hr: Golfing

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Need to lower your handicap? Here are a few tips that will teach you how:

1. Move Up

If you Have trouble finding a mental breakthrough, play from the forward tees. This will alter your comfort zone and lower your scores. A shorter course will instill a “go-for-par” or birdie mindset that will remain with you when you go back to your accustomed tees. If you can’t score any better from the forward tees, then you might need extra work on your short game!

2. Practice Daily

You get out what you put into the game — the reason why regular practice is a must if you want your game to improve. If you think you’re time pressed, just take a club out in the backyard and swing it for 15 minutes a day and you’re done.

3. When You Play Golf, Play Golf

If you’re going to take the time to play, do it seriously and focus on each shot. Never make a careless swing during a serious round! Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t have fun—it just means you should turn up the focus a notch. Use the driving range for working on technical skills, and the golf course for focusing on the real target: lowering your score.

4. Get Better Gear

This doesn’t mean spending thousands of dollars on equipment. However, tweaking an old set that’s not fitted properly can make a difference in the consistency and distance of your shot. Get your old gear custom fitted and see your shots improve.

5. Don’t Shortchange Your Short Game

More than half the strokes in a typical golfer’s game involve chipping and putting. Devote most of your practice to your short game. Just like football, advancing to the two-yard line means nothing if you can’t make it to the end zone.

6. Write it Down

Documenting your hits and misses can help you improve your game. Where do you hit good shots, and where do you hit poor ones? Did you hit right, left, or on top? How many putts of less than five feet do you miss? Keep a journal and consult it periodically and concentrate on areas that need work.