1 tip to break 80? Top 100 teacher believes in ‘an uncomplicated thing’

You’re never going to be the same on the golf course. You’re always going to change. Pia Nilsson’s aware how “uncomplicated” her thoughts are. 

And yet, it might also be part of what’s holding you back. 

“The scores usually drop really quickly,” Nilsson said. 

From her office at Talking Stick Golf Club in Arizona, she’s answering a writer’s question on a tip to crack 80, and she’s well-versed here. Her resume is proof. One-time playing pro. A former Solheim Cup captain. Along with Lynn Marriott, a founder of the Vision54 instruction group. A GOLF Top 100 Lifetime Achievement Teacher. In short, she’s seen some things. 

And two items mid-handicappers occasionally forget to check are their tempo and their tension, Nilsson said. They tend to stay static in those areas, despite the environment around them evolving. 

Your tempo should consider a variety of factors on the course — wind, nerves and on and on. 

“So a player needs to be a little bit more self-aware of, you know what, I need to drop down the tempo a little bit or you know what, I need to have more constant grip pressure,” Nilsson said. “So if we can help them with managing, for example, the tempo and tension more, the scores usually drop really quickly. 

“And often that level of golfer hasn’t been exposed to that. They just know that they make three triples because they hook it out of bounds. But they don’t realize this because it’s a long par-4 and they get all tight. So then that influences their technique. So technique gets — it’s the technique that messes things up. But what influences the technique is very often the state of the bodies. 

“And it’s an uncomplicated thing to learn that makes a massive difference in how the swing transfers to the golf course, and very often those that want to break 80 can belong to that category.”

Is there a way to know what tempo is best in certain scenarios?

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Of course, Nilsson said, though it’s player dependent and learned with practice. 

“First is a little more self-awareness with it so we can just ask them, OK, let’s hit this club with a slow tempo, medium tempo, faster tempo,” Nilsson said. “Many have said, I’ve never done that, because you need to actually feel the difference inside of you. It doesn’t matter if you have any technology.”

In short here, you’re managing you. With the game being physical in nature, turning inward can occasionally be forgotten.

Let’s keep the conversation on breaking 80 going. Last November, GOLF.com wrote a story headlined “My nephew is looking to break 80. So I asked Nelly Korda for 1 tip,” and you can read that story by clicking here, or by scrolling below. 

*** 

NAPLES, Fla. — Sorry, Mason. I was just trying to help. 

If I embarrassed you in front of Nelly Korda, I apologize. 

Wait, what? Wild, right? I’ll try to explain. Mason is my 16-year-old nephew, and, in his uncle’s estimation, has true golf hall of fame potential. But first he has to break 80 consistently. 

Korda, of course, you know. Seven-time winner this year on the LPGA. Fifteen-time winner overall. By all measures, she’s great at golf. She’s also at this week’s CME Group Tour Championship, the LPGA’s season-ending event.

And so am I. 

So I thought: Why not? I asked Korda and other LPGA pros this:

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My 16-year-old is looking to break 80. He shoots in the mid-to-high 80s now. What’s one tip you’d give him?

It was a bit frivolous. But the benefit, I think, was three-fold. The players talk shop. Mason gets a tip. Maybe you do, too. 

Except now Mason is worried that Korda thinks he isn’t that great. Whatever. The kid will live. 

Maybe break 80 consistently, too. 

The full exchanges are below. 

What’s one tip you would give my nephew on his journey to break 80?

Nelly Korda 

Nelly, kind of a lighthearted question. My 16-year-old nephew is trying to break 80 for the first time. He shoots in the mid-80s, high 80s. What’s one tip you would give him?

“One tip I would give him? Well, two,” Korda said. “A lot of the people that I see who are ams never have a stick down on the range. If you don’t know where you’re aiming, there is a high chance you don’t know where you’re aiming on the golf course.

“Tip two, I see a lot of people stand on the range and just drilling golf balls or just practicing a lot instead of going out and visualizing.

“At the end of the day, golf is a game of creativity and you’re never going to have your A-game. One day the wind will be off the left and one day off the right. The hole will play completely different. It’s all about creativity.

“So going out and playing a lot.”

Lexi Thompson 

My 16-year-old nephew is trying to break 80 for the first time and shoots in the mid-80s right now. What’s one quick tip you would give him?

“That I would give him to break 80?” Lexi Thompson asked. “How long has he been playing?”

Been playing about four years.

“Oh, that’s pretty good then,” she said. “He’s going in the right direction. I always say the biggest tip that helped out the most when I went out and practiced was always have a goal in mind. Always have something you want to improve on. It could be the smallest or biggest of things, the mental side. As we know, golf is such a mental sport. Could be working on the mental side and visualizing shots.

“So going out there with a purpose. Don’t just go out to the golf course and be like I’m just going to hit some balls today or play. Have a goal, something you want to improve on. That way, you’re not wasting any time and it’s always productive practice.

“Even if you struggle a little bit, you had a goal, you committed, and you’re striving to be better.”

Lydia Ko 

This is an easy one. It’s instruction-based. My nephew is trying to break 80 for the first time. He shoots like mid-80s, high 80s. What’s one tip you would give him?

“One tip. I would say try and nail down what is the consistent reason — I think when you shoot in the 80s or high 70s, it’s always not because you consistently make a bogey, but it’s more like one hole where you made a double,” Lydia Ko said. “And most of the time, those mistakes are very repetitive. And even for me, I play and have — it’s kind of the same reason why I make those mistakes. Try and nail down what that key dominator is and that way you’ll be able to work on that and I think that slowly fixes itself without you trying to break everything down and try and make everything better.” 

Ally Ewing 

My 16-year-old nephew is trying to break 80 for the first time. What’s one tip you would give him?

“My tip would be go to a tee box that makes that realistic,” Ally Ewing said, “and then when you break 80 on that tee box, move back a box. So I would move up to a tee — like probably some people would say that’s not good. I think scoring is scoring and you have to learn to score.

“You know, shooting 61 from the forward tees is still really hard. You still have to golf your ball. I would encourage him to go to a tee box where he feels like he can attain that and steadily move back and keep challenging yourself that way.”

Ruoning Yin 

My 16-year-old nephew is trying to break 80 for the first time. What’s one tip you would give him?

“Break 80? Practice your short game and putting,” Ruoning Yin said, “because that’s what you spend most of the time on the golf course. Let’s say 62-stroke course. You’re probably going to spend half on putting.

“If you want to break 80, I would say spend time on your putting.”

Angel Yin 

One golf instruction question I had. So my 16-year-old nephew is trying to break 80 and get onto his high school varsity team next year. What’s one tip you’d give him?

“Hit through the ball and not at the ball. It’s simple,” Angel Yin said. “I think a lot of people try to hit at the ball because it’s the one ballgame you play that the ball is really stationary and you have to go after it. In football, they’re throwing it at you; tennis, the ball is coming at you — you’re reacting. Where this one, you have to, I don’t know, go after the ball. It’s a little bit different. You have to make the ball move.”