Do you think it is possible?
 

1) You don't use a driver

2) You hit a 15*-3w 220yds and 70% of the time it is in the fairway or just off.

3) Your 7i averages 150-160.

4) You play from just under 6100yds. (usually white tees for most of my courses)

5) You average under 2 putts for the round.



So all these combined, would you be able to break 80?



I had a conversation with one friend who insists that if a person cannot hit a driver 240+ consistently they will never touch or break 80.



My other friend thinks it doesn't matter if you can't drive or hit a 3w (He tees off with a 3h). If a person has a really good iron and short game then reaching 80 is possible, factoring in the person averages less than 2 putts.



I've played a course where I lost 6 balls and still got lucky enough to shoot an 86. I left a lot of strokes on the table.


What say you? Have you done it?

I think it depends on the tees your playing. If someone's longest club is a 3 hybrid that they hit 200 yards I doubt they'd break 80 from 6800 yards. Short enough tees and a good enough short game, I think it's easily possible.

With that kind of distance and accuracy with a 3 wood and on a 6100 yard course I think that you'd be able to break 80 as long as you're accurate with your irons

I know on my local course playing the tees that are slightly under 6100 yards I could play 3 wood and only have a couple of holes where I'd have a tough ~200 yard approach shot

Interesting stat I heard at Golftec, the average scratch golfer hits his driver 240. So with that in mind it is absolutely possible to break 80 getting 220 off the tee, especially from 6100 yards.

I broke 80 on a 6600 yard course when I used 3h off just about every teebox. Granted at that time I was getting 240+ out of my 3h.

Hell yea! If you are holing out everything from the fairway you should be breaking 60's

LOL I meant AVERAGING under 2 putts for the round so some holes you 1 putt, some holes you 2 putt. Not 2 putts total for the round.

I shot 78 with this setup last summer on a mild course playing 6150 yards with 123 slope.. A 14* 3w that I hit 225ish. 5i-pw and a 56* and putter. No driver, other fairways or hybrids. Pretty much hit fairways and then 8-6 iron approach shots. It was my 2nd best round ever. It was a Pete Dye course with 2 par 5s, 2 beastly par 4s, 3 short well bunkered par 4s and the other par 4s ranging 359-410. I had a decent ball-striking round for me hitting 11 fairways and 9 GIRs and a pretty hot putter with 28 putts.

Not a problem breaking 80 with using a 3 wood off the tee...can be done. You got to be hitting your long irons well though.

I agree. If you can put a 3 or 4 iron out there in the fairway, that's definitely a good thing.

Yes, I shot 80 on greens that were aerated dirt, literally no grass. Thats the only thing that kept me from being in the low 70's that day. Never touched the driver, it can be done.

I watched a 60 year old man shoot -4 in 25 MPH winds never breaking 230 ish off the tee. So yes, its very possible.

Of course its possible. Heck, its not just possible, it can be done. A group of THPers just went out a few months ago and played a local course, that is quite tough and the rule was nothing longer than a 3 hybrid in your bag. Played it from right around 6000 yards and Trout Bum, myself, Tadashi and I think one other person all shot 78 or better. Heck, I bet more people than you think would play better without the driver due to their struggles.

The average 6100 yard course is going to have most of the par 4s around the 350-360 yard mark. Some a little more and some a little less. That will give you a short iron into the green still.

FWIW, the 1st reply is quite funny.

Sure it is, I seldom drive 220 and have broke 80 a number of times this year alone.

You have just described my game, I play the tees that are 6000 to 6200 yards almost all of the time. I break 80 pretty regularly, much more often than I go over 90. Being a senior golfer distance is no longer a part of my game, however when it is on my short game is pretty stout.

It's very possible especially if you're a decent putter.

Your friend is an idiot, to be blunt. I can break 75 with only a 4 iron as the longest club in my bag, it is quite possible to break 80 for anyone else pending they hit the rest of the sticks well...including the putter.

One of the guys I regularly play with seldom hits a Driver 240...probably averages 230-35, but hits most fairways. His 7 iron is 140-150, yet he's a 5 handicap on a 6900 yard course. He shot 73 a couple of weeks ago, and didn't even really drive the ball all that good. He has a great short game, and putts pretty well. So yes, very possible.

How many holes do you use a driver on. Likely 6 will be par 3s. That leaves 12. There are sure to be a few holes that are sharp doglegs, or force conservative tee shots. So, maybe 10 tee shots for a driver. Even tour pros don't hit the fairway every time, so of the 10 holes a long, straight drive is only a factor on 6/7 holes.

Accuracy and a strong short game are much more important than long drives.

In most cases, it is usually 4, but I agree with you overall.

Definitely possible. I play my 5700 yard course in early spring and late fall with just 4i/8i/SW/Putter, and I break 80 all the time. Playing a longer course but with more clubs, I'd be willing to put money down that I'd do it. I might demand odds if it were my first time playing the course, but would still be confident. Only if the course were really long and full of 450 yard par 4s would I even worry about it.