Prioritisation

Golf: driving men crazy since 17th Century

In my opinion the toughest challenge for new golfers is prioritising their development. Quite simply we need to work on and improve everything but we don't have the time to do it. So we either try to strengthen particular areas or work on everything simultaneously. From my experience neither approach was particularly successful. The former will lead to one area improving, while another critical facet declines. The latter invariably leads to minimal net gains as your time is spread too thinly across too many areas. Some say that putting is the game within the game. I disagree. It's one of many.

Woods, hybrids, irons may all use full swings but the longer the club, the harder it is to control. I'd even go so far as to separate out the irons into short, middle and long. Allowing for tweaks in the setup the key difference is that any swing flaws are exaggerated as the shaft gets longer. Then there is the distance control required for pitches, touch and creativity for chips and the art of bunker play. Add to that the world of putting and it is no wonder that so many new golfers are bewildered on the course. But it doesn't stop there. Things are compounded by the variations in quality of lie, dealing with wind, keeping shots low under trees, managing the course to give you the best angle of attack, knowing when to take your medicine and when to go for it.

I will openly admit that I made two poor decisions when I took up golf and I believe those mistakes are the primary reasons for my ongoing struggles. Firstly, I wasted 7 months on the driving range and pitch and putt. A futile pointless exercise and if any of you are new tothe game and fear getting on the course: don't. Get out and play, which leads me to my second mistake, not playing enough. I am addressing that now but the range/practice ground is a comfort blanket. Errors are quickly forgotten and good shots overly rewarded. A good vehicle for engraining a swing but now I take my measure of ppeogress on my score. At the end of the day it's the best barometer.