Improve Your Golf Score: 5 Tips

A new golf season is just starting. Here are a few tips to improve your golf score and your enjoyment of playing.

Set goals for the new season. Take a few minutes a decide how much you would like to improve your golf score. Be realistic if you've never broken 100 it probably will be too much of a stretch to become a scratch golfer in just one season. You could however set a goal of consistently playing in the low 90's. Practice really does make perfect. If you can't get out to the course to play an entire round, at least go to the driving range a couple of times a week.

Make sure your golf equipment is ready. Inventory your equipment and make any repairs or additions that are necessary. You may have forgotten that unfortunate incident last September when you heaved your 5-iron into the lake after a nasty shank. Sometimes we forget how long we have been using the same clubs. The grips might be worn or the grooves damaged. Check out the latest advancements in club technologies. If your clubs are marked "cleek" or "mashie niblick" you might consider an upgrade to the 21st century, or at least take your clubs to Antiques Roadshow for a quick appraisal. You might get a pleasant surprise.

A change in attitude. Golfers often talk themselves into playing badly, right from the first drive of the new year. If all you can think about is how you always slice the ball on a particular hole, then that's exactly what you'll do. Forget about all the bad golf you played last year. Start fresh, with a clean mental slate. Golf pros train themselves to visualize the perfect outcome for each shot. We can all do that, on a modest basis. For most of us, thinking we'll shoot 65 at Pebble Beach isn't visualization, it's hallucination.

Be realistic in what you can expect from yourself. Recognize that your short game is a challenge for you and then practice to change it.

A change in golf buddies. Consider expanding your sphere of friends this year. If you belong to a club, invite one of the members you've never played with before to join your foursome. Meeting new friends on the course can make the conversation during the round more stimulating, and may even have benefits down the line in the form of new business contacts. Another benefit is that new golf buddies won't expect you to make the same old mistakes you always make.

A change in golf venues. Most of us aren't aware of all the great courses within easy driving distance of our homes. We tend to play the same familiar layouts all the time. Do an online search for courses in your region that offer discount greens fees. You'll save money and also be able to enjoy a fresh challenge and new scenery.

A fresh outlook, revamped clubs, new golfing buddies, and challenges new courses can make this the most enjoyable and best golf season you've ever had.