- 3 years ago
We know when we play golf, there are things we should do that will help us play better golf, however, it doesn't take much to forget everything you told yourself you would or wouldn't do. In this video, Dan Parker goes over 11 things all golfers forget to do whilst out on the course. Making sure you don't forget to do these things each time you play, will definitely help you improve your scores!
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00:00 - Hello everyone and welcome to this Golf Monthly video
00:01 where I'm gonna be talking about 11 things
00:04 that all golfers forget to do out on course.
00:07 Now I'm not talking about forgetting your five iron
00:09 or leaving your trolley battery at home,
00:10 I'm talking about tactical things
00:12 that you might forget midway through a round of golf.
00:16 Think of this video as your checklist
00:17 before every round to remind yourself
00:20 how to score better and how to get the best out of your game.
00:23 I'm at the very blustery West Hill today, let's get started.
00:27 (ball thuds)
00:30 Do you warm up properly before each round of golf?
00:33 I think this is a massive thing that loads of golfers
00:35 forget to do before their round of golf
00:37 and then their actual game will suffer for it.
00:40 Now I know not everyone will have a nice range
00:42 to warm up like this, but even if it's 10 minutes
00:44 of putting and chipping or a proper stretch on the first tee
00:47 any kind of warm up will really help your game.
00:49 So don't forget that prior to getting to the course
00:51 and play better golf for it.
00:53 So another thing golfers forget to do
00:55 when they're out on course in the middle of a round
00:57 is use a little bit less loft when they're chipping.
01:00 I've got a great example in front of me here
01:01 on the 17th at West Hill where I can't really putt it
01:04 although I'm close to the green,
01:05 there's too much water on the ground,
01:07 but there's also nothing for me to go over.
01:09 So why would I need to take my lob wedge or my sand wedge,
01:12 a much higher tariff shot in this situation?
01:15 You'll see now if I try and take my 60 degree,
01:17 I'm more likely to shank it or thin it
01:23 'cause it's a high tariff shot.
01:24 What I think a lot of golfers need to do
01:26 is use a little bit less loft,
01:28 taking time around these chips,
01:30 I've got an eight iron here,
01:32 and hit a lower tariff shot.
01:34 Almost just put a putting stroke on this.
01:36 And get the ball rolling.
01:41 Not my greatest effort,
01:42 I need to practice it a little bit more,
01:44 but I think taking less loft around the green
01:46 is a much better idea.
01:47 Okay, another thing I think golfers forget
01:49 all too frequently when they're out on the course
01:51 is to swing a little bit slower into wind.
01:55 The tendency is to think, oh, I'm into wind,
01:57 I've got to hit the ball harder,
01:58 which it often isn't the case.
02:00 You're not going to hit the ball that far anyway,
02:01 so a gentle swing and a better strike
02:04 will actually work more often.
02:05 Great example here today, the second at West Hill,
02:07 we're into wind, I've got the big dog out.
02:10 I'd normally want to hit this as hard as I can
02:11 to get down there, but into wind today,
02:13 I'm going to swing a little bit slower,
02:14 just try and get a bit of strike on it,
02:16 get myself down the fairway.
02:18 So I'm going to swing this as easy as I can.
02:21 (ball swooshing)
02:24 And away it goes, not my finest hit, a bit cutty,
02:29 but into wind on a day like today,
02:31 not too disappointed with that.
02:32 So remember, into wind, swing a little bit slower.
02:35 Right, so another thing I think golfers forget
02:37 all too much when they're out on the golf course
02:38 is not going every single pin.
02:41 There are loads of sucker pins out there,
02:43 and if you find yourself short-sided at these,
02:45 you're going to really struggle to make up and down.
02:48 Start going for the center of the green more often,
02:50 and there'll be other pins you can go at
02:52 later in the round.
02:53 I've got a good example here at the first at West Hill,
02:55 where the pin is in the middle,
02:57 but it's really far to the left.
02:59 So the last thing I want to do is aim at it,
03:01 go left of it, and find myself in that trap,
03:03 or left of that trap, where I'm never going to make up
03:05 and down.
03:06 So on this hole, I'm going to almost take my medicine,
03:09 aim at the center of the green,
03:10 hopefully get my two-putt, walk on to the next one.
03:13 Let's see how I do.
03:14 Make sure I am nice and central.
03:16 I tend to hit a bit of a fade,
03:17 so this is a good pin for me.
03:20 I'm going to stay nice and central.
03:22 I did hit the little fade,
03:28 and I got away with one.
03:30 It wasn't my greatest strike, a little bit thin,
03:32 but because I aim middle, knowing my shot shape,
03:34 I knew I couldn't go too far wrong.
03:36 So don't get suckered into those pins,
03:38 play for the center of the green, two-putt,
03:40 and attack those pins later in the round.
03:42 (birds chirping)
03:45 Ah, right.
03:50 That brings me on to my next thing that golfers forget
03:53 when they're out on the course,
03:54 and it's to take every shot as seriously as the last.
03:58 Now I got a little bit angry with myself there,
03:59 leaving that fairly easy putt short,
04:01 and I've not thought about the next putt,
04:03 and I've missed it.
04:04 I've cost myself another shot.
04:06 Now it's easy to do this when the red mist descends.
04:09 I've done it loads of times myself.
04:10 I'm sure you have at home,
04:12 but it's really important that throughout the round,
04:14 you remind yourself not to get too angry,
04:16 that every single shot matters.
04:18 We'll do this on the fairway every now and again as well.
04:20 If you duff one straight in front of you,
04:23 you'll just take the same club, hit the same shot
04:25 with the same amount of anger,
04:26 and the same thing might happen.
04:28 So after a bad shot, take your time,
04:30 remind yourself that every shot matters,
04:32 and hopefully that'll save a few shots on the course.
04:35 Right, so another mistake I think lots of golfers make
04:38 is taking their driver off the tee when they don't need to.
04:41 Now, across this video,
04:42 you might think I'm a bit overly defensive
04:43 on the golf course.
04:44 Feel free to let me know in the comments if I am,
04:46 and if I'm horribly wrong on this.
04:48 But I think on a hole like this,
04:49 we've got the 12th through at West Hill,
04:51 273 it's playing today, a little bit downwind.
04:53 I probably could hit the green with my driver
04:55 if I really liked it,
04:56 but there's all sorts in the way.
04:57 There's bunkers, there's trees.
04:59 It's times like this that I think a lot of golfers
05:01 need to bend the driver, like I am there,
05:03 and play something like this,
05:04 a hybrid, a driving iron, a long iron,
05:06 anything just to pop yourself in play,
05:08 leave yourself a nice number in.
05:09 So I'm going to leave that driver to one side there.
05:11 I've got my trusty four hybrid here,
05:14 and it should just be the easiest swing
05:15 to put myself in position.
05:17 Bit like that on the first take as well, might I add.
05:25 So I think a lot of golfers need to think
05:27 a lot more carefully on the course
05:28 about when they're using their driver,
05:29 use it in the right situations,
05:31 and on shorter par fours, play for position.
05:33 Okay, so you join me here on the 12th,
05:35 and after I was just telling you about playing for position,
05:38 not taking your driver too often,
05:39 I found myself out of position on a very short par four.
05:42 So I'm not best pleased,
05:43 and that brings on to the next thing
05:45 loads of golfers forget when they're out on course,
05:47 and that is to stay calm.
05:50 I think if you can check yourself
05:51 when you're out on course,
05:52 you'll save at least, I think, two shots a round,
05:54 especially if you're a bit of an angrier golfer.
05:56 You know, you won't hit the angry chip or the angry putt
05:59 when your head's not in the right space.
06:01 Now, I know there's nothing worse
06:02 than someone else telling you to stay calm.
06:03 That often actually has the adverse effect,
06:06 but I think if you can check yourself out on course,
06:08 remind yourself to stay calm,
06:09 it's a really important thing to remember
06:11 throughout the entire round.
06:12 While I'm here, another thing I think golfers forget
06:15 is that bogey is your friend,
06:17 and it is more often than not.
06:18 It's not a card killer, and while it's not a great score,
06:20 it's not gonna ruin your entire round.
06:22 Now, obviously, I'm hoping to make a par from here.
06:24 I'm not gonna say I'm not, you know.
06:26 I do wanna try and make up and down,
06:28 but I'm gonna remind myself
06:29 that if I don't come off here with a par,
06:30 a bogey is okay, and I'm not gonna get too angry,
06:33 and the bogey's my friend.
06:34 It's not a double, it's not something worse.
06:36 So, stay calm, bogey's my friend,
06:39 and whatever I hit here,
06:40 I'm not gonna get too wound up about it.
06:42 And I hit a good shot, so I've gotta look at par.
06:47 If I get a bogey, it's okay.
06:48 So two things, stay calm, bogey's your friend.
06:51 Okay, so another mistake I think a lot of golfers make
06:53 is not playing for position on par fives.
06:56 Now, I know we've already spoken about
06:57 not taking driver all the time.
06:59 I don't wanna come over as overly defensive
07:01 on the golf course, but I think every now and again,
07:03 we need to look at a par five for what it is,
07:06 take a bit less club, and score a little bit better for it,
07:09 I think, in the majority.
07:10 Example here, 17th at West Hill,
07:12 a bit on Sunday best drive here, pretty pleasing myself.
07:15 But it's into wind, we've got trouble left,
07:17 there's trouble right.
07:18 Should I really be trying to hit a three wood
07:20 to get to this green that's barely in reach?
07:22 Probably not.
07:23 So take the situation into account on par fives,
07:25 but I think a seven iron is the play here.
07:28 So away with the three wood.
07:30 I'm just gonna play,
07:31 hopefully I'll have about 100 yards left in,
07:33 something like that, with just an easy seven iron.
07:35 Not my best, but not my worst.
07:43 Should just be a little wedge in from there.
07:45 And I'm not gonna make anything worse than a par there,
07:47 whereas if my three wood left or right,
07:48 anything could have happened.
07:49 So I think playing for position on par fives,
07:51 when the situation warrants it, is really important.
07:54 So one major thing I think loads of golfers forget to do
07:57 is take a little bit more club
07:59 when the conditions warrant it.
08:00 So I'm talking about heavy wind like it is today,
08:03 colder temperatures,
08:04 and even consider when you're not striking the ball that well
08:07 I don't think enough of us adapt to that mid round.
08:09 So really think, you know, on the ninth hole,
08:11 halfway through your round, what's the wind like today?
08:13 How am I striking it?
08:14 Should I attack the back nine with a little bit more club?
08:18 Now I'm criminal for this as well.
08:19 I'm gonna flash up some data from one of my recent rounds,
08:22 my RCOS data, which shows I missed 10 out of 18 greens
08:25 on a recent round, not my finest round.
08:28 And they were all short, all 10 were short.
08:30 And that's 'cause it was a windy day,
08:31 it was a little bit cold.
08:32 And as you can see, I wasn't hitting the ball that well.
08:34 What I didn't do was take into account temperature,
08:37 the way I was striking the ball that day,
08:38 which wasn't very good,
08:39 and the fact it was really, really windy.
08:42 So I was ending up short a lot of the time,
08:44 missing all my greens and regulation,
08:45 and my scoring suffered for it.
08:47 So when you're out on course,
08:48 think about all those conditions,
08:49 reevaluate midway through a round,
08:51 and don't forget to take more club.
08:53 Right, the final thing that golfers forget to do
08:55 when they're out on course,
08:56 and you've probably heard it before,
08:57 and you're gonna hear it again from me,
08:58 is to take your medicine.
09:01 Playing partners would have said it,
09:02 coaches would have said it to you,
09:03 you've probably told this yourself
09:04 when you've hit a bad shot.
09:06 But it's something we forget every now and again
09:07 as we're trying to chase that score out on course.
09:10 I've got a great example of it here,
09:11 at the second at West Hill.
09:13 That gap in that tree, it was quite appealing to me,
09:15 and I think I might suddenly turn into Tiger Woods
09:17 for this shot.
09:18 But I've gotta carry over the heather,
09:21 I've gotta go below this tree,
09:22 through that gap, it's a very high tariff shot.
09:25 And for not that much gain,
09:26 a chip out would make a lot more sense.
09:28 So I'm gonna show you what goes wrong
09:30 when you don't take your medicine,
09:31 when you try and take one on.
09:32 Class, bonks into the tree,
09:38 there it goes in the heather.
09:39 What I should have done, and I'll show you with this ball,
09:42 is come way out to the left,
09:44 all that fairway over there,
09:45 take your medicine,
09:47 and I'm gonna go and try and make a par now.
09:50 So, I'm gonna say it one more time,
09:52 take your medicine, help your score out,
09:55 don't think you're Tiger Woods.
09:56 So there you have it,
09:57 those are the 11 things that I think all golfers
09:59 forget to do out on course.
10:01 As I said at the top of this video,
10:03 consider this your checklist to remind yourself
10:05 before every round of golf.
10:06 And I'm thinking you'll save at least
10:08 a couple of shots per round if you follow those rules.
10:11 Are there any I've forgotten,
10:12 are there any mistakes that you commonly make out on course
10:14 that you know you do,
10:15 but you forget halfway through a round?
10:16 Let me know down in the comments,
10:18 I'd love to hear what you have to say.
10:20 But for now, thank you very much for joining me,
10:22 I'll see you next time.
10:23 (upbeat music)
10:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]