Golf can be a difficult sport to master, but following certain tips can help an amateur golfer develop their skills and lower their handicap over time. This article provides 10 tips that can help improve consistency and pave the way to better scores.

Are you an ardent golf viewer who has always wondered what it’s like to sample the sport for yourself?

Perhaps you’ve only just taken up the game and you’re looking for ways to improve and steadily lower your handicap.

Playing golf is both wonderful and frustrating in the same breath; everyone will experience good and bad days out on the course.

What all amateur golfers dream of is consistency. Whilst you won’t become a single-digit handicapper overnight, there are certain tips you can follow to help improve your golf game slowly and steadily.

Rhythmic Swing

Novice golfers will typically try to hit the ball as hard as possible as that is what results in maximum distance, right? Sadly not.

Tension in your arms during the golf swing can open up a whole world of errors, and you’ll largely be relying on random timing, which dampens consistency.

Try swinging at 50% to start with and, as you gain confidence, you’ll be able to slowly add speed to your swing.

A lot of talented golfers swing at approximately 80% maximum effort in a bid to produce a repeatable golf swing – you certainly don’t need to input full power into every shot.

Bonus tip: if you are a complete beginner, focus on chip shots and getting the ball aerial, it will issue you confidence before you move on to full shots.

Greenside Chipping

So, you’ve just overshot the green and the flag is stationed at the back of the putting surface, meaning you have little room to work with.

A lot of golfers will look for the hero shot – with the intention to flop it 50 foot in the air – but then be surprised when you blade it through the green.

For higher handicappers, your goal is to chip it on the green and give yourself a putt, regardless of distance.

Try to always give yourself a putt as continuous chips will rapidly build up your score and likely ruin any enjoyment you were previously experiencing.

Bonus tip: not every chip needs to be executed with a lofted club. Bump and run – especially in the summer – is a fantastic alternative providing you have no hazards obstructing your line.

Watch: The Golfshake 4 Week Chipping Series

Control Your Anger

There’s a strong possibility that every single person who has trialled golf at one stage of their life has felt the emotion of anger.

There is no more frustrating feeling than seeing your ball sail out of bounds as you begrudgingly reload.

The angrier you feel, the quicker you’ll derail your round. Try to learn to let shots go and understand that you’re an amateur golfer – you’re not supposed to be flawless!

Bonus tip: if a poor shot has promoted a bout of anger, just take a few moments to reflect before moving to your next attempt with a clear mind.

Forward Tees

In Britain, we typically have three tee markers to play from – red, yellow and white – with each marking slightly behind the last.

If you’re a complete beginner, you should try playing golf off the fronts, which will usually be the red markers.

You’ll likely receive a boost of enjoyment as you’re finally able to reach greens in two and maybe even have a putt for par if you’ve played a particular hole well.

There is no shame in playing from forward tees and as you start to improve, you can test your game against the longer tees.

Bonus tip: if your average drive reaches around 200 yards, you should play a golf course with a total yardage between 5,200 – 5,400. 

Focus on the Outcome

You’re tasked with pitching the ball to a green that is approximately 50 yards away from you but a poor connection sees the ball roll quickly towards the green without any height to the shot.

It stops relatively near the flag and you now have an excellent opportunity to get up and down – what’s not to like?

Well, for a lot of golfers, they’ll focus solely on the poor contact and completely disregard the final outcome of the shot.

Golf is exceptionally difficult and you’ll likely experience many bad breaks before a good one takes place.

Bonus tip: don’t beat yourself up if you receive a good break from a bad shot and try to take advantage of your fortune.

Alignment

Alignment is such a crucial tool in the sport of golf and without understanding how to correctly align yourself, finding targets will become an increasingly frustrating experience.

There are alignment tools available on the market which you can practice with, although they are not permitted for use on the golf course.

Moreover, a lot of golfers either use alignment golf balls or draw a line on the ball themselves for putting, which helps to establish the start line of a putt.

Bonus tip: using a golf ball that features some sort of alignment aid will greatly assist you when you’re putting.

Watch: How to align correctly and hit straighter drives

Golf Lessons

Are you struggling to hit your driver? Perhaps the best option is to replace it with a top-of-the-range driver that all touring pros use, right? Nope.

Golf lessons are invaluable and if you develop a good relationship with your teacher, they effectively become a mentor for you and your golf game.

They’ll analyse your swing and then offer feedback with instruction, which will result in bolstering your all-round game.

Bonus tip: some instructors offer lessons for two people concurrently. If you’re anxious about receiving a golf lesson, ask someone close to you if they’d like to join.

Master Your Mindset

If you either have a negative thought or produce a negative statement before you hit the ball, you’ll likely see a poor shot follow.

The mindset plays a far larger role in golf than people believe and whilst you’re still going to hit bad shots thinking positively, it will minimise the amount you take throughout a round.

Bonus tip: think positively throughout your round and try to picture what shot you’re trying to hit – remove any negative thought that appears during address by stepping back and starting over.

Watch: How to Make Better Decisions on The Golf Course

Two Putting is the Aim

When an amateur golfer has a putt of 10 foot or less, they should rightfully be excited about the prospect of sinking it and running to the next tee.

Anything outside of that range and you need to deploy a two-putt mentality.

The aim should be to get the ball as close to the hole so your subsequent shot is a stress-free tap in.

Bonus tip: try to avoid three-putting at all costs. The ball does not have to go into the hole for the attempt to be deemed good.

Watch: 7 Drills to Improve Your Putting

Enjoy Yourself

If you often find yourself sulking during every single round of golf, are you truly gaining enjoyment from this leisure activity?

The angrier golf makes you, the more you’ll slowly start to reject the thought of being on a golf course.

For what feels like the hundredth time: golf is exceptionally difficult. The very good shots are what entices you to return to the sport – enjoy them and marvel in their brilliance!

Bonus tip: if you’ve had a bad front nine and believe the round if now worthless, try to better your front nine score on the back and take home a sense of accomplishment with you.

If you can follow these basic tips, you’ll start to improve your golfing ability and will undoubtedly enjoy the game more.

We cannot advocate golf lessons enough as trained professionals conduct these sessions with the sole aim of making you a better golfer.

Let us know in the comments your top tips for becoming a more rounded golfer.

GOLFSHAKE TIPS AND TUITION SECTION