Have Clubs, Will Play

Sometimes I will go out and play golf with total strangers, I have no problem with it, I have met some very interesting people. Couples tend to be the trickiest to play with, usually you find yourself trying to stay neutral, just agree with both quite a bit. I like to sometimes play with a Pro, the blue tees are always a good challenge when you're ready to step up your game, besides you usually get a couple of good tips from them. Golf tips are to be given only when asked for in my opinion, a delicate subject. I find most people swing too hard, too fast, too much!. The golf ball is small compared to a softball, the golf ball bounces quite a bit more than a softball when struck, so given that fact, swing easy and let the club do the work. A good golf lesson at the beginning of the season often helps improve your golf game.

I found that par three courses offer a good opportunity to practice the short game. It is also a good place to learn how to play golf, most of golf is played within one hundred yards of the green. Most of these par three courses usually are in good condition, I like to have decent greens to be able to at least practice putting, green speeds vary so I like to focus on the line and getting the ball rolling properly. I like to spend one hour or two just putting, then move to chipping from the fringe and the rough. Then I practice pitching shots from twenty yards up to thirty yards repeatedly for another hour or so, on to the green. I like to play closest to the hole when pitching to the green with my playing partners sometimes, if they are willing. This form of fun actually helps you focus more when you need to, if you get good at pitching the ball your score will drop a few strokes for sure. For pitching half shots I move to around the fifty yard mark, just focusing on swinging nice and smoothly, no forced effort at all. The goal I have here is to see how close I can get the ball to the hole by either a bump and run shot, or a high soft shot.

When I'm golfing with other people I try to say that it is best to quietly enjoy the good shots, and try not to let the bad ones ruin your round, most can benefit from this advice because its helpful without cost. Another habit I try to do is not to concentrate on the score, this tends to take away from the focus of hitting decent golf shots. Numbers add up to a score, a well enjoyed round no matter what the outcome is most important, especially when you are paying to play, sometimes upwards of a few hundred dollars. Sometimes I will play three six hole rounds, instead of eighteen, just for a change to see if that makes a difference on the scorecard. Breaking the round up into segments makes the round seem not as big in terms of length in hours and challenge; or you can play the traditional front nine, back nine, where at the end of the round you add up the total score. Not until then is the score important, simply state what you got on the hole and move on to the next one. Remember that the key is to concentrate on one shot at a time, this way you have a better chance at scoring well.

Chris Defalco lives in Ottawa, On. An avid golfer, likes to meet people, and travel. My web site is qaxsys.com/