Breaking 90. Breaking 80. Breaking par. Every single thing a golfer does to improve their game is geared toward lowering your score. Even if we simply golf for the fun of it, at some point we all start dreaming about how amazing it would feel to actually shoot under par. But, really, just how difficult (and realistic) is it to achieve lower golf scores?
Consider some handicap data from the USGA. The average handicap for men in the U.S. is 14.2 (86-87 on a par-72), while the average for women is 27.5 (99-100 on a par-72).
Looking to break 90? About 70% of male golfers and 16% of female golfers maintain a handicap below that mark. Seems like a reasonable goal to set (and achieve).
Looking to make the Holy Grail of amateur golf and break 80? About 20% of male golfers and 3% of female golfers report a handicap lower than 8.0.
If you really want to go for rarefied status and hold a handicap of 0.0 or better, you’ll be joining just 1.85% of male golfers and 0.69% of female golfers to sport those kinds of scores.
Now, keep in mind that we could break down how accurate a handicap is, what it looks like in relation to how many rounds scored at that level, and so on, but let’s save that for another time. The real take away from this is that the lower the scoring goal, the harder it is to get there. Every golfer’s progress will eventually hit a plateau, and will require some help to continue to push their scores lower. Which raises the question – What exactly is the best way to improve your game?
Your golf game has 2 core components – the mental side of the game (mental state/mood, course management/decision-making) and the physical side. While we shouldn’t take the mental aspect of golf for granted, improving your mental game will not get you to your goals in and of itself. Every golfer seeking to improve their scores absolutely must ensure the physical aspect of their game is optimized. Improving the physical aspects of your game encompasses 4 basic components: technical skills, equipment, mobility, and strength/power.
Technical skills are best improved by seeking out coaching from a qualified golf instructor. You can watch YouTube videos and take advice from Facebook friends all day long, and depending on the quality of the advice, you might see some improvements. But, at the end of the day, your best bet on improving your technique is to see a PGA instructor.
Equipment is important, and getting fit for clubs seems to be all the rage, especially with the recent boom in the golf industry. The reality, however, is that unless your clubs are way too short/long, you probably don’t need to get custom clubs right away. Once you’ve improved the other areas, getting fit for clubs and worrying about finding the right brand and compression of golf ball will absolutely make a difference in shaving some strokes. But unless you’re already proficient in the other areas, changing your equipment will simply not make a huge difference, by itself, in lowering your scores.
Mobility, strength, and power can all be optimized through golf performance training. Improving each of these three components directly affects your golf swing, and in turn, your scores. Just like with the technical skills, you can find countless personal trainers, YouTube videos, Facebook friends, apps, and self-professed authorities who are eager to miraculously fix your game. Unfortunately, the guidance you receive from these sources tends to be inefficient, misguided, flat-out wrong, and sometimes dangerous, resulting in wasted effort, wasted time, wasted money, and increased risk of injury. Your best move to improve these components is to seek out golf performance training from a highly-qualified golf performance specialist. Be picky, and realize that you generally get what you pay for – the higher level of education, extent of specialization and certification, and length of experience will tend to cost a little more up front, but will actually save you money in the long run, as you will see greater improvement, reach your goals faster, and do so with significantly less risk of injury. A high-quality golf performance training program is also an injury prevention program, and will decrease or resolve your pain, improve your swing consistency, increase your driving distance, decrease risk of golf-related injury, and allow you to play the game for many years to come.
Driven Golf Performance and Sports Physical Therapy provides golf performance training, sports medicine/physical therapy services, and personal training/health and wellness services in both in-person and online formats. With over 20 years of experience and an extensive educational background, we guarantee that we can develop a program to help you achieve your goals. Visit our website or follow us on Facebook for more tips and information, or give us a call to schedule your free consultation with a Golf Performance Specialist.
