30 Tips to Golf Like a Pro

Odds are, if you are reading this you DO NOT get paid big bucks to do what a handful of us are lucky enough to even attempt every other weekend… golf.

And if you are anything like me, you hit a pro-type shot only when your buddy is taking a leak in the woods. Then you hit the garbage can of the first tee when there are 20 people watching you. Golf is not an easy game, but there are ways to help you play (or at least look) like you know what you are doing. Check out these 30 tips to help you golf like a pro.

1. Dress the part. Sport a nice golf shirt, golf hat, khakis and a pair of shades. Dressing like tiger wont make you play like him, but it at least does not bring you any unneeded attention from the regulars.

2. Wear golf shoes, not an old pair of sneaks. Not only will you look like you are golfer, but golf shoes have these little things called “cleats” on the bottoms to prevent you from loosing your footing as you swing.

3. Check for your Putter prior to leaving the house. Trust me, its not as easy as you’d think to hit puts with your 3-iron. This is what happens when you decide to take your own putter to min-golf and forget to put it back in its place.

4. Clean your clubs. This happens to me every year: I get a last minute call from a buddy wanting to play so I grab my set and head out. As I get to the first tee and reach for my driver and realize that the dirt from last year is more like concrete.

5. Hit the driving range on your way to the course. If not on your way, go the night before an important match or tournament. You will be surprised what whacking a full bucket of balls can do to your swing. I usually realize this as I finally hit a good tee shot on the last hole.

6. Use a glove. Not for protection from blisters, but so that your club does not fly further than your ball. Get a real golf glove with the little ball marker button on it, not batting gloves or the same ones you use to rake the lawn.

7. Dont talk, laugh, sneeze, cough, or fart while others are hitting. Its funny (dont laugh) how a little noise can throw someone off mid-swing.

8. Choose the right club. This is my biggest problem. The only time I ever hit the ball perfect is when I use too much or two little club, meaning its either way past or way short of the hole.  Take note of the yardage markers and choose the club that gets you closest to the whole on a full-perfect swing range. Write your yardage down and keep it in your bag.

9. Balance your swing. Balance is key when it comes to whacking the ball; the longer the club, the wider your stance should be; keep your head down; swing all the way back; proceed to swing the club all the way through.

10. Just because you cant see the group in front of you does not mean they are out of range. I learned this one the hard way. Apparently if they were on the fairway they would have been safe. Be sure to give the guys preceding you ample time to vacate the course from even your best drive – because that’s when you will hit it.

11. Stretch. The last thing you want is to play the next 17 holes with a pain in your back. Prior to swinging, use your club to stretch out your arms, back, and butt by holding each end of your driver and moving your arms and torso around.

12. Just Relax. Who ever said that golf is a relaxing sport should be hit with a 5-wood. It’s true that the more relaxed you are the better your concentration and swing. So forget about the crowd behind you, the frogs in the water next to you, and that stupid chirping bird somewhere in front of you.  Take a deep breath, tune everything out, and swing.

13. Think about your approach. Unless you are a pro (you should not be reading this) take the easy shot.  Dont try and split the trees to land the green on your tee-shot.  Simply hit it straight into the fairway and give yourself a better chance to make your next shot. Until you are in putting range, your goal should be to position your next shot.

14. Practice Swing. Don’t be that guy that takes 47 swings before he makes contact or the one that just say’s screw it and shanks it on his first try. Step back from the ball, take one swing. Adjust your club height if you were too low or high. Take another. Now crank it.

15. Use the invisiball. The Invisiball is what I call when you set your tee and swing as if there was a little white ball sitting atop. Try and hit the tee, not the ground and not the air above it.

16. Keep your eye on the ball. The rule your t-ball coach taught you applies here too. Moving your head on contact moves your entire body off your target. Don’t focus on the results of your shot as you hit, focus on just looking at the ball.

17. Dont Hook. A hook is when your ball curves to the left. This happens when your club face is closed when you make contact.

18. Dont Slice. A slice is when your ball curves to the right. This happens when your club face is open when you make impact.

19. Dont Pull the Ball. A pull is when your ball flies straight to the left. You will pull it if your swing is “pulled” in towards your body from an outward swing.

20. Dont Push the Ball. A push is when your ball flies straight to the right. You will push the ball if your swing starts in and moves away from your body as you make contact.

21. Don’t try and crush the ball. That “whoosh” you hear in Tiger Woods on the wii, will not happen no matter how hard you hit the ball in real life. The winner is not the guy with the longest drive, its the guy with the lowest number on the score card.  Grip the club with your fingers (not palm), a steady swing hit on the sweet spot will always travel further than a reckless muscle shot.

22. Learn the word “fore”. If you mange to drill one right at another golfer, be sure to yell “FORE!”. Don’t cower and run behind a hill or look the other way. It happens to the best of us.

23. Don’t hit the tree in front of you. Ball behind a tree in the rough? Make an easy chip to put it back in play. Nine times out of ten, pin-balling your shot off the maze of bar in front of you wont work.

24. Dont steal another golfers ball. We’ve all done it… you know you hit your ball there but for some reason the ball brand and number is not the same as the one you originally struck. Leave it, someone is watching.

25. Don’t forget the brand and number of your ball. When another golfer finds a ball and asks “what are you playing?” the correct answer is not “golf”. Remember the number on your ball. Use a sharpie and draw a smiley on it if you have to.

26. Don’t be afraid to drop a new ball.  If you loose your ball drop one where you think it should have landed. Dont spend more than a few minutes looking for it. People dont like waiting for the sucky guy, plus searching through the woods makes it look like you missed the fairway.

27. Don’t bowl it. Hitting on top or into the ball is a common problem with beginners. Be sure not to stand too far in front, behind or on top of the ball. With your feet lined up with your shoulders you should take a smooth swing and get under it.

28. Take a moment to learn the roll of the green. Unfortunately greens were not designed like funnels, they have uneven surfaces nasty slants that like to shoot your ball further than the spot you originally putted from. So before you tell your ball to find its home (Happy Gilmore reference to the “hole”) stand a few feet behind your ball facing the hole, squat down and refer to your physics course on where this thing is going to go when you hit it.

29. Repair your fairway divots and landing marks on the green. Apparently those guys in the green carts watching you are not spectators.

30. Lessons. If all previous tips fail to improve your game, consult professional help. Take a lesson or two.

Bonus TIP #31: Have Fun. What kind of a tip is that you ask? Most likely you are not being paid to golf, you are there for fun. Relax and try to enjoy it,  I bet you shoot a better game.