Want to break 80? A Top 100 teacher says to work on this specific part of your game

Breaking 80 is one of the most significant scoring thresholds in the world of golf. If you can do it consistently, it likely means you’re a single-digit handicapper — or close! — and capable of making enough birdies to counteract occasional mistakes. It also means you’re likely limiting your blow-ups, which is an important step on any improvement journey.

But if you aren’t quite there yet and are straddling the cusp — maybe hanging around the mid-to-low 80s and itching to make the jump into the 70s — GOLF Top 100 teacher Tina Tombs has a suggestion for what to work on: short game. And not just general chipping and putting. Instead, she recommends focusing on a very specific yardage.

Balls

“The best tip I have for someone to break 80 would be to work from 20-30 yards and in,” Tombs told me at GOLF’s Top 100 Teacher Summit at Pinehurst. “And if they haven’t had wedges or a putter fitted for them, I’d recommend that they go and have that done, because you want to be able to feel the bounce of the wedge through the turf.”

A custom-fitted putter is also hugely beneficial, Tombs said, because off-the-rack models, with a standard length of 35 or 36 inches, may be too long, too short, or too upright for some players.

“The most important thing about getting a putter properly fit is that, visually, you can see that the putter looks good to your eye so you can aim that putter to that spot, and get the putter started online,” Tombs said. “If we can’t aim the putter where we want to, and be comfortable that the ball is going to roll over the spot we’re expecting, how are we going to make putts?”

The most important key to breaking 80 is learning to get the ball up and down, Tombs says, because you’re going to miss shots.

“The three clubs in your bag that are really important for someone trying to break 80 are your driver, your wedge and your putter,” Tombs said. “Get really, really good with those three clubs.”

For more tips on breaking 80, click here.

Want to really dial in your irons? Schedule a fitting with the experts at 8AM Golf affiliate True Spec Golf.

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Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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