The golf season is upon us once again. It is time to dust your clubs off and play some golf. If you are new to the game or a serious golfer, there are some things you can do this season to get the most out of your game. I have listed, what I feel, are five of the most important things to do this year to improve, regardless of your current playing ability.
Everything that we do in life takes time. To improve your skills at any given thing takes even more time, regardless of what it is. This is particularly true in the game of golf. If you want to become a better player, you need to make sure that you allocate the time it takes to improve. Schedule your time to play golf on the course and schedule your time to practice at the driving range and practice green just like any other appointments that you make on a day to day basis. The more time that you can allocate to the game the better you will become. Improvement does not happen over night, it takes practice and dedication. You are better off if you take little chunks of time more frequently, then big chunks of time spread out over a longer period.
Take a golf lesson or two this year from a qualified golf professional. A qualified golf professional can accelerate your improvement ten-fold with less time and effort than you ever thought possible. Far too often, golfers spend hours, weeks, months, years and in some cases a lifetime trying to fix their own faults and problems. A quality instructor can diagnose and give you the tools you will need to fix these problems in minutes. It is the ultimate responsibility of yourself though, to practice and work these problems out. A golf professional will give you the tools, you need to invest the time and effort at the practice facility. A quality golf professional will guarantee game improvement with practice, I know that I do.
Make sure that your golf equipment is right for you and properly fit to your specifications and ability level. You wouldn’t try to ski with boots that were three sizes to small or with skis that were not right for you? Or a Little League baseball player swinging a major league baseball bat? Golf is no different. Your equipment can make all the difference in the world. There are a lot of variables in a golf club such as; club length, loft, lie angle, shaft flex, grip size, grip material, swing weight, shaft type, club face angle and set make up. The better your clubs fit you, the better you will play, regardless of your ability. I often hear, “I am so bad that it does not matter what I use?” The exact opposite is true. The worse you are, the more that you need clubs that fit you. Ask your local qualified golf professional to see if your golf clubs are right for you, it will be worth it!
Keep track of what you are doing on the golf course. Keep track of what is going well and keep track of what is going not so well. The best way to do this is to keep the simple statistics such as fairways hit, greens hit in regulation and the # of putts on the greens every time that you play golf. You should also record how you are hitting the golf ball and where your shots are going (Missing drives to the right. Hitting short irons heavy or fat. Hooking or pulling middle irons.) This information will let you or your golf professional know what areas you need to work on. Also record in a journal your thoughts on the golf course. (Today I really had a clear visual on where I wanted the shot to go before I hit it. Or I was easily distracted today and not able to concentrate on what I was trying to do). Refer to this journal often. It takes discipline to make these records and keep track of what is going on, but the effort will be worth it in the long run.
Enjoy the walk. I always have said “Don’t let something as silly as golf, ruin a good day”. Enjoy the beauty of your surroundings, enjoy the company of the golfers in your group, but most importantly, enjoy yourself not matter how good or how bad you are playing. You will find, when looking back on your life, some of the best times that you will ever have are on the golf course. Sometimes it is difficult to realize that when you are in the moment. Make an effort, every time that you play golf, to enjoy the experience and remember why you took up the game in the first place, because you liked it and you had fun playing it.
If you have any questions or comments relating to this article or golf in general, give me a call or email. I am also offering private and group golf instruction to all ability levels. I would love to hear from you.
Matt Campbell
PGA Golf Professional
Twin Rivers Golf Course
Phone: (425) 247-5770