3 Smart Ways to Lower Your Golf Score

Lowering your golf score doesn't have to be a difficult process - the easiest ideas often work best for most golfers...even the pros.

There is never a good time to see snowmen (or better) on your scorecard, yet blow-up holes occur, even on tour (remember Sergio Garcia's 13 at the Masters?)

Recognizing when you may in the throes of trouble and thinking about your next shot is often all you need to do in order to stop a downhill spiral.

Golf for Beginners' author, Barry Solomon, has a few tips for curbing doubles and triples on your scorecard, no matter what level you are at in your enjoyment of the game.

3 Ways to Lower Your Golf Score

1. Curb the blowup holes!
Hit a wayward shot? Here are a few ways to recover.
a. Just get the ball back in play - see an opening to the fairway? Take it.
b. Don't try those miracle saves (unless you are at the practice facility) - you will hit that tree trunk.

Read: What New Golf Rules Mean for the Average Player

2. If your approach is too long for your comfort and there is trouble all around:
Lay-up before the trouble, then you should have an easy pitch to the green. Maybe make the putt for par or 2-putt for bogey. Move on. It's better than dunking your golf ball into the water or hitting it onto the next fairway.

Read: Is Distance Overrated for Golfers?

3. Golf ball in a greenside bunker?
Unless you are confident of your skills, don't try to make that perfect shot and maybe thin it into the next county or into more trouble. Just get your ball safely out of the bunker - that is your #1 priority...then move on.

You will be surprised how many costly strokes these golf tips will save you; you may be surprised when you total-up a lower score than you have had in a long time!

Have more smart ways to lower your golf score? Post them in the comments section of this golf blog and tag us with your ideas on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Photo by Fancycrave from Pexels

What New Golf Rules Mean for the Average Player

How many times has your golf ball landed in the woods surrounded by debris or pine bark?

When was the last time there was damage to the green between your ball in the hole?

New Rules of Golf are finally being adapted for the playing public that will hopefully bring a fresh perspective to the game and an easier time for amateurs.

You don't have to ask the golf gods for help anymore when certain types of trouble occur during your round; governing bodies have made it easier for golfers to play the game by making the Rules of Golf understandable, and easier, for the average duffer.

The new rules of golf go into effect on January 1, 2019, so don't have any of the above mishaps until then!

Some rules to me don't make much sense; here is one that I don't get - the average golfer wanted a better way to drop the ball - the new rule will be to drop from knee height so as to keep the randomness of the drop yet help when it comes to where the ball ultimately falls.

Two of the most important rules changes for amateurs refers to eliminating the stroke-plus-distance penalty and a revision of a bunker rule.

1. Instead of having to return to the tee box after a lost drive, golfers will now be able to take a drop from where they believed the ball went astray (you can now drop your ball in the fairway, in a similar area to where you lost it). In the interest of time, and moving players along on a publinks, this is a good change, however, be aware that you will incur a two-stroke penalty!

I am not sure how many folks actually went back to the tee box in the first place, but kudos for making this rule change!

2. If you think you will not be able to get out of a certain bunker (too high a lip, you're just not good out of bunkers, etc) you can take a drop just outside of the bunker in line with the hole...for a two-stroke penalty.

One more rule change which I believe will help speed pace of play is that the time you spend searching for your ball is now cut from five to three minutes.

Most golf beginners don't hit the fairway with every drive nor do they have great bunker skills, so these rule changes are sure to speed the game along and to give newbies more confidence moving forward. I applaud the governing bodies for enacting changes!


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