Golf advice is readily available from many sources. Whether you are looking on line via Google, Youtube, AI or other platforms, there is more information on one topic that you can probably read in a lifetime. This is not even including professional help or unsolicited help from your friends. The volume of information is staggering and trying to determine which is best for your game is becoming more challenging. As I navigated my golf journey, I kept three things in mind when trying to figure out any change I want to make in order to lower my golf score. As my skills improved, I noticed my search for improvement narrowed, but the process was always the same. If you are looking for a process to improve your golf game, then this might be what you are looking for.

The first step in my process is to determine what I want to improve first. I always like to start at the pin and then the tee box. Follow these two big areas by working outward from the green. As I select something, putting for example, I determine what is the problem. Is it my aim, distance control, putter head arc….wait, I am drilling down too fast. Let’s back up a bit and start from the scratch. The process is a bit slower and as a beginner, it is important to identify the issue before searching for the solution.

The first step is to identify the issue. For this, I will suggest we switch to the teeing area in order to follow my process. Early in my career, I had a tendency to pull the ball off the tee box. Yours might be slicing, but the process is the same. The actual problem was I was missing the fairway more often than hitting it. That was the actual root problem to my early golf game. I was never in play off the teeing area and in my case I was pulling the ball left. There I have identified the major issue…..first step is complete. Simple right? Well…..

The second step was to what was causing the challenge. To pull the ball left most of the time can be caused by many different issues. This is where most of my analysis was focused is the why I was missing the fairway left most of the time. I researched the possibilities such as pulling with my left side faster than my right side, twisting my hips to quick, the dreaded chicken wing at the top of my swing, coming over the top, swinging too hard. The possibilities were endless. So I added a few more things to the mix such as: was I hooking the ball or hitting it straight. In my case I was hitting the ball straight. This piece of information eliminated half of the possible swing errors.

Next I determined how far left I was missing. Was it 5, 10, 15 or oh my distances off my aim point. Was I aiming the ball in the proper direction to hit the fairway? I determined I was aimed left, so I fixed that. Then I determined I was 15 yards off my aim point, but hitting the ball straight. Then I found out I was coming over the top of my swing that caused my ball to be pulled left. (of course I am speeding up the process because there was a great deal of trial and error in this stage) Lastly, I determined that I setting up open with my driver and that caused much of my swing error. Basically, I slowly corrected my swing challenges of pulling the ball left off the tee box.

The last step is finding a solution to my error. After determining that I was setting up open with my stance, I slow corrected this issue by closing my feet slowly. I eventually found the sweet spot for my swing with respect to my stance and have not looked back since. Finding a solution is not always simple and can be frustrating. Therefore, I you will need to stick with your desire to change until you are satisfied with the result.

On a side note, if you are a DIY golfer, I recommend you get yourself a set of alignment sticks. They are invaluable. I purchased a cheap set or could have just used a couple pieces of wood I found in my garage. The point is they do not have to be expensive because any straight edge about 3 feet long will work. I wrote about alignment sticks is a previous article and you can check out my musing about this important training aid here.

Finding what works for your golf game is a simple and easy process. Find the big issue, narrow it down to one fault (at first) and then find the solution for that fault. Most of the time, fixing the one issue will help change and improve other areas of your golf game. If you follow this simple process, chances are you will improve your game, become a more consistent player, and shoot lower scores.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!