Cure My Swing

Keep reading this to learn how to break 90 with better course management, even if your swing is not perfect yet.

A lot of golfers think breaking 90 means they need to hit it farther, make more birdies, or suddenly start striking it like a low handicap player.

That is usually not the case.

Breaking 90 is not about playing flashy golf.

It is about keeping the big numbers off the card.

If par is 72, you can make 17 bogeys and 1 par and shoot 89.

Read that again.

You do not need a round full of pars.

You do not need birdies.

You do not need to hit every green.

You just need to stop turning normal mistakes into doubles, triples, and blow up holes.

The reality is, most golfers trying to break 90 lose strokes by choosing shots they cannot hit consistently.

They aim at pins they should not be aiming at.

They hit driver on holes where accuracy matters more than distance.

They try to carry bunkers, water, and trees from bad lies.

They go for hero recovery shots instead of putting the ball back in play.

Then they walk off the green saying, “I just had one bad swing.”

But most doubles are not caused by one bad swing.

They are caused by one bad swing followed by a bad decision.

If you want to break 90, your first goal off the tee is simple:

Keep the ball playable.

Not perfect.

Playable.

A 230 yard drive in the trees is not better than a 190 yard shot in the fairway.

A driver that brings penalty areas, houses, trees, or out of bounds into play may not be the smartest club that day.

There are holes where driver makes sense.

There are also holes where 3 wood, hybrid, or even an iron gives you a much better chance to make bogey or par.

Before every tee shot, ask yourself:

“What club gives me the best chance to hit my next shot from grass?”

That question alone can change your scorecard.

The second part is knowing where not to miss.

Most golfers aim at where they want the ball to go.

Better course managers also think about where they can afford to miss.

If there is water right and open grass left, aim more left.

If the pin is tucked behind a bunker, aim at the middle of the green.

If long is dead, take the club that cannot fly long unless you absolutely flush it.

If short is safe, short is not always a bad miss.

You do not have to attack every flag.

In fact, if you are trying to break 90, most pins should not matter very much.

Your target should often be the center or the fat side of the green.

A 30 foot putt from the middle of the green is fine.

A short sided chip over a bunker is where doubles happen.

This is where a lot of golfers get tricked.

They see a flag and automatically aim at it.

But the flag is not always your target.

Sometimes the flag is bait.

If the pin is tucked on the right side with trouble right, the smart play is middle left.

If the pin is in the back and long is trouble, play to the middle.

If the green is narrow and surrounded by trouble, stop trying to hit the perfect number and pick the safest place to leave the ball.

Breaking 90 is mostly about giving yourself easy next shots.

That is the whole game.

Hit a tee shot that gives you a reasonable second.

Hit an approach that leaves you a manageable chip or putt.

Hit the chip somewhere on the green.

Two putt when needed.

Move on.

It sounds simple because it is.

But simple does not mean easy, especially when your ego wants to try the harder shot.

The third rule is taking your medicine.

You hit it into the trees.

It happens.

The mistake is thinking you have to make up for it immediately.

You see a tiny gap.

You convince yourself you can hook a 5 iron around a branch and chase it up near the green.

Maybe you pull it off once in a while.

Most of the time, you hit another tree and stay in trouble.

Now bogey is gone.

Double is coming fast.

If you are in trouble, your first job is to get out of trouble.

Not to impress your playing partners.

Not to save par from nowhere.

Not to prove the last shot was a fluke.

Just get the ball back in play.

Sometimes the best shot is sideways.

Sometimes it is a little punch back to the fairway.

Sometimes it is laying up to your favorite wedge distance.

That can feel boring, but boring golf is often scoring golf.

A smart bogey is better than a dramatic triple.

Another thing that helps is playing to comfortable yardages.

A lot of golfers get as close to the green as possible without thinking about the next shot.

Then they leave themselves awkward 35, 45, or 55 yard wedge shots they do not practice.

If you are better from 90 yards than 40 yards, plan for 90.

If you like hitting a full pitching wedge, leave that number when you can.

If a par 5 is out of reach in two, stop hitting the second shot as far as possible with no plan.

Choose a club that leaves you a yardage you actually like.

That is course management.

It is not just being conservative.

It is setting up the next shot.

Around the green, the same idea applies.

You do not need to chip it close every time.

You need to get it on the green every time.

If you are short sided with a tough lie, take the easy part of the green and accept the longer putt.

If you have plenty of green to work with, stop automatically grabbing the highest lofted wedge.

Get the ball rolling sooner when the shot allows it.

The golfer who chips to 15 feet and two putts makes bogey.

The golfer who tries the perfect flop, leaves it short, chips again, and misses the putt makes double.

Breaking 90 rewards the first golfer.

Putting strategy matters too.

From long range, your goal is not to make everything.

Your goal is to avoid three putts.

Speed matters more than line from 30 or 40 feet.

A putt that finishes pin high and a few feet away is useful.

A putt that races 8 feet past because you were trying to make it creates stress.

Before you putt, look at the whole distance.

Feel the speed.

Try to leave yourself something simple.

You will make some long putts by accident when your speed is good.

You will also stop giving strokes away.

The mindset for breaking 90 should be this:

Make bogey easy.

That may sound strange, but it works.

If you make bogey easy, pars will happen naturally.

You will hit a good approach once in a while.

You will get up and down sometimes.

You will roll in a putt.

You do not need to force those moments.

They show up when you keep the ball in play and stop making reckless choices.

Before your next round, try this plan:

On the tee, choose the club that keeps the ball playable.

On approach shots, aim at the safest part of the green.

In trouble, get back to safety first.

Around the green, get the ball on the putting surface.

On long putts, focus on speed.

That is not complicated.

But it requires discipline.

You have to be willing to make the boring choice before the scorecard forces you to.

You have to stop chasing the perfect shot when the smart shot is enough.

You have to accept that bogey is not failure when you are trying to break 90.

Bogey keeps the round alive.

Doubles are what hurt you.

Triples are what bury you.

So the next time you play, do not ask yourself how many great shots you can hit.

Ask yourself how many big mistakes you can avoid.

That is how you start breaking 90.

Not by playing perfect golf.

By playing smarter golf.

Follow Cure My Swing for golf tips & drills!

Comment “SGC” to get a link to our Short Game Challenge practice plan that’s helped golfers like you drop 7+ strokes off their scores in as little as one month 🏌️‍♂️

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Keep reading this to learn why getting fitted for clubs can help your golf game, even if you are not planning to buy new clubs right now.

A lot of golfers hear “club fitting” and immediately think it means spending thousands of dollars on a brand new set.

So they avoid it.

They keep playing clubs they bought years ago.

They use hand me downs.

They grab something off the rack because it was on sale.

They assume fitting is only for low handicaps, tournament players, or people who are already “good enough” to justify it.

The reality is, getting fit is not just about buying clubs.

It is about learning what equipment actually matches your swing.

And that information matters.

Because sometimes the problem is not only your swing.

Sometimes the club is making your miss worse.

That does not mean clubs fix everything.

They don’t.

A bad swing with fitted clubs is still going to hit bad shots.

But the wrong clubs can make golf harder than it needs to be.

If your irons are too long, you may struggle with posture and center contact.

If your lie angle is wrong, the clubface can point left or right at impact even when you make a decent swing.

If your shafts are too heavy, you may fight tempo all round.

If they are too light, you may lose control.

If your grips are too small or too big, your hands may have a harder time releasing the club naturally.

If your loft gaps are off, you may have two clubs that go almost the same distance and another gap where you have no reliable number.

That stuff matters.

Not because equipment replaces instruction.

Because equipment affects the way your swing shows up.

Think about it like wearing shoes that do not fit.

Could you still walk?

Yes.

Could you still run?

Probably.

But would it feel natural?

Would your balance be as good?

Would you move as well as you could?

Probably not.

Golf clubs are the same way.

You can play with clubs that are not a perfect fit.

Plenty of golfers do.

But at some point, you have to ask whether your equipment is helping you or making you compensate.

A fitting gives you answers.

It tells you things like:

What shaft weight works better for your tempo.

What flex fits your speed and delivery.

What lie angle helps the club sit properly at impact.

What club length lets you make better contact.

What driver loft gives you better launch and spin.

What irons actually create proper distance gaps.

What wedge setup fits the shots you hit around the green.

What putter length and style helps you aim and roll it better.

Those are useful answers whether you buy clubs that day or not.

Sometimes you go into a fitting and find out your clubs are actually fine.

That is a win.

Now you can stop wondering.

You can stop blaming the clubs every time you hit a bad shot.

You can put your attention back on your swing, practice, and course management.

Other times, you find out one or two small changes could make a big difference.

Maybe your lie angles need adjusting.

Maybe your grips are worn out.

Maybe your driver loft is too low.

Maybe your 5 iron and 6 iron go the same distance, so you need to rethink the top end of your bag.

Maybe your wedges have gaps that make 40 to 90 yard shots harder than they should be.

You do not always need a full new set.

Sometimes the fitting shows you that a small adjustment is enough.

And sometimes it gives you a plan.

Maybe you are not buying today.

That is fine.

But now you know what to look for when you are ready.

You know your specs.

You know what shaft profiles worked better.

You know what numbers you should be paying attention to.

You know which part of the bag needs help first.

That can save you from wasting money later.

Because a lot of golfers buy clubs backwards.

They see a club online.

They read reviews.

They hear their buddy say it is the best driver he has ever hit.

They buy it.

Then they wonder why it does not work for them.

But your buddy’s swing is not your swing.

His speed, delivery, launch, spin, attack angle, strike pattern, and miss are different from yours.

A club can be great and still not be great for you.

That is why testing matters.

Not just hitting one club into a net and saying it felt good.

A real fitting compares options.

It looks at ball speed, launch, spin, peak height, descent angle, carry distance, dispersion, and strike location.

More importantly, it looks at patterns.

One good shot does not mean a club fits.

One bad shot does not mean it doesn’t.

You want to know what happens over multiple swings.

Where is the miss?

How tight is the dispersion?

Is the ball launching properly?

Is it spinning too much or not enough?

Are you getting usable distance, or just one long shot mixed in with five bad ones?

Those are the things that help you make a better decision.

This is especially important with driver.

A lot of golfers are playing a driver setup that fights them.

Too little loft.

Wrong shaft weight.

Wrong length.

Too much spin.

Not enough spin.

Face angle that does not match their miss.

They are trying to hit fairways with a club that is not giving them much margin.

Then they spend every tee shot trying to manipulate the swing.

That gets exhausting.

A proper fitting can show you whether your driver setup is helping your launch conditions or making your miss bigger.

Same thing with irons.

If your irons are too upright, too flat, too long, too short, too stiff, too soft, too heavy, or too light, you may be making compensations without even realizing it.

You might stand too far from the ball.

You might crowd it.

You might change posture.

You might flip your hands to square the face.

You might aim away from trouble because your start line is never reliable.

Then you go take lessons and try to fix a swing that has been adapting to clubs that do not fit.

Again, this does not mean equipment is the whole answer.

The swing still matters most.

But the club and the swing work together.

If one is way off, the other has to work harder.

A fitting also helps with practice.

When you know your club distances, practice gets more useful.

A lot of golfers guess.

They think they hit their 7 iron 160 because one time they caught it perfect and it flew 160.

But their real stock carry might be 145.

That matters on the course.

If you are choosing clubs based on your best shot instead of your normal shot, you are going to come up short all day.

During a fitting, you can learn your actual carry numbers.

Not the number you wish you hit it.

Not the number from ten years ago.

Your real number right now.

That alone can lower scores because club selection gets smarter.

You stop trying to force an 8 iron when the shot needs a 7.

You stop swinging out of your shoes to reach a back pin.

You stop blaming contact when the real problem was choosing the wrong club.

For wedges, fitting can be even more valuable than golfers realize.

The bottom of your bag is where you score.

If your wedge lofts are not spaced well, you may have awkward yardages all the time.

If your bounce does not match your delivery or course conditions, you may struggle with chunks, skulls, or inconsistent turf contact.

A golfer who is steep may need something different than a golfer who sweeps it.

A golfer who plays soft conditions may need something different than a golfer who plays firm, tight lies.

The right wedge setup can make short shots feel a lot less confusing.

Putter fitting matters too.

A lot of golfers will spend money on a driver before they ever check if their putter fits their setup and stroke.

But the putter is used more than any club in the bag.

If it is too long, too short, too upright, too flat, too much toe hang, too face balanced, or hard for you to aim, you are making putting harder before the stroke even starts.

Sometimes the best putting improvement is not a new thought.

It is a putter that lets you aim better and set up more naturally.

Now, should every golfer run out and buy new clubs immediately?

No.

That is not the point.

The point is to get information.

If you are serious about improving, you should know whether your equipment fits you.

You should know your specs.

You should know your gaps.

You should know if something in your bag is working against you.

If you are not ready to buy, be upfront about that.

Book a paid fitting if that option is available.

Respect the fitter’s time.

Tell them you are gathering information and building a plan.

A good fitter can still help you understand what matters most and what changes would give you the biggest return.

Maybe the answer is:

Keep your irons for now.

Adjust the lie angles.

Replace your grips.

Look at driver later.

Add a hybrid.

Change your wedge setup first.

Get your putter checked.

That is a much smarter approach than randomly buying clubs and hoping they fix everything.

Golf is hard enough already.

You do not need to make it harder by guessing with your equipment.

A fitting will not magically fix your slice.

It will not turn a poor strike into a perfect shot.

It will not replace lessons or practice.

But it can remove unnecessary problems.

It can help you understand your numbers.

It can make your misses more manageable.

It can give you confidence that the club in your hand actually makes sense for your swing.

And confidence matters.

When you stand over a shot and know the club fits, know the distance, know the flight, and know the miss, you can make a more committed swing.

That is a big deal.

So even if you are not buying clubs right now, consider getting fit.

Do it to learn.

Do it to check your current setup.

Do it to find out where your bag has gaps.

Do it so that when you are ready to buy, you are not guessing.

The reality is, the most expensive clubs are not always the clubs that cost the most.

The most expensive clubs are the ones you buy twice because the first set was wrong.

Get the information first.

Make the decision second.

That is how you build a bag that actually helps your game.

Follow Cure My Swing for golf tips & drills!

Comment “CMS” to get access to our FREE Golf Range Practice Plan that’s helped golfers like you practice with purpose and lower scores with ease 🏌️‍♂️

Sharing is encouraged & appreciated, but copying without credit is not 🙏

Did you know? 🤔

Follow Cure My Swing for golf tips & drills!

Comment “CMS” to get access to our FREE Golf Range Practice Plan that’s helped golfers like you practice with purpose and lower scores with ease 🏌️‍♂️

Sharing is encouraged & appreciated, but copying without credit is not 🙏

Keep reading this to learn why your chips come out short, bladed, or chunked, and how to start getting the ball closer from around the green.

A lot of golfers lose strokes before they ever get to the putter.

Not because they cannot hit a basic chip.

But because they make chipping harder than it needs to be.

They walk up to the ball, grab a wedge, take a couple quick practice swings, and hope they clip it clean.

Sometimes it works.

Sometimes the club digs.

Sometimes the ball shoots across the green.

Sometimes it barely makes it halfway.

Then the confidence disappears fast.

The reality is, most chipping problems come from poor setup, poor club choice, and not having a clear landing spot.

Most golfers are only thinking about the hole.

They look at the flag and think, “I need to get it there.”

But a chip shot does not fly all the way to the hole.

It lands somewhere first, then rolls.

If you are not picking a landing spot, you are guessing.

And when you guess, your body has to make last second adjustments.

That is when you decelerate.

That is when you flip your hands.

That is when you hit the ground first or catch the ball thin.

Before you hit a chip, you need to decide three things.

Where do I want the ball to land?

How much roll do I need after it lands?

What club gives me the easiest shot?

That last question matters.

A lot of golfers automatically grab their highest lofted wedge around the green.

They use a 56 or 60 degree wedge for almost everything.

There is nothing wrong with those clubs when the shot calls for them.

But if you have plenty of green to work with, a lower lofted club can be much easier.

A pitching wedge, 9 iron, or even 8 iron can land shorter and roll out more like a putt.

That means you do not need a big swing.

You do not need perfect contact.

You do not need to carry the ball all the way to the hole.

You just need to land it in the right spot and let it release.

The higher the loft, the more swing you need.

The more swing you need, the more room there is for error.

So if the pin is not tucked, there is no bunker to carry, and you have green between you and the hole, stop making the shot harder than it is.

Get the ball on the ground sooner.

Let it roll.

Now let’s talk about setup.

For a basic chip, your stance should be narrow.

Your weight should favor your lead foot.

The ball should be around the middle of your stance or slightly back.

Your hands can be slightly ahead of the ball.

You are not trying to make a full swing.

You are trying to make a small, controlled motion where the club brushes the grass.

One of the worst things you can do is set up with your weight back and try to lift the ball.

That is where a lot of bladed and chunked chips come from.

When your weight is back, the club bottoms out too early.

Then your hands panic.

You either hit behind it or catch the middle of the ball with the leading edge.

That thin shot across the green usually comes from trying to help the ball up.

You do not need to help it.

The loft on the club will do that.

Your job is to make solid contact and control where the ball lands.

A good feel is that your chest and arms move together.

Not all hands.

Not stiff and robotic.

Just connected.

The club goes back.

The chest turns a little.

Then everything moves through together.

Most bad chippers either use too much wrist or they freeze their body and slap at the ball.

Both make contact inconsistent.

You want the motion to feel simple.

Back and through.

Brush the grass.

Finish with your chest facing the target.

Another mistake is making the backswing too long, then slowing down through the ball.

That is a big one.

You take the club back too far, realize halfway down that the ball is going to go too far, then you quit on it.

The club slows down.

The low point gets messy.

The strike gets worse.

Instead, make a shorter backswing and keep the club moving through.

A short swing with commitment is better than a long swing with fear.

Distance control around the green comes from matching the length of the swing to the shot.

Not from stabbing at it.

Not from babying it.

Not from hoping your hands save it.

Try this drill.

Take three balls and one club, maybe a pitching wedge.

Pick a landing spot a few steps onto the green.

Not the hole.

A landing spot.

Put a tee down or pick a small mark on the green.

Your only goal is to land the ball near that spot.

Do not worry about whether the first few finish close to the hole.

Just learn how far the ball flies and how far it rolls with that club.

Then do the same thing with a sand wedge.

Then with a 9 iron.

You will start to see the difference.

The sand wedge lands softer and rolls less.

The pitching wedge rolls more.

The 9 iron rolls even more.

Now you are not guessing anymore.

You are building options.

That is what good short game players have.

Options.

They do not use one club and one shot for everything.

They look at the situation and choose the simplest shot available.

If they need height, they use loft.

If they have room to roll it, they use less loft.

If the lie is tight, they avoid making a big, risky swing unless they have to.

If the lie is sitting down in rough, they know they need a little more speed and loft to get it out.

Chipping is not just technique.

It is decision making.

You can make a good stroke with the wrong club and still leave yourself a tough putt.

You can make a decent stroke with the right club and get a much better result.

So the next time you are around the green, slow down before you hit.

Look at the lie.

Look at how much green you have.

Pick a landing spot.

Choose the club that lets you make the easiest motion.

Then commit to brushing the grass and finishing the swing.

Do not stand over the ball hoping you do not blade it.

That thought does not help you.

Give your mind something useful.

Land it there.

Brush the grass.

Finish toward the target.

Simple.

Not easy every time, but simple.

If you want to clean up your chipping, stop measuring success only by whether the ball goes in or finishes tap in range.

Start measuring whether you made the right decision.

Did you pick a landing spot?

Did you choose the right club?

Did you keep your weight forward?

Did you keep the club moving through?

Those things are in your control.

And when you do them more often, the results get better.

Most golfers do not need a fancy flop shot.

They need a basic chip they can trust.

They need to stop grabbing the highest lofted wedge for every shot.

They need to stop trying to lift the ball.

They need to learn where the ball should land.

Work on that, and you will start turning those wasted shots around the green into easy two putts, more up and downs, and fewer big numbers.

Next time you practice, spend ten minutes hitting chips to a landing spot instead of just aiming at the hole.

That one change can make your short game a lot more predictable.

Follow Cure My Swing for golf tips & drills!

Comment “SGC” to get a link to our Short Game Challenge practice plan that’s helped golfers like you drop 7+ strokes off their scores in as little as one month 🏌️‍♂️

Sharing is encouraged & appreciated, but copying without credit is not 🙏

Dominate Par 5s ✅

Follow Cure My Swing for golf tips & drills!

Comment “CMS” to get access to our FREE Golf Range Practice Plan that’s helped golfers like you practice with purpose and lower scores with ease 🏌️‍♂️

Sharing is encouraged & appreciated, but copying without credit is not 🙏

SAVE THIS 📲

Follow Cure My Swing for golf tips & drills!

Comment “SGC” to get a link to our Short Game Challenge practice plan that’s helped golfers like you drop 7+ strokes off their scores in as little as one month 🏌️‍♂️

Sharing is encouraged & appreciated, but copying without credit is not 🙏

SAVE THIS 📲

Follow Cure My Swing for golf tips & drills!

Comment “CMS” to get access to our FREE Golf Range Practice Plan that’s helped golfers like you practice with purpose and lower scores with ease 🏌️‍♂️

Sharing is encouraged & appreciated, but copying without credit is not 🙏