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 (PHOTO: Digital Vision/Getty Images) The theme and tone is consistent no matter where you go. “If only I could drive it longer and straighter. If only I could hit my irons more solid. If only I could pitch it closer. If only I could make more putts.” We all want to play better golf. The problem is, we want improvement handed to us. Here’s a news flash. There are no magic pills. If you want to play better golf, you might have to do something about it. I’m a poster child for this delusional line of thinking. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the best instructors in the state for the better part of the past 15 years. But that hasn’t stopped me from going three weeks without touching my clubs and then heading to the local golf course to beat myself up over my mediocre ball striking and inability to make a putt. I have no right to expect the results to be any different. I’ve done absolutely nothing to change the outcome. I have a friend who is a successful professional who lives by the mantra: “We never stay the same. Everyday we are either getting better or worse.” What are you doing to get better? Let’s start with hitting it longer and straighter. Everyone is consumed by the idea that they need the latest and greatest equipment. They would sooner drop $500 on a new driver than consider spending a similar amount on a series of golf lessons. The best tip I ever received on hitting the ball longer and straighter was simple. Hit the ball more solid. It doesn’t get simpler than that. How do you hit the ball more solid? Get better fundamentals. How do your get better fundamentals? Let a golf professional look at your swing. It won’t kill you. The short game is another area of the game where player practice habits dumbfound me. When is the last time you practiced chipping and putting? Dropping three balls on the practice green two minutes before you tee off doesn’t count. If you typically shoot scores of 90 or less, you will hit nearly half your shots from inside 50 yards. Think about it: In the average round you might have 29-32 putts and hit fewer than half the greens in regulation. That pushes your total of shots from right around the green to over 40. Now think about the last time you went to practice. How much time did you spend perfecting your pitching and putting? If you are like most people, you probably spent half the bucket trying to bomb the driver. I have a firm belief that if we started practicing only a couple hours a month and spent all that time on short game, our scoring ability would improve dramatically. There is an excellent test that can determine the health of your short game. The best part about it is that it makes practice a competition. The test (download it here) requires you to take 10 balls and play different pitches, chips and bunker shots from different lengths. The player receives varying point totals for each ball that falls point range starting with zero for a ball that finishes outside of 6 feet, one point for a shot that stops 3 to 6 feet from the hole, two points for a shot that ends up inside 3 feet and four points for a shot that finds the bottom of the hole. You end up with a score for each area that corresponds to a player handicap for that particular shot. There are similar putting tests that gauge your skill from lag putts, to big breakers and kick-ins. Spend some time running through the paces of these short-game skills tests and you can’t help but improve. It wouldn’t hurt to let a pro watch your short-game technique either. There is nothing worse than working hard on perfecting bad fundamentals. Get the fundamentals straight then work on your game. Every golfer wants to improve. What are you doing to get better today? |
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