Improve Your Golf by Playing Difficult Golf Courses

There are two ways to get better at golf. One is to learn how to hit shots better. The other is to learn how to play golf better. A good way to do the second is to occasionally play a golf course that is too hard for you.

Every year I go to one that fills the bill. It's carved out of the Pacific NW alpine forest. If you're off the fairway, don't bother looking for your ball. It's lost in the forest understory. If you miss a green by too much, chipping to the hole is not easy, and if you miss by more than that, hello, lost ball.

This course is my test to see how what I learned since the last time I played it and what I have to do next. My home course is fairly forgiving. I can miss a few shots and still shoot pretty low scores on it. This course isn't like that. There's no room for clinkers.

When you play a course like this, you find out which shots you've been getting away with that you really aren't hitting all that well. You'll find out when your club selection isn't good; when your decision-making isn't up to par; which shots you're sure of and which ones you're not. A tough course will expose all this, and that's why you should play one every now and then to find out where your game is and where it needs to go next.

When you get home, write down your score by hole, then write down what you would have shot if you had played steady golf. Not especially spectacular golf, but if you had hit all the shots you can hit without straining the limits of your ability. You will arrive at a clear statement of where you need to improve to turn in a good score on any course.

Make the recreation realistic by taking away your spectacular shots, too. If you're going to toss out the snap hooks and the pitches that got yanked left, because you're going to correct them, get rid of the 8-iron you parked two feet from the pin and the 45-footer you drained. Predictable golf is what you're looking for.

You should always be positive about your golf game. This is your positive spin for the drubbing a difficult course will give you: "With a few minor fixes, I have the game right now to shoot a good score in this course. I know which errors to correct, and which shots I have to firm up by the next time I play here. I can't wait."

About this Author

Bob Jones is a golf researcher who can show you the reason why you don't strike the ball as consistently as you would like to. It's a little thing, and anyone learn to do it right, in just minutes, right at home. Find out what it is in this FREE download at www.therecreationalgolfer.com.

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