As we come to the end of the golf season, I’ve been reflecting on what’s made the difference between the rounds that have cut my handicap and the rounds that I would rather forget.
A few months ago, I was struggling to play to my handicap, shooting on average two shots over it. But in recent weeks, I’ve been able to bring out my best golf and cut my handicap to the lowest I’ve ever been, 7.3.
Looking back on my last run of competition rounds – the good, the bad and the ugly – there’s been a lot of progress in my game but I’ve also been making mistakes that have cost me shots. And I think they’re costing you shots too.
Over-Compensating For My Miss
The biggest mistake I’ve been making is picking a target that over-compensates for the miss I’m expecting I’ll make.
For example, there are a few tee shots at my home course of West Surrey, where I’ll leak my shot to the right and find myself in a spot that I would rather not be in. That might be in the thick rough on a par 3 or blocked out by the trees on a par 4 dogleg.
So in my last run of competition rounds – where I’ve been focusing on playing with the swing I have and saving that technique-tweaking for the winter – I thought I had a genius idea…if I’ve been consistently missing right, I’ll just aim way left.
You might be able to guess what happened. I aimed way left and hit my shot straight to that target, finding myself in as much trouble as if I had leaked my shot to the right.
(Image credit: Jess Ratcliffe)
That’s when I realised my mistake. I was expecting myself to leak my tee shot to the right, rather than trusting that I can hit a straight shot to my target. I was playing based on my past memories rather than picking a target that allowed for my miss but didn’t bank on it.
So the next time you find yourself over-compensating for your miss, remember to pick a target that gives you leeway for a leaky shot but doesn’t rely on it. After all, you might just hit it straight.
Focusing On Length Over Lie
The next mistake that’s been costing me shots is focusing on the length of shot I want to play, rather than the lie that I’ve got at hand.
For example, after over-compensating for my miss and hitting my tee shot straight to my too-far-left target, I found myself in some thick,…
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