- 14/06/2025
For many golfers, the task of breaking 80 for the first time can seem impossibly out of reach. But perhaps if you knew what was required, it wouldn't be such a daunting and seemingly unachievable goal? In this video, Dan Parker goes through some crucial shot data courtesy of Arccos which explains the areas that are most important when it comes to shooting something in the 70s, so you can adjust your strategy and expectations and learn how to break 80 in golf.
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00:00Breaking 80 is a goal for a lot of you golfers out there,
00:03but it can feel like a long way away.
00:06Well, I've got all the data and all the stats
00:09to tell you how it's done.
00:14So if you shoot below 80,
00:15you're probably somewhere between seven and 10 over par,
00:18depending on the par of the course.
00:19So in this video, we're gonna take a look
00:21at an eight index handicapper.
00:23I'm gonna see how they compile their round
00:25and try and learn some lessons from what they do
00:27according to the data.
00:30So before we head out onto our virtual golf course
00:32with our eight index golfer
00:33to learn a few lessons about breaking 80,
00:36let's take a look at what they need to score
00:38in order to break that target.
00:39So on average, an eight index golfer
00:42makes just 0.9 birdies per round, 7.7 pars,
00:467.2 bogeys and 2.3 double bogeys or worse.
00:51So what is this showing us then?
00:52Well, first and foremost, it's not a birdie fest
00:55by any means to go and break 80.
00:56And this eight indexer on average
00:59isn't birdieing even once around.
01:01It's just a little bit below that.
01:03But what it is showing us is that we probably need
01:05to keep those doubles, triples and worse off the card
01:08as much as possible.
01:09I think this is a scoring area
01:11where a lot of people fall down in that goal
01:13of trying to break 80.
01:14So if you break that down a step further,
01:16we can see that an eight index golfer
01:18averages 3.6 on par three holes,
01:214.5 on par fours and 5.4 on par fives,
01:27which to me suggests that playing the slightly longer holes
01:31better is the key to breaking 80.
01:34So sneaking the odd birdie on a par five
01:37or playing well on a shortish par four
01:40are the keys to breaking 80.
01:41That par three scoring isn't great,
01:42but maybe you're going to attack those par fives a bit more.
01:45Right then, let's get out onto our virtual course then
01:50with our eight index golfer.
01:51No better place to start than the tee box
01:53with some driving statistics.
01:55Now, our stats show us that on average,
01:57this eight index handicapper is averaging 237 yards off the tee,
02:02finding 47% of fairways.
02:04Now, that 237 might feel like a long way away off the tee.
02:07It might not seem like that much.
02:09And I average about 245 off the tee.
02:11So I'm in that area to go and break 80 more often than not,
02:16according to the data here.
02:17So don't worry about it too much.
02:19But to me, more than anything,
02:21these numbers on driving statistics
02:23suggest that accuracy and driving are probably
02:26actually the least important factor
02:28to breaking 80 on the golf course.
02:30These two stats suggest there's more emphasis
02:32on good course management,
02:34better quality iron shots, a solid short game.
02:38These are the real keys to breaking 80.
02:41Whereas driving doesn't need to be the strongest part
02:43of your game to beat that score.
02:49So I just mentioned quality iron striking there.
02:51And I think this is an area we really need to look at
02:54to actually break 80.
02:55So let's look at approach game and iron shots.
02:57So the average eight index golfer
02:59is hitting a green in regulation 40% of the time.
03:03So that equates to 7.2 greens per round.
03:06And when we're looking at how far they are away from the green,
03:09a green in regulation will find them about 30 foot away
03:12from the hole.
03:13Whereas a missed green will find them about 60 foot away
03:16from the hole.
03:16So we can see quite a big difference there.
03:18But also that the greens in regulation
03:20are still quite a way away.
03:22They're not stiffing it every time, right?
03:23They're still 30 foot away when they hit that green.
03:25So something to bear in mind.
03:27But if we break this green in regulation thing down to nine holes,
03:31that's 3.6 greens per nine, right?
03:35So all you're gonna do to beat the eight indexer
03:37statistically is hit four greens per nine, right?
03:42If you do that, you're on track to shoot somewhere in the 70s,
03:45which I think is actually, when you break it down,
03:48quite an achievable score, right?
03:50So if your current green in regulation percentage
03:52is around that 40% mark, you're already in a gray area.
03:56If it's a little bit below it, you know,
03:59what's stopping you here?
04:00Is it your driving putting you in bad positions?
04:02Let's work on that.
04:03Is it your iron shots missing greens more often than not?
04:05Let's work on the iron shots.
04:07Whichever one it is, you know which one to work on.
04:10But I think focusing on that 40% green in regulation
04:13index percentage and not being that close to the pin
04:17every time is something to work on in order to break 80.
04:24Let's move our way up the hole now.
04:26We've hit our drive, we've hit our approach shot,
04:29and let's say we've missed that green in regulation by 60 foot,
04:32as the eight indexer might do, you know,
04:34every other time pretty much, a little bit more in fact.
04:37Chipping and your short game.
04:39This is the area to strengthen if you want to break 80 right now.
04:43And you can go and work on that.
04:44And it's pretty easy.
04:45But let's look at what an eight index golfer is doing right now
04:47and how you compare to them, right?
04:49So the eight index golfer gets up and down 40% of the time when they're within 25 yards of the pin.
04:56So sort of, you know, aprons or, you know, pin high right, pin high left, whatever it is.
05:01And this is actually quite a good conversion rate.
05:04This is where eight index golfers become eight index golfers, right?
05:07This is how they maintain that index and shoot low rounds.
05:10Because it isn't that far off a scratch golfer.
05:12So a scratch golfer gets up and down from zero to 25 yards 57% of the time.
05:17There's a decent comparison there, I think, for the eight indexes.
05:19And something to think about.
05:20Let's pop our eight index golfer in a bunker near the green, just a little green side bunker from inside 25 yards.
05:27Now, here, their up and down ratio drops a little bit.
05:31So only 24% of the time, which I think shows how tough bunkers are, I guess.
05:37And we can all agree on that.
05:38But also that, you know, even eight indexes don't get up and down that often.
05:42The most important stat from bunkers that I found is that they find the green from this green side bunker 81% of the time.
05:49And this is showing us then that they very rarely leave it in the bunker.
05:54You know, duff it in there, thin it into the face, whatever it is, and waste valuable shots around the green.
05:58So, you know, compare yourself to those stats there.
06:01How often are you leaving yourself in a bunker?
06:03You know, how often are you getting up and down from 25 yards and in?
06:07And if you can improve on that, you'll be well, well on your way to shooting something in the 70s.
06:12Now, we're on the green and here is where a round can turn from a career best, something in the mid to high 70s, even the low 70s, to a run of the mill, something in the 80s.
06:25It's the putting green.
06:26Now, let's have a look at what our eight index handicapper friend is doing over here.
06:30They're on the green and how are they putting?
06:33So, if we break it down, they are one putting 3.9 times per round, two putting 11.7 times per round, and three putting just 2.4 times per round on average.
06:45And I say just, because that to me does feel pretty low.
06:48You could consider it high, I don't know, it depends how you look at this thing, depends how you put at the minute.
06:52But when I put the three putt stats next to a scratch golfer, so a scratch golfer is 3 putting 1.7 times per round, they're not that far off again.
07:01It's like that up and down percentage.
07:03I don't think these things are far off.
07:04And it's just proving to me that a tight short game is what you need to break 80.
07:09I'm not going to say you're playing off scratch here, but just a tighter short game brings you to that level of these really, really good golfers breaking that number a lot of the time.
07:18So, if you put that all together, it's 1.8 putts per hole and 33.4 putts per round, which might feel like an achievable number.
07:26I hope it does, because it's something you need to do to break 80, but it's there or thereabouts.
07:31You don't have to be too far off two putts per hole to break 80.
07:35An up and down here or a really stiff approach shot there is a one putt, and it brings that average down a little bit.
07:41It's all you're having to do here, you're not having to rake in 100 foot putts all the time.
07:46And I think it should be treated like the double bogey situation.
07:50They're going to happen three putts, but don't worry about them.
07:54Keep them to as minimal as possible and it really chips down on your average and your scoring then.
07:58And I think putting, as I said with short game, is the way to break 80.
08:02Really focus on this and the stats are showing us.
08:05So, there you have it. The stats and the data that should help you break 80 next time you're on the golf course.
08:11Now, I can't help your swing or your ability. That's not my job.
08:14My job is to give you the data, give you some thoughts to go away with, whether it's course management
08:19or more importantly, where to focus your next practice session.
08:22So, all the data we're referencing in this video comes courtesy of Arcos Golf.
08:27Now, they've got a vast bank of over 750 million golf shots from real golfers on real golf courses all across the world.
08:35So, this is a really fascinating bit of information that we can use to go and learn for ourselves and play better golf ourselves.
08:42Now, if you want to try these smart sensors out for yourself, I've put some handy links down in the description
08:47where you can find the best price in your location.
08:49And I think from this data, we can see the driving isn't particularly important.
08:53Greens and regulation are, but maybe the approach game can be worked on, but it's all about that short game.
08:58Eight index golfers have a really tight short game and I think they're achievable stats.
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