Playing Better Golf in 2014: 7 Tips to Lower Your Handicap @hackgolforg #hackgolf
One of the great things about golf is that whether you’re a fair-weather hacker or a seasoned pro, there is always room for improvement. After all, golf is a multifaceted game, presenting a multitude of challenges both mental and physical that tend to keep our scores and handicaps higher than we’d like. And speaking of handicaps, if you’d like to play better golf in 2014, try these 7 tips to lower your handicap.
Yeah, it’s always fun — and often therapeutic — to hit away at the driving range. But the truth is, if you want to lower your score you’re going to have to start sinking more putts. This isn’t about getting in more practice to make more twenty-footers. It’s about taking the time to get really good at the crucial putts, those four and five footers. Sink more of those and your score will drop with them. And being confident with your short putts allows you to be more aggressive on the longer putts, since you know that if you miss the long one you can sink the shorterÂ
2. Develop your own pre-shot routine
NBA players do it at the free throw line. And PGA pros do it on the greens and fairways. On each and every shot, they go through their own set routine or ritual before making final contact with the ball. The reason for this is that the routine brings familiarity and order in the midst of chaos, helping the golfer to block out distractions and get into that special groove before taking each shot. Developing your own solid pre-shot ritual — one for putting and one for executing longer shots — will help you to settle into your comfort zone and improve the odds of making a better shot and shooting a lower score.Â
3. Play away from hazards
Playing good golf is more about taking the smarter shot than the harder shot. Sure it would be nice to drive the ball straight and true like Tiger, splitting the bunkers and grabbing onto the green. But if you really want to improve your score, the smarter shot would be to play away from the hazards, keeping the wood in the bag and pulling out the iron. Thus a risky and difficult longer shot that could mean a double or triple bogey becomes a safer and easier iron shot that could put you in great position to pitch onto the green and — because you’ve been practicing your putting — come away with a score closer to par.Â
4. Play with better playersÂ
Just as water seeks its own level, playing with better players will motivate you to put in the practice to play better as well. More advanced players can also give you advice and pointers that can help to improve your game. Still, finding better players to golf with is not always easy. One approach is to put the word out among co-workers that you’re looking to play with more advanced players to help up your game. Another option, depending on your level of play, is to meet other players by entering local tournaments.Â
5. Learn to play in the presentÂ
One of golf’s biggest mental challenges is to play each and every hole in the here and now. There are enough distractions in golf already. And bringing negative thoughts with you from a bad hole is a great way to sabotage your performance on the next. The key to playing each shot in the present is to recognize that the past is the past and the future has not yet arrived. The only shot that matters is the one you’re making right now. That doesn’t mean putting extra pressure on yourself to make this next shot a good one. It means letting go, getting in the zone through your pre-shot routine, and then executing the shot with full commitment, without worrying about the outcome.Â
6. Develop a game plan for each holeÂ
When the pros show up come tournament time, you can bet that they have a game plan for each and every hole. Why should your play be any different? Of course that means that you’ll have to study the course in advance, but think of how much better off you’ll be with a well thought out plan for playing each hole. Of course no plan will do you much good unless you stick to it. By trusting your plan, you’ll be better equipped to keep those disrupting doubts from entering your mind and sabotaging your game.Â
7. Invest in clubs that fitÂ
“One-size fits all” may work for wallets, watches and neckties, but when it comes to golf clubs, one size definitely does not fit all. And one of the most fundamental ways you can significantly improve your game, literally overnight, is to get clubs that fit. A common misconception is that made-to-order clubs cost a lot more than clubs bought off the shelf. But the reality is that if you’re willing to wait a few weeks, most major manufacturers will make clubs that match your specifications for the same price as the ones readily available in the store.Â
Bottom line? You have no excuse not to play with clubs that fit, unless you’re somehow happy with that high handicap.