Most amateur golfers are constantly striving to improve their game, chasing the promise of lower scores and a reduced handicap index.
I personally spend my practice time using the 10 best golf drills, relentlessly trying to work out how to break 90 on the golf course, but there comes a point where we all need a little expert assistance.
Fortunately, that's exactly what I've got for us today - and there is even an opportunity to learn from 15-time Major Winner and legend of the game, Tiger Woods.
Four-time DP World Tour winner Richie Ramsay is teeing it up at the Genesis Scottish Open this week, with some of the greatest players on the planet, but in this article he shares five top tips to help amateurs play better golf.
Richie Ramsay: 5 Tips To Help Amateurs Play Better Golf
1. Line Up Better
I play with so many amateurs who could use some help with how to aim in golf. They might be hitting it great, but they don’t know where they’re lining up.
I always stand directly behind the ball, walk in and pick a spot three feet in front of it. Then I’ll draw a straight line through it in my head.
Sometimes on the range I’ll just put a little marker or coin a few feet in front of the ball. It’s far easier to line up with a marker that’s three feet in front of you than a flag 200 yards away.
Tiger does this all the time and you could always see him glancing at a spot just in front of him. It’s a very simple thing, but a real fundamental.
2. Think Hybrid More Often
Play more percentages around the greens. I see a lot of amateurs taking on shots that are just too low-percentage.
I would say use a hybrid more as it gets you over the first bit of the problem when chipping around the greens. We hear this a lot, but see so little of it - perhaps because amateurs don't know how to play the hybrid chip shot.
Get in your putting stance and just rock the shoulders. Even if you don’t quite get it right, it’s generally not a bad shot and you should have a 10-footer left. If you take a 7-iron, you’ve still got to get the connection right so it’s a lot harder.
And, when practising your short game, put pressure on yourself. Play a footage game where you have ten balls and 50 feet to play with, then deduct how far each ball finishes away from the flag.
It doesn’t just pressurise shot number one, but shots nine and ten as well, and that’s where you get to understand yourself and the level you’re at a bit more.
3. Take A Positive Approach
Focus on what you want to do rather than what you don’t - and make that thought process a part of your pre-shot routine.
We tell ourselves ‘I don’t want to hit it in the trees’ far too much. Start thinking about where you do want to hit it and pick a very specific spot. I’ll pick a tiny window left of the pin or something that’s small. And if you aim small, you miss small.
If you don’t like a certain hole, work at it on during your driving range session. Say there’s a bunker down the left and trees right – you can plan for that. You can practise hitting a certain shape with a certain club to suit the hole using some visualisation on the range.
If it helps you get through that hole, it can build momentum for the whole round, not just that one hole. Make the range a more interesting and useful place for your golf.
4. Adopt A Consistent Process
Ask yourself some better questions. Every shot is a problem that needs solving, but you have to understand what you’ve got to do. A lot of amateurs don’t think it through enough.
Pick what shot it is, then think, ‘What does that look like for my swing?’ Is it taking it inside and hitting the draw? Is it taking it outside and trying to hit across it? A lot of people get in there and just put their normal swing on it without consider shot shaping.
Look at the lie; look where the pin is; think about what the wind has been doing. Do you really have enough club? Will the ball travel as far first thing in the morning? Put a picture to every shot and you’ll see better results.
5. Learn From Mistakes
Making a mistake is fine, but making it twice is deadly. Learn from any poor shot and cut that out of your game.
If I do my process well but hit a poor shot, I can live with it. But if I’m thinking about the drive home or where to eat that night, that’s unforgivable.
You have to be focused in that moment over the ball. It leads to you being less frustrated and makes it much easier to let go of bad shots, which is a real skill.
If you have a swing thought, keep it very simple as you’re more likely to do it well and keep repeating it.
If I need to fade a shot, for example, it will just be a case of taking it a little bit outside in the takeaway – that’s all. Nice and simple.
