There is no question that golf is a challenging game.
Sometimes it can become so difficult and frustrating that you want to quit altogether.
Before you make any decisions like that, you should try a few of our tips to help you improve.
We’ve tried to keep things very simple and straightforward so you can get started on them today!
10 Tips To Help Your Game
1. Make a Plan
Have you ever really done a deep dive into your golf game?
You say that you suck, but is it because of your putting, your chipping, your driver?
Is it because your swing speed is too fast, too slow?
Are you balanced when you swing?
It would help if you started to break down why you are not great at the game of golf.
If you can do this, you can start working on a plan to become a great player.
The overall game of golf is too hard to tackle all at once.
It needs to be broken down into sections, and you must select an area to work on.
If it takes you three shots to get out of a bunker, this is where you need to start.
Forget about the drive that occasionally slices, because this is the area you need to work on first.
Identify the top three areas of improvement needed for your golf game and start to figure out how, when, and where you will begin to make these changes.
Without a plan in place, you can’t expect your golf game to magically improve.
2. Use All the Clubs
Golfers become too reliant on their favorite golf clubs.
If you happen to be one of those players who keeps grabbing a seven iron over and over again, this is a problem.
If you are going to carry around fourteen golf clubs, you should be using them all.
If you want to be able to perform from lots of different locations on the golf course, you need clubs with varying lengths, spin, and ball flight.
Make sure your golf club set makeup is something you feel comfortable using.
If you have long irons in your golf bag, but you never use them, replace them with hybrids or add an extra wedge.
Don’t carry your golf clubs around if you are not going to use them all.
3. Balance Work
Many golfers say they have to slow their swing down.
Slowing your swing down is not a great thing.
The more clubhead speed you have, the better.
Clubhead speed is going to get you a lot more distance.
Instead of focusing on slowing your swing down, you should probably try and work on balance.
If you have outstanding balance, you should be able to handle lots of clubhead speed.
You will then be able to apply this clubhead speed to get yourself more distance.
You can work on balance by taking daily walks, playing other sports, working out at the gym, and taking a swing with a weighted golf club.
You can also use a medicine ball and pretend it is a golf club and make the same turns you usually would.
Balance work is essential and something professional golfers work on all the time.
Those golfers don’t look as though they are swinging out of their shoes, but they are swinging well over one hundred miles per hour.
You may be capable of this as well, but you have to be able to handle this kind of power.
4. Club Fitting
Although some people think club fitting is just a way to get a golfer to spend more money, there are some positives involved.
If you are playing with shafts that are not the proper flex or length for your game, then you will struggle to get better at golf.
You do not need to go and get custom fitted for a brand new $2000 set of golf clubs, but getting fitted for something that works for you is smart.
Sometimes this will mean visiting a local club fitter and having your current set adjusted just a bit.
It does not take much to make sure your clubs are the proper fit for you, but it will make all the difference when it comes to performance.
As you age, your swing speed will slow down, and you will need different shafts.
Don’t wait too long for this transition.
5. Always Have a Club Available
When you decide to start getting better at golf, you need to expose yourself to the game even more.
This means having access to a golf club every day.
This could mean you keep a club near your desk and grip it a few times a day.
You could also set up a small putting mat in your home.
Whatever you need to do, hold a golf club at some point each day.
If you are doing this, you will be practicing your grip, setup, stance, posture, and more without having to be at the driving range or the course.
For most people, it is not feasible to practice your golf game every single day, but simply holding your golf club each day can help a lot.
Working on your grip, feeling comfortable with a club in your hand, and taking some practice swings are all critical factors that will contribute to you getting better at golf.
6. Add In Competition
Sometimes people don’t start to improve their golf game until they add in competition.
Adding in some friendly competition between your golf partners or merely starting to challenge yourself can make the game of golf much different.
If you are a natural-born competitor, adding in competition may help you to focus a bit more on your game.
When you focus, you may take more time to aim, and you will probably think about those swing thoughts that you have been working on as well.
The competition also teaches golfers never to give up.
Even if you make a double bogey on a hole, there is still lots of golf left to play.
Try to get your head back in the game and start making some birdies.
If you can do this, it may shed some light on the fact that your golf game is not all that bad.
Maybe you just need to care a little more about the shots you are taking and where they are going.
When you do this, you will undoubtedly see some improvement.
Of course, some golfers say their game will fold under pressure, and this can sometimes happen.
However, the majority of players will feel a heightened sense of focus in a tournament situation, and they will learn to improve their game.
7. Importance of a Routine
Not only do you need a preshot routine in golf, but you should have a routine for each day that you play golf.
Make sure you arrive at the golf course with plenty of time to spare.
Spend some time stretching, warming up, thinking about your round.
Take a look at the scorecard and set some goals for yourself.
When you are on the golf course, make sure you adopt a routine to help you from one shot to the next.
If you are new to the game, your routine should improve some checks for your setup and grip and also making sure you are appropriately aligned.
For more advanced players, it is essential to focus on the mental thoughts as well as alignment.
The most important thing to stress is that you need a routine, and you need to repeat it each time.
If you don’t do this, how can you expect your brain and your body to repeat the same swing each time.
If you watch professional golfers on television, their routine is particular, and it is done before each shot.
They may have a routine for putting that looks different than the one for their driver, but they still repeat it from one hole to the next.
You may have to play around with a few different routines before you find one that feels comfortable for you.
8. Shot Shaping Is Important
Learning how to hit the ball straight is essential.
Learning how to hit the ball high, low, left, and right is even more critical.
If you learn how to work the golf ball, you will undoubtedly learn how to hit the golf ball straight.
It takes time to learn how to shape shots, but it is something you should work on even from the beginning of your golfing journey.
It is easiest to start practicing by manipulating your grip and your setup.
You will only have to make subtle adjustments to your stance and your setup to be able to hit the golf ball in lots of different ways.
Shot shaping is essential because sometimes, depending on where your drive puts you, you could be blocked out of the pin.
If you know how to hit a fade or a draw, you may be able to get your shot much closer to the hole.
If you can only hit the ball straight, you will feel stuck and almost as though you are setting yourself up for a bogey.
You should learn to hit fades and draws while on the driving range because it is hard to make changes to your game like this while on the golf course.
Learning to hit the ball low will make a significant impact when it comes to windy days on the course.
9. Look at the Entire Green
When you look at a green, you should see more than just the pin.
If you look at only the pin, you may be ignoring trouble spots.
You will want your ball to end up as close to the pin as possible, as safely as possible.
Sometimes hitting your golf shot twelve feet left of the pin is a much better idea than going right for it.
If you have to travel over three bunkers and a water hazard to get to the pin, it is not worth it.
Take a look at the green and see if there is another safer location which can get you ten feet from the pin.
Although you may give away a birdie, you are also making the chances of scoring a double bogey a lot lower.
Another reason you will want to examine the entire green is to make sure it is not two-tiered or sloping from one side to the other, etc.
There is a lot you can learn about a golf course if you open your eyes and learn to focus on other areas and not just the pin.
10. Spend Lots More Time on the Putting Green
This is a tip that gets repeated over and over again, but it is for a good reason.
If you want to get better at golf, you will need to practice your short game.
Throughout the course of a round, you will have much fewer drives than you will putts.
Many golfers have no idea how many putts they are currently taking in their game.
If you can shave off five or six putts in a round, it can completely change your handicap.
Practicing putting and chipping can get boring.
Look into some chipping and putting games to make it more entertaining and fun.
Bring a friend along and set up a pitch-and-putt type tournament on a practice green.
Put a few dollars down and make it a fun event for both of you.
If you can chip and putt in your backyard, this is even better.
Your goal should be to get up and down every time you miss a green.
Too many higher handicap players are satisfied with a chip on and a two-putt.
This is just not good enough to get better.
You should be able to chip on and make the putt at least a few times during your round.
Whether this saves par or it saves double-bogey, it is a critical factor in the game of golf.
Develop a chipping stroke and a putting stroke you can rely on.
Choose something simple and easy to repeat.
Golf is all about repetition and simplicity.
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