Let’s not sugar coat it…
The feeling of breaking 70 for the first time is very rewarding.
But, how many golfers in the world actually do it?
I ran the numbers to see the percentage of golfers that break 70.
What percentage of golfers break 70?
Approximately 0.92% of golfers CONSISTENTLY break 70. To break 70, a golfer most likely falls in the range from a scratch golfer to a +1 and lower index.
Odds of breaking 70 in golf
Breaking 70 in a round of golf is a bit tricky considering that less than 2% of golfers achieve, according to a report by Golf Digest.
Handicap statistics also provide further insight into the likelihood of breaking 70 in golf.
According to the USGA, the average handicap for male golfers is 14.2, and for female golfers, it is 27.5. This indicates that most golfers lack the necessary skills to shoot under par regularly, let alone break 70.
What is the average golf score?
According to Golf.com the average handicap is 14, and the average score for a 14 handicap is around 92 strokes per 18 holes.
How do you calculate your golf handicap?
If you don’t know your handicap, we built a simple (free) golf handicap calculator. It only takes about a minute or so to quickly see where you stand.
If you want to sound smart to your buddies on handicap calculating then here is how the formula breaks down…
To calculate a golf handicap, you need to gather a minimum of five golf scores (and no more than 20) and use them to calculate your adjusted gross score.
Once you have your adjusted gross score, you can use it to calculate your handicap index using a formula that takes into account the difficulty of the course and the slope rating.
How do golfers break 70?
While the percentage of golfers that break 80 is much higher than how many golfers break 70—simply putting in the work is the only way to achieve this lofty goal.
Going out and playing golf once or twice a week won’t get you where you need to be if you truly want to [consistently] break 70.
And it’s not even just going out and practicing more, but it’s practicing on the main areas that will inevitably help you break 70.
By main areas I mean SHORT GAME 🙂
If you are brand new to playing golf, we suggest setting less lofty goals and works towards being the in percent of golfers that break 100.
Break 70 golf meaning
Breaking 70 in golf means your entire game is pretty well-rounded.
Most importantly, it means your short game and PUTTING are both exceptional.
Does it mean it’s time to take your game to PGA Tour qualifying school?
Well, not exactly.
However, a good start to that would be averaging way less putts a round than the average golfer.
How many putts does the average golfer take?
According to an article by Golf Digest, the average golfer takes 34 putts per round (source: Golf Digest).
18 Birdies states that professional golfers average about 1.8 putts per hole and 32 putts per round.
The USGA statistics states the average male golfer shoots a 98-99 and has at least 40 putts per round or 2.2 putts per hole.
Now, keep in mind pro golfers are hitting exponentially more greens than amateurs(shocker).
So, unless you have an all-world short game—breaking 70 is going to take putting in the work on your putting.
This means limiting how many times you THREE PUTT.
So, one way to reduce the amount of times we 3-putt would mean focusing on lag putting right?
Yes, that’s actually right. I wasn’t trying to set you up for an “aha gotcha moment.”
How to improve your putting to break 70
Develop a pre-shot routine
If you set up differently every time you approach a putt, then you will hit every putt differently. Make sure you always carry out the same routine no matter how long the putt may be.
Tip: What helps me read putts is to walk halfway between my ball and the hole, and set up like I’m actually putting an imaginary golf ball. Get a feel for how the putt is going to break the last half of the putt so you can break the read down into a couple segments…the first half of the putt and the last half.
From there I take three short strokes to get a feel of how I’m going to actually stroke the putt once I go to putt my ball.
How to practice lag putting
Hit the putting green and drop three golf balls around 30 feet from the hole, and from there try putting all 3 balls within 3-4 feet from the hole.
Slowly scoot farther away from the hole to 40-50-60 feet and consistently work on putting each ball within a 4-5 foot radius of the hole.
Lag putting is all about speed, and identifying the highest point at which the putt will break.
How to practice putting
Do golfers typically think about ball striking when hitting putts?
No, not normally.
However, super important to becoming a good-to-great putter because making most of your putts inside of 6-7 feet requires you hitting your putts solid (and on line).
Tiger Woods does a great drill for striking his putts.
What he does is he creates a small window for his putter to hit the golf ball by sticking two tees in the green that extend about a half inch outside the length of his putter blade.
This creates a hard focus on the path his putter must take to strike the putt without hitting either of the two tees.
If anyone ever tells you it looks silly then tell them “this is how Tiger practices” and then they will leave you alone
How to break 70 in golf
I’m going to sound like Tony Robbins here for a bit, but you have to teach your brain that you belong in the 60’s to where you are not shocked when you do start breaking 70.
It’s all about compounding those beliefs and confidence in your game to where you are not just content with breaking 70 a single time, but to where you think about things you could have done better to go even lower.
This is where being vigilant in your practice and preparation really needs to change.
How much practice to Break 70
Well, the further you are from consistently breaking 70 the more you should be practicing.
This shouldn’t sound like breaking news, but it will take a ton of practice to achieve something less than 1% of golfers are able to accomplish.
If you are on the verge of breaking 70 then try practicing on your short game 3-4 hours a week.
If you are not really in the ballpark of breaking 70 I’d say we’re looking more towards 7-8 hours a week.
Tip: Keep notes of things that feel good in your swing when you are hitting shots/putts how you want.
The caveat to this one is you will need to be practicing on many more areas of your golf game if you are not close to breaking 70 just yet.
How long does it take to break 70?
The answer to this question is “well, it depends how long you’ve been playing golf.”
If you just started playing golf for the first time this year, then strap in because it’s going to be a long road.
This should be a fun challenge for you though.
Golf is hard. Golf takes patience.
Let the little things you learn along the way snowball into bigger things and start breaking those barriers.
If you have been playing golf for several years, then you are definitely closer than you may think to breaking 70.
So, work on your putting the most.
Then simply practice your way back to chipping, irons and woods.
We’ll discuss course management at a later date, because this is the other huge factor in playing smart enough to consistently break 70.
Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/wolfitgolf and let us know how close you are to breaking 70, and/or how your practice routine is coming along the way to your journey of shooting lower scores.
This article was written by Kyle Broughton. Kyle has been involved in golf for over 35 years, and has learned more than enough about the game of golf to pass along his expertise to amateur golfers across the globe.