Cougar Sports Zone
34
Golf
Five tips for a better golf game with Head Men’s and Women’s Golf Coach John Utley By neal fandek
n
Photos by l.g. patterson
1) Take a lesson. Before you get a new set of clubs to buy a better game, consider taking a lesson from a local golf professional. Then if you still don’t want to do what he tells you fundamentally, at least he might be able to recommend simple tweaks to your equipment that will help your misses from being quite so bad. And I bet you’ll save money and enjoy the game more. 2) Develop a routine. Everyone has a system or routine to do what they are good at. Hitting good golf shots requires the same. Develop a routine where you visualize the shot you want to hit. Have a process to set up and align yourself correctly, and then use a waggle or tapping movement to release the tension before you take it back. You must practice the routine and commit to doing it every shot. If you do, you will become more consistent. 3) Take time to warm up before you play. Arrive early so you have time to hit a few balls and putts
before you tee off. Rhythm and tempo are key to consistency so give yourself a chance to establish a pace right off the bat. Greens vary from day to day so hitting a few putts will give you an idea of what to expect. 4) Use more club. Having been around golf a long time, too many players think they hit the ball farther than they actually do. They come up short because they swing too hard. Take an extra club and swing 80 percent. Most likely you will hit the ball more solidly and then it will go farther! Once you find this more consistent and
productive, then you can go back down to the other club and have the same success. 5) Attitude is everything. Give yourself a break and have a better attitude. I’m guessing you’re not a tour player so face it … you’re really not good enough to have such high expectations and then get so disappointed over a bad shot. If you’ve never been told, your playing partners do not enjoy listening to your complaining and it does affect their enjoyment and play as well. You did have other choices as to how to spend your day so enjoy the company and scenery and hit the next one better.