9 Tips to STOP Playing Bad Rounds of Golf.

Posted on December 29, 2022

Whether you’re a +2 or a 27 handicap, these 9 tips will help you reduce the number of bad rounds you have, while increasing the number of good (what a life).  

 

Tip #1: Remember – bad rounds of Golf are going to happen. 

Apologies for the instant contradiction between this tip and the title of this article, but it’s worth reminding yourself that bad rounds inevitably happen when you play this wonderful game.  

That’s what makes it wonderful. The highs are high, but the lows are low. Which makes for an incredible Golfers journey.  

The minute you feel like you’ve worked everything out and that the game is becoming easy – BAM – your worst round is upon you.  

Reminding yourself that this is a reality for all of us – regardless of skill level – will help you let go of the frustration and anger when it’s your turn to deal with a not-so-pleasant scorecard.  

Bad rounds happen. Take it on the chin and move on.  

 

Tip #2: Play within your ability.  

Picture this.  

You’re 250 yards away from the green on a par 5 and you KNOW in your heart, deep down inside that you can’t hit a 3 wood to save your life.  

But! You have confidence in your PW every time you step over the ball with it.  

Why not reduce your chances of topping the ball, hitting it into the trees, or dropping it in the water by hitting two shots with your PW instead of going for the 3-wood glory shot.  

Your mates who will laugh at you won’t be laughing when you tap the ball in for par and they’re still looking for their ball.  

The range is where you improve your 3-wood first, then the course.  

(However, if you are just here for fun, then have a crack and create a memory. You never know, you might just impress yourself). 

 

Tip #3: Please, please give yourself a better chance and arrive to the course well before your tee time. 

There’s nothing worse than getting to the course just before you hit the first tee and shanking your drive into the woods.  

Mitigate this by getting here early. Give yourself a proper chance to play well by having a proper warm up.  

Get a small bucket of balls and practice the shots you intend to play during your round. Hit your wedges to get warm. Work on your irons and get into rhythm. And finish off with some confident drives, envisioning your final few drives as your first one off the tee on hole one.  

Also – make sure you take some time to properly stretch. You should be walking on to the course warm and limber, not cold.  

Then make sure you don’t… 

 

Tip #4: Don’t neglect practicing your putting before your round starts. 

Did you know going from a high-handicapper to a mid-handicapper starts with becoming a more competent putter.  

If you can shave off a handful of putts, you can go from breaking 100 to getting closer to breaking 90.  

You can walk off more holes with 1-2 putts, instead of the frustrating and consistent 3-4 putts (and beyond).  

Work on your putting and reap the rewards. Putt for dough as they say after all.  

The last thing you should see before you walk on to the course is your putt going into the hole, just by the way. This is a great thing to visualise and will give you confidence as you step onto each green.  

(It also gives you a good feel for how quick the greens will be).  

 

Tip #5: Have a pre-shot routine and stick to it.  

If you watch Basketball players taking free-throws, you’ll notice they all have the same routine each time before they take a shot. All the pro golfers out there do the exact same thing.  

This routine instils consistency in your swing, which enables you to enjoy consistency in your results.  

You may be someone who wants to take two practice swings, take a deep breath, visualise your shot, and then address the ball.  

Or – you could be someone who likes to address the ball, aim, and then fire away.  

Neither are wrong.  

Whichever you choose, stick to the routine on course and on the range.  

This will greatly increase your chances of hitting the ball more consistently as you get used to the same motion and find confidence in your process.  

Please, for all of us though, just don’t be the person who takes 10 practice swings and then shanks it into the water.  

 

Tip #6: Utilise a Golf app before and while playing your round. 

This is where we shamefully plug our Collier Park app that becomes a caddy in your pocket.  

However, with the promotion of our app aside – this is great advice.  

It’s worth looking at the course you’re going to play before your round so you can establish a strategy for how you’re going to play it.  

And therefore, this can help you with your range efforts that you learned in tip 3 and 4.  

Many apps like ours have a GPS system built into it, which provides you with distances in real time and a view of any hazards that you may encounter.  

Having this up your sleeve truly gives you the best chance of scoring low and enjoying your round because of it.  

You can also ditch the paper scorecards and digitalise your results. This will help you keep track of your progress and chase down the Golfer you’ve always dreamed of becoming (while reducing paper waste and helping protect the environment).   

 

Tip #7: Stretch, hydrate, and slap on sunscreen and a hat.  

This one is pretty simple and doesn’t involve a lot of Golf tips – but it’s crucial to playing well.  

There is nothing worse than a hot day on a Golf course and you’re playing horrible, all because you’re hungry, thirsty, and suffering from heatstroke or exhaustion.  

Do the right things so you get the right results.  

 

Tip #8: Let go of technique adjustments while you’re on the course.  

You’re not going to fix your swing on the course or on the range before your round.  

That is not the time to work out your limitations. You need a pro to work out the chinks in your game so that you can specifically use your practice sessions to improve your skillset.  

Instead, go play golf and let go of trying to have the perfect swing. Yes, feel free to have one or two focus points in your swing that you’ve been working on already.  

But apart from that, be confident in your preparation and swing without thought.  

(Just be sure to have a target to focus on. That, you can think about during your swing).  

 

Tip #9: Make sure you have the right equipment.  

This seems like a basic tip, but you’d be surprised how many Golfers get this wrong.  

We see too many of you hitting balls on the range or course with clubs that don’t fit your game.  

Or even worse – don’t fit your size. That’s why club fitting is so important.  

You could have the perfect swing with all the right fundamentals, but with clubs that are too long or too short, you’re limiting your ability to maximise your potential.  

The same goes with using the right ball.  

Too many golfers are using balls that are basically round bricks, that don’t spin well and bounce over the green every time.  

Instead, come and see us in the pro-shop and ask us for our ball recommendations so that you can see your ball land right by the cup – and not in the rough on the other side of the green.  

P.S. come and see us for club fitting too. Unlike the big chains, we take our time with you and will give you an experienced club fitting that helps you specifically.  

 

There you have it.  

9 basic tips that Golfers of all abilities can use to STOP having bad rounds of Golf.  

(Or at least reduce the number of them).  

Adopt a couple of these tips each time you play and see how you go. Overtime, you’ll find yourself using every single one of them and enjoying the positive golf results because of it.  

As always, if you have any questions or want us to elaborate on these further, please come in and ask us questions anytime! 

From the Collier Park team, go forth and hit them straight! 

 

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