Four Tips to Help You Drop Five Strokes Per Round
By: Patrick Stephenson
According to the USGA, the average handicap index in the United States ranges from 10 to 17 for men and 24 to 30 for women.
Improving at golf is a goal many of us share, and a common question is, “What will it take for me to drop 5 strokes?”
For average to high handicappers, dropping five strokes is certainly achievable in a short period. However, this can require much more time and dedication for better players. Regardless of where you are in your golf journey, we’ve compiled our top tips to help you lower your score.
High handicappers may find these tips help them drop more than five strokes, while single-digit handicappers might not see as dramatic an improvement.
Nonetheless, we aim for progress, so let’s dive into the tips!
- Reduce Three Putts By Working on Speed
- Make Par Easy
- Become Excellent at Easy Shots Around the Green
- Pick a Shot Shape and Master it
Tip 1: Speed, Speed, Speed – Stop Three Putting
I’ve emphasized this before and will continue to do so: learn not to three-putt!
Many players shooting in the 90s could consistently shoot in the high 80s by eliminating three-putts alone. This single tip can easily help you drop five strokes per round.
The key to reducing three-putts is improving your speed control. Here’s a simple yet effective drill:
- Set Up: Place two tees 10 feet apart on the putting green. Position another tee 10 to 50 feet away from the first tee.
- Start Putting: Begin by putting from the tee farthest away, aiming to roll the ball just past the first tee.
- Second Putt: Putt your second ball, aiming to get it just past the first ball but still within the 10-foot area.
- Continue: The goal is to putt 10 balls in a row within the 10-foot area, with each putt traveling a little further than the last.
- Progress: Once you complete this drill, either move back to a farther distance or reduce your target area to 8 feet instead of 10 feet.
This drill helps you develop a sense of touch and feel for varying distances, enhancing your ability to control the speed of your putts and reducing three-putts.
Additionally, it’s okay to leave birdie putts—or any putt—short.
Over the years, leaving putts short has received an unwarranted stigma. Some players believe that hitting a putt 3-4 feet past the hole is better than leaving it short. However, when aiming to reduce three-putts and lower your handicap, that’s not the case.
For putts of any length, the goal is to give the ball a chance to go in. However, it’s much better to leave a putt six inches short than to run it four feet past. Keep it simple and make par easy!
Tip 2: Make Par Easy!
The best player on my golf team at East Carolina always used to say, “make par easy,” as we strategized on how to play certain golf courses.
To drop five strokes off your score, most players need to make more pars, not more birdies—even really good players. It’s easier to make fewer bogeys than to make more birdies.
I believe in keeping things simple, especially when it comes to making par. This may sound cliché, but it holds true when striving to keep bogeys off your scorecard. Here are some practical strategies to implement on the course, as making birdies isn’t the key to lowering your score; it’s about avoiding bogeys and doubles.
Take an Easy Wedge Shot if the Course Lets You
By now, you likely have a good handle on your wedge game. If you encounter a short par 4 where you can tee off with an iron and approach the green with a wedge, seize the opportunity. This strategy often leads to an easy par, bringing you one step closer to your target score.
The same principle applies to par 5s. If a hole allows for an easy layup to a wedge distance, go for it. You can even extend this strategy to the tee shot on a par 5 by playing the hole with two long irons and then a wedge. Keep it in play and make par easy.
You can also extend this strategy to approach shots on every hole. To make more pars, think about your best leave around the green. You don’t need to feel pressured to press the ball into dangerous or tight parts of the green. Sometimes, making par might be more easily done by missing the green and leaving yourself an easy chip rather than taking on a pin that could bring double into play.
The Key Takeaway: Avoid Unnecessary Risks
The key takeaway from making par easy is to avoid taking unnecessary risks to make birdie. Just like putting, where we talked about how leaving putts short is okay, play aggressively to conservative targets. Take what the course gives you and focus on making as many pars as you can.
If you are a higher handicap, this same strategy can be implemented to “make bogey easy,” especially if you are trying to break 100 for the first time.
Tip 3: Become Excellent at the Easy Shots Around the Green
By now, I’m sure you are getting the gist: for most players to drop five strokes off their handicap, it’s the simple things that will get them there.
The next simple thing I want to cover is becoming excellent at the easy shots around the green. This is something my assistant college coach used to preach all the time, and it might be the most impactful thing he taught me as a player.
Most players can drop five strokes off their score if they could more consistently get up and down from very easy places. Far too often, I see players botch easy chips, pitches, and bunker shots.
I consider any shot to be easy if you would be disappointed not to get the ball up and down at least 80% of the time.
To get better at these shots, you need to practice a lot of them under pressure. I like to do this around the practice green by simply taking one ball, my wedges, and my putter around the green with the goal of getting ten in a row up and down. If you are a double-digit handicapper, start with a goal like 6/10 or 7/10; choose a goal that is attainable but makes you feel uncomfortable.
Once you reach your goal, increase it and start over. Not only will you learn how to execute wedge shots under pressure, but you will also get some work making short putts, which is also key to easily lowering your scores.
Tip 4: Pick a Short Shape and Master it
One misconception that many players have is that really good golfers work the ball both ways all the time. This is simply not true. Next time you tune into a PGA Tour or LIV Golf event, take note of how most players work the ball exclusively in one direction.
The reason good players do this is that it typically takes out one side of the golf course and helps them have a more predictable shot pattern.
Jack Nicklaus was famous for his fade. He had a weaker-than-average top-hand grip which allowed him to swing freely and hit a fade. He knew that he was never going to miss the ball left and that he would either hit the ball where he wanted or over-fade it slightly, missing right.
I see way too many players trying to work the ball in both directions far too often. It’s good to have the ability to change your shot shape if you absolutely have to for a particular shot, but whether it’s a draw or a fade, choose one and stick with it!
By mastering one shot shape, you’ll gain confidence and consistency in your game. This approach simplifies decision-making on the course and helps you play more predictably, ultimately lowering your scores.
Key Takeaways
Reduce Three Putts by Focusing on Speed:
- Learn not to three-putt by improving your speed control.
- Practice drills that develop a sense of touch and feel for varying distances.
- Aim to leave putts short rather than running them too far past the hole.
Make Par Easy:
- Focus on making more pars instead of trying to make more birdies.
- Use conservative strategies, like playing to your strengths and avoiding unnecessary risks.
- Simplify your approach by taking easy wedge shots when the course gives them to you and aggressively playing to safe positions around the green.
Become Excellent at Easy Shots Around the Green:
- Practice getting up and down from easy positions with a high success rate.
- Use drills that simulate pressure situations to improve your consistency.
- Focus on making short putts to complement your improved short game.
Pick a Shot Shape and Master It:
- Choose a single-shot shape, either a draw or a fade, and stick with it.
- Understand that good players often work the ball in one direction to simplify their game and create a predictable shot pattern.
- Mastering one-shot shape builds confidence and consistency, helping you make better decisions on the course and choose targets.
