It’s no secret that golf is an extremely complicated and multifaceted game. As each sub-discipline requires an entirely different approach for success, it can feel impossible to get each element working together.
For most amateurs this lack of consistency is one of the biggest challenges in golf. While even the highest handicapper in your golfing circle will occasionally hit a fairway-splitting drive – or hole a 30 ft putt – the fact they can’t replicate this shot after shot is what separates them from a scratch golfer.
So that begs the question: how do you become a more consistent golfer? Well, thankfully, the following 5 tips are a great place to start if you want to lower your handicap and play better golf more often.
Step 1: Create a warmup routine
Before you’ve even teed up your first shot, you can lay the groundwork to more consistent golf with a thorough warmup routine. You wouldn’t jump straight out of bed and run a marathon, so why would you swing a driver at full attack without limbering up first?
What constitutes a good warmup depends on which golf coach or professional you ask, but most routines incorporate a variety of stretches such as trunk rotations and side bends with a club behind the back. It’s also a good idea to take a few gentle practice swings starting with PW and working your way up to driver.
By working your muscles and joints in preparation for that first tee shot, you will not only reduce the chance of an injury, but also reap the benefits of greater consistency and power in your swing. As Shot Scope data highlights players who are warmed up play better golf on average.
Step 2: Nail your set up
Many golfers are guilty of becoming obsessed with complicated swing tips, while failing to address one of the most fundamental areas of their shot: the set up.
Whether it’s standing with your legs too close together with the driver (robbing precious balance and consistency) or failing to open the clubface in a bunker, if your set-up is wrong you have immediately reduced the odds of hitting a good shot. This is equally true of golfers who set up correctly for one club but fail to adjust this for subsequent clubs – what works for driver won’t work for a 7 iron!
If consistency is what you desire, start with a good set up. Before striking the ball, take a moment to ensure you’re addressing it correctly for the type of shot you want to hit and the club you have chosen – getting this right gives you every chance of hitting fewer wayward shots.
Step 3: Find the flaws in your game
You might feel like it’s difficult to pinpoint a specific area of your game which is the most inconsistent, but the first step to improvement is identifying exactly where you are going wrong.
Although this can be tricky to do on your own, performance tracking devices such as Shot Scope V3 provide a detailed breakdown of each round and allow you to gauge your areas of weakness over time. Such data can offer an invaluable insight into where you need to spend practice time to improve your consistency.
Step 4: Hit the driving range
Once you’ve identified where your game is lacking, it’s time to invest some time on the range to correct things. Arriving at your bay with a plan is the best way to approach a driving range session. For example, if you struggle with accuracy on your longer irons, focus on hitting balls down a specific 15-yard corridor between two targets and gradually work up to your usual distance.
While it’s tempting to treat the driving range as an opportunity to smash every ball as hard as you can, this is not a particularly productive use of your time and is unlikely to result in any real improvement. After all, it’s not a long drive competition and you’re not Kyle Berkshire!
Step 5: Spend some time on the practice greens
You’ve probably spent at least an hour and hit 100 balls at your local driving range in one session before, but when was the last time you spent even 30 minutes on the practice greens of your local course?
Most practice putting greens are almost criminally under-utilised by amateur golfers – and that’s a shame because the stats highlight that a confident putter is a competent putter.
By spending time on the putting greens performing drills like these, you will be able to better judge the speed of the greens before playing – ultimately holing more putts in the process. What’s more, every putt you hole helps to your boost confidence, which has been shown to dramatically reduce 3 putt percentage thanks to a phenomenon known as the “previous shot effect”.
In conclusion…
The frustrating truth is that there are no easy answers when it comes to improving your golfing consistency.
However – as this article highlights – one of the most important steps you can take to improve your game, is to utilise the power of performance tracking to identify weaknesses and hone your practice sessions.
Did you know that 84% of missed putts over five feet finish short?
Or, that your typical drive is nearly 30 yards shorter than your Sunday best drive? These are just two intriguing statistics thrown up by Shot Scope’s performance tracking data platform.
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