In anything you try to learn, you will always worry about the wrong things until you know what you should actually be worrying about.
As they say, you don't know what you don't know.
Since your goal is to get better consistently, you have likely been playing golf for a while by now. Nobody picks up a club and shoots under 100 in a day.
But I guarantee that you spend too much time on at least 1 of the following things:
Hitting your 4, 5 and 6 iron on the range - You will not hit your mid-irons near as much as you will hit your driver and wedges. So why are you practicing them like they were the only clubs in your bag? I rarely hit 6-iron through 4-iron on the range, and you probably shouldn't either.
20 foot putts - You have very limited practice time, and unless you've made all your 3-footers this year, these are a waste of your time. Hit a few here and there, but your time should be spent 10 feet and in, and 40 feet and above (lag putting).
Getting more LAG - The golf industry loves the word "Lag" because it SELLS. I remember the countless hours I wasted trying to lag the club in the downswing. Remember, lag is the result of a proper transition and impact alignments; not something you can create out of thin air.
Spinning your chip shots - Oh how we love the sight of a spinning chip/pitch shot!
It gives us golfers the chills. But... It's not something you should practice. You're going to develop so so so so so so so many bad habits in your attempts to spin the ball. Instead, learn the proper chipping/pitching fundamentals which will inevitably result in more spin.
Trying to swing faster for more distance - I saved this one for last because it is probably the biggest time waster of all. There are tons of training aids that promise faster swing speeds. There are tons of coaches who promise 40 more yards. Just about every driver on the shelf promises more distance. But just like the rest, distance does not come from an attempt for more, but as a result of learning which parts of your swing generate distance, and making those parts more efficient. Distance is sexy, I won't lie.
But please stop trying so hard and learn how the golf swing works before you start your never-ending journey for more yards.
Nope, not me.
Maybe these don't apply to you. In that case, you are in a small minority and should probably keep doing what you're doing.
But if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on the assumption that most golfers reading this have fallen into at least 1 of the above "practice traps".
Don't be the golfer who is always searching and never finding.
Instead, learn the golf swing inside and out so you can instantly diagnose your swing faults.
Daniel is the Head of Golf Instruction at IMAGEN Golf the tri-state area’s leading golf instruction and advisory firm and Best Selling Author of "Unleash The Golfer Within".
Reach out to us at: www.ImagenGolf.com Daniel@ImagenGolf.com
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