Golf Exercises > Golf Training >Bad Golfer

Hope for The Bad Golfer

A bad golfer frequently feels like giving the game up after yet another round of hacking through the rough and messing up the course. Why? It can so easily be sorted!

What a bad golfer should do, instead of blaming the clubs or the design of the course, is to have a look at his swing, his set-up and perhaps think of some golf-specific exercises.

I have never found my clubs or the course to be at fault on the occasions I play a bad round – and I played some, believe me.

So if you are a bad golfer, stop yourself getting frustrated so much and look at the simple solutions.

What About Your Swing?

The most important part of your game is the swing, and one aspect of the swing that a bad golfer tends to ignore is the setup. If you don’t get the setup right, you swing will not be right. On the other hand, if your setup is good, you should be able to make a decent golf shot even if you screw up the swing.

The setup involves your posture and balance. Distribute your weight properly when addressing the ball and you are half way there for a good swing.

All good golfers know that, but it’s something that a bad golfer does not seem to appreciate.

You are sure to get reasonable accuracy if your setup is right, even if you fluff the backswing or the follow through. You may not get the length, but you should avoid the rough or these difficult bunkers. So how do you improve your setup?

Strength and Flexibility are Paramount

It’s all very well knowing how to set up for the swing correctly, but your body must be able to carry it out. Golf-specific strength and flexibility training will tone up the muscles and joints needed to get good posture and balance, right through the swing.

If you are a bad golfer, you probably don’t do much exercise, and if you do, it is probably not specific to the muscles you use in golf. An exercise bike won’t help. If you condition the proper muscle groups and have good flexibility in your shoulders, back and hips, then you will feel comfortable when your setup is right and uncomfortable when it is wrong. The setup will come naturally to you.

Stretching and flexibility exercises can change your game completely, and you don’t even have to go to the gym. You can do many great golf-specific exercises right in your own home or even in 15 seconds or so in your office.

Don’t settle for being a bad golfer when a little attention to your setup can make you a good one.

Mike Pedersen
Golf Performance Coach