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Common Mistakes
We all make mistakes during our round of golf. The
key is to be aware of what they are, and limit them. Below I will list some of
the most common mistakes made by all golfers, but especially by the average
golfer that runs up the score quickly, and I give the remedy as well.
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Not using enough club in the wind - Most
golfers have a tendency to not use enough club in the wind. They try
to hit the ball harder, that oftentimes causes the ball to go higher, and as
a result it is affected more by the wind and consequently lands far short of
the hole or results in a pulled shot to the left (for right-handed golfers)
Remedy - Use one more club or two for
stronger winds, and swing smoothly. Don't try to hit the ball harder.
Just use enough club and let the club do the work!!
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Dubbing the Short Shots - From about 40 yards out to
lying just off the green from a few feet to a few yards, most golfers do
what is referred to as "dubbing" the shot. Don't confuse
this with "choking". And the result is always the same.
It falls well short of the intended target. The underlying cause of
this is deceleration!! In other words, the downswing is slower than
the backswing. Remedy -
Accelerate on the downswing and don't stop on the shot. Most golfers take
much too long a backswing and consequently shorten or decelerate on the
downswing to make up for the long backswing. Take a shorter backswing
and accelerate on the downswing. Nothing real dramatic, just don't
slow it down or stop on the swing. Do this and you will find yourself
much closer to the hole and shaving those strokes off your game!!
- Swinging too Hard!!! - Another mistake made by most golfers.
Good ball contact in the center of the clubface will cause the ball to go
much further than trying to hit it hard or swinging too hard or fast. Remedy
- The remedy is obvious. Swing much slower and fluid. Smooth
consistent backswing and downswing.
- Hitting at the Ball -
Another common mistake made by most golfers is hitting at the ball, causing
the ball to do a wide array of bad things. Remedy
- Make a good solid swing and let the ball get in the way of the club.
Don't hit at the ball!!
- Leaving the Ball in the Sand - This mistake plagues even the
best of players, especially the average golfer. Most golfers are
afraid of the sand, because they have not been shown the correct method of
sand play. Actually the sand shot can be one of the easiest shots in
golf. The most common mistake is deceleration again, like the short
shots off the green. Remedy - Hit
the sand two inches behind the ball, with a slightly open clubface, and
follow through. Do not decelerate on the downswing and make a full
follow through. The ball will come out softly. You don't hit the
ball, but let the sand blast the ball out softly!! The flange on the
sand wedge strikes the sand first and skips or bounces on the surface. It
keeps the leading edge from digging in the sand. The swing is long and
the distance is judged by the speed through the ball very much like throwing
a ball. Throw a few and be cognizant of how far back you take your hand to
throw and notice the speed of your hand as you throw various distances. That
is the same way you judge sand shots.
- 3 Putting Greens - Nothing will run your score up faster than 3
putting greens. The common mistake by most golfers is to go after
those long putts, say 30 feet and longer, when they should be lagging the
ball. Remedy - Don't try to make
the putt, but try to lag the putt to within 3 feet of the hole. You
will find that a large majority of them will go into the hole even though
you were lagging. When you go for the hole trying to make it, you
usually run the ball too far past the hole and miss it as well, resulting in
a 3 putted green!!
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