How to break 100 in golf

Breaking 100 means shooting 99 or better. The useful question is not “how many pars do I need?” It is “how should 99 shots be distributed around this particular course?”

Turn 99 into a hole-by-hole plan

On a par-72 course, 99 is 27 shots over par. That does not mean every hole should be played as “par plus one and a half”. Some holes are natural bogey opportunities, some can absorb a double, and some are places where you may realistically beat your target.

MyPar starts with your target total and distributes the extra shots using hole par and Stroke Index, giving you a personal par for all 18 holes.

Example: if MyPar gives you a 6 on a par 4 and you make 5, you are one under your target on that hole. Thinking this way stops a perfectly useful bogey or double bogey from feeling like failure just because the traditional scorecard says “over par”.

Mock round: breaking 100 at Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach Golf Links is familiar from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and major championships. Using the official men's Stroke Index and the white tees, the course is par 72 and 6,083 yards. A target of 99 gives you 27 shots above par.

MyPar first gives one extra shot to every hole. The remaining nine shots go to Stroke Index 1–9. That means those nine harder-ranked holes become par +2 targets, while the others are par +1.

Hole	Par	SI	MyPar target	Mock score	Cumulative +/- vs par	Cumulative +/- vs MyPar	How to think about it
1	4	6	6	5	+1	-1	Take the opening bogey and bank a shot against the target.
2	5	10	6	6	+2	-1	Treat it as a three-shot par 5. No need to force a heroic second.
3	4	12	5	5	+3	-1	Bogey is exactly the job.
4	4	16	5	6	+5	E	A first lost shot. Accept it and move on rather than chase.
5	3	14	4	4	+6	E	Centre of the green, two putts if possible, bogey is fine.
6	5	2	7	7	+8	E	The SI says this is one of the places your 99 target can absorb a big number.
7	3	18	4	3	+8	-1	The famous tiny par 3. Aim for the middle and a par earns the shot lost at 4 back.
8	4	4	6	6	+10	-1	On the famous cliffside hole, six is the target. Avoid turning the approach into a highlight-reel attempt.
9	4	8	6	7	+13	E	Another shot goes, but the round is still exactly where a 99 attempt can survive.
10	4	3	6	6	+15	E	Play for six, not scratch par.
11	4	9	6	5	+16	-1	A bogey on a MyPar 6 earns one back.
12	3	17	4	4	+17	-1	Simple bogey target: safe tee shot, no short-game panic.
13	4	7	6	6	+19	-1	Use the allowance. A double is level MyPar.
14	5	1	7	8	+22	E	The official hardest hole costs one. Do not let the 8 become a 9 or 10 by chasing.
15	4	13	5	5	+23	E	Back to plan immediately: bogey.
16	4	11	5	5	+24	E	Another controlled bogey keeps the finish in reach.
17	3	15	4	4	+25	E	Do not chase the famous green. Four is enough.
18	5	5	7	6	+26	-1	On the famous closing par 5 beside the Pacific, play it as three sensible full shots. A six beats MyPar by one.
Total	72		99	98	+26	-1	Two holes were one over target, but several ordinary bogeys and one par recovered them. Breaking 100 never required a miracle.

Pebble Beach example uses the official published par and men's handicap order. The mock score is illustrative, not a prediction of what any golfer will shoot.

The useful bit: this mock golfer finishes 26 over course par but one under MyPar. That is the same 98 on the scorecard, but a completely different way to understand whether the round is on track.

Stop trying to win every hole back immediately

One of the fastest ways to turn a 99 attempt into 105 is chasing a mistake. A penalty, topped shot or bunker visit does not require an immediate hero recovery. Your target already includes extra shots. Use them.

If a hole's target is 6 and trouble means you now need two sensible shots to get back into position, making 6 or 7 can still leave the overall round alive. The aim is to protect the total, not to rescue course par.

Where breaking 100 is usually won

The biggest gains often come from removing the very large numbers: fewer balls out of bounds, fewer penalty shots, fewer attempted miracle recoveries and fewer three- or four-shot sequences caused by rushing after one bad swing.

At the same time, take advantage of the holes where your target is generous. A bogey on a hole where MyPar says 6 gives you a shot back against 99 without requiring a birdie.

Start with course Stroke Index

MyPar initially uses the tee set's official Stroke Index to decide where the target's extra shots should go. That is useful because it reflects the course's ranking of its holes.

But once you have your own history, the holes that matter most may be different.

MyPar+ can build 99 around your own game

After three completed rounds on the same tee set, MyPar+ can use your Personal Stroke Index. MyPar ranks the holes using your own previous scoring, so the extra shots in your next target can be distributed according to the holes you actually find hardest rather than only the course's official SI.

At Pebble Beach, for example, your own history might show that the famous 8th or 18th costs you more shots than the official ranking suggests. On a course you play regularly, Personal Stroke Index lets the target evolve around your actual scoring pattern.

A practical break-100 approach

Keep the ball in play, choose the shot that reduces the chance of a blow-up hole, and compare yourself with your 99 target throughout the round. You do not need 18 good holes. You need 18 holes whose total adds up to 99 or fewer.

Build your 99 target in MyPar

Earlier milestone: How to break 110 in golf · How MyPar works