How to Break 90 in Golf Consistently – The 20 Proven Tips for Better Scores

Breaking 100 feels like a huge milestone, until the very next round, when all you can think about is breaking 90. Welcome to golf, where satisfaction is always just one score away.

The truth is, shooting 88 puts you ahead of most golfers, but getting there doesn’t require perfection.

Too many players get caught chasing flawless swings instead of building a game that actually works. Let’s change that.

This guide will help you go from a hopeful mid-handicapper to someone with a real plan to break 90 consistently.

How to Break 90 in Golf Consistently (Key Takeaways)

If you are on a real journey to break 90 this season, save this guide. You can go through it one step at a time, ensuring you have all the necessary thoughts and actions in place.

However, if you want a quick rundown of what you need to do to break 90, here it is:

• Use forgiving clubs to reduce the impact of mishits.
• Leverage golf tech like HackMotion, video, and launch monitors to fix swing faults.
• Build a consistent pre-shot routine with visualization.
• Sharpen your short game to stop leaking strokes.
• Learn to scramble and turn tough lies into bogeys, or even pars.
• Practice with drills that provide real-time feedback.
• Understand how wrist angles control the clubface; excessive flexion or extension can lead to misses.
• Aim for the center of the green to stay out of trouble while giving yourself birdie chances.
• Take care of your body, better fitness and nutrition lead to better golf.

20 Actionable Tips to Consistently Break 90 in Golf

Use More Forgiving Clubs

Modern game improvement golf clubs are built to mitigate slice shots, preserve ball speed, and manage spin on mishits.

The equipment is available to you, so take advantage of it. Going for a custom club fitting can help you determine if your equipment is the right fit for you.

The bottom line here is that if your golf clubs are older and don’t have forgiveness built in, they could be the reason you are struggling to break 90.

Here are some examples of forgiving golf clubs that could help you when it comes to breaking 90:

• Drivers: Ping G440 Max, TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus Driver, Callaway Elyte Driver, Cobra LTDx Max Driver
• Fairway Woods: Ping G430 Max Fairway, TaylorMade Qi10, Callaway Paradym Fairway, Titleist TSR 2 Fairway
• Hybrid: Titleist TSR2, Callaway Men’s Paradym, TaylorMade Stealth 2 Rescue
• Irons: Ping i230, Titleist T300, Mizuno JPX Forged, TaylorMade P790
• Wedges: Callaway Jaws MD5, Ping Glide Forged Pro, Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore
• Putters: Ping Anser, Odyssey Toulon Series, Cleveland HB Soft Premier

Find a Golf Shaft that Matches Your Swing Speed

If you swing with more than 100 miles per hour of speed in your driver, you should have a stiff shaft in your golf club. However, if you can’t quite get these speeds, don’t be afraid to go with a regular or senior shaft.

Too many golfers looking to break 90 have a shaft that is not flexible enough to promote forgiveness.

Here is a basic idea of what shaft flex you could need for every swing speed:

Swing Speed (mph)	Recommended Shaft Flex	Description
Below 70	Ladies (L)	Very flexible, promotes higher launch
70-80	Senior (A)	More flexible than regular, aids in distance
80-90	Regular (R)	Balanced flexibility for control and distance
90-100	Stiff (S)	Less flexible, more control, lower ball flight
Above 100	Extra Stiff (X)	Very stiff, maximum control, lower ball flight

Develop a Pre-Shot Routine

The pre-shot routine helps you clear the last shot from your mind, get set to hit this next shot, and finally, it helps you envision your shot and plan out the hole in front of you.

A common pre-shot routine is to take one practice swing standing, looking down the line at the target. Then line up the clubface, come around the golf ball, look back at the target, and then take your shot

You can work to make the pre-shot routine more specific to your game, but the most important aspect is that you have one.

Practice with a Purpose (and Some Technology)

When you visit the golf driving range, avoid continually hitting shots without a plan in place.

Simply hitting golf shots is more of an exercise than an actual attempt to improve your golf game.

Practice with technology like the HackMotion on the driving range.

You can use the HackMotion interactive drills like the Motorcycle Drill and Release Drill to help you learn in real-time.

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Level 1

Release drill Train your release before working on other aspects of your swing

Level 2

Dynamic transition drill Train your sequencing and pivot, as well as punch shots or your wedge game

Level 3

Impact full swing challenge Train your maximum power swing

Explore HackMotion Today

Learn How to Scramble

Do you ever find yourself in the rough or blocked out behind a tree because of your tee shot? This is common in your handicap range, and learning how to scramble could be the way to fix it.

Scrambling is learning to get up and down from anywhere within 100 yards.

To become better at scrambling, work on golf shots from 50 yards and in and vary the ball flight of your shots. Distance control is the most important thing to practice with shots like this.

Take the Right Club

Golfers yet to break 90 may fall victim to incorrect club selections and distance readings.

Most golfers underclub themselves. Learn your carry distances and become familiar with them. If you hit a 7 iron 150 yards, you probably carry it about 145 yards.

Learn to Feel the Clubface

The clubface is what controls the direction of your golf ball. If the clubface is open at impact, the ball goes right; if it’s closed at impact, it goes left.

If you want to break 90 in golf, you have to have some idea of what the clubface is doing.

HackMotion can teach you how to control the clubface.

Try using the release drill.

Learn How to Chip

You’re going to miss greens; it’s part of the game. A good chip can turn that miss into a simple, makeable one-putt to save par or bogey.

Keep things simple by focusing on low chips or bump-and-run shots; the lower you keep the ball, the more control you’ll have.

For more consistency, try keeping your lead wrist slightly flexed through impact.

Reduce Three Putts

You have likely heard many commentators and coaches harp on the importance of your putting stroke, and they are right.

HackMotion can be used on the putting green to develop more consistency in your stroke.

There is no perfect wrist angle in putting, but you can learn to keep yours more consistent and reduce the number of times you three putt.

Play a Familiar Golf Course Frequently

One of the easiest ways to break into the 80s is to play your home course often.

Repeated rounds help you build “members’ knowledge”, you learn where to land the ball, which clubs work best, and how to use the course to your advantage.

The more familiar you are, the more confident and precise your decisions become, especially with club selection and distance control. Take that course management mindset with you when you play elsewhere.

Warm Up Before Your Round

Amateurs are notorious for skipping warm-up and heading straight to the first tee to let their driver rip.

This leaves you at risk of injuring your back, neck, and knees. It also hampers you from producing optimal rotation and power during your swing.

• Do some stretches to help move your arms, shoulders, back, and hips.
• Hit a few balls at the driving range.
• Make some smaller chip shots.
• Finish with at least 10 putts from varying lengths.

Instead of getting to the 4th hole and finally feeling warmed up, you’ll be ready to go right from the start.

Adjust Ball Position Accordingly

At this point of your golf career, you are likely familiar with the front, middle, and back ball positions.

However, you still get it wrong every now and then, which causes you to top, chunk, or slice your ball.

Know Your Position at the Top

Do you know where the club is when it’s at the top of your backswing?

Start practicing with the HackMotion Combined top drill.

Compensate During a Round for Any Unwanted Shape

If you are in the middle of a round and a problem comes up, start making simple adjustments until you can fix it after the round.

Aim a little left if needed, put the driver away, and take a 3-wood out, etc.

Make a slight change to get through the round, and then head to the driving range to determine what the issue is.

Compensating from one round to the next is not a smart idea, but mid-round, you have to work with what you have that day.

Aim for the Middle of the Green

Avoid attacking the flag on approach and aim for the middle of the green. You are not a low handicapper or professional who needs birdies.

To achieve your goal, you need bogies and the odd par. If the par total at your home course is 72, then +17 is good enough to break 90.

Therefore, 17 bogies and a single par are all you need. This is why you can afford to aim for the middle of the green.

Understand the Green

Understanding how the green slopes can work in your favor is a big advantage, especially if you land your approach in the right spot.

Just as important is improving your green reading skills so you can judge both break and speed. Using slope and pace to your advantage helps you leave makeable putts and avoid costly three-putts.

A single misread can send your ball several feet off line, turning a par into a bogey in a hurry.

Play it Safe

You don’t need birdies or eagles to break 90; steady bogeys with the occasional par will do the job. There’s no need to play aggressively.

A smart tee shot with a 5-wood or hybrid sets up a manageable approach, and even if you miss the green, you’ll often have a simple chip to save par or make bogey.

On tough par 4s, don’t be afraid to play for a 5; that strategy won’t hurt your chances, it’ll help them.

Get Real Feedback (Not Just Swing Tips from Friends)

If you’re serious about breaking 90, stop guessing and start getting feedback that matters. Many high handicappers rely on advice from playing partners who are making the same mistakes.

Instead, invest in real feedback, whether it’s a few lessons from a certified instructor or data from a tool like HackMotion.

HackMotion acts like a coach on your wrist, giving you instant feedback on your wrist angles throughout the swing so you can see what’s causing issues like flipping, casting, or an open clubface.

Diagnostic tools and professional input eliminate the guesswork from improvement. Once you understand what’s happening in your swing, you can work on the right fixes with a purpose.

Have a Go-To Shot

When your golf ball is in a tough spot or your swing feels off, have a go-to shot you can trust.

Typically, this is a situation where you choke up on the club, shorten your swing, and get the ball back into play. When you have this, your chances of being able to break 90 and keep the ball in play are greatly improved.

Fix Your Slice

To keep your scores under 90, you have to get rid of the slice. The slice is fixable. When you are slicing the ball, the clubface is open at impact. Start by making sure the clubface is square at the top of your backswing.

If it’s square at the top, you will have a much easier time squaring the clubface at impact. If you struggled with a slice for years, try the slice fix course and learn to square the clubface.

Click here to access the free course to fix your slice permanently!

FAQs

Is it hard to break 90 in golf?

Yes, it is hard to break 90 in golf because it takes time, practice, intelligent planning, and the correct equipment. Backing up these claims is the fact that only 26% of golfers break 90.

However, once you understand your swing and the game, it becomes easy to break 90 by playing safe, aiming for the middle of the green, and improving your short game.

How long should it take to break 90 in golf?

It can take a month or years to break 90 in golf. It comes down to talent and hours of practice. However, progress can speed up if you use technology such as HackMotion to improve your swing mechanics.

What percentage of golfers in the world can break 90?

According to the PGA, only 26% of golfers break 90, while 29% of all amateurs consistently shoot between 90 to 99.

How do you practice breaking 90?

You practice breaking 90 by working on your short game and scrambling to help you escape challenging situations and get up and down from the greenside. Next, golfers need to learn to control the clubface so that they can hit straight golf shots.

Final Thoughts

Learning to break 90 in golf is a process that typically takes several months or years.

However, if you play with forgiving clubs and the correct shaft flex, master your short game, and play it safe, you will break 90 consistently. Learning to control the clubface now will also get you closer to breaking 80!