The Fastest Ways to Improve Your Golfing Skills

Playing golf is a great way to relax and spend time with friends, family, and business colleagues, and more people are getting interested in playing it, writes Rachel Connolly. The problem is that, due to the complexity of the game and all the variables involved, it is very hard to improve your games.

After a while, you’ll reach a plateau and improve very slowly due to extensive practice. If you have a competitive spirit, however, small improvements don’t exactly sound appealing.

That’s why this article will give you tips and tricks you can use immediately to up your game and impress others...

#1 - Conserve your energy while playing

It’s important to learn your limits and not over-exhaust yourself while playing. Especially since golf requires great accuracy and focus, getting excessively tired will make you lose the game quickly. Since a typical game lasts for 4 hours, staying in top condition isn’t exactly easy:

> Make sure you’re comfortable during the game: don’t wear clothes that limit your movement too much, don’t wear shoes that make it more difficult for you to walk, and don’t let the weather annoy you (by either wearing a cap, applying sunscreen, or both).

> If you aren’t using a golf cart, getting around the golf course can be especially draining, and you should plan ahead by either not packing up a lot of stuff or by buying an easily movable pushcart. You can usually find a good one by reading golf push cart reviews online. 

> You’re more than likely going to get thirsty and hungry during the course of the game, it doesn’t hurt to have cold water and some snacks to help you regain your energy along the way.

#2 - Don’t be afraid of testing different golf clubs

Once a person gets used to a set of golf clubs, he’s often reluctant to try new clubs for the fear of losing accuracy and becoming a worse player. While it is true that you need some time to get used to golf clubs, and if you recklessly change clubs, it’s likely your game will suffer, but this shouldn’t mean that you absolutely shouldn’t consider new clubs.

As you play more and more, your control and concentration increase, and you’ll have more fine-grained control over your muscles to send the ball wherever you want. That’s not to mention it is possible that there’s a change in your muscle mass for various reasons. These necessitate that once in a while you should try your hand at some new clubs to see if anything has changed. If you find a better club, it is possible you’ll see great improvements in a very short amount of time.

#3 - Be mindful of your stance

Your stance when you swing the club has major effects on your accuracy and, consequently, results. By just being more mindful of your stance, you can improve your game:

Start with the alignment

While most golf players know some basics about aligning themselves to squarely face the ball, there are still some common mistakes they make:

> Remember your shoulders, knees, and hips should be in-line or parallel to your feet. If it is possible, you should practice with a friend to keep you in position until you’re comfortable with the stance.

> Position yourself in such a way that the club comes down squarely on the ball - not in an open or closed angle. This is vital for an accurate shot.

Stance

It’s hard to have a perfect stance, and you need a lot of practice before you find a position that works best for you, but there are some general guidelines you should follow:

> Widen your stance - you should have a stance wider by 2 feet than your shoulders. This gives you greater control over the swing.

> Slightly flex your knees, but don’t bend them all the way.

> Keep your centre - don’t push your weight on one foot more than the other.

> Keep your back straight and your posture fixed.

#4 - Join learning courses if all else fails

If you’re really desperate to get better quickly, paying for a course isn’t a bad investment. Especially considering how much of learning golf requires physical guidance from someone, books and articles might not be the best form to learn golf through.

A good golf teacher needs to have the following characteristics:

> They will have extensive experience playing the game.

> They have a good eye for posture and slowly help you perfect yours through constructive criticism.

> They can pinpoint your weaknesses quickly and help you focus on them.

> They should command a vast knowledge on the game, the equipment, and help you slowly learn about all the various techniques and club types.