Breaking 85 in Golf Consistently: A Practical Guide & 8 Proven Tips

You’ve probably cruised through breaking 100 and even 90 by learning how to break 100 and 90 by eliminating three putts, getting up and down, and even eliminating the slice.

However, breaking 85 is different.

A bogey is no longer acceptable. You have to make some pars, and a birdie could really change the day.

Your strategy for how to break 85 is a bit different, you’ll have to go more in depth and focus on the fundamentals to a different level. Let’s see how it’s done.

How to Break 85 in Golf (Key Takeaways)

Bookmark this post so you can come back and go through the specifics of each of these steps. For now, take a look at the basics of what it takes to break 85.

• You need a repeatable pre shot routine that you actually use.
• Wrist control will manipulate the clubface, produce better compression, and give you control over ball flight.
• Focus on each shot individually, not the entire round at once.
• Get creative off the tee box – it’s not always the driver.
• Look at your percentages. If you can’t hit a shot 7/10 times, don’t do it.
• Put the ball in the middle of the green.
• Know your carry yardage and take the club you are most comfortable with.
• Get good at lag putting from anywhere on the green.
• Develop 3 wedge swings so you have better distance control.
• Make sure you have the right equipment in play (go for a fitting).
• Use breathing exercises to calm yourself after an undesirable shot.

Planning to Consistently Break 85 in Golf

The process of breaking 85 in golf takes a little more work than it does to break 90.

You’ll need to collect some data about your golf game so that you know where your weaknesses are. Then, you can develop a practice plan and shot specific training.

Here are a few tips:

• Track your distances and fairway positions, greens in regulation, and which side you miss the green, also track putts, and the length of each.
• Spend 45 percent of your practice time on short game, 40 percent on iron shots and approaches and then 15 percent on the driver.
• Get better at visualization and round planning. As you practice and warm up, think about playing every hole at your golf course, execution on the course becomes easier when you have a plan in mind.
• Finally learn to play one shot at a time, even when your previous swing was poor you have plenty of time to recover and still break 85.

8 Actionable Tips to Break 85 in Golf Consistently

Now we get to the important part: the actionable tips you can use to break 85 in golf.

If you don’t know where to start, you can begin at the top of the list and master each one. If you think you already have made some progress in one of these areas, go to the weakest point of your game and start from there.

1. Control Your Wrists – To Control the Face of the Club

The wrists control the clubface. If you want to have a square clubface at impact you’ll need a flat lead wrist.

Using the HackMotion wrist sensor, we have studied more than 1,000,000 golf swings to recognize the patterns that golfers who consistently break 85 are incorporating in their game.

Here’s what we found:

• Great ball strikers do not add extension in their lead wrist to the top of their backswing.
• At the top of the backswing the best players have a flat or even slightly bowed lead wrist.
• All low handicap golfers square the clubface very quickly after the top of the backswing, not right before the golf ball.
• At impact, the lead wrist is less extended than it was at the top of the swing.

To work on your wrist action and control you can use a great drill called the Motorcycle Drill.

It will help you see the proper movement and action of the lead wrist and how it should respond coming through the golf ball.

2. Be Smart From the Tee Box

Breaking 85 is a lot tougher to achieve when you don’t hit the fairway.

It makes more sense to use your driver on the holes where it benefits you. For some par 5s, you aren’t going for it in two, so it may or may not be necessary to hit the driver. A long par 4 could also be a situation where you have to layup, so just get the ball into the fairway.

Use a hybrid or fairway wood that you have a lot of confidence in. Some golfers even prefer a long iron. If you end up 20 yards short of your best drive but you are in the middle of the fairway it’s not a bad thing.

3. Lay Up

Avoid putting yourself at risk and leaking shots when hazards are in play and instead lay up.

Many long-hitting mid handicappers will try to have a go at short par 5 green in 2. The problem is that the risks don’t often outweigh the rewards. Sometimes water, fescue, or bunkers come into play.

Pick an iron that puts you in play, and then get good at hitting wedge shots that allow you to get up and down. Remember, you can still make a few bogeys and break 85, so if one of your normal double bogeys turns into a bogey because you laid up, it’s not a problem.

You need 12 bogeys and 6 pars. Be smart about where you layup to keep these numbers in check.

4. Aim for the Middle of the Green

Always aim for the middle of the green on approach because it leaves you some wiggle room should you push or pull your shot.

That’s right even golfers who break 85 are not going after the pin each time. If you are still working on breaking 85 chances are you don’t have the precision to go after a pin and truly have it pay off.

At least there’s a fighting chance your ball will remain on the green, leaving you with a shot at birdie.

5. Choose the Right Club

You’ll encounter moments on the course where you don’t have the correct club to cover the distance to your target.

This leaves us with the choice of swinging a higher lofted club fast and hard or gripping down on a stronger lofted model to take clubhead speed off.

I recommend taking an extra club, gripping down on it, and reducing your backswing length to account for the distance. Mentally, it makes me feel more comfortable that I have enough club to get to the target without trying to thrust my shot.

There is an exception to this tip.

When you have trouble behind the green, a shorter club is better to avoid overpowering your shot, ending in a hazard, and dropping a shot. Also, remember to accelerate through every shot; just because you have an extra club in your hand, you still have to hit it.

6. Improve Your Lag Putting

Lag-putting is pivotal to consistency on the green.

If you know that you can get down in two putts from anywhere on the green, you’ll break 85 much quicker.

Try to get every putt you hit to stop within a 2 to 3 foot radius of the cup. Then you can practice these 2 to 3 foot putts and you’ll never three putt.

Although there are undoubtedly some putts that Phil Mickelson would like to have back, we can’t say his career has not been a very successful one. Here is a drill that he uses for better lag putting that is quite effective.

7. Three Wedge Swings

When your wedges are dialed, you can attack the flag on short shots and get the ball close for a makeable 1 putt.

Rick Shiels offers valuable advice on enhancing your wedge distance control with his 3 swing approach.

Grab your strongest lofted wedge and hit 10 shots with a half swing.

Take your club back until your left arm is parallel to the ground. In clock terms, your hands should point to 9 o’clock. Then swing through until your right arm is parallel to the ground and your hand points to 3 o’clock. Take note of your distance for future shots.

Next, move to a ¾ backswing, where your left-hand points to 11 o’clock. Commence your downswing and follow through until your hands point to 1 o’clock.

Once again, take note of the yardage.

Finally, produce 10 full shots with the sand wedge and mark down the length of the shot.

Repeat the process with the next strongest lofted wedge, and close it with the weakest wedge in the bag. Write down all of these yardages and use them when you play golf; you now have distance control with your wedges all figured out!

8. Have a Pre Shot Routine

To break 85 you need a pre shot routine in place. The pre shot routine helps you get your mind in the right place to execute a shot.

Pre-shot routines can incorporate some personal preference, so it’s best to watch the routines of professionals and then decide what works for you.

This video gives you some ideas of what to include in the pre shot routine. However, you should also be incorporating alignment and visualization into the routine as well.

Practice this on the range as you would any other skill.

FAQs

How long does it take to break 85 in golf?

It could take an 18 handicapper 6 months to break 85, compared to a 36 handicapper who would need 2 to 3 years of consistent practice and dedication.

Ultimately, the time it takes to break 85 in golf varies based on your current handicap and frequency of training and play.

What percentage of golfers can break 85?

According to various authors who cite the National Golf Foundation, only 26% of amateur golfers break 85. However, these numbers are continually changing, and they all depend on the accuracy of the scoring methods. Breaking 85 is a good score.

What would be my handicap if I shoot 85?

If you shoot 85 consistently, your handicap will be between 12 and 14.

Summary

Now that you have the theoretical knowledge on how to break 85, it’s time to analyze your current situation, develop a practice plan, and enhance your mental strength.

Next, I advise incorporating a bit of technology into the game to track your analytics. The HackMotion can work for you as a golf professional would and help you take your game to the next level. Before you know it you’ll need all the tips on how to break 80.