Three Golf Tips to Keep Your Attitude in Check

When your golf game is losing steam, how do you adjust your attitude to compensate for the downward spiral?

Golf for Beginners has a few golf tips to keep you in the groove.

The average golfer has both good and bad rounds...and so do professionals on Tour. Where it may be easier for a Tour player to bring their minds back from double bogeys, it isn't as easy for the rest of us.

I have my bad days as well, and I play golf with a youth who shares the same dilemma so I recently asked Dale Ketola, the professional golf instructor from Grande Dunes Golf Performance Center, how to handle the pressure when having a bad round of golf.

His answer? Keep a "poker face" throughout your round.

Need help with this? Watch the tour professionals. No matter how their round goes, their expression rarely changes. Try to maintain a poker face, no matter what the situation - no highs, no lows. I am curious to see how many of our readers can successfully sustain this type of composure!

Another golf tip (not suggested by Dale):

When your golf game is carding doubles, step up to your ball and try to remember the last time you hit a similar good shot - visualization is one of the main keys to hitting solid shots.

Dr. Bob Rotella, in a Golf Digest article, suggested this third golf tip which, if you can do it, will help you whether you play a good or not so good round.

Don't think about the result...instead, think of the process during your round.

Process goals, according to Rotella include:
Executing your pre-shot routine on every shot.
Trusting your swing on every shot.
Staying in the present, which boils down to...not thinking about what your score might be and taking each shot as it comes.

Golf for Beginners is not stating that, if you follow these three golf tips that your rounds will miraculously improve but we believe that you will be able to move forward in your study and appreciation of the game and not focus too much on negativity when your attitude takes over.

Golf tips are welcome in the comments section of this blog. Tag Golf4Beginners on Twitter with your comments.

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Is Winning or Losing in Golf in the Putting?

Two golf tournaments ran simultaneously recently, the Quicken Loans National and the U.S. Senior Open - for both winners, it all boiled down to putting skills.

Both Francesco Molinari and David Toms were rolling phenomenal putts; Molinari's 50-footer for eagle at the 10th hole made putting look easy.

The AP article on PGA Tour website said about Toms, "On a course where the greens perplexed the entire field for four straight days, Toms rolled in a 15-footer for a go-ahead birdie on No. 16, then coaxed in a downhill, 20-foot slider to save par after driving into a fairway bunker on the 530-yard, par-4 17th." 

In a previous Golf for Beginners blog, we discussed Golf Shots You Need To Practice to Score Low; golf gurus such as Ben Hogan thought the tee shot was the most important while "PGAProfessional " thought that putting was of top priority. After both tournaments, I think we can concur that, without a solid putting game, most golfers can not score low.

Using Tiger Woods' performance at The National as an example, although a tie for 4th place is worthy of accolades, his inconsistent putting game is what stopped him from gaining momentum...you just can't miss four-footers! As Tiger concurred after his defeat, "Those are things I can't afford to do and expect to win a golf tournament."

David Toms is 5th in putting average on the Champions Tour with a 1.734 putting average while Molinari's putts per greens-in-regulation are at 1.8...similar statistics gaining similar results although, as GolfWorld states, "putting has kept him from raising a few trophies in America previously", further provides evidence that it is the flat stick which wins tournaments.

So, how can the average player putt to win against his or her mates? Golf for Beginners have a few putting tips:

In the blog, "Easy Golf Tips to Inspire Confidence on the Putting Green", the one golf tip which resonates is that "touch is one thing very good putters have in common. Touch is the core ingredient for long-term success."

And, as a simple reminder from Tom Watson's book "Getting Up and Down", "Aim the putter, then align your body. Just like a golfer sets up at the tee box, the same is true when standing over a putt. Proper set-up is the beginning of a solid putt."

We encourage you to add to golf putting tips in the comments section below and tag us with your tips on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

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10 Tips for Playing Golf in the Summer Heat

The dog days of summer have arrived and, if you are as passionate about the sport as I am, you will be out on the golf course no matter how hot it gets!

Whether you are a beginner to the game or a die-hard amateur, you need to remember to bring the essentials with you so that the round doesn't become a harrowing experience.

Golf for Beginners has compiled are a few tips for playing golf in the summer heat. Review this checklist before your next round:

1. Hydrate! Freeze a bottle of water - it will usually last for the round.
2. Stash extra gloves for perspiration.
3. Sunscreen: How many times have you gotten beet red because you forgot to apply SPF?
Consumer Reports advises sun worshippers to apply sunscreen before bug spray, letting it absorb into the skin and then spray on a separate bug killer - try not to use a combination spray as you will need to reapply the sunscreen but not necessarily the bug spray.
4. Bug Spray: There is nothing worse than a swarming bunch of no-see-ums pinching at your skin as you are trying to make your 150-yard approach shot to the green. Look for a sunscreen that provides you with enough protection so that you are not constantly reapplying it.
5. Sunglasses: Blinding sunlight can have an impact on your eyes, causing blurriness - even if you take them off to look at the dimples on your golf ball, put them back on when walking or riding around in the golf cart.
6. Face towel - place a frozen, wet towel in a baggie and wipe down your face often. When the towel gets warm, refresh with ice at the turn.
7. Hat: Always bring along a hat with visor - the hat protects your skin and the visor protects your eyes.
8. Golf Clothing: Wear moisture-wicking materials which breathe and stay away from black and dark colors as they absorb heat (basic science - white and lighter colors reflect light and heat, dark colors absorb heat).
9. Find Shade: When you are waiting for your turn at the tee box, find a spot of shade to stand in - you will be amazed at how cool you are when approaching your shot.
10. Try for an early morning tee time. It's cooler during AM hours, so why not have an early morning cup of joe and enjoy the sunrise!

Have a golf tip you would like to add to our list of summer heat quenchers? List it in the comments section of this golf blog or tag us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.