Golf Tip of the Day - Take Notes, Keep Stats

One way to really learn how to play better golf is to take notes. You should take notes when you practice, when you play and during a lesson. You should then keep tab of some important statistics.

When you receive a golf lesson, you should take notes during the lesson. I have often told students to at least take notes afterward, or as soon as they get home, but this does not work well either. So, from now on, my students will be encouraged to take notes during a lesson. The student should bring a bound notepad of some type, a pen, and a plastic bag to keep the notes dry. These notes should be kept in their golf bag for reference when they play and practice on their own.

Students should keep notes when they practice. They should pay attention closer attention to where the ball lands in relation to their target with each club so they can get a feel for their shot patterns. I ask all students before a round of golf if they can describe their critical ball flight error, and many don't even know if they slice, hook, pull, or push their shots. Students can prepare better for a lesson by paying more attention to their ball flight.

Some students actually do keep some statistics such as fairways hit, greens in regulation, putts per round, sand saves, etc. However, to really learn about their own game, they should keep more detailed statistics. For instance, when you miss a green, keep track of whether you missed short, long, left or right and by how far from your target. In regard to putts, pay attention to the distance of the putt, how you read the break, and whether you missed long and low, short and low, long and high or short and high. You can also do the same for short game shots.

Behavioral research has shown that when you get a better understanding of your game by keeping better notes and statistics, you can improve significantly faster.

Scott Cole
www.howtogolfyourbest.com