I don’t know about you folks but 2019 disappeared in a blink! I hope you guys had a great golf year and managed to reach your golfing goals! If you haven’t set any goals for 2020, get too it now. Setting goals avoids complacency and keeps us striving for more enjoyable golf.
Our two Irish women on the LPGA Tour have started their season well down is Australia, Leona finishing in a 4th place and Steph dropping back on the final day to the top 20. They are both gutsy and talented competitors so it is great to see them start 2020 on a high note.
2019 was a busy year work wise for me. I got to collaborate with new people both inside and outside the industry which was both fun and challenging (nerve wrecking)!
In September I delivered a key note speech and delivered a Masterclass at the Networking Summit in Dublin on” Making your Impact Matter”. As a result of this event I was asked to present at the All Ireland Business Foundation Awards at Croke Park. I got to share my experiences of the many synergies between Managing and leading High performing Teams, in Business and Sport.
My overseas coaching trip to La Manga in October with Marian Riordan PGA was a great success, lots of fun and learning! This October we head to La Cala, we have a few places available so if sounds like something you would be interested in, please drop me a mail and I will happily share more details with you.
This spring time I am co-hosting 2 One Day Golf Schools with my PGA colleague Maura Morrin at Palmerstown Golf Club in Kildare on Thur 2nd April and Mon 27th April. We tested this lovely venue in 2019 and we are delighted to return there this spring. If you would like any further details, please don’t hesitate to call or email.
My normal coaching duties at Stepaside Golf Centre and Elmgreen Golf Centre keep me busy so if you need to “spring clean” your game or you just want to play better golf, more consistently, just give me a call. I will also be releasing dates for my 2020 Short Game Bootcamps at Charlesland shortly so look out for those on my website. Please feel free to drop me an email or call me on 087-2586788. Happy to chat and see how I can help!
This month’s blog is on Course Management, 6 ways to improve your scoring!
It just takes some retraining of old habits on course and a new way of thinking but some of these simple strategies should help you see a quick reduction on your scores. Enjoy the blog post and as always, if you have any questions or comments please drop me an email.
6 WAYS TO DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE YOUR SCORING
I often describe course management as almost like a game of chess. I know we regularly hear that a player should be focused on one shot at a time, but……it is important that that one shot is planned and executed as best we can to make the next shot easier.
The usual scenario we see as golf coaches is a missed tee shot and then an attempt to make up for the miss, culminating in another miss! That happens frequently in most golfers rounds and contributes to escalated scores.
Yes, it’s true that golf can be complex and challenging but by improving your on -course strategies, you will become more consistent and have more fun on the course! However, very few golfers invest enough time upskilling themselves in this area. We live in a time pressed environment and spending a half hour at the range seems better than nothing! However, in my humble opinion, we are spending more time practicing our swing than learning how to play the game!
That’s why I introduced several coaching packages to include on-course sessions as part of golfer’s game improvement plan. The most popular of these is my Player Performance Package, click here for more information.
Course management encompasses so many different skills, the ability to assess risk and reward, managing our emotions on the course and dealing with the many changing weather conditions and the golf course architect’s different designs.
So regardless of the challenges you face on the golf course, these 6 tips below should help you make better strategic decisions and ultimately help you reduce your scores!
1. Stop Gambling – I am frequently surprised at players who take unbelievable chances, regardless of obstacles or poor conditions which may dictate otherwise. NEVER EVER should you hit two bad shots in a row, by making poor decisions. I see lots of “hit and hope” shots such as trying to hit a fairway wood through a narrow gap or selecting a 3 wood regardless of how the ball is lying. Just because you see the guys and girls hitting these high tariff shots on the tv, it doesn’t meet you should! Take your medicine and stop gambling. Get back to the fairway asap and move on swiftly.
2. Know your strengths and weaknesses – Identify your favourite club that you can hit into the air just about every time. Fairway woods can be difficult to hit from of the ground, particularly the 3 wood. Chose a 5 or even a 7 wood, they frequently fly straighter and stay in the air longer ensuring you maximize your distance from the fairway. If fairway woods are not your thing, try a hybrid or rescue club.
3. Not hitting enough club on approach shots – This is a real bugbear of mine, virtually all club golfers leave their approach shots short of the green, flag etc.. Most golfers rely on their absolute best shot (estimated distance) instead of their average which doesn’t leave room for a slight miss. Don’t let your ego get in the way, hit whatever club takes out the danger around the front of the green. Know how far your average shot goes with each or your clubs and make you choice based on this, not your perfect strike.
4. Hitting Driver on Every Hole – There is no rule that you have to hit driver on every par 4. It is important to know your strengths and weaknesses and driving can be a key weakness for most club golfers, generally missing the fairway in the right! We all have our holes that we struggle with at our home course. My advice is to change your strategy particularly on the tight holes or the ones where you miss the fairway most frequently. Hit a fairway wood (3 or 5) or even a hybrid from the tee if there is trouble to avoid and see if your scores don’t improve.
4. Hitting Driver on Every Hole – There is no rule that you have to hit driver on every par 4. It is important to know your strengths and weaknesses and driving can be a key weakness for most club golfers, generally missing the fairway in the right! We all have our holes that we struggle with at our home course. My advice is to change your strategy particularly on the tight holes or the ones where you miss the fairway most frequently. Hit a fairway wood (3 or 5) or even a hybrid from the tee if there is trouble to avoid and see if your scores don’t improve.
5. Using Too Much Loft Around the Green – There are times when you must play your lob shots up in the air over water or bunkers. But mostly you will have lots of green between your ball and hole. This is where selecting a lofted club invariably comes up short. The solution is to feel competent to use more than one club for chipping, the actual method is pretty much the same but the results will be different. So, don’t be one-dimensional, learn to use a variety of clubs to meet the challenge at hand. If you remember this old adage, you won’t go too far wrong “Putt if you can, if you can’t putt, then chip and pitch only when you have too”
6. Aiming at every flag – For the club golfer above 15/16 handicap, you will be better served to play to the largest part of the green and take your chances on making 2 putts. You will be amazed at how your scores will decrease by using this strategy. I know it is tempting to aim at the flag but reserve that strategy for your practice rounds or when you are 2 down with two to play in a match play scenario. Have a go then, you have nothing to lose!