9 - 132m, 8 - 142m, 7 - 151m, 6 - 160m, 5 - 170m, 4 - 179m.

Do you know the wind effect on your iron play? If you play 5 meters per second into the wind or tailwind, how does it affect your carry distance and roll out? The dispersion between the club carry distance will be less in a headwind and more in a tailwind. In a headwind, swallow your ego and always go for the longer club.

Do you know how to take 5 meters off your approach? I grip mine down half an inch and also train on it so it feels comfortable.

You need to know your distances in all conditions because the common denominator of good approaches is to be pin high. I would even go so far as to say that I’d rather have dispersion in width than in length. Be pin high, and your results will improve massively.

If you start seeing approaches as your weapon, you will begin to realize that tee shots are just there to put you in a good position. More about that in the course management section coming after the summary below.

Summary - What’s Needed & What Matters

Again, my whole point here is to erase noise, so here is what is left after these more in-depth pages:

What’s Needed - Course Performance

• 12-13 GIR for a normal, short game-skilled player
• Max 2-3 Bad Spots on your 14 long tee shots
• 3 birdies per round

What’s Needed - Swing Speed

• 95 mph driver clubhead speed
• 220m+ distance
• 130m carry for a 7 iron
• Anything more than this is just pure luxury

What’s Needed - Swing Mechanics

• Create a swing that produces One Dimensional Golf
• Develop a shot pattern that eliminates one big miss (left or right)

What Actually Matters - Boost or Kill Factors

• Hole half of your 3m putts
• Train 10, 20, 30m chip and runs frequently - scramble half
• 10-meter bunker play - scramble half
• Play your boring average distance numbers instead of a 'delusional perfect shot every time' number
• Know your exact carry numbers and understand the value of being pin high