About Junior Golf

Couple days ago, I sent you 1/2 of the most common golf
mistakes amateurs make.

(I was off to butcher my final round of a golf tournament, so I
didn’t have the time to complete the email on Sunday.)

Without much ado… here are the final 5 mistakes!

(6) Trying for too much out of trouble

When was the last time you thought you could make it through a
group of trees (or over, or under, or around) after a poorly placed tee
shot? You probably knew it was unlikely… but “what the hell, I’m gonna
do it anyway!”

I’d be willing to bet you hit your shot right into trouble,
only to take your next shot from under a different tree!

… yeah, it’s hard to shoot it sideways back into the fairway …
but try it for a round and see what happens to your score!

(7) Trying shots you have never practiced

Seriously… Phil can get away with the flop. Can you?

(Here’s a hint: Phil has practiced his flop shot for thousands of
hours. Have you?)

(8) Panicking in the sand

Please, practice it first! (Or, warn me to move from the other
side of the green so I don’t have to dodge your bladed ball.)

(9) Misreading turf and lie conditions

This one relates closely to #1
(http://clubhouse.swingbyswing.com/blog/10-most-common-golf-mistakes-part-1/)
in that, it’s easy to mis-judge the club you need when your ball
is laying poorly.

Another easy way to screw up your shot is to fail to take into
account an up-hill or down-hill lie.

(10) Consistently under-reading the break on the greens

This is one that caught me off guard.

But, when I was playing in my tourney last weekend, I noticed
just how true it is.

Consistently, when amateurs took a putt with any significant
break, the ball would slide beneath the hole.

I made an effort to avoid this particular pitfall, and my putting was
the only thing decent about the tourney…

That’s it for the 10 Most Common Golf Mistakes!

Take these factors into account during your next round, and you
can’t help but score better! In fact, if you concentrate on just
2 or 3 of these mistakes, you can significantly improve your
score.

Now go make some birdies!

Technorati Tags: 10 Common Mistakes in Golf

Do you make these mistakes when on the course?

(1) Underclubbing

Amateurs routinely underclub. Sure, you might be able to hit that 9 iron 140 yards… when you swing as hard as you can (see mistake #2), from a perfect lie (see #9), when you hit it right in the sweet spot.

Take out a little more club and swing at 85%. It could do wonders for your score…

(2) Swinging too hard

We are constantly searching for the perfect shot. You know, the one that takes off low and rises as it goes, dropping perfectly into place…

Well, it doesn’t happen often!

By trying to swing at 85% most of the time, you’ll make more consistent impact on the ball and find your shots becoming more consistent.

(3) Automatically shooting at the flag

Most times, the flag is not the smartest play… For amateurs, the center of the green is a higher percentage shot. (Because from there, at least you’re putting instead of chipping from an uncertain lie.)

Sometimes, shooting at the green isn’t a good idea at all! (See mistake #4)

(4) Not playing away from trouble

If you’ve never considered playing away from trouble, you could take 10 strokes off your score today.

a) Penalty strokes are costly!

b) Getting short-sided on the green is a low percentage play. (See #5)

c) Hitting a shot from the forest (sometimes between trees, sometimes sideways back into the fairway) is a good way to inflate your score.

Often, it’s easy to play away from OOB and other trouble. Just take out a short club, or hit a safety shot. Sure, it might be an assured way to get a bogey instead of a lucky birdie/par… but it’s also an assured way to get a bogey instead of an unlucky triple/quadruple.

(5) Missing the green on the wrong side of the flag

When you miss the green on the short side of the flag, it’s called getting “short-sided”. This causes you to shoot a “flop” at a short pin, with a green sloping away from you. It’s a low probability shot, with a high degree of difficulty.

Chances are pretty good, when you get short-sided, that you’ll be playing your next shoot from where you should have hit the last shot. That is, the opposite side of the green from the flag…

That’s it for today! Part 2 is coming your way in a day or two.

Technorati Tags: 10 Common Mistakes in Golf

Do you know your personal keys to success? The following questions may be helpful in finding those keys to keeping yourself the same in any environment…

- Do you compete your best when you are calm or excited before the round? What do you do to get yourself to feel this way?

- Where are your thoughts and attention when you are truly focused to hit each shot?

- Where are your thoughts and attention during the time between shots when competing your best?

- Finally, if you successfully manage yourself by putting these thoughts/feelings into action, does the environment really matter?

By placing a high priority on maintaining consistency in thoughts and feelings, consistent actions will follow regardless of the environment. The more an individual works on becoming aware of and creating consistent thoughts and feelings in practice (in a comfortable environment) the more comfortable the individual will become with those thoughts and feelings to use in competition (as the environment and comfort level changes). Continue to evaluate both good rounds and bad. Establish personal keys to staying the same as the various environments of summer golf approach.

More At Home On The Range: Golf Lessons Series

• Can I Control The Outcome of My Shot?
• Will Swinging My Arms Faster Improve My Distance?
• The Feeling of Greatness
• How Should I Hold The Club?
• I Need More Backspin Coach
• “Stop @ the Top”