Since it’s the middle of winter, it’s the perfect time to improve your golf game before the season begins again in the Spring.
Here are a few tips that you can practice to improve your golf game and lower your handicap:
Establish your feel
Jack Nicklaus is a perfect example to use for this tip because he always made sure he dialed in his feel on shorter shots before he moved into his full swings. Establishing your feel on shots from 15-45 yards is a great way to warm up and get your swing in sync before you move on to your longer clubs. Try this in your next practice session, or before a round.
Work on your tempo
The timing and tempo of your swing is extremely important to your golf game. Great golf is all about repetition, and the tempo of your golf swing is at the heart of it. Working with beats can be an extremely effective way for all golfers to find a rhythm that works for them. For example, to help me with my tempo I always say to myself in my head while I lift my club into my backswing the phrase “Arnold Palmer.” This really helps me stay in a perfect rhythm which has greatly improve my swing.
Practice your putting…the right way
The best part of my golf game is my putting and this part of the game is usually ignored or overlooked, but if you can spend more time on the practice green and become a more effective putter, you’ll be able to shed some strokes off your score. The stats show that most golfers can improve by making more putts inside 10 feet, and eliminating three putts. There are two ways you can do this. The first is by working on your speed control, and the second is learning to square the putter face at impact. Since it’s the winter, it would be a good investment to get one of those putter matts to practice at home.
Routine
Part of being a better golfer is becoming more comfortable on the golf course. If you watch most great players they have a very repeatable routine during their rounds. They walk at the same pace, do the same thing before every shot, and there’s a timing and rhythm to it all. No two players have to have the same routine, but try and find one that works for you.