good swing tip or a band-aid?

How many of you have been out on the course or the range and tried a new swing tip that you saw on the golf channel or read in a golf magazine? From time to time this will result in a “breakthrough” simply because we trick our brains into thinking that the tip will make us better. Many times the effects of the tip will wear off and we are left feeling as if we are back at square one or maybe even worse. So what can we as golfers do to make consistent improvements without trying to change our swing with every new tip?

The best thing that you can do to improve your game is to become an expert on your own individual game and start to identify the flaws that you see forming a pattern. It makes sense because you are the person that is going to be most in tune with every part of your game and are going to work hard to get going in the right direction. Think about the golf shows and magazines that we read - they are all designed to hit the large audiences that they have. So it is important to identify the tips that will help your game and not try to apply each one you encounter. Now that you have identified the main flaws it is time to come up with a plan to correct them and start the process of improvement. Next time you go to the range choose an area of the game that you know you need to work on; do a little research from golf TV, magazines, books or videos. Choose one or two tips that apply to the area you are focusing on (for example, your grip) and that really make sense to you and spend 30-40 minutes focusing only on this area. Too often we start a session working on our grip and then start to hit a few bad shots and all of sudden we start trying to fix a different swing flaw. So really focus in on the goal that you set for your practice session and stick to it.

In summary, to begin seeing consistent improvement and to begin playing more effectively, diagnose your game, research some golf tips that make sense to you, come up with a practice plan that has one goal in mind, and stay focused on that one area that you are trying to improve.

-ACE
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