What Women Can Learn From Men About #Golf - Guest Blog

Golf for Beginners kicks off the New Year with an article from guest blogger and golf instructor Maria Palozola (see bio below). Although I asked Maria if, when she was writing this blog, to offer a bit of golf advice as to what men could learn from the fairer sex, she chose to stick with the title theme.

I think male golfers can learn patience, how to swing easier and how to play safe to hit more fairways and greens. What are your thoughts?

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What Women Can Learn from Men When it Comes to Golf - by Maria Palozola

When people ask me if I teach men I often reply that if I didn't, I wouldn't be in business. The bulk of my business is, and always has been, male clients. It's men that keep this great game going, because they not only play more, they do what they can to better their games.

Do Men Really Do It Better?

Through my twenty years of teaching both sexes, I have been able to decipher quite a few differences in how men and women approach game improvement and I truly believe there are several things that men do better:


1. Men Tinker - This is a blessing and a curse.  Men try new things with their swing and experiment with different clubs in search of "the secret."  This can make consistency difficult to develop, but it also opens their minds to change and the possibility of hitting on something that works.

2. Men Spend Money on Themselves - Men reading this are going "yeah right, all my wife does is spend money", but it's really not true in golf.  I see more women with outdated clubs than I can count and I hardly ever see them with things such as training aids, the latest and greatest driver, nice rain gear or range finders.

3. Men Get Custom Fit Equipment - It's rare if I get a female that comes out for a lesson and has a custom fit clubs.  The  majority are playing hand me downs or just picked up a set off the rack.  Most think they aren't good enough for or don't deserve a nice custom fit set.

4. Men Practice More - If there are twenty people on the driving range at a given time, eighteen or nineteen of them are men.  They are putting in the time because they know it's important and want to get better.  They are also confident that they will figure it out somehow.

5. Men Play More - I have played many rounds in my life where I looked across the golf course and saw that I was the only female in sight.  Quite often it's on a Friday afternoon where men have skipped out after lunch to play.  Women should learn from this.

6. Men Take Lessons - Men aren't hesitant about spending money on something they know will help them improve their games quickly. They are also used to being coached from youth sports.

7. Men Gamble - There's no better way to put pressure on yourself than to put some money on the line.  Women can learn to improve their focus and control their nerves by having a little fun and placing some side bets.

8. Men Track Stats - I have never had a woman come to a first lesson and tell me that she tracks her stats.  I know from MyGolfInstructor.com and our Game Tracker, that tracking stats is not only easy once you get the hang of it, but that it is a necessity if you want to really know your game, pinpoint your weaknesses and knock strokes off your score the fastest way possible.

What's Your Golf Game Plan? 

For women, it's not rocket science, you just need a game plan. You don't have to tackle everything on the list at once and I understand time and money may be an issue.  I recommend that you put the list in the order that is most feasible for you and work your way down checking off one item at a time.  After you have covered all 8 you can rest assure you are doing what you can to lower your scores and enjoy the game.  Now man up and get busy!

Maria Palozola Bio:

Maria Palozola has been a leading golf instructor for over twenty years.

She has been a Top-50 Instructor with the LPGA since 2008 and is currently listed as a Golf Digest Top-Five Teacher in the State. Maria offers private golf lessons in the St. Louis area at http://www.stlouisgolflessons.com and offers online instruction at http://www.mygolfinstructor.com.

Ask Maria questions about golf on Twitter @MariaPalozola and on her Facebook page. As always, voice your opinions on our Golf for Beginners blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners!