How To Improve Your Golf Game

The game of golf is composed of many facets.  This article discusses each facet of the golf game and what you can do to improve each of these areas of your game.

If you give some thought to it, golf should not be that difficult of a game.  What is the difference between golf and the world's other dominant sports?  If we consider football, soccer, baseball, and basketball, what is the status of the ball when you are playing the sport?

Yes, the ball is moving.

In golf, the little golf ball remains in its place, completely devoid of movement.  Why, then, is it so difficult to hit a ball that is not even moving?  In fact, many beginning golfers cannot even hit the ball.  You have seen this, haven't you?  The new golfer, confident with their new set of clubs and fancy golf apparel, addresses the ball, takes their swing, and...misses the ball completely.  This simple ball, that is just remaining there in one place, immobile.

So, the first thing that a golfer needs to concentrate on are the mechanics of the golf swing.  New golfers just want to make contact with the golf ball while more experienced golfers are always seeking to improve their golf swing.  If you watch the professionals on television, they have one consistent swing that they use repeatedly.  At the driving range, you will see amateurs swing different with each pass at the ball.  To have a solid, consistent golf swing, view one of the many "how to swing a golf club" videos that are available.

Once you have mastered the mechanics of the golf swing, and practiced at the range, you should be able to make your way around the golf course.  Now, you will want to investigate the variations that come with each club.

Several professional golfers, like John Daly, have made themselves famous by hitting famously long drives.  The first mistake of novice golfers is trying to hit the ball too hard by swinging too fast and out of control.  You want to use the solid swing mechanics that you have learned in your tee shot while adjusting your stance and movement to the longer length of the driver.

Your second shot on a Par 4 will likely be an iron shot.  Again, the fundamentals of the swing remain the same though each club will be a slightly different length.  Your body will be slightly closer to the ball and you will want to position the ball a little bit further back in your stance.

Remember, all variations in golf are minute.  They are not extreme.  If you move the ball just fractions of an inch, the results are going to be dramatically different.  And the swing always remains the same.

You will often see the "old gang" at the golf course beat the younger crowd who hits the ball much further.  You would never guess this watching from afar because the younger people hit it so much further and look healthier and stronger.  Why is this?

It is because the key to great scoring in golf is mastery of the short game.  Older players always seem to know this while it takes novice golfers a long time to learn.  You will always see new golfers at the driving range trying to hit the ball harder and further.  More often, what they should be doing is learning how to putt and how to hit wedge shots.

Finally, we have golf's other game--the mental game.  You will often hear people say that 90% of golf takes place "between the ears."  What does this mean?  Well, in part it means that you should take time out between shots and consider your golf.

Let's think of an example.  At the driving range, you see people hit ball after ball every 15 seconds.  Do you do this on the golf course?  Often, their swing looks different every shot with more frustration in each shot.  They are practicing, yes, but are they getting better?  As the golf adage goes, practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent.  In these instances, the best course of action is to stop swinging and start thinking.

If you step back and think about these facets of the golf game, you will become a much better golfer, shoot lower scores, and have much more fun on the golf course.