They say that golf is not a sport you master but rather a sport you adventure through. In other words, the game will bring you endless ups and endless downs. Your best day on the course could be tomorrow, or it may turn into your worst – you just never know.
So for any new players feeling frustration it is easy to wonder when your swing will turn around, or when your game will improve. Some of you have yet to hit the ball in a straight line, never mind trying to keep par. So what is the secret to winning golf?
The Key: Short Game Practice & Consistency
Those that play the game long enough are the individuals that come to love golf for what it is: a journey. Eventually you will have no choice but to enjoy the ride. It is as simple as that. You will discover never before seen nuances of the sport as you show up each day to the course.
Forget about reading the latest trick or technique in a magazine, and then making it happen on the course - because nine times out to ten your best lessons will be learned the hard way – through practice, practice and more practice.
There is an old saying in business that “repetition breeds success”. This does not just go for the business world. It ties into everything you do in life, especially when it comes to golf. Players who want to improve are really just seeking some consistency in their golf game. There is nothing worse than swinging a club and not having the foggiest idea of where it will end up.
The short game is a complex world. Precision is everything and technique is what will get you there. Lucky for you, however, the short game can see improvements almost immediately – significant improvements at that.
What Are The Steps Needed To Best Approach The Short Game?
Fortunately, there is an endless array of golf instruction, lessons, and tips to get anyone who is interested in golf, or is having trouble, to making quick improvements on the course.
Essentially it boils down to this:
1) Study the various short game shots. Approaching the short game from an athletic standpoint means practicing your pitch shots, chip shots, bunker shots, flop shots, and of course, putting shots.
2) Make practice a priority. New players should be spending more time on the practice greens than on the actual golf course. Let’s also not forget to put down the driver. Hitting balls as hard and as fast as you can will not help increase your score in the long run.
3) Develop the proper mindset. In the beginning of this article we said that golf is a journey, not a destination. This means keeping the attitude of positiveness throughout your experiences, even when things are not going your way. And in golf there is one guarantee you can count on: things will most certainly not go your way, which is what makes this sport so much fun!