I would bet you give away at least two strokes per side because you don\u2019t play the game as well as you should. That’s not your shotmaking, but the decisions you make. Here are a few ways you can start lowering your handicap tomorrow, and it doesn\u2019t take any practice time to do it. These are nine good ways to get back those wasted strokes.<\/p>\n
1. Hitting recovery shots off the tee shot. – if your course has heavy rough or lots of trees, you can use up several shots every round just chipping the ball back into the fairway. On a course like this, leave your driver home. <\/p>\n
2. Playing over water. – Bad things happen when you play over water if you don\u2019t have to. Figure the longest club in your bag that you\u2019re sure you can get in the air. If you have to hit a longer club than that to clear the water, go around or lay up. <\/p>\n
3. Not seeing the golf course (until it\u2019s too late). – For example chipping into slopes or soggy ground that you hadn\u2019t noticed, ignoring pronounced slope around the cup, little things that are right there that you don\u2019t see until after you hit the shot. 5. Getting angry. – You\u2019re not as good as your good shots, nor as bad as your bad ones. Accept what happens and move on. <\/p>\n 6. Playing with the distance you want, not the distance you have. – If 155 yards with a 6-iron is a good shot for you, and you\u2019re 153 yards from the pin, don\u2019t hit the 6! Take out a 5-iron, grip down, and put a smooth swing on the ball. The extra club in your hand takes off the pressure and you\u2019ll hit a better shot. <\/p>\n 7. Two short shots in a row. – At the professional level, the short shot takes the place of the approach putt. At the amateur level, the short shot is meant to get the ball on the green. Getting the ball close to the pin is secondary. Whatever it takes, get your first short shot on the green, two-putt close at least. <\/p>\n 8. Not aiming your greenside chips. – When the ball is close enough to the green that you truly can give it a run at the hole, line up the shot like you would an approach putt. This avoids hitting your chip hole-high but four feet to the left and gives you a chance to leave the ball tap-in close or even sink it. <\/p>\n 9. Not taking lessons. – Don\u2019t hit from the rough very well? It\u2019s not hard to do. Do uneven lies give you fits? They shouldn\u2019t. Can\u2019t hit the chip from 30 yards? Simplest shot there is. Get a list of shots that give you a hard time and have a pro show you how to hit them. I don\u2019t understand why so many golfers I talk to won\u2019t do this. I just don\u2019t. <\/p>\n Please comment if you have any more ways for us to save shots like this.<\/p>\n Visit www.therecreationalgolfer.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I would bet you give away at least two strokes per side because you don\u2019t play the game as well as you should. That’s not your shotmaking, but the decisions you make. Here are a few ways you can start lowering your handicap tomorrow, and it doesn\u2019t take any practice time to do it. These … Continue reading Nine Ways You Give Away Golf Strokes<\/span>
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4. Hitting when you\u2019re not sure. – If you feel anything about the shot you\u2019re going to hit other than complete confidence, step away and gather yourself. If you don\u2019t, you\u2019ll find yourself saying in about four seconds, \u201cWhy did I hit that? I knew I wasn\u2019t ready.\u201d<\/p>\n