Golf advice is available from many sources. Whether you search online through Google, Youtube, AI or other platforms, there is more information on one topic that you could probably read in a lifetime. This doesn’t even include professional help or unsolicited help from your friends. The amount of information is enormous and it is becoming increasingly challenging to determine which one is best for your game. Throughout my golf journey, I kept three things in mind when trying to figure out what change I wanted to make to lower my golf score. As my skills improved, I found my quest for improvement narrowed, but the process was always the same. If you are looking for a process to improve your golf game, this may be what you are looking for.
The first step in my process is determining what I want to improve first. I always like to start at the pin and then at the tee box. Follow these two large areas by working outwards from the green. As I select something, for example, I determine what the problem is. Is it my aim, distance control, putter head arc…wait, I’m drilling down too fast. Let’s take a step back and start all over again. The process is a little slower and as a beginner it is important to identify the problem before looking for the solution.
The first step is identifying the problem. For this I will suggest that we go to the teeing ground to follow my process. Early in my career I had a tendency to pull the ball off the tee box. Yours may be cutting, but the process is the same. The real problem was that I missed the fairway more often than I hit it. That was the real problem with my early golf game. I never played outside the teeing ground and in my case I pulled the ball to the left. There I identified the main problem…..the first step is completed. Simple, right? Good…..
The second step was the source of the challenge. If you usually pull the ball to the left, this could be caused by many different problems. This is what most of my analysis was focused on and is why I missed the fairway most of the time. I explored the possibilities, such as pulling faster with my left side than my right, turning my hips too quickly, the dreaded chicken wing at the top of my swing, coming over the top, swinging too hard. The possibilities were endless. So I added a few more things to the mix like, was I hooking the ball or was I hitting it straight. In my case I hit the ball straight. This piece of information eliminated half of the possible swing errors.
Then I determined how far I was still missing. Was it 5, 10, 15 or oh my distances from my aiming point. Was I aiming the ball in the right direction to hit the fairway? I decided I was biased to the left, so I fixed that. Then I noticed that I was 15 yards off my target point, but was hitting the ball straight. Then I discovered that I was coming over the top of my swing, which was pulling my ball to the left. (of course I speed up the process because there was a lot of trial and error in this stage). Finally, I determined that I was getting open with my driver and that was causing a lot of my swing error. Basically, I slowly corrected my swing challenges by pulling the ball off the tee box.
The last step is to find a solution for my error. After identifying that I was open with my posture, I slowly corrected this problem by slowly closing my feet. I eventually found the sweet spot for my swing in regards to my stance and haven’t looked back since. Finding a solution is not always easy and can be frustrating. Therefore, you will have to hold on to your desire to change until you are satisfied with the result.
As a side note, if you are a do-it-yourself golfer, I recommend getting a set of alignment sticks. They are invaluable. I bought a cheap set or could have just used some pieces of wood I found in my garage. The point is that they don’t have to be expensive, as any straightedge about three feet long will work. I wrote about alignment sticks in a previous article and you can check out my musings on this important training tool here.
Finding what works for your golf game is a simple and easy process. Find the big problem, narrow it down to one mistake (at first), and then find the solution to that mistake. Most of the time, solving that one problem will help change and improve other aspects of your golf game. If you follow this simple process, you are likely to improve your game, become a more consistent player, and score lower scores.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
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