1. DO NOT KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN
I can see all the bemused faces already from what is written above.  This is the single most common piece of advice I hear from amateur golfers and probably one of the most detrimental too.  The golf swing is an extremely powerful movement that encompasses the entire body – a 6 dimension lateral and rotational motion in an effort to produce maximum clubbed speed, so to think of keeping anything still is quite simply dangerous.  I promise you, you didn’t top the ball because you lifted your head – if only it were that simple!

2. AIMING IS OVERRATED
I so often see golfers who hit a wayward shot instantly look at where their feet are pointed by laying a club down along their toe line assuming that their aim was something to do with the direction of the shot.  The ball goes where the club face aims.  I can aim my body 40 degrees left and hit the ball 40 degrees right if my club face is open.  Just remember this little riddle for the direction of your ball flight, “The face sends it and the path bends it”.  This simply means the starting direction of your shot is due to where your club face is pointed at impact and the curve on the ball is due to the direction your club swings.

3. KEEP YOUR GROOVES CLEAN
We all want to see a high towering wedge shot land and stop on the green and to do so we need an element of backspin.  The grooves on your clubs are designed to disperse debris like grass and water so the ball can grip on the face and spin.  Just like tyres on a car, if you have no tread on your trees they will slide.  A sliding ball does not spin.  Clean grooves can influence your chance of backspin by 50%.  Heres a little cheat, but perfectly legal – once you’ve played from a bunker do not clean the sand off.  It increases friction on the ball and can create more spin when using it from the grass on other shots!

4. DRIVE FOR DOE
The old saying of drive for show putt for doe isn’t quite what it seems.  It may be in the professional game as the modern day professional is hitting the ball well over 300 yards on average meaning so long as the ball isn’t lost, the next shot is so short that coming out of the rough isn’t an issue (unless you’re an American Ryder Cup player in Paris).  As an 18 handicapper you increase your chance of playing a hole to your handicap by 50% if you can keep your ball in the fairway or first cut.  Higher handicappers struggle more in the rough than lower handicappers due to lack of technique so getting your ball in the fairway off the tee is worth more than you may think.

5. YOU DON’T HIT IT AS FAR AS YOU THINK (Sorry!)
How many times do you hit a good looking shot towards the green and it flyers over the top of the flag and goes too long?? Think about the last time that happened and now think how many times you approach the green and land short.  Theres a very good reason why golf course designers don’t put bunkers or hazards at the back of the green – because 99% of golfers come up short.  When measuring your distance to the green, add on 5 yards…….. 5 yards past the hole gives you a putt, 5 yards short could be the difference between being in a bunker or not.

6. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR LIE
How your ball is laying should be the first thing to consider when deciding what club to use, not just the distance or trajectory you require.  If your ball is sitting down poorly you can’t hit that 3 wood of the deck or lob your sand wedge over that bunker.  Check your lie to manage your expectations of the shot!

7. CHOOSE YOUR BALL AND STICK TO IT
Whether you play a Pro V1 golf ball for £4 a time or a 50p lake ball, please please please use the same ball each time before you complain about consistency.  If you took two different golf balls and putted them towards a hole with the exact same club speed I promise you they would travel different distances.  This is due to their make up and how hard or soft the cover is.  How can you know what to expect from your ball (when putting mainly) and gain consistency with distance control when you don’t have the same ball each time?

8. HAVE A PRE SHOT ROUTINE AND STICK TO IT
Research shows that one of the best ways to combat nerves on the golf course or worries over a particular tee shot is to make sure that every shot you play is approached in the same manner with the same routine that precedes the shot.  It keeps you in a good mental state and helps you relax.  We are all guilty of either rushing to get it ‘over with’ or over thinking the shot completely.  A routine could be something as simple as:
1. Practice swing (s)
2. Visualise the shot you want to play
3. Pick your aim point
4. Hit the shot

9. BLOCK PRACTICE FOR TECHNIQUE – RANDOM FOR PERFORMANCE
“I can do it on the range but I can’t do it on the course” how often do I hear that??  Ok but can you actually do it on the range if I give you one ball and one chance to do it with at least 5 minutes between the time you hit your last ball and then told you that your handicap would go up if you didn’t hit the intended shot? I would suggest not – the reason why, because there is a consequence attached to the outcome.

Block practice is where we hit lots of balls with the same club, good for grooving in a swing change but its not actually how we play golf.  If you want to transfer your golf from the range to the course then you need random practice.  Random or varied practice is where we hit one shot with a club and then change the club and shot for the next ball.  Imagine you are playing a golf hole, hit a driver, then hit a 7 iron then maybe a PW.  Do that again and again with a couple of minutes break in between shots.  When you can do that 18 times in a row then you will see a carry over onto the golf course.  Its not always about what we practice but how we practice!

10. TAKE A LESSON (or 10!)
If I knew what I know now, 20 years ago as a young junior golfer theres, no doubt my game would be at a different level than it is currently.  I would say that truly understanding your swing will change the way you play the game of golf. With so many poor misconceptions flying around the golf course its about being educated and understand what you actually are trying do to – not what you think is right that is probably wrong!  Come and see me for a lesson and I promise you’ll look at your swing in a whole new light with a full understanding of how to improve!