Monday, September 13, 2010

Golf Swing Tips for the average golfer.

How to get golf swing tips for the average golfer.

That's you, you shoot in the high 40's for nine holes and sometimes into the 50's. When you play eighteen holes you are high 90's or low 100's. It is hard to tell what you will shoot because your scores are very inconsistent.

That's what you dislike most about your game is that you cannot predict your golf score. But that is also what you love about the game is that you cannot predict the outcome of your golf score.

Some days you go out there and everything seems to be just horrible and you will shoot a 51. Then the next time you go out to play, you will shoot a 42 and you have no idea what you did that made you shoot so low.

Over the past year I have been trying to get my game back to better than average scores. I play in two leagues right now after work and we play nine holes. The average golfer shoots about 46 with some of the guys hacking their way to as much as 57 for nine holes.

There are two golfers that shoot about 42 +/- 2 strokes and one who's average is 38. Now I left off last season with a 48 average and this year after the first 5 rounds I average 52. I suck big time!! Well, I made up my mind I was going to get better and hopefully get down to an average of about 42. Right now it appears that is not a realistic goal.

My average may get to 46 or 45 and I may shoot in the low 40's for the last few rounds but I will not average that low. The following is what I am doing to improve.

First off I am trying to play more often. With practice makes perfect. But even though I am playing more often it is not nearly as often as guys I know that score low. They are playing almost twice as much as I am and I am playing twice as much as the average golfer.

I have an advantage. I used to play really well about 15 years ago so I had a grooved swing and have a short cut to getting better. The second thing I have done is to get one of those big head drivers to play longer than the average golfer. That has helped as I can swing slower and still get a good drive, about 240. I have hit drives in the 285 range lately, so I am pleased with this driver.

The third golf swing tip I have done is to slooooooow down my back swing. This gives me control and I can hit the ball better with more consistency. Then the fourth thing I have done is to simplify my golf swing and shorten up my back swing. By doing these last two things, I am more consistent. With being consistent, I can make adjustments. For an example, if I am not hitting the ball far enough then I will grab another club and use it.

Also with consistency, if I am hitting the ball more left or right instead of down the center then I will open pr close the club face to make a difference. Next I take time and line up my shot and see where it goes. If it does not go where I want it then I will make adjustments to my alignment.

Finally, I am concentrating on my short game. Chipping and putting is very important. If I can reduce my putts to 16 or 18 per nine holes, it is a major reduction in my golf score.

What all of this means is you cannot just go out and swing the clubs a few times before you start a round and then play with any chance you will score good. You have to have a plan and do the things necessary to improve. It takes time and money to get to be a better than average golfer.

If you want to see how I have progressed over the season, please go to my blog and you will get a day by day accounting of how I am improving my golf game to score better. You will also get more golf swing tips that will help you play better golf. Good luck and have fun!

1 comment:

  1. I went through the same routine a few years ago and what made the biggest difference in my score was putting and short game.

    Get a practice cup and put it in your living room and hit a few putts a day and it works miracles. All of a sudden, short putts look makeable.

    Good luck!

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