re: Golfers who have done it: How did you finally break 80?

I was a consistent low 80’s guy until I started spending time on chipping & putting. I was also one of those guys that thought I could hit ever recovery shot, no matter what tree was in my way or anything else taking away a clear shot at the green. I now tell myself after a bad shot “what is the easiest way to save boogie”. You would be surprised how many times you can save par when you just kick it back into safe position instead of trying to hit through a small window in some trees while fading it 30 yards (works about 1 out of 30 times...)
So to recap, don’t hit stupid low % shots & work on getting up & down when you miss greens.