Six tricks to becoming a better golfer

Golf is such a wonderful game and completing 18 holes has so many great benefits for health and happiness. Golf is a fantastic exercise, enables players to spend time in nature, and is a great way to hang out with friends. Even though golf is so fun, it is also among the most difficult of all sports to play. Even the best players in the world are constantly looking for ways to improve their game and iron out any mistakes in their swing or stance. Every golf fanatic has a tip they just heard in the clubhouse which they are eager to share and so it can be hard to know which will have legitimate benefits and which won’t.

To separate the facts from the fiction, here are 6 tricks to become a better golf player.

1. Adjust Your Grip Until it is Totally Comfortable

The golf grip is the vital connection between your body, your club, and your ball, and so finding a grip with which you are totally comfortable is very important. One of the biggest problems that many beginner golfers have is their shots not going straight, and this is usually due to an incorrect grip. Make sure your palms, fingers, and thumbs are all in the right position and that you are holding the club at the right angle. Never rush your grip. Every time you hold a club, go through every step of forming your grip one by one and your accuracy will dramatically improve.

2. Buy Clubs that Suit Your Game

The second thing you need to do to improve your play is to buy clubs that actually suit your game. Many players, both beginners and more experienced players make the mistake of just buying the most expensive clubs or the brand which their favorite players use. You need to try out every kind of club, from Titleist Drivers to Ben Hogan Edge Irons to see which clubs feel best to you. The most important thing you need to check is the weight of the clubs. If a club is too light or too heavy it can negatively impact your balance, swing, and final shot. Borrow clubs from friends to try them out and test which provide you with the most control and power potential. You may find your club needs to change as you progress and develop as a player so never stop being curious when it comes to golf clubs.

3. Make Sure your Stance is Perfectly Balanced

Alongside the grip, a golfer’s stance is a critical part of an effective golf swing, and the perfect stance all comes down to balance. If you have secure foundations, you will then be able to perform a smooth swing, a clean connection with the ball, and a powerful and accurate shot. Even a slight imbalance can throw you off as the imbalance will pass through your body and arms into your club. As with your grip, go through each stage of your stance systematically before committing to your swing.

4. Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Despite all the tips and tricks out there (notwithstanding these ones, of course) golf is actually very simple. If you make clean contact with the ball on each shot, you are going to get a good score. Where this simplicity falls down, is that consistently hitting the ball cleanly is far from easy. The most important thing is to make sure you are hitting the ball dead center on the head of the club. If the contact is off to one side, the ball will almost certainly travel off center. While you won’t be able to see exactly where on the club head you are striking the ball, you can work it out based on the flight of the ball. If you are constantly slicing your shots, you need to tighten up your swing. If the ball goes off to random sides on every stroke, you need to spend more time lining up the shot, reduce the power a bit in favor of more control, and make sure your stance is firm.

5. Make a Video of Your Swing

One pro trick for checking everything from your stance to your contact is to video your swing in its entirety. You don’t need anything fancy to do this, just the video camera on your smartphone is sufficient. You will then be able to look at every minute stage of your swing frame to frame. It can be hard to know exactly where you are going wrong when you are the one making a shot. By watching a video of yourself back, you will be able to identify mistakes and then drill them out through practice.

6. Practice All the Time

Speaking of practice, last but not least, the single best way to become a better golf player is to practice all the time. At its simplest, this means just getting a round in as often as you can. The more golf you play, the better you are going to get. From NBA basketballers to PGA Tour golfers, professional sportsmen put in hours of practice every day. As well as playing 18 holes regularly, you should dedicate time to focusing on specific aspects of your game where you are weakest. Set aside some time every practice session to just work on your short game, set up a chipping net in your garden, and hit the driving range once or twice a week. By working on each element one by one, when you bring it all together on the course the next time you play a full round, the difference will be enormous.

Becoming a better golfer takes a lot of practice and hard work and dedication, but most importantly, you need to recognize your weaknesses and work on them every day. Making sure you use the right clubs and that you have a firm grip and a balanced stance will ensure that you have the right foundations for your swing. Never rush a shot, keep your eye on the ball, and hit the links as often as you can. Try out these tricks and you will be knocking shots off your handicap in no time.