Carelessness Causes bad Shots
photo credit: edmenendez Every bad shot is caused by carelessness. Having the required knowledge of the game and being able to swing well does not guarantee success. No matter how qualified you are, you must apply your knowledge before taking each and every shot, or you will never be proficient at the game. Memorize the following to eliminate careless golf shots:
Before each shot: > (1) consider the terrain then make your plan (2) select the proper club. (3) inspect your grip (4) use the right stance (5) aim correctly (6) maintain your posture. Soon this will become part of your natural thought process.
There can be many reasons for missing a shot but carelessness should not be one of them. Preparation is the real key.
The Driver vs. the Iron
photo credit: matsubokkuri Did you ever wonder what the difference is between a driver and an iron? With a driver, the ball is swept off the tee with an upward blow (upswing). With an iron, the ball must be hit with a downward blow (downswing).
Players, invariably, try to aim their drives at a specific fairway target as they would an iron. They don’t seem to realize that the driver, as opposed to the iron, is not made for extreme accuracy. Irons are made for pinpoint accuracy, drivers are made for distance. Don’t misunderstand me, however, there is nothing wrong with the ability to drive the ball accurately.
If you lower your expectations with the driver and practice more with your irons, you will see a noticeable difference in your capability to shoot lower scores.
Don’t Fight the Course
photo credit: danperry.com Do you fight the course when you play? Golf is not about “fighting the course,” it’s about being in the most effective physical and mental playing condition. Golf is about mental discipline, it’s about taking on the course’s problems and making a minimal amount of difficult shots.
Do you honestly think you are going to ”destroy” a 7,200 yard course just because you can drive the ball 300 yards? Any Tour Pro will tell you that playing well means having a good “plan of attack.” Risky shots are not part of a Tour Pro’s vocabulary. Maintaining good judgement on each shot is so much more important than breaking distance records.
Your job on the course is to minimize risky shots not to embrace them. Leave risk-taking up to the Hollywood stuntmen and Phil Mickelson!
Play Your Best Golf
photo credit: danperry.com Are you playing your best golf? It’s a question that serious golfers should ask themselves every time they head for the course.
Every golfer has an intent desire for self improvement but not everyone knows how to achieve that goal. Just because you want something to happen is much different than making it happen. Saying your going to “get better” doesn’t mean you will, unless you make a conscious effort to do so and that is why so many players never play their best golf.
You must realize your limitations, physical and mental. Playing up to your own capabilities should be your goal. You should not be thinking about shooting par if you are only capable of shooting an 85.
Make Your Next Shot Easy?
photo credit: nsaplayer Why is it that some of your golfing buddies, with worse golf swings than yours, score better than you do? There is no mystery; even though they don’t have good swings, they use good strategy by making good decisions. They find a way to play a shot that makes their next shot easy. The limitations of their physical ability are far outweighed by their ability to use good strategy.
Don’t try to “outgun” your opponents or yourself, just know your own game and start making the kind of decisions that will make your next shot easy. If you’re short off the tee, work on accuracy. If your pitching needs work, use chip shots instead. Golf is both a physical and mental game. Start making good choices that will make your next shot easy !
Play the Shot Well
photo credit: Rennett Stowe Golf is not just a game about swinging the club, it is a game of decisions. What most players forget (PGA Tour Players are no exception) to do is think! Following your ball around from shot to shot is no way to play the game.
Wherever your ball is at, on the fairway or in the rough, every consideration should be given as to how you intend to play the following shot. Don’t just hit the ball towards the green, play the shot you’ve got the greatest chance of playing well. Instead of playing a 4-iron out of deep rough, play an 8 iron to make certain you get back on the fairway.
Let’s repeat: Play the shot you’ve got the greatest chance of playing well !