Five Habits of Highly Successful Golfers

from Leisure World News March 2023

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By Dan Yoder

Golf is a game of habits, both good and bad. Unfortunately, it’s the bad ones that usually get noticed rst. e golfers that have the best habits often go unnoticed due to a lack of embarrassing errors.

So, what is their secret? Where do these good habits come from? ere are some habits that you can learn both on and o the course that are sure to help reduce strokes, and here are the ve that you need to follow every day to become successful.

Great Attitude

“Golf is a game that is played on a ve-inch course - the distance between your ears” is the famous quote from golf legend Arnold Palmer. He’s not lying, either. If you get o track mentally during a round, then it can spell doom for the entire time.

One bad shot is not going to be the end of the world. As a matter of fact, it won’t even be the end of the round. It’s so easy to recover from just one bad hole if you can keep focused and keep a positive attitude.

It’s when you start to doubt yourself that the yips start to happen, and the swings aren’t as concentrated as they should be. If you can keep your head on straight for the entire round, then it’s likely to be a successful one.

Plus, no one wants to play with someone that carries a negative attitude after every shot, it makes the round very uncomfortable.

Staying Fit

You may not think of Yoga and Golf as being bene cial for one another, but it really can help. Any exercise, really, will help your golf game.

For starters, it increases the exibility that you need to get the correct swing path. Limited muscle range can be a big hindrance on a swing, lowering the amount of power that you can get into the ball.

Speaking of strength, lifting some weights (doesn’t have to be anything huge) can really help to build your muscles that are used for swinging the club. Core strength is a big part of golf and professionals like Tiger Woods are certainly a testament to tness.

You can also see a big increase in the amount of balance that you have, which is the foundation of a good shot. ere are smaller and easy to do exercises that can help with balance.

Finally, an added endurance boost may be exactly what you need to keep going during the back nine. When you are walking and/or carrying your own clubs, it can take a lot of you but keeping your muscles strong will help reduce fatigue in the later parts of the round.

Knowing Your Limits e best golfers will take the time to visualize their shot based on their abilities. If you have a bit of slice to your swing that you can’t get rid of, then plan that into your swing. Don’t just assume that you are going to hit a straight shot every time, because it unfortunately does not work like that.

Successful golfers also know what they can hit distance wise with each club. If you don’t know your distances and tendencies that well, then it’s time to hit the range before you go out for a round and try each club out multiple times.

Get a feel for your clubs and know what each one does, and you can visualize as well. Setting up your shots will become a lot easier this way.

Practice and Use It ere are a lot of golfers out there that will take a couple of half-hearted practice swings and others that swing like professionals when warming up. However, some of these golfers that take good practice cuts don’t use the same technique to heart when it comes time to address the ball.

Keep taking practice swings until you get the shot that you want, then move up the short distance to the ball. Don’t do anything di erently than you did in the practice shot, and visualize the ball not being there at all if it helps.

Stay Low

One of the worst habits that golfers can obtain is the one where they stand up during the shot before nishing. It causes the ball to travel erratically and makes a lot of golfers extremely upset.

Keep a rm grip on the club (but don’t choke it) and keep your back at an angle instead of a rounded position. It becomes a lot easier to pop-up when you are not bent at the hips. Keep the left shoulder low throughout the swing, and the x should be made. It’s a hard habit to break, but not impossible. Follow these good habits, and your score will improve.

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