As the golf season approaches, if your goal is to shoot better scores this year, now is the time to take an honest look at your game and create a game plan for the season.

The game of golf can be broken down into five areas.  Driving, approach play, short game, putting, and how we approach play.

Driving – To score well we must drive the ball reasonably well.  As long as you are not taking a lot of penalty shots off of the tee, the driver doesn’t have a major impact on scores.  Hitting the ball further influences scoring from a standpoint that if you are closer to the hole the shorter the club that can be hit into the green.  The shorter the club, the smaller the shot distribution.  Driving the ball in a position where you can have an opportunity to hit the green is the key.

Approach play – Hitting greens in regulation has the biggest influence on score.  Each additional green in regulation a player hits improves the players score by 2.5 shots.  If a player can increase the number of greens in regulation they hit a round it will have a major impact on score.

Short game – Short game is all shots from within 30 yards of the green (not including putting).  Take the number of greens you hit in regulation and subtract that from 18.  This is your potential short game opportunities.  From 30 yards, the goal should be to get every shot on the green.  The next goal would be to hit a high percentage of those shots within 10 feet.

Putting – putting is greatly influences by the proximity to the hole of approach and short game shots.  The further from the hole on average, the more putts a player is going to take.  Putting assessment should be based on putts made within 5 feet, number of average putts from 10-30 feet, and number of 3 putts when the first putt is outside of 10 feet.

Game management – This is the big bucket that separates the best players from the average player.  Do you have an awareness of your self talk, and do you have mechanisms in place to redirect your negative thinking?    Do you have a pre-shot routine that helps eliminate anxiety and creates a positive mindset?  How is your target selection?  Does it help eliminate hazards, out-of-bounds, and trouble.  Do you have a realistic idea of the carry distance and total distance of all your clubs? Do you practice efficiently and effectively? 

As you look at these five areas of your game, think about the things that have the biggest negative impact on your scores.  As you create your plan for playing better golf, focus on these areas. 

Make 2025 your best season of golf ever!