Practical steps to reduce your handicap
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From the Tee
hat resolutions can you make this Let’s come up with some solutions to change year that you might be able to the negatives listed above into positives. If you keep? I’ve never taken a New Year’s can do this, maybe you can become the singleresolution serious enough to keep digit handicap player you would like to be. it for more than a week or so. Sadly, I don’t think Sometimes, there are reasons for legitimate I’ve ever kept one at all. Thankfully, I have said to three-putts, but 99 percent of the time, you myself, “I’m not doing that again,” or “Maybe I shouldn’t be three-putting. Three-putts usually should be doing this every day or more often.” If are a product of a poor first putt. This poor first you’re a New Year’s resolution maker and keeper, putt is usually due to hitting the ball too hard or try to pick a few good ones to keep that pertain too soft. In other words, your speed and touch to your golf game. were not good in your putting. In a 30-foot putt, Making a resolution like, “I’m going to lower a golfer rarely misses by 10 feet to the right or to my handicap to a single digit this year,” sounds the left, but oftentimes, a golfer will miss them great, but you better have a distinct plan. Think 10 feet short or long, putting too much stress on back in your last three rounds of golf. the second putt. In those past three rounds, recall putting Here’s a solution and resolution: Twice a week in the New Year, go to the golf course and on each hole. Count them up. How many greens Dave Jennings putt from hole-to-hole, considering speed only did you three-putt? How many 3- to 5-footers for 36 holes each visit. This really won’t take too did you miss? In those past rounds, recall your trouble holes. Were the long at all. In a few weeks, you will see a great improvement high numbers really due to bad shots or bad decisions? Were on your lag putting. Also, make 20 three-foot putts in a row, using one ball. Should you miss a putt, start over. This little you in a tough spot and chose to try the one-in-a-million drill will help you gain confidence and overcome pressure. shot? More often than not, bad holes or bad shots are caused In those rounds, count how many wedge shots you hit by poor planning or no plan. Bad decisions happen more into the greens. Of those wedge shots, how many did you hit often to golfers with little experience than to those who have close to the hole and then one-putt? been playing for years. If your ball is in such heavy rough In those three rounds, how many bad drives did you that you can barely see it, and your target is 215 yards away hit? Were they made from poor swings, or were you trying over water, do not think that you are going to hit your 3- or to hit a little harder or cut the corner? Were you considering 4-iron solidly enough to get the ball out and carry it to the something that made the shot more stressful than normal? green. That’s just a bad decision. In those past three rounds, how many approach shots Your solution and resolution: Pull out your sandwedge did you hit with your ball coming up a club or two short of the target? Do you know your distances with your irons? Do and lay the ball up into a more manageable position. You you think you are long-drive contest champion at times? Are can recover from a bogey easily. Recovering from triple bogeys and worse is nearly impossible. you mis-hitting your approach shots? The easiest sign of a good player can be seen in how he Anyone can have a bad day. You could have slept poorly hits wedge approach shots. Good players are usually quite the night before your last round, but if you slept poorly the night before each of your last three rounds, you need a sleep talented in getting their balls close to the holes with their wedges because they have practiced these shots at some specialist.
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14 Lake Martin Living
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