All golfers want to be more consistent. It can be incredibly frustrating shooting a great round one day, and having a shocker the next. It can be even more frustrating trying to figure out what causes your game to fluctuate so much.
Being consistent is the key to playing your best golf every time you hit the course. As such, every golfer needs to work on being more consistent. But just how do you do that? There are many ways that golfers at any level can improve their consistency. Here are a few areas you need to address.
Be technically consistent
There are many aspects of inconsistency that golfers regularly face when performing their shots. Having a consistently repeatable swing is one of the biggest issues golfers face. Some days you can hit great drives, crisp iron shots and accurate putts – but you can’t do it every day. More often than you’d like to admit, your drives are wild, your iron shots are fat or thin, and your putting is just off.
Developing a repeatable swing is one of the keys to being consistent – but it’s not always easy to do. Try these tips to increase your technical consistency.
- Work on your golf grip and posture. Make sure you’re setting up the same way every time, and that you’re maintaining the same distance from the ball every time you set up. Having a routine that you can repeat each time you pick up a club is key to success.
- Maintain your balance throughout each swing. Hold your finish until the ball comes to a stop – if you are off balance at the finish, chances are you were off balance throughout the swing too.
- Take your practice swings. This allows you to get used to whatever length club you are swinging and make any adjustments that you need to.
- Learn about ball flight and how changes to your swing can affect it.
- Find a great pro and take a few lessons, to help refine your grip, posture, swing and stance. The worst thing any golfer can do is refuse to access help and outside knowledge. You could schedule a lesson once a week or month, or on an irregular basis, as and when you feel you need some specific tips and advice. It’s really up to you, your individual needs and your budget.
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Be physically consistent
While many people view golf as not particularly physically demanding, this is far from the truth. Golf requires a fair bit of strength, endurance and flexibility, and a lack of these can directly reduce your ability to be consistent. Your focus and technique will both suffer if you are physically struggling. Golfers at any level need to develop a suitable amount of physical fitness to improve their game.
You can improve your golfing fitness by:
- Walking on an inclined treadmill
- Performing low weight arm exercises
- Strengthening all the muscles in your body
- Swimming
- Doing some light cardio such as cycling or jogging
Be mentally consistent
Approaching each shot you play in the same mental frame of mind is a very effective way to be more consistent – but it’s very difficult to do. Too often, your mind is distracted by outside influences, negative thoughts or too many areas to focus on. This can interfere with your mental consistency on the course. For instance, if you are trying to fix nine or ten areas of your swing all at the same time, your chances of hitting a poor shot are actually quite high. Too many thoughts can be just as detrimental as too few.
Here are some tactics you can try to stay more consistent mentally.
- Rather than just trying to constantly block out all outside interferences when you’re on the course, instead try to alternate your focus. When you’re not hitting your shot, allow yourself to focus on other things, such as a chat with your playing partners or observing the weather. But when it’s time to hit your shot, commit fully to remaining in that moment. It’s easier to do this if you allow your brain time to relax and reset when you’re not actually hitting a shot. It’s hard to stay focussed all day long, so don’t be afraid to let your mind wander when you need a break.
- Focus on one thing to improve in your swing – or two at the most. Our brains are not capable of effectively focussing on too many things at once, and you’ll just end up scattering your focus. Once you have mastered the aspect you are currently focussed on, move on to another one.
- Develop a consistent pre-shot routine. This might consist of cues you give yourself, things you focus on or practice shots you take. Having a regular routine allows you to focus and be in the moment with your swing, as well as increasing your confidence. It will also trigger you into locking in your focus on the shot you are playing.
- Have a game plan. Planning ahead of time – what targets you’ll aim for, which club you’ll use off each tee, what area of your game you want to focus on etc. – can help you execute much more consistently. Stick to your game plan, even if you play one or two bad shots.
- Don’t get too emotional. Everyone makes mistakes – and it’s how you respond that makes a difference. Learn to control your emotional response to mistakes and let go of self-doubt and self-condemnation. Staying consistently cool, calm and collected will help you play much better and more consistent golf.
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Be consistent at practice
If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail – and this is just as true with golf as anywhere else. Regular, focussed practice leads to vast improvements in your game. Repetition is key. If your swing is consistently the same every time you hit it, your scores will certainly improve.
- Have a plan for your practice sessions. Don’t just get out there and aimlessly hit a few balls around. Practice regularly – and practice smart.
- After each round you play, reflect on what worked and what didn’t, and on your weaknesses and your strengths. Then tailor your next practice session to address the problems that you’ve recognised, and help improve your weaknesses.
- If you are consistently missing a shot in a certain way, find out what you are doing that is causing the consistent miss. They you can work on fixing it.
- Work on honing your skills in a controlled environment. Once you have a handle on them there, you’re ready to try them in the real world of the golf course.
- Have a solid warm up routine that you can repeat every time you play, to get your body and mind focussed and ready.
It’s certainly not easy being consistent in golf. Each course is different, the weather and conditions are different every day, there is a huge range of shots to play and choices to make, and even how you feel can differ from day to day. And while you’ll never be perfect, working on a more consistent game can pay huge dividends, and help turn your bogeys into pars and your pars into birdies. So, get out there and practice, play and watch your consistency grow.
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