When you think about how to be a better golfer, your mind probably immediately goes to all the usual big stuff (i.e. expensive options): working with a golf pro, getting customized clubs, and maybe even joining a local club. All of these can certainly help you improve your golf game. But there are some things you can do that won’t cost much money or take up a lot of time, but can have as much impact on your game as the more costly alternatives. Here are 9 suggestions you can implement now.
1. Get A Professional Eye Check-Up
You probably think you still have decades before your eyes go bad. The National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau reports that one in ten people 18 years or older (including people wearing glasses) in the U.S reported a poorer vision in 2016.
Even if you joke about seeing the fairway and ball as a blur make you play better, your game will improve more with routine check-ups. Eye teaming, hand and club coordination, and aiming all need clear vision.
2. Get Custom Fit For Your Putter
Your putter should be fit for you. Unfortunately, it could be the least fit club you’ll find in your bag. Two-thirds of all golfers don’t fit into the 35-inch standard length, according to a Club Champion for Golf Digest study of 100 golfers. 28 percent of golfers need less than 34 inches or more than 35. This means that many golfers are using bad fits.
3. After Every Shot, Hold Your Pose
Always strive to complete your swing in a good finish position. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a drive, bunker shot, a chip, or a putt. Why would this help you on how to improve your golf game? If you’ve got an excellent finish, it means that your speed was right through impact, you had a good rhythm, and your swing was well synced.
4. Practice Hitting Your Worst Ball
Want to learn how to be a better golfer? Want to play golf consistently well, develop mental toughness and develop an all-around game? You should try a drill known as “worst ball”. It’s a simple concept. Starting with your tee shot, hit two balls from every shot position until you hole out. For example, if your first tee shot lands in the fairway and the 2nd one ends up in the rough, play your next 2 shots from the rough position.
Concentrate on every shot and make sure you maintain your pre-shot routine. You’ve really accomplished something if you make par playing your worst ball. It also teaches you how to get good at golf by conditioning you to improve your ability to play trouble shots and handle adversity.
5. Practice Being a Side-arm Pitcher
The correct sequence for swinging the club is usually a struggle for most amateurs. If you pretend to be a side-arm pitcher, you can correct all of them. Forcefully throw a tennis ball side-arm against a wall. Think about how your arm moves back for the throw and how you shift weight to your leg farther from the wall.
While your arm hasn’t yet completed the windup, you’ll notice a shift in your lower body towards the wall. Powerfully hurl the ball forward and turn your chest toward the wall once all your weight has shifted down into your front leg. This is almost the same as what happens when you swing.
You’re training the synchronization you need to drive the ball as you want by practicing throwing side-arm.
6. Walk A Lot More
Walking isn’t just good for your health, it can help improve your game too. When you walk, you’re more in tune with the game. Whether you’ve had a bad or good shot, you can calm down. As you decide what side of the green you want to play to while walking to your ball, you can have a look at the location of the pin.
You can evaluate the reward and risk of a shot over a water hazard. When you’re listening to blaring music in a cart, you will not have the opportunity to do all this because you’re distracted.
7. Stretch Your Hamstrings
Both the dominance of your anterior muscle and a lifestyle of sitting works against your hamstrings. Your golf swing may lead to injuries or keep you off the course if your hamstrings are always tight and short. Ralph Simpson, a fitness adviser at Golf Digest, advises you to stretch your hamstrings before starting every day.
Here’s how to be a better golfer by stretching your hamstrings:
- Lay one leg flat against the ground and extend the other up a door frame as you lie flat on your back in an open doorway. Switch leg positions after holding for a few seconds.
- While you maintain balance on one leg, extend the opposite leg and lean your torso forward until you get your chest almost parallel to the ground. Next, go back to the standing position and do some reps before you switch legs. If you need better balance, hold onto something.
8. Keep Swinging At Home
It isn’t always easy to get yourself to a golf range or golf course, even if the best way to improve golf game is to ensure you practice more. To keep swinging at home, you only need any club you have lying around a small space. You can gain awareness of different positions the club is in while building flexibility and strength.
9. Have A Specific Plan At The Range
There’s no OB or water to ruin your chances of ripping the ball at the range so you can swing with reckless abandon. Unfortunately, you’re building improper muscle memory and forming bad habits that could be detrimental to your game.
Come with a plan the next time you’re working through a bucket, then pick a far-off target. Doing this ensures that you prevent aimless hacking, give your session purpose, and replicate your on-course demands.