Why Most Golfers Stay Stuck—And How to Break Through in 2025

Happy Monday,

The Golf Insider newsletter is back and here to help you shoot lower scores in 2025.

This Week

Why Most Golfers Stay Stuck: I was recently a guest on the Fairway Performance podcast, discussing how to optimise your handicap and shoot lower scores.

Weekly Skills Game: We have a great driving skills challenge to ramp up the pressure.

Tip of the Week: A quick, actionable advice to apply to your game.

Quick Video: A simple tip for hitting your iron shots closer.

Enjoy.

Why Most Golfers Stay Stuck

I recently joined the Fairway Performance Podcast to discuss how golfers can optimise their practice, track key data, and make meaningful improvements in their game.

Below are the links followed by quick takeaways and a challenge for applying these tips to your game!

📢 Listen to the Full Episode:
🎧 YouTube: Watch here
🎧 Apple Podcasts: Listen here
🎧 Spotify: Listen here

🏌️‍♂️ Rapid-Fire Takeaways:

✅ Playing stats matter. Golfers who track their stats improve 2+ shots more per year than those who don’t—without practicing more.

✅ Double bogey avoidance first, birdies second. The biggest difference between a 20-handicapper and a scratch golfer isn’t birdies—it’s avoiding doubles.

✅ The best golfers do the simple things better. No magic swing tips—just elite control of core shots and decision-making.

✅ Practice should be 70% skill-based, 30% technique (as a rule of thumb). Most golfers spend too much time on drills and not enough on replicating real golf situations.

✅ Pressure practice is key. Training under stress (e.g., putting drills where you must “win” or driving games with penalties for missing a fairway) is what makes skills transfer to the course.

⛳️ Will’s Key Challenges for You

For High Handicappers (15+):
🔹 Goal: Improve consistency and avoid blow-up holes.
🔹 Challenge: Next round, play with a simple rule — No doubles. If you're in trouble, take the safe option. No hero shots. Measure how many holes you keep double-free.

For Lower Handicappers (0-10):
🔹 Goal: Sharpen scoring ability under pressure.
🔹 Challenge: Play a "Don't Miss Left/Right" Driving Game at the range. Pick a 25-yard fairway. Before each shot, choose the “danger side” (e.g., left OB = automatic penalty). Track how often you avoid it.

Break X Golf – Weekly Skills Game

As we mentioned above, more skill-based practice is key for shooting lower scores. Here is the ‘Don’t Miss Left Driving Challenge’

Adapt the “-3 point miss“ to your right if you struggle with more of a slice or push.

For personalised practice plans and over 140 skills games, check out Break X Golf.

Break X Golf is a sister project to Golf Insider and was co-founded by Will Shaw.

You can check it out here.

A Simple Trick To Hit Your Iron Shots Closer

golfinsideruk

View more on Instagram

Happy golfing – The Golf Insider Team

P.S. If you’ve enjoyed this week, please share this with a friend using the link below.