I have developed a self-assessment of golfing mistakes.

No, it is not just for masochists! Here are the most common patterns of mental and playing mistakes.

Which fit for you? Please take three minutes and answer the following questions. Write down a number after each question of how many times per round you typically commit this type of error. Now, they may not occur in every single round, but they are definite patterns.

Go ahead…you very well may be surprised at what you discover.

HOW MANY TIMES PER ROUND DO YOU…

Expect things to be perfect or smooth? _____

Make dumb or poorly thought-out decisions? _____

Cut short or eliminate preshot and postshot routines? _____

Fall prey to temptations and greed? _____

Allow your concentration to slip and/or become distracted? _____

Try too hard? _____

Lose your patience? _____

Not feel really ready to hit a shot? _____

Attempt “wishes and hopes” shots? ____

Allow your emotions (both positive and negative) to bubble up? _____

Not feel totally committed to a shot? _____

Make errors due to looseness (that is; quick, mindless, and no-brainer mistakes)? _____

Make errors due to tightness (that is; too tense and/or the mind too jumbled up)? _____

Allow subtle fears to influence? _____

Have too aggressive of a mindset? _____

Have too timid and cautious of a mindset? _____

Attempt swings that are too fast or too hard? _____

Try to force or make things happen? _____

Make wrong club selections? _____

Make wrong shot selections? _____

Try things that are too complicated? _____

Attempt shots that are not targeted precisely enough? _____

Attempt shots that are too cute or have too fine a margin for error? _____

Attempt shots which haven’t been practiced nor refined? _____

Stay stuck in the low ebb of a couple of bad holes? _____

Space out and go off on mental “walkabouts?” _____

Think outcome numbers and results (instead of here-and-now qualities and processes)? _____

Allow self-imposed pressures and stresses to choke you? _____

Get down on yourself, become negative, and/or give up? _____

Stop enjoying the process of playing the game? _____

ANALYZING YOUR GOLF MISTAKE PATTERNS

Okay, now please add up the grand total of how many typical mistakes you make.

You will probably be surprised–or even shocked–at how many mistake patterns you have.

In finalizing this article, I had seven women on a university golf team with whom I have been working answer the above questions. Their results may surprise you. Their totals ranged from a low of 26 to three of them admitting to well over 200! And these are all fine elite golfers.

As you become more aware of your mistake patterns you will realize that one pattern opens up others.

This is why the above number can grow so high. You may commit multiple mistakes on the same shot. I call these “situational mistake patterns.” For example, when I have lost my patience, I may rush my preshot routine so I do not acquire a specific target nor am really ready to hit the shot. I then allow my frustrations to take hold and try to force a cute shot. I will typically swing too hard, become even more angry, and “mail in” the rest of the round.

Whew…no wonder I go nuts with this game!

Upon reflection of these questions you might be left with the feeling of how you can possibly execute any good shots at all!

Your specific answers to these questions can be quite revealing. You see, it has been my experience that if you can accurately define the problem, you are halfway there to resolving it.

Here is how to make sense from your responses.

In each of the above 30 mistake patterns if you admitted to more than three per round, you have indirectly identified a factor you need to address. Look back at your answers and give a priority to the three most frequently reported categories. Then with each of these, detail a specific plan of how to overcome them.

So for example, if I discovered I committed too many errors due to looseness, I would plan to concentrate more on layup shots and better feel my rehearsal swings.

Or if I admitted that I tended to swing too hard, I would better tune into key rhythm cues and keep using my centering techniques.

Or if I became aware I had little fears inhibiting me, I would ask myself “What’s the absolute worst thing that could happen?” and then throw myself into the shot.

Awareness of mistake patterns is good, but implementing a game plan to overcome them is better. Resolving, or just minimizing, your unique mistake patterns can be quite liberating. In order to allow good efforts emerge and flow, you first have to eliminate the mistake “dams and bottlenecks.” Once controlled, you can then rechannel these patterns into more fluid performances.

RECOVERIES

Even though we plan to consistently hit fairways and greens, we are not robots. We have variations and we make mistakes. However, mistakes can actually be seen as methods to spice up the game.

One of my mantras I continually verbalize to my golfers is that, “there are many ways to score.”

Recovering from mistakes–tactically, emotionally, mentally, and shotmaking–actually provide opportunities to expand your game. You see, making a mistake may not be the sin. Repeating it and not quickly recovering from it ARE the sins. When you have made a playing mistake, your first response is to remain calm. That shot is gone. There is nothing you can do about it. Then positively and purposefully devise a solution to your situation. Seen in these lights, recoveries can be one of the most satisfying elements of playing golf. Recovering is as much as an mental process as it is a mechanical one.

Forgive yourself, accept your situation, and concentrate on creating the appropriate response. Reflect now on some of your best performances. I would bet that somewhere in these rounds you recovered wonderfully from mistakes. These recoveries not only salvaged the round, they were springboards to heightened efforts. Recovery is redemption. And this has its own rewards.

So here is the bottom line.

1. Accept you will make mistakes. When you make one, be like Walter Hagen who passively chalked it up to one of his allotted ones. And then play on.

2. The best way to minimize errors is to miss shots in the right places. Granted, always be positive and committed in decision making, but also factor in that if you miss the shot, where that might be.

3. When in a tough situation, learn to “take your medicine.” Pitch back to the fairway or chip beyond the tucked pin to the fat part of the green. In these ways you can cut your losses. The golf gods frequently reward such discipline…sometimes during the same hole.

4. Recovering is as much of a matter of attitude as it is shotmaking. After a mistake be positive and even eager with the prospects of the next shot.

5. Listen and honor your intuitions. A big part of minimizing mistake patterns is awareness. Resist your greedy temptations. Even if do no know why, immediately do the opposite of what is tempted.

Keep on learning about your playing patterns. Good play is smart play, not only with pure shots, but also with poor shots. Accept that mistakes are an integral part of The Game. These are not only tests of your game, they are also tests of your character.

I GUARANTEE that if you reduce your golfer mistakes by just twenty percent you can lower you typical scores by at least five shots per round.

Sceptical?

Good! Read on.

Without changing a single thing with your swing, you can significantly improve your scoring. How?

Simple…by becoming aware of, preventing, and recovering quicker from typical golfer mistakes.

One cornerstone to good playing is minimizing mistakes. It has been said by many golf pundits that those who play well are those who make the least number of mistakes, least severity of them, at the least crucial times, and recover most quickly from them.

Years ago, I created the “cake” metaphor for good scoring. Great shots and pure hits are merely the frosting on the cake. However, consistency is the cake itself. And one way to improve consistency is by controlling those golfer mistake patterns.

In any round of golf, there is a plethora of possible pitfalls. On any given shot, there are so many things that can go wrong–mechanically, physically, rhythmically, mentally, emotionally, and tactically.

In fact, there seems to be a least ten times as many things that can go wrong than can go right. No wonder so many of us are basket cases!

When we become aware of what can possibly go wrong, we tend to become more tentative and even defensive in both thinking and executing. It is, indeed, a self-fulfilling prophecy that the more we attempt to prevent errors the more we actually ensure them occurring. (Remember your “Don’t hit it right OB” admonition? And where did that shot go?!)

However, we can’t ignore their reality either.

Inconsistent play, blowup holes, and even giving up are grounded in such ignorance.

Clearly, in order to play smart golf we have to better understand and channel our personal error patterns.

Think about it, what is the first thing you remember about the most current round? Mistakes. You think about the number of “shots left out on the course,” the big blunders, the missed opportunities, the dumb choices, and even the outright chokes. The more you reflect on your mistakes the more aware you become that you have made similar ones before.

Just as there are patterns to your optimal play, there are also patterns to your golfer mistakes.

Now, think about this: no golfer mistake is ever made in isolation. Mistake patterns have components that are mental, emotional, and/or tactical. Even a blatant mishit is grounded in your mindset as you set up over the shot.

From twenty-plus years of playing sessions with golfers, it has been my experience that in every double bogey there was at least one shot that was a dumb play. Realize that there has NEVER been a perfectly played round. Even at the height of his powers, the great Ben Hogan admitted that in any given round he only hit about seven shots purely or, as he said, “as I intended.” If the great Hogan said he only hit seven pure shots per round, how come you expect to hit every shot perfectly?

Also, in the early days of the golf handicapping system, Walter Hagen equated players’ numbers to about the amount of major swing errors they typically committed per round.

There is a lot of wisdom in his concept.

In fact, I have expanded Hagen’s theory to include mental, emotional, shotmaking, and course management golfer mistakes as well. Here is my ratio: ALL GOLFERS MAKE MISTAKES AT LEAST TWO TIMES THEIR INDEX NUMBER. Hence if your current index is 12, you will make over two dozen little mistakes per round.

Think about your playing patterns before you accept my ratio. It is nothing about which to become discouraged. You see, only after we fully accept something can we then do something about it. Golf is just a darned difficult game. And golfer mistakes are an inherent part of the game. Accept the fact that you will make mistakes. Give yourself a break and be easier on yourself.

This is the first mindset to establish in playing better and more enjoyable golf.

“You must have the correct golf grip”

The proper golf grip is absolutely essential if you are to get anywhere near mastering this game.

Too many golfers start out by picking up a club in a way that feels comfortable and then building a swing around the wrong starting position. This is disastrous. Every other part of the swing will develop incorrectly to compensation for not having the proper golf grip.

If the hands are either too open or closed then the club head at impact with the ball will inevitably be anything other than square. Don’t be surprised then if the ball starts out left or right of the target and continues that way.

Over time, with the improper golf grip, other things will change to get the clubhead square to to the ball at impact but these changes are likely to affect control, distance, grace (if that matters to you) and ultimately will mean you reach a plateau and cannot improve further.

It is vital, therefore, to spend a little time initially and then to monitor the way you hold a club to ensure you haven’t deviated from the proper golf grip.

So what is the proper way to grip a golf club? There are several methods taught but the most common is the little finger overlap grip. It is important not to grip too tightly as this doesn’t allow the arm muscles to relax enough resulting in a very stilted swing.

As setting up the proper golf grip is so important I strongly recommend that if it is difficult to follow from books or diagrams that you seek the guidance of a golf professional on this point. Reading articles will help greatly help but if any any doubt speak to a golf pro and take his advice on setting up the proper golf grip.

The correct golf club grip is possibly the most important element of playing golf to master.

Think about it… this is the only connection between you and the golf club – get it wrong and the club head is most unlikely to return to the golf ball in the correct position. This will lead to sliced shots, hooks, underpowered or worst of all the ultimate embarrassment a sky shot.

So here is the golf club grip instruction you need.

On most, if not all, golf clubs there is a nick or line on the grip to indicate the starting point for your grip.

This alignment “tool” should be used regardless of which of the three usual grips you decide to use.

Most Golf Pros when teaching a beginner will give golf club grip instruction based on the overlap grip.

This is sometimes known as the Vardon grip, named after the great British player Harry Vardon. With this style of golf grip the little finger of the right hand “overlaps” between the index and middle finger of the left hand (assuming a right handed player) and butts up against the index finger. The best way to start this grip is to place the left hand on the club so that the “V” created between the thumb and forefinger is in line with the top of the club and the alignment aid on the golf club grip. Then place the right hand on the club (I start by placing the little finger in position next to the index finger of the left hand) and again using the “V” between the thumb and forefinger as a guide align the “V” with the line of the club grip.

The second most common grip is the interlocking grip. I’m not sure that there is much difference between the first two grips and it is more of a personal preference and which feels more comfortable. With this style of grip the main difference is that rather than butting up against the index finger of the left hand, the little finger on the right intertwines with it. The end result is that the index finger on the left hand sits on the knuckle of the little finger on the right hand.

The third type of golf club grip is the baseball grip. I will not go into detail about this grip because I think it is flawed and does not allow the right feel. Essentially, however, the club is held with all ten fingers with the hands butted up against each other. Because there is no interlinking I feel there is a tendency for the two hands to work independently rather than as a unit.

Whichever golf club grip instruction you follow I believe it is also important to be wary of the strength of the grip. Too tight and your arm muscles will be tense and will not allow your wrists to hinge correctly – too loose and there will be a tendency for the club to move in the hands possibly resulting in an open or closed club face at impact.

I strongly recommend that you regularly check your grip, no matter how long you have been playing, since it is easy to let things slip a little and a you end up with one or both hands slightly off perfect position.

Improvement to your golf short game will without doubt see the quickest reduction in scores and enjoyment of the game.

For years I spent my time practising driving and trying to hit the ball further but my scores stayed broadly the same.

Over the years, how many times have you or a playing partner taken one shot to cover 200-300 yards and another 4 or more to cover 50 yards?

Taking just one stroke off per hole (and for many of us 2 or more should be possible) will have a profound effect on not only your score but your confidence throughout the round.

At one time I was just happy to reach the green but as I improved, in particular my short game, I started to see where I could shave a shot or two of each hole. Then as things improved further, I grouped the wholes into 6 groups of 3 and focused on reduce the total for three holes by at least 1 shot.

Try it yourself, I am sure you’ll soon start to see the benefit. So what can you expect from golf short game instruction?

Things you will learn from golf short game instruction

• When to try the high flop shot

• Why you need a selection of wedges in your bag

• Knowledge of what is the right shot to take

• When to use a chip and run shot

• How to hit a perfect chip

• How to hit a perfect pitch

• When to use a sand wedge

• Why a high flying shot isn’t always right

• You will gain more confidence with every shot from within 100 yards with golf short game instruction

Tips for golf short game improvement are provided from regular amateur players like myself, as well as golf pros and coaches.

I found when I as struggling that the high level theory was all very well but my shots were poor, sometimes shanked, sometimes scuffed or thinned yet I couldn’t work out what I was doing wrong.

I thought I was following the short game instruction from the book or game improvement video but the results were just not there. Then I stumbled across something that worked for me – I was taking the club away too shallow and too rigid.

My point being – does that mean anything to you? We each need telling in a particular way which is why I have assembled information from a broad range of sources so that you’ll be able to find the right golf short game instruction just for you.

Lower Body Golf Swing  – “Golf exercise to improve your swing”

Is golf a sport? Should sportsmen or sportswomen be fit?

If you answered yes to those questions then you must agree that too many golfers don’t take the game seriously! Do you expect to play golf perfectly yet don’t spend any time working on your fitness?

Here’s why the lower body golf swing will increase power and distance…

A Lower Body Golf Swing Can Generate Maximum Power By Mike Pedersen

The perfect lower body golf swing involves the legs to a very large extent and it is therefore true to say that exercise that conditions these parts of the body will have a positive impact on the quality of the golf swing.

This truth is obvious when you take a closer look at the golf swing. During the backswing, the feet, knee and hamstring muscles are extremely important. The rest of the golf swing movement will usually require a lot of participation of the hip and lower back.

Thus no good golf exercise program designed to improve the golf swing will avoid the lower back.

In fact some golfers are puzzled at first when they see some of the golf specific exercises which concentrate on the hamstring and lower parts of the body. They may initially feel that too much emphasis is being placed on this lower part of the body. Actually too much emphasis can hardly be placed on the lower body when it comes to the golf swing.

This is because that is precisely where most of the golf swings happen.

In the past, even when golfers though of a little exercise, their emphasis was always on the upper part of the body, rather than on the lower body, when thinking about improving their golf swing.

Times have changed and today every genuine golf exercise program will usually place a lot of importance and emphasis on the muscles on the lower body for the sake of the golf swing. These lower body golf swing exercises will involve both stretching exercises as well as strength-building exercises that will usually involve weight training.

A good program should include a wide range of different exercise and you should also be able to use various golf aid gadgets to correct weaknesses in your golf swing. By strengthening your lower body golf swing you will always feel more confident and better prepared to perform a more powerful golf swing.

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness dvds at his golf fitness site – Perform Better Golf.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Pedersen

The sequence in which you make your golf swing has a HUGE effect on the distance you hit the ball.

If you get it wrong you’ll be robbing yourself of a lot of distance, and if you’re like most golfers, you want to hit the golf ball the longest you possibly can. To do this you need to understand golf swing sequencing.

So let’s get started by looking at what should be happening in the backswing and in what sequence.

To start the backswing you must do so with your big muscles…namely your back and shoulders. You do NOT want to start your backswing with your hands. Now as you’re starting the backswing by turning your shoulders and back you also need to shift your weight to your right foot. And you should continue to move your weight to your right foot (for a right hander) all throughout the turning of your backswing so that when you reach the top of the backswing position you have about 90% of your weight on your right foot.

So you can sum up the backswing as a shift and turn.

Now at what part of the golf swing does the most power come from?

The correct answer is the transition. And the transition in the golf swing is when you change directions from the backswing to downswing.

Just think, if this wasn’t true you’d have golfers setting themselves into a perfect top of the backswing position and then swinging from there. But that doesn’t happen and never will because it’s the change of directions from moving the club back to bringing it down where the real power in the golf swing comes from.

And that’s the key place in the golf swing where most amateur golfers lose a heck of a lot of distance. This is through a lack of the correct golf swing sequencing.

Let me explain. Imagine you’ve reached the top of your backswing position. What should start the downswing?

The correct answers is: The weight shift should!

To start the downswing you need to first move your weight back to your left foot. Then you need to move your left knee towards the target, then the left hip needs to move towards the target, followed by the left shoulder and finally your hands should move.

The sad thing is that most golfers start their downswing with their hands and that’s a killer as far as creating distance is concerned. You’ve got to start the downswing with the weight shift and then the left knee.

So go out and try this now…. Swing slowly back to the top of your backswing and then when you’ve almost reached the top of your backswing move your weight back to your left foot and move your left knee towards your target. Once you’ve got the feeling of doing this then speed up the swing.

Now personally I just like thinking about moving my left knee towards the target to start the downswing. And I suggest you try that golf swing trigger as well. If you get this sequencing correct from the backswing to downswing you’ll gain a lot of distance and the golf swing will be a lot easier for you.

Try it…you’ll love the results!

Article used with permission from Nick Bayley (Professional golfer) who has discovered just one golf swing fault that could be stopping YOU from ball striking consistency and success. But luckily for you, now you can take a simple 2 minute golf swing test to see if you have this swing fault or not. So don’t delay! Go here to take The Golf Swing Test™ now:

Golf Swing Sequencing Test

The perfect golf swing is essential for a great game or perhaps it is really just a myth – it is simply not possible for a human being to attain perfection!

Or maybe it is. But even if it is possible to groove a perfect swing I’m afraid that human failing – the brain – will do something to sabotage it for you.

Have you ever had an approach shot over water and told yourself that you must not think about what could go wrong only to find that water is the the only thing on your mind? Sure enough the brain focuses on something else other than your perfect golf swing!

So now we have two problems – developing the perfect golf swing and dealing with the mental aspects of the game. For now we’ll deal with the swing as the mental side is covered elsewhere on this site.

Because I started playing golf without any proper instruction I found I developed a less than perfect golf swing that sort of worked for me. Although some of my shots were OK I was extremely inconsistent and couldn’t work out why. I read an interesting article by David Peltz who said that the subconscious human brain will force you to make a compensating swing to try and force the ball to go where it is supposed to. I’m sure you’ve witnessed some very odd looking swings from fellow golfers that are effective but are far from the perfect golf swing.

My idea of a perfect golf swing is not necessarily one that looks just like the golf pros, for example I’d love to look like Tiger Woods when swinging a golf club but frankly my back wouldn’t stand the hammering!

No, ideally it should look good but more importantly it will be totally effective and can be replicated every time. That way you can focus on the flight of the ball and where you want it to end up rather than the technicalities of the swing. So instead of thinking have my wrists hinged right – too late or early, have my hips turned enough, is my head still, when am I supposed to shift my weight and a thousand other thoughts that race through your head just prior to impact you concentrate on the flight of the ball in the knowledge you already have a perfect golf swing.

If you are ready to develop a perfect golf swing for you, which will undoubtedly make you more consistent and reduce your scores then you will find the information you require in these pages. There are tips for beginners, answers to common problems and guidance from experts in creating the perfect golf swing.

Many of you may not know it, but I have been very busy over the last 2 years putting my thoughts and ideas together in a book. I am very proud of the results and to assist and believe my new book on BEGINNER GOLF gives the reader valuable playing tips and insider information that I have gained through my years of struggle and experience.

I received this by email from an annonymous individual. If you wrote this “book” then thank you – it has been needed for years.