The five best and most simple tips for amateur golfers who are trying to break 90 for the first time

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For many amateur golfers, the seemingly never-ending quest to break 90 can be a really soul-destroying journey.

The problem with the vast majority of golf tips available online is that many of them are far too complicated to put into practice.

Hopefully we can help you change that.

• Read also: The three biggest mistakes amateur golfers make when trying to hit the ball longer with their driver

According to the National Golf Foundation, only 26% of golfers worldwide have broken 90.

Now we’re hoping that we can help improve those numbers worldwide.

*Antony Martin is a former professional golfer, who played professionally on the Moonlight Golf Tour and the Grey Goose Gateway Tour in the United States in the early 2000s, winning three times. He competed against numerous big name players including Graeme McDowell in US Open qualifying and 2018 Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner Ted Potter Junior. Before turning pro, he held a career-low handicap of +4 and represented the county of Essex and England schoolboys. He now writes about the sport for a living.

The five best tips for amateur golfers who are trying to break 90

The good news here is that the key things you have to do to progress from the 90s down to the 80s are actually really simple little changes, and none of them have anything to do with technique!

Putt rather than chip whenever possible

Your worst putt will usually be similar to your best chip, and pulling out the flat-stick when you’re on the fringe is always the percentage play.

The aim of the game when trying to break 90 is to limit your mistakes as much as possible.

So, if you’re within 10-15 yards from the edge of the green, with no obstacles between your ball and the pin, eliminate the possibility of blading or chunking a chip shot by pulling out your putter.

I promise you now, if you do this every single time you’re on the first cut of grass around the greens, you will save strokes.

Three-putt avoidance

25 handicap golfers three-putt 13 per cent of the time and take three or more putts to get their ball in the hole every 7.5 holes on average.

So eliminating three-putts from your game could easily save you two strokes per round. This is obviously easier said than done though, so plenty of practice from long range is required.

A good drill to help you improve in this aspect is to set up four tees three feet away from the hole at north, south, east and west points.

Then move around 30-40 feet away from the cup and practice as hard as you can with the goal being to get as many balls as possible inside the three-foot circle.

This will help you improve not only your speed control but the way that you visualize putts rolling towards the cup as well.

Take one more club than you think you need 95% of the time

One of the most common mistakes that amateurs make is not selecting enough club when hitting into greens.

Pros talk about it all the time. Justin Thomas recently said amateurs would save strokes if they simply hit one more club on every single approach shot, and he’s spot on.

The only time when hitting one extra club is probably not a great idea is when the hole is cut right at the back of the putting surface because if you do go long, it will be extremely difficult for you to get up and down with minimal green to work with.

Play the percentages to help you shoot in the 80s

A key part of being able to shoot in the 80s is limiting the damage when you’ve hit a bad drive.

It’s also about being open to ways of making the game easier for yourself…

Ditch the long irons and add hybrids and high-lofted fairway woods

There is no reason why you should be carrying anything longer than a six-iron in your bag if you’re a higher handicap golfer.

Ditch the three, four and five-irons and add a seven-wood, nine-wood and maybe a 25 degree hybrid club.

These are designed to be easier to hit and you will be able to get the ball up in the air quicker than you can with your long irons.

Gary Player urged amateur golfers to do exactly this recently, and if hybrids and lofted fairway woods are good enough for a nine-time major champion, then they should be for you as well.

Tee off with the mindset that every single hole is a par five

In order to shoot 90, you need to average five shots on every single hole.

By teeing off with the mindset that every hole you are playing is a par-five, it will encourage you to play more with course management in mind.

Bogeys are fine, it’s just the double bogeys, treble bogeys and worse that end up wrecking your scorecard.

If you’re in trouble in the rough, just chip out and get your ball back in play. Limit the damage rather than trying to pull off the hero shot.

Approaching each hole as a par five will encourage you to take your medicine when you’re behind the eight-ball.

By following those five simple tips above, you should be able to save plenty of shots around the golf course.

If you’re someone who cannot break 90, make those little changes and you should be shooting in the 80s in no time.