I've always been slightly intrigued by the concept of lowering my scores without touching my swing. And it's not because I think that my swing is perfect, it’s because I know a lot of my golf is going on in my head.
I'm really into the book The Four Foundations of Golf, Golf is Not a Game of Perfect. I listen to mindset apps like Golf Guru and all of their strategies don't involve touching your swing. But it does and should help you to lower your scores and the key thing behind these things is course management strategy, mindset and damage limitation.
For a mere amateur like me who's trying to cut their handicap. What would it look like to play with a golfing pro and to get some top tips on how to lower my score? We're not talking about generic advice. We're talking about someone who's watching me up close and firsthand.
Now what I will say about the day I went out with the pro, I had a complete meltdown. We're talking a walk only for a couple of holes. Lately, my golf has just been so on the down that I've felt quite discouraged by it and I guess I was a bit embarrassed that we’d gone out to do this and I was playing so badly!
I know these things happen in the game, but it seems to happen a bit too regularly, I’m trying to just enjoy it, but I do find it hard to relax when things are going so far away from my plans. Which I exactly why I needed to do this!
So here without further ado, are the top five tips as given to me by golf playing pro Gyu Lee on how I could make my game better.
Alignment
Me: I can’t believe I’m still struggling with this, but I’ve gone quite deep into playing into my miss which has left me aligning for it, always missing and I’m going to try and make sure I play for where I’m trying to go. Not where I’m not trying to go.
Gyu: Pick a spot in front of the ball and line your clubface to that target, then your feet and shoulders parallel to the alignment of the clubface.
Putting
Me: Decel, it’s one of my issues when I don’t feel confident. I look where the ball is going and decel, a killer combination that only ever ends badly.
Gyu: Too eager to look at where the ball is going during putting causes to pull and decel through impact. Watch the ball leave the putter face then hear the ball drop.
Mentality
Me: I can spiral and I struggle to move past the last shot and give everything to the next one. If I swung too fast, I’ll swing too slow and I need to try and wipe the slate clean before the next shot.
Gyu: The next shot is more important than the last, so keep cool and don't live in the past. Accept you’re going to hit bad shots and stay focused and committed on the next shot.
Course Management
Me: Sometimes I go for the hero shot that is way above my golf pay grade when I’m in a pickle. I need to try and play it safe to minimise the the risk, as then it’s a blob as I compound issues.
Gyu: If you find trouble, the next shot should be played so that you're clear of all obstacles to give you the best chance to minimise damage on the scorecard.
Visualisation
Me: I’m guilty of living in the past, thinking about the terrible spot I landed in last time and I need to focus on what I want to happen.
Gyu: When you stand over the ball always know what outcome you want to achieve, whether laying up short of the hazard or chipping out of the trees, or just hitting a full shot so you can stay 100% committed to that shot.
The main thread through all of this for me is that I have gotten into a pretty negative mindset because things haven’t gone well. It’s causing me to rush and not think. It’s meaning I get myself into more and more trouble and then I tend to beat myself up a bit.
I will be trying these tips and hopefully gain a little bit of confidence to get me back on track and improving!
