PGA Pro Ron Labritz states that, "instead of going out to work on your full swing, work from the green backwards."
In other words, work on your putting, then chipping, until you get to your driver, which should come last in the rotation.
Once you can honestly say that your short game is getting into shape, get out onto the golf course and take stock of the positive results.
What about breaking 90? The next goal in golf is where the focus and attention turn more to improving your tempo and the execution of shots according to Lynn Marriot and Pia Nilsson.
Dean Reinmuth says that it's not necessarily about breaking 90, its celebration time whenever you shoot a score better than your current personal best. Also, play shots that have a high success rate, learn to manage your emotions and "use shots that you can perform with a high degree of consistency and will accomplish what you need."
My husband, Barry, has been working on his game and is now regularly in the 80's. I asked him how he did it; here are a few of his golf tips.
1. Stay focused on every shot
2. Always take the low risk, smart shot
3. Don't let an errant shot blow up the hole - get back in play and quickly forget the bad shot
4. Have fun and play the round with a light heart
5. Keep accurate score for the hole but don't total your score until the end of the round
Correct practice makes perfect...don't just hit golf balls at the driving range - have a purpose, play smart and you will see that score hit 89 and lower before you know it!
Comments for this golf blog are welcome below and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.