🏌️ How to Break 90 (and 80): A Weekend Golfer’s Guide from the Lowcountry

There’s a certain rhythm to golf in the Lowcountry. The Spanish moss sways, the tide hums in the distance, and you can almost feel the salt air in your backswing. For the weekend golfer, that rhythm is everything and so is the pursuit of breaking 90 (or 80, if you’ve been chasing it long enough).

Down here, it’s less about perfection and more about playing with presence, patience, and a touch of style. If you’re trying to take that next step, this guide is for you — written from the perspective of those who’ve learned to balance strategy, confidence, and a few smart details (like what’s wrapped around your waist).

1. Learn Your Course Like a Fisherman Learns the Tide

Breaking 90 starts with understanding where you are. Every Lowcountry course from Kiawah’s Ocean Course to Charleston National  has a rhythm, a pattern in the wind, a mood in the marsh.

Take a round and study it. Note which greens dry out first, where the ball tends to roll off in the afternoon, and how the breeze picks up near the water. You’ll start to play the course instead of just swinging through it.

2. The 3-Club Rule

If you only practiced with three clubs your wedge, 7-iron, and putter you’d still cover 70% of the game. These are your scoring tools.
Spend an hour with each, learning trajectory and tempo. Good golfers aren’t the ones who hit it the farthest; they’re the ones who know what 115 yards feels like with confidence.

3. Look the Part, Play the Part

Golf is as mental as it is mechanical. Confidence starts before the first swing in how you prepare, how you dress, and how you carry yourself.

There’s something about showing up sharp that changes your whole rhythm. Maybe it’s the feel of a clean polo, the right glove, or the smooth click of a Dartee Golf belt.

Down here, that matters. Not because anyone’s judging your outfit, but because it’s part of the ritual. The small, intentional details how your gear fits, how your glove sits, how your belt stays secure all round keep distractions off your mind and your focus where it belongs: between the ropes.

4. Play for Position, Not Perfection

The biggest difference between an 88 and a 96 is usually one decision per hole. The player breaking 90 knows when to take their medicine. They punch out instead of trying a hero shot through the pines.

There’s an old Lowcountry saying: “Don’t chase what the tide’s taking.” Same goes for golf. Play the safe shot, avoid doubles, and let steady bogeys turn into pars when the putter catches fire.

5. Build a Pre-Shot Routine That Grounds You

When the nerves hit, your body looks for something familiar. That’s why a repeatable pre-shot routine is gold.
Take the same breath. Set your feet the same way. Keep the tempo identical on every swing driver or wedge.

Golf in the Lowcountry is unpredictable wind, humidity, even the sound of cicadas behind you but your process can stay the same. That’s your anchor.

And just like a good routine, your setup should never fail you. A solid glove, balanced stance, and yes a comfortable men’s golf belt that moves with you, not against you. Little things add up to lower scores.

6. The 100-Yard Promise

If you commit to practicing everything inside 100 yards, you’ll see your scores drop faster than you think. Work on flight control with wedges. Learn to bump and run instead of flop. Spend time lag putting from 30 feet instead of draining five-footers.

Breaking 90 is about managing expectations and mastering feel. It’s not about heroics it’s about discipline.

7. Let Comfort Create Confidence

Every good round starts before the first tee shot. The way your glove fits, the grip you trust, even the way your belt sits when you turn through the ball it all feeds confidence.

That’s part of why so many golfers around Charleston have turned to Dartee Golf belts. The cut-to-size straps, smooth ratchet system, and easy magnetic buckle blend performance and style the same way the Lowcountry blends sport and soul. They’re not loud, they’re not flashy they just work.

8. Play the Long Game

Breaking 90 isn’t a finish line it’s a process. You’ll get close, fall short, then suddenly post an 86 out of nowhere. That’s golf.

Stay patient. Learn from the course, not against it. Focus on rhythm, course management, and small wins. The rest follows naturally.

And when you finally walk off the 18th at 89 or maybe even 79 remember what got you there: steady hands, calm mind, and the subtle confidence of a golfer who knows his game, his course, and his look.

⛳ Final Word

Golf in the Lowcountry isn’t just about scorecards it’s about the feeling of belonging out there among the live oaks and fairways.
So the next time you tee it up, take a page from the locals: know your course, trust your swing, and show up ready.

Because down here, confidence doesn’t just live in your grip it lives in every detail, right down to the belt that holds your round together.