Learn to miss better........... - Be the smartest golfer you know

It is often said that golf is a game of misses, much like life. Rarely in life or in golf does everything go the way we planned. Golf can be frustrating if you expect to hit every shot perfect and make every putt. There are a few things that most good players do to help manage their games when things are not going their way;

Learn to curve it one direction
1. You don’t have to hit pretty shots to be a good golfer but you should know what direction the ball curves. Learn to miss in one direction. Example, the fairway is 30 yards wide, if you aim at the middle and hope you can only miss by 15 yards. If you know you are going to curve it left you can aim inside the right edge of the fairway and miss it left by 29 yards. This same principle works for approach shots.
Understand percentages
1. The top 100 players on tour for the last 40 years have had similar statistics in fairways and greens hit in regulation, 66%. These are the best players in the world and they miss between 5 to 8 greens every round. How many greens and fairways do you hit? With this knowledge you should be able to make smart decision that allow you choose realistic targets. A general rule of thumb if you are a 5 handicap:
  1. 115 yards and in aim for the flag
  2. 116-149 aim for the area near the pin, 1/4 of the green by the flag
  3. 150-180 aim for 1/2 of the green
  4. 181-250 aim for the green and plan to miss often. Make sure you choose a target and shot that will leave you in a place to make par if you don’t hit a great shot.
Know your distance
1. Understand how far you hit each club. Most players think they hit their clubs much farther than they do. Find out how far you hit each club on average, not on your best shot. You should know that you can hit your wedge “128” but you are better if you use it for “115” yards. Find out how far you carry each club in the air on your normal shots.
Have a B game
1. Rarely do we feel great every time we play golf. We might be stiff, sore or just not feeling well. Most of us practice a big swing on the driving range that rarely works on the golf course. Learn to play when your not at your best. If everything is not working you can;
  1. Put the ball back in your stance
  2. Keep more weight on the left, lead foot
  3. Hit and extra club
  4. Adjust to your ball flight that day. If its curving right, aim left
Keep a good attitude
1. If everything is not going your way whining is not going to help you. Remember when you hit bad shots you have done this before and survived. You will typically, if your playing well have 4 bad holes per round. Take this as a challenge to see how good you can score on your bad holes. See if you can keep a positive attitude.
Play a good mental game.
1. Your low scores are not necessarily your best ball striking days but most likely your best mental management days. Don’t step up to each shot and blindly expect to hit the ball great. Make great decisions based on your ability that day. Don’t let one bad shot lead to multiple bad shots. Stay positive and manage your mind and your decision making.