How to Shoot Lower Scores

The goal of every golfer at every level is to improve. This is usually defined as a lower score. At first you want to break 100, then 90, then 80 and so on. If you get to the PGA tour you want to win an event, then a major, then more majors. Even Tiger Woods talks about changing his swing and working on shots to keep getting better. Everyone has a different place where they get stuck trying to improve. Here we will talk about strategies to help you shoot lower scores at any level.

Short Game

Shooting lower scores is very much based on your short game proficiency. This includes chipping and putting. Your chipping needs to be good enough that you give yourself tap-ins once or twice a round. The other chips or shots around the green need to leave you within reasonable one putt distance. Whenever, you are faced with a shot around the green make certain that your next shot is a putt.If you are buried in a bunker just get it on the green and give yourself a putt. You don't need to hit the hero shot. Playing shots that you know you can hit are the surest way to shoot lower scores. Groove your putting stroke so that you know where the ball is going to start. One of the best putting drills is to use 6 balls. Find a flat straight putt on your practice green. Place the first ball right on the lip of the cup, the next one is a foot behind that and so on so that the last ball is about 6 feet from the cup. Then start stroking each ball into the cup. The first few putts should be easy because the balls are so close to the hole. This will breed the confidence that the ball is going to go in the cup. Also, as you move back you realize that the next putt is just one foot longer. All you have to do is roll the ball straight for 12 inches. By the time you get to 6 feet this will seem like a simple putt. A solid repeating putting stroke is the surest way to shoot lower scores. The goal is to average less than 30 putts per round. This will absolutely help you shoot lower scores.

Long Game

Thinking about swing mechanics never leads to lower scores. When you are really trying to play for a best score you have to focus on scoring and not mechanics. This is where the expression "paralysis by analysis" comes from. So trust yourself and your swing.Don't go chasing a bunch of different swing theories and methods. Stick with what you've got. Hopefully, you have a certain shot that you play most of the time. You may always hit the ball left to right or right to left. Play your bread and butter shot as often as you can. This will make the game easier and is another sure fire way to shoot lower scores. If you can play a fade on a dogleg left, then do it. Work on your tempo and rhythm. Watch the pros. They always seem to swing the same way. Some swing fast and hard others are smoother and slow. Whatever your tendency is make sure you stay with it. Try to play all tee -to- green shots with the same rhythm. This will keep you from thinking about mechanics and focus more on getting the ball from point A to point B which is what shooting lower scores is all about. Finally if you want to have lower scores then play more golf! This is going to be counter to what many instructors tell you. They want you to practice, practice, and practice. While practice certainly has its place it does not necessarily lead to shooting lower scores. You have to get out and play more because on the course is where you really learn to shoot lower scores. Just make certain you keep track of your rounds and what you are doing. It's important that you know what you need to do to post lower scores.

Many golfers get stuck and frustrated at a certain scoring level. They can't seem to break through to the next level.

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The Art of Putting

"The man who can putt can play anybody." Tom Sayers

This shows the importance of putting to the game of golf.

Golfing success demands the composite of a great player and a great putter.

Putting on the green is an art in itself. Putting is an art to be cultivated and acquired through your own individuality or personality. These personal traits may include the power of your imagination, the finesse of your touch, and the accuracy of your judgment. Of course, all these qualities may seem too abstract to most golfers, but, after all, golf is an intellectual and mental game, isn't it?

A good putter requires excellence in accuracy and strength, and, above all, an abounding confidence to pull it through during the last few moments of the game.

The art of putting requires four basic elements in a putter.

First of all, a good putter must have the capability to assess the green. A good putter must have the vivid imagination and sharp eyesight requisite in a good survey of the green to predetermine the amount of break on side-hill putts, thereby instrumental in determining the "line" of the putt. A good putter must be able to analyze the unique characteristics of a green, such as the speed of the green - fast, hard, slow or soft, and to determine the contour of the green - sloping one way or the other. An acute awareness of the particular characteristics of the green may help you decide on the strategy before you even step on the first tee.

Second, a good putter must be able to gauge the distance consistently, especially on long putts. Your accurate judgment may help you strike a "specialized" stroke.

Third, a good putter must be able to control the stroke and the placement of the ball. A good putter must putt the ball consistently and confidently, such that the ball is put within an inch or two of the targeted spot. Such confidence is often reflected in the positive attitude, the targeted concentration, and relaxed mentality of the putter.

A good artist relies on his or her tools, and this is also true of a good putter, who needs to experiment different equipment before "feeling good" on one that will inspire confidence in delivering the perfect putt.

Fourth, a good putter must know how to choose his or her equipment. The art of choosing the right size of the equipment depends on the physique, height, and arm length of the individual; while the choice of the weight of the equipment is contingent on the individual's preference for power deliverance or delicacy of touch. A heavier equipment may give you more power at the expense of being more difficult to exercise control on a slick green. You must learn the art of arriving at a compromise between power and touch in your choice of your equipment, such that your equipment may become an asset, not a liability, in your putting.

Putting green is an art because there are no hard and fast rules regarding how one should deliver the perfect putt. Putting is an art because it is a reflection of the philosophy of the putter. As such, most golfers have come to believe that "putters are born, not made." No matter what, putting is an art that can be improved on simply by changing the way you think about putting.

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Copyright (c) 2008 Stephen Lau