Let us know what you think about the site, we would love to hear from you:

Login Here

   Sign Up Now »
Email Address
Password
Keep Me Logged In
Forgot Password?
You are currently logged into Facebook. You can use your facebook account to login or signup
Login/Sign Up

Sign Up Now

   Login Here »
Email Address
Password
Confirm Password
Username
Phone Number
Captcha Image
By signing up you agree to our Terms Of Use
You are currently logged into Facebook. You can use your facebook account to login or signup
Login/Sign Up

Forgot Password

Email Address

Clever Strategies To Help You Win Golf More Often

Jan 15, 2015 5:34 PM
There is a side of golf that is all too frequently overlooked in our sometimes frantic efforts to master the swing.

This is the mental or thinking side of the game.

Happily this is not nearly so difficult to master as the rest.

Basically the thinking side of the game is the exercise of common sense by which we give ourselves the best possible chance on every shot we undertake adapting ourselves to the elements of wind weather and terrain using our clubs to their fullest capabilities.

We plan how we are going to play each shot how we are going to position ourselves and our ball to play each hole.

Before we go into the specifics of thinking there are two things we can all do. We can learn both the rules and the etiquette of golf. The rules are many and they are sometimes peculiar but the etiquette is simple. It is merely the application of the golden rule to golf: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The playing of a round of golf is a long succession of decisions on what to do followed by the physical action of carrying them out. The physical action may be good but may fall short of success if the decision is wrong.

For instance having hit a fine drive you decide the 8 iron will carry the trap and put your ball on the green. You hit the iron perfectly and drop the ball into the trap. The execution was faultless but the decision was wrong. You should have used your 7.

The selection of clubs though is only one area of the thinking department.

A larger area is the planning of a shot to avoid trouble. This is in a sense a negative or defensive type of thinking but it is extremely important. There are players who glory in playing everything boldly in taking all manner of chances and in scorning caution in themselves or anyone else. But when you stop to think of it what chance does the poor player or the average player or even the pretty good player have of beating the golf course? He is one poorly to moderately well equipped individual pitted against more than six thousand yards of rolling country studded with both natural and man-made hazards. For him to think he can beat this enemy is asinine. The course has all the advantages.

The only sane attitude for any ordinary player to adopt is the defensive one charting his way around or over the lurking dangers (thumbing his nose at them as he goes perhaps) but at all costs avoiding them.

The besetting sin the fatal flaw if you will in the poor or average golfer is attempting too much. He gambles on a decision born of sheer hope that he will make a great shot from a poor position when the odds are heavy that he would not make nearly as good a shot from a perfect position. He takes a 5 iron when he knows he should take a 4 because the others in the foursome are using 5s. He attempts to carry a trap from the tee when he knows in his heart that only a perfect shot which he rarely hits will get him over it. He tries to get distance from the rough when all he should try to do is just get out. In short hope and pride—and apparently a belief in miracles—cause the average player to attempt too much. By trying to beat the course to its knees when he should only be out boxing it the typical player loses strokes.

For the expert the situation is different. For him the bold attack is fine tempered with reasonable good sense. He has the game that can beat the course and he will beat it only if he attacks it.

A perfect example of a top pro attacking a course was Arnold Palmer on the first hole of the last round at Cherry Hills in 1960. Palmer started that last round seven shots behind the leader. He knew that only the boldest of play could close the gap. The first hole was a par 4 slightly down hill measured 346 yards and the green was closely guarded by traps although there was a narrow opening. Palmer let out the shaft as the pros say and drove the green. He got down in two putts for a birdie 3 was off to a fast start and as it turned out a victorious round. Palmer has the powerful game to beat any course. He kept attacking Cherry Hills subdued it with a 65 and won the Open.

The more talented or expert a player is the more likely he is to carry out his plans. He has the ability to make the ball do most of the time what he wants it to do within varying limits. The poorer player does not have this fine control of the ball and he does not hit it so far but he should plan every shot and every hole. He will not be able to carry out his plans as often as the good player but when he does they will save him strokes and obviously the poorer player should overlook no opportunity whatever to reduce his shots.


Basic Golf Tips Articles
Can A Golfer Do Without Golf Fitness And Exercise Can Well Maintained Greens Lower Your Scores Correcting Your Golf Grip To Improve Your Game Are Golf Lessons Worth The Price Why A Modern Golf Training System Is So Effective Are Golf Shoes Really Necessary Why A Golf Stretching DVD Is Not The Answer To A Better Golf Swing Celebrities Get Hooked On Golf 4 Essential Elements to Learn How to Play Golf Why, oh why, is the Golf Swing SO hard?! Change Your Life With Some Great New Golf Tips Dealing With Down Slopes Tips to Improve Your Golf Swing Which Golf Tips Should You Listen To? Clever Strategies To Help You Win Golf More Often Where To Play Golf In Europe's Winter Developing A Good Draw Golf Shot Clever Golfing Hints Clicgear 3.0 Push Cart Easy Way to Play Golf Clone Golf Clubs � Your Best Friend Where Is The Top Of Your Golf Swing? Children Learning To Play Golf Developing Your Own Golf Style Diagnosing and Fixing a Golf Swing Slice When Everything Else Fails! 30 Great Reasons to Play PEI Golf Children Learning To Play Golf Better Golf Solutions Start With One Simple Approach Clone Golf Clubs Your Best Friend Zen And The Art Of Playing Golf Your Golf Stroke | Laser Guided Precision! Your Golf Score is determined by Feel Keys For Your Success In Playing Golf. Your Best Golf Swing Can Really Happen As Players We Need To Understand That We Must Control The Three Parts Of The Golf Club In Order To Strike Quality Golf Shots. Common Injuries From Playing Golf. 7 Tips To Improve Your Golf Business Lessons You Can Learn From Business Golf Do Golf Lessons Really Help Do The Right Thing Give Him A Golf Travel Package Do You Dream Of A Golf Swing With Power Avoiding the Golf Traps Do You Fear A Golf Weight Training Program Components Of A Golf Exercise Program A Wedding Theme Centered Around Golf Back Pain Tips For Golfers Do You Know All Of The Best Golf Tips Conditioning For Golf Produces A Powerful Golf Swing 9 Tips for playing well under pressure. Why Tiger Woods' Golf Swing Technique Is So Effective Why The Golfing Game Has Changed Tremendously In Recent Years Why Talking A Golf Training System Isn't Always The Answer Part 1 Basic Golf Lingo Explained Core Exercise For Golf Will Improve Your Driving Distance The Quickest Why Talking A Golf Training Program Isn't Always The Answer Part 2 Core Flexibility Training Improves Golf Swing Power And Distance Why multilayer golf balls spin less off the tee and more around the greens? Core Golf Strength Will Improve Your Game Why Is Your Golf Game Not Where You Want It To Be? A Few Golf Tips From Tiger Woods Core Golf Workout For A Power Golf Swing Before Purchasing A Gift For A GolferAsk Yourself These 3 Questions Core Training For Golfers Why Golf Tips Work Better For The Woman Golfer Correcting a Golf Slice Why Golf Swing Training Aids Have Not Worked For You Can A Golf Swing Video Change your Game Why Exercise Is Crucial In Achieving The Correct Golf Swing Can A Golf Tip Online Help Your Game Why Does Tiger, Phil And Vijay Have Obscene Power? Why Do You �Not Benefit' From Coaching Golf Tips Benefits of A Golf Fitness Stretch Trainer Why Do Injuries Occur In Golf? Benefits Of Golf Why An Early Break Is So Important In Golf