Month: December 2013 | Shooting 90

Have You Abandoned Your Driver?

The driver has to be the most interesting club in a high handicap golfer’s bag. Possibly only the putter can bring as much joy and sorrow to one’s game. It’s a big thrill to smash a long drive down the middle of the fairway. On the other hand, there is no worse feeling in golf than slicing your drive fifty yards out of bounds. Continually struggling to put your tee shots in play with your driver leads to total frustration. Your tee shot sets the tone for the whole hole. It’s nearly impossible to improve your golf game when you’re not finding the fairway and scrambling to post a decent score hole after hole.

Many high handicap golfers do not know how to fix a slice. They consistently hit a slice with their driver. Instead of fixing their slice on the practice range, they attempt to play around their slice but it keeps getting in the way. Missed fairways and lost distance begin to suck the enjoyment from the game.

This leads some golfers to quit using their driver all together. They hit fairway metals, hybrids, or even irons off the tee to increase the number of fairways they hit in regulation. This keeps them in the hole longer and gives them a chance to score better than if they used their driver. Actually, it’s probably the best choice if you are really struggling with your driver. Leave it in the bag for your round or don’t even bring it to the course. Keeping the ball in front of you, in play, will bring you more enjoyment from the game and much less frustration.

So if you’re not connecting with your driver, it may be best not to use it on the course but you should not abandon your driver all together. You should be working hard to learn how to hit your driver on the practice range. There are ten to twelve holes a round where you driver is the correct club to hit off the tee. As a high handicap golfer, you most likely can use all the distance you can get off the tee. Hitting your driver in the fairway puts you in the best position for your approach shot. Shorter approach shots from the fairway will allow you to hit more greens in regulation, which is the secret to scoring lower in golf.

Learn how to hit your driver. If you need to know how to fix a slice, see our 3 part How to Fix a Slice series – The Grip, Rotate Your Body, and Create an In to Out Swing.

The Real Best Golf Balls for Beginners

In the past posts Best Golf Balls for Beginners and Choosing the Right Golf Ball, we’ve talked about matching your golf game to the correct ball. By playing a two-piece golf ball, you’ll save money as the cost is only around one dollar per ball. You also gain distance and reduce ball spin off the tee which will help minimize your slice or hook.

However, the golf ball you play does relatively little by itself to improve your game. By comparison, the irons you play have a much greater impact on your game. For example, high handicap and beginner golfers should be play super game-improvement irons. Super game-improvement irons will give a golfer much more forgiveness than a golf ball ever could.

A golf ball does very little to mask major swing flaws. High handicap and beginner golfers should choose a two-piece ball brand and play it consistently, taking advantage of its cost, distance, and reduced spin.

So what are the real best golf balls for beginners? Of course the answer is the practice ball. The quickest way to improving your game is through practice, not equipment. Regular time at the practice range is vital for becoming a better golfer. It is important to not use your practice time to just whack ball after ball. Your time is too important and limited to waste practicing in a non-optimal way.

Too many golfers head to the practice range and hit ball after ball with their driver. While it is very necessary to learn how to hit your driver, you should split your practice time between full swing, short game, and putting. Spend one third of your practice time in each area. Addressing each area of your game in practice is required to improve your overall game.

Do long winters prohibit you from visiting your local course’s practice range for months at a time? Visit a local indoor golf facility and spend regular time on one of their simulators. The instant feedback you receive on club head speed, ball spin, ball flight path and more puts you on the fast path to improving your swing.

By Shooting 90

By Shooting 90