Does anyone actually believe they’re good at golf?
If the best player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, can be seen cursing himself out on the fairways and berating his caddie, then what hope is there for you and I?
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The most difficult thing about the sport is how quickly standards change. One minute you’d be over the moon to break 100, the next you’re beating yourself up over not breaking 90.
The goalposts move so quickly that it’s hard to take a moment and assess the state of your game. How good is good when it comes to golf?
Well Jon Rahm has the answer, and his standards are high.
Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images
The score you need to shoot to be good at golf according to Jon Rahm
Rahm’s Legion XIII were asked on social media what score a player must shoot consistently to be considered good at golf, and the two-time major winner set the bar high.
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He said, “I think if you can break 80 consistently, you can say you’re good at golf. Probably really good at golf, honestly.”
That’s an incredibly high standard, but it’s an opinion shared among the entire Legion XIII team. They all gave the same number, so it must be true!
Although when you’re shooting in the 60s every single round, maybe your perspective on this becomes a little blurred.
Why breaking 80 is so difficult
In reality, breaking 80 in golf is a momentous milestone for the average player. If you manage to shoot a 79 or lower, you have crossed the threshold from being a good weekend player to becoming a legitimately elite amateur.
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To put it in perspective, data from the National Golf Foundation and the USGA indicates that only about 5% to 9% of all golfers can consistently break 80. While roughly 15% to 20% of players might catch lightning in a bottle and crack 79 once or twice in their lives, doing it routinely puts you in an incredibly exclusive club.
To shoot in the 70s, you cannot make more than seven bogeys, assuming you don’t card any birdies. One double-bogey or a single out-of-bounds drive instantly jeopardizes the entire round.
Statistically, a sub-80 round requires intense consistency across the board. You need to hit eight to 10 greens in regulation, maintain an up-and-down scrambling rate close to 40-50%, and rarely, if ever, three-putt.
If you’re breaking 80, you are in completely in control of your game. That feels a little better than just good.
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