We all want to improve our scores but we struggle to keep our focus as we play every round of golf. By now you must know that the most important shot in golf is your next one (Thank you Ben Hogan.) Unfortunately it takes about 3 great shots to par every holes. Yes, that would be 3 shots in a row on every hole. Unfortunately those miss-hits in the middle of your sequence don’t turn into Mulligans. I have found that your focus on hitting the fairway with your driver and hitting more Greens In Regulation (GIR) are critical for your success on every hole.
Rhythm and Direction Control
You may be able to hit further than others in your foursome but if you can’t hit the fairway or hit the ideal target for your next shot, your playing partners will usually take you down. You will never be successful in this game until you generate the following two (2) consistencies:
1/ Rhythm: Don’t let a burst of adrenaline spoil your rhythm. Consistent rhythm, at about an 85% swing speed, is so critical to allow time to shift your weight to your leading leg at the top of your swing. Think of it as “The PAUSE THAT REFRESHES”. Rushing at the top will kill your weight transfer and create an inconsistent impact. I use the mental words “1 and “ to give more time to add wrist lag and weight transfer at the top of my swing before I begin my down swing at the count of “2”.
Counting in your mind will slow down your backswing and give you time for the perfect position at the top.
2/ Draw or Fade Control: When you swing with the same rhythm, you should end up with a consistent draw or fade depending on the club that you are using. It is critical that you figure out when you will draw or fade with every club by sorting this out while practicing on the range. Of course sometimes our expected draw or fade turns into the dreaded straight shot. So make sure that you line-up properly to avoid trouble with any surprising straight shots.
Suggestion To Track Your Progress
If you want to improve your scores, you should track your successes at the end of every hole. Mark the upper left corner of your score for each hole with a 1 if you land your drive in the fairway (or on the green for a par 3). Mark the upper right corner of your score card for each hole with a 1 if you hit the green in regulation. I also add a coded letter below each score to identify the reason for my missed fairway or missed green in regulation (T-tree, R-Rough, W-water, MH- Miss-Hit, PP-Poor Pitch, OB etc)
If you aren’t adding a lot of 1’s to your score card you will also be missing a lot of pars and birdies. BTW you should mark your pars with a circle and birdies with a triangle (It’s a lot more fun to highlight your successes.) Practice with GOLFSTR+ for 6 fixes to improve you swing with every club. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com
Golf Truism #76: When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either use one more club or 2 more balls.
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