Consistency from Tee to Green With These Simple Golf Tips and Drills

What good is a training aid if it sits in your garage and what is the use of learning proper setup or putting if you don't put it into regular practice? Proper practice will give you a consistent golf game.

Golf tips and drills are only as good when they are put into action - if you don't use it, as the old saying goes, you lose it. 

This week, Golf for Beginners offers up three golf tips and drills for driving, chipping and putting - a well-rounded practice for the range which should help you during your round. The simpler the golf tip or drill, the more likely you are to remember and to use it so let's get started.

Golf Drill for Driving

You hit a pop-up and your golf ball only flew about 100 yards off the tee...and it was straight up! You could see your mates shaking their heads and you knew your next shot wasn't getting you on in regulation. Your golf club came down too steep and you need to shallow out your swing.

Top 100 Teacher Cameron McCormick offers this simple driver golf drill (during practice) to shallow out your swing which uses a towel or golf grip placed directly behind the golf ball.

Golf Tips for Approach Shots

PGA Tour golfer Jim Furyk says he is not as long off the tee as the big bombers on Tour but what good is finding the fairway with your drive if you can't get that golf ball on the green with your second shot (on a par-4)?

Furyk's golf tips for approach shot accuracy include:

• Choose the right club, not just based on sprinkler head distance marker, but also based on conditions such as wind and how fast the green is or where trouble might be near the green. I was told by Hank Haney to always take more club than you need - club up if you feel that you may not make the distance.
• Avoid the bunkers and go long rather than short, if you aren't the best bunker player.
• Go for the center of the green - don't try to stick it close. Instead, get on in regulation and roll a solid putt.

Golf Drills for Putting

"Good putters are good aimers." says Dale Ketola, Director of Instruction at Grande Dunes Golf Performance Center. "You have to be able to read the line, have the correct speed and read the green."

Watch this short video for techniques/drills on making putts:



READ: Golf Tips to Improve Lag Putt Percentages

These golf tips were meant to inspire you and show you that, with a little bit of targeted practice, you can improve your game.

Offer up your best golf tips and drills in the comments section of this golf blog and follow Golf for Beginners on Twitter for more ways to improve your game!

The 2 Traits You Need for a Better Golf Game

A better golf game doesn't come about just because you purchased the hottest golf clubs on the market or because you have enlisted the aid of a qualified teaching professional - it also helps if you make a decision and commitment that you want to achieve a better game and lower score.

For the average 15 plus handicapper, consistency is rarely a strong suit - fat and thin shots, lack of proper course management, rarely add up to a low score.

Two traits to consider for a better overall golf game, in this author's opinion, are...

Consistency and Motivation.

What does it mean to have a consistent golf game?

Dictionary.com says consistent means, "constantly adhering to the same principles, course, and form"...that being said, does it mean to have a repeatable swing? Is it important to have a reliable putting stroke?

Yes and yes to the above questions and, in addition, it is important to keep your mind free from those distractions that would change the course of your consistency, such as golfers offering help or reading too many golf tips from different sources, for example.

On the flip side, according to instructor Kiel Alderink in a golfcity.com article, "it is the inconsistency that makes the game exciting," but, in my opinion, not necessarily for beginners. He goes on to say,...

"If you played golf every day and shot the same exact score, would that be any fun or challenging?  If you hit the ball the same height, distance, and shape every time you would get very bored.  It is the unknown that makes the game exciting.  The chance to put up your best score every time you tee it up is exciting.  If you knew you were going to shoot the exact same score as always, well that would be a walk in the park, literally."

I prefer less excitement and lower scores!!

Related Reading -  Golf Psychology: Tips to Avoid Choking

As for motivation, Merriam Webster dictionary says about this particular drive, it is, "the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something."

I throw this question out at you ... what makes/keeps you motivated to play golf?

Is it a beautiful day for a walk in the park or, perhaps, have you been determined to lower your handicap, have been working on your short game and want to see if your efforts are bearing fruit?

For this author, and since I started writing the Golf for Beginners blog, I want to continue to have fun. I look forward with enthusiasm during the game to see if I will play better than the prior week (that and I get to play a round with my husband).

Dr. Deborah Graham, in a Golfpsych.com article summed up best the reasons to stay motivated:

"To reach full potential, it is important that competitive golfers retain as primary motivation for playing golf, a great love of the sport and an appreciation of the tremendous personal and competitive challenges it provides."

Follow Golf4Beginners on Twitter and let us know your thoughts in the comments section of this golf blog!

Tips to Improve Consistency in Your #Golf Game

I recently came across a Golf Digest post, "2017 New Year's resolutions for five of golf's brightest stars", from Dustin Johnson to Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. These resolutions were not made by the golfer but more of a cynical look at what these pros will have to do to maintain their status on the PGA Tour.

The blog noted that DJ will have to be "more consistent on Saturdays and Sundays." After this week's year-opening SBS Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort. a sixth place finish for Dustin Johnson shows that he is on track for another great year.

Consistency is something that professional golfers need durig four rounds each week; for the average golfer, we only have to keep it together for eighteen holes, maybe once per week.

How do you stay consistent during eighteen holes of golf? Consistency is meant for all areas of your golf game, from consistent ball contact to a more consistent golf swing. Playing with consistency throughout your round...dependably, reliably...is probably the most important fundamental in golf.

Here are a few tips to help you gain consistency from tee to green in 2017:

1. Stretching and Fitness: You can't get around it; you have to be fit for golf. Walking eighteen holes is a terrific way to stay in shape but you have to be able to do it without feeling tired or the walk will sap your energy and cause you to swing erratically.

Stretching just five minutes before a round of golf should be mandatory; your muscles will loosen up, your breathing will improve and you be prepared to swing the club with ease.

Exercising the correct muscles will help you gain a repeatable golf swing. Here are a few targeted golf exercises to help your upper body get fit for the new season.

2. Shorten your backswing: Chances are you believe your golf club is parallel to the ground in your backswing but you are probably over-swinging ...most amateurs resemble John Daly and don't even realize it!

Next time you are on the driving range, have someone record your swing. If the swing is too long, it's more difficult to get the club back to the ball, arms may not stay together, rotation gets out of whack.

Snyper @ Oobgolf.com compares golf to tech, "The more things that move, the more things that can break." Well said; the more moving parts, the more chances your arms, elbowsand shoulders will not stay connected. Take the club back seventy percent and also slow down the speed of your backswing, which leads me to the next tip on gaining consistency for the golf season.

3. Tempo: Research by John Novosel has proven that "the backswing takes three times as long as the downswing." Another way to improve your tempo and consistency?

Rob Akins in Golf Digest article suggests three-word golf swing takeaways with one word at impact...FINISH. These great sayings, like "low and slow" for driving consistency, work in the subconscious mind to improve your tempo, stop you from hitting fat or thin and improve the overall reliability of your golf swing.

4. Routine: Having a pre-shot routine will stop you from thinking too much about where to place the ball, where to stand, etc., and you will, instead, spend your time visualizing where you want the golf ball to go.

Know what happens when you feel confident? Your score, and handicap, begin to drop and you can't wait to get out onto the first tee with your mates and your reliable insert golf phrase here (...golf game, golf swing, putting)!


Share some tips that you use to improve consistency in the comments section of our golf blog below and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

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