Like Tin Cup says, “perfection is unattainable.” That sure doesn’t keep us from trying. We golfers are a unique breed in that we’ll do almost anything to improve our games. Whether it’s new equipment or the latest swing trainer fad, we follow like lemmings. Unfortunately, to see real improvement in golf, elbow grease is what ultimately gets the job done. Not enough time to spend practicing? Don’t worry too much, because there are lots of simple things you can do to improve your game right away. Here are my top ten. Get a lesson. Yeah, I know, that’s obvious. But it’s going to be the single most important long-term improvement you can make. Get a club fitting. If you buy off the rack, you could be hurting your game. A good club fitter will match length, flex, lie, loft, etc., on your clubs to be able to milk the maximum performance out of your swing. Spend at least one hour per week working on putting, not counting pre-round warm-up (do that too). A par round
Dealing With Obstructions
It’s hard to play golf without encountering obstructions. Have you ever just barely missed hitting your ball out of bounds, only to find that you’re now obstructed by an out of bounds stake? Well, that’s too bad because they’re not considered obstructions. (You weren’t fooled, right?) So what are obstructions? Rule 24 tells us all about obstructions. According to the Rules of Golf, an obstruction is anything artificial, except: Objects defining out of bounds, such as walls, fences, stakes and railings; Any part of an immovable artificial object that is out of bounds; and Any construction declared by the Committee to be an integral part of the course. This can include maintained cart paths, trash containers, ball washers, benches, or television towers (hey, I can dream). The Rules divide obstructions into two categories, movable and immovable. Things get a little more involved when greens or hazards are involved, so check Rule 24 for help in those situation, but following are the general guidelines for obstructions. Movable Obstructions As the name suggests, these obstructions can be
Understanding Golf Club Gooves
Grooves on the faces of our golf clubs are something that we might take for granted. With irons, especially wedges, the grooves help put spin on the ball when it is struck. This allows us to hit shots into greens that stop in a controlled manner. When we strike the ball with a descending blow with an iron, the ball becomes briefly trapped against the turf and is “pinched”. The grooves on the club grab the cover of the ball and impart maximum spin. That allows the shot to land softly and stop quickly or even back up after landing. There is no question that equipment has changed the way the game is played at all skill levels. Players have gained distance, accuracy, and the ability to stop the ball quicker. Consequently, all aspects of club design come under scrutiny and regulation. Club grooves are no different. There has been debate for a long time about square (or, u-shaped) versus v-shaped grooves on irons. According to a United States Golf Association news release from February
Target Awareness in Golf
One aspect of the mental game that I’ve been paying serious attention to recently is target awareness. Golf is a 100% target-oriented game. Can you ever think of a time when you hit a shot without a target in mind? That’s a bad idea, even on the practice range. Especially on the practice range. I’ve always known about the importance of targets in golf, at least on some level. However, I’m not sure I had a real awareness. It wasn’t until I was reading Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Dr. Bob Rotella (link to my review) recently that it all started to make more sense. There are many things he covers in the book, but three things resonated with me. It took random tips that had been fluttering around in the void that is my brain, and it turned them in to a process for improving my game. Those three things are: Pick as specific a target as possible. During the pre-shot routine and during the actual shot, think of the target,
Always Be Prepared
The Boy Scout motto applies to every aspect of life. Without preparedness, we’re lost. Even on the golf course. Let me relate a short tale of unpreparedness that bit me on Saturday. I went out Saturday afternoon fresh off of a couple of swing changes and some serious mental game improvement work. To me, it felt like I was hitting the ball poorly but as I came to the 9th hole, I did some quick arithmetic and discovered that I had a 37 to that point. Not a great score, but until then, my perception was that I was hitting the ball somewhat poorly, especially the long irons and woods. I was surprised to realize that I was hitting a decent amount of fairways and greens and I was recovering well from bad shots, especially mentally. In reality, I was hitting the long clubs poorly, but I was making up for it by not melting down and by exhibiting strength in other areas (NOT putting). So, I came to nine, and teed off, somewhat in
Loading ...
Connect
Here are some other ways we can connect