Guest author Bob E. Jones offers some simple insights into things you can do to make your next round of golf better than the last.
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Eight Guaranteed Ways to Improve Your Golf
By Bob E. Jones
Playing better golf takes work, but here are some things you can do that take little time and will still bring out your best and keep your skills in tune.
1. The prime rule of good golf is: Be at peace with the shot you’re about to hit. If you read no further down the list than this, I guarantee you’ll shoot a lower score next time out.
2. Tempo and rhythm affect every shot. Find the swing tempo that allows you to hit your best shots and apply it to every shot. This tempo represents how you play golf comfortably and at a pace that makes sense to you. When your tempo is correct, rhythm will fall into place.
3. Learn the dynamic movement and positioning of your body as it moves through impact with the clubface square to the target and the club traveling directly toward it. Everything you do in building your golf swing is meant to let you repeat a proper movement through impact.
4. These three parts of the setup will improve your shotmaking more than you can imagine. They’re easy to practice, and they require no skill to master, just careful attention before the shot:
- Grip pressure
- Aim and alignment
- Ball position
Add to them a high, balanced finish, and your swing will improve overnight.
5. Practice every day at home. Swing a club at your personal tempo, rehearse the movement through impact, hit a few putts, and a few chips. You can run through all of that in a few minutes. Hit the range once a week and spend most of your time on the practice green (below). That’s all it takes to keep in a groove.
6. Spend two-thirds of your practice time at the range, by the clock, on and around the putting green. On the practice mat, think short irons and 70- to100-yard pitches. Cool it with the driver.
7. On the course, play a shot that will put the ball in the best position for the next shot. If you can’t hit that shot, play one you can that leaves you a workable next shot. Apply this rule off the tee, off the fairway, and around the green. Another way of saying this is to play the shot you can hit, not the shot you saw someone hit on TV.
8. Strive to play well, but don’t let that become more important than making the people you’re playing with glad that they played with you.
Bob Jones is dedicated to showing recreational golfers the little things, that anyone can install in their swing and game, that make a big difference in how they play. See more.
