Ways to Lower Your Scores in Golf

Know your Swing      In order to have a swing thought you must first know what you want your swing to look like. If your goal is to make better contact with the golf ball, a swing thought can be a great tool for your mind. In order to keep your swing consistent having a thought in your head can be beneficial to hit similar shots every time. Your thoughts can change depending on how well you are striking the ball. If you're struggling with your club path on your down swing, consider feeling like your arms are more connected to your body on your down swing. Everybody has their own feel vs. real thoughts. Personally, the best thought for me is, when I start my down swing, I think about shooting my left hit back. This allows me to shallow the golf club.  See Sports illustrated!  Golf Swing Thoughts - Illustrated Swing Keys | Golf Distillery Check out Rory's Mcllroy's favorite swing thought!  The MOST used swing thought EVER! References Golf Distillery. (n.d.)....

  Ball Placement      Where the ball sits in your stance is crucial to your driver swing. The Driver is the longest club in your bag which means you must have the ball up further in your stance. I'm right-handed so when I step up to the tee, I have the ball positioned just inside my left heel. By doing this I am able to swing the longer club all the way through and make great contact.  Tips to hit it far and straight! How to hit a driver: 5 simple tips for bombing the big stick (golf.com) See Rick Shiels Driver set up! Swing with Power       I big reason why many people struggle with their driver is confidence. Having a poor shot off the tee can result in a trouble on any hole. The driver is the hardest club to hit and there is a lot of pressure that comes with it. One of the best things you can do is to not overthink it. Pick a spot to aim at and say, "I'm hitting it there." Now stand up to the ball and swing with confidence. Your driver swi...

  Stay Down      Kind of like they told us in baseball, you must stay down during your golf swing. If you pull up to soon during your down swing to the ball, then you will most likely thin or even miss the golf ball. Most golfers lift their head to soon because they want to see where the ball is going. Remember to always keep your head down and watch your club head hit the golf ball.  Check out this video on keeping your head down! Hit Tall Then Ground       When we hit the golf ball, we need to remember that the club head needs to hit ball first, then the ground. By doing this we create divots. When we create divots, we are able to hit the golf ball purer! Better looking divots in the ground reflect how well a shot was hit.  See both videos for Rick Shiels swing tips to compress your irons! Remember to keep your head down and hit ball, then ground! References  Eric Cogorno Golf. (2018, June 5).  GOLF: How to keep your head dow...

  More about Short Game       Yesterday we talked about putting and how to improve on the green. Now chipping is also a huge part of your golf game. If you hit a golf shot from 150 yards out and miss the green, then your next shot will be a chip. Chipping allows us to get as close to the hole as possible before having to putt. Chipping can make your putting life easier if you do it correctly.  Weight Distribution       In my opinion the most important thing to keep in mind while chipping is your stance. Your stance should allow slightly more weight on your front so you can swing through the ball coming down. This will allow for clean chips that come out nicely. According to Swing Align. " Keep your feet close together. This makes it easy to turn your body which is important in chipping!" Combining close feet and most of your weight on your front foot will create a recipe for successful chips! Swing Align gives insight to proper  chi...

Setting up       Many people have a poor putting stance and it can cause them to continue to miss putts. Putting is a very detailed part of golf that can be frustrating for some. In order to spend less time on the green you need to learn how to set up to the ball after picking your aiming point.                1. Have a slight bend in your knees               2. Keep head directly over ball               3. Have a grip that you're comfortable with                          Now Putt with confidence   See the is article on putting tips! Best Putting Tips - Golf Putting Practice - Golf Putting (riversedgegolfbend.com) Drills       Ways to improve putting are simply practicing. Putting is something you should work on constantly if you want to become a bett...

  Find Peace        Golf is one of if not the most mental sport out there. It can't be extremely difficult to not overthink every shot you take. One bad swing can ruin a round, even though it shouldn't. According to Golf State of mind, "... he stayed calm and in the present and ready to hit the next shot as best he could." This was an article from when Tiger Woods won the Masters in 2019. The article goes about how Tiger Woods stayed calm throughout his rounds. We must find peace on the course so we can push through when a hole doesn't go our way.    The Power of Tiger Woods Mental Game (golfstateofmind.com) Deep Breaths      Bad stretches on the course are bound to happen, but it's how you respond that matters.  Try to get yourself back in flow. Sometimes the best thing to do while golfing is to not think and just swing the  club. Take some deep breathes to clear your head and stop overthinking an...

Introduction            Hey golfers this is Luke Wheeler, senior golfer at River Bluff High School. I've been playing golf for about 5 years now and I can say it's my favorite hobby. Whether you are someone that plays golf all the time or play it occasionally, golf can sometimes become frustrating when your scores are not what you want. I know that sometimes you go to the course,  and it can feel like you forgot how to swing. When I go through periods like this it's important to take a step back and make sure you don't create bad habits.  Attention to Detail       Take a look at your shots and see where the ball is going. Then you will need to think about what causes the ball the go left, right, or too low. By doing this you can find the problem with your swing. The issue may be a multitude of things or a simple fix. Common mistakes that can poorly affect your swing can be ball placement in your stance, hand eye coordinati...