Are you struggling to actually improve your golf swing?
Are you tired of shooting the same scores?
Are you seeking more consistency or game improvement?
You are not alone!
The majority of amateur golfers struggle to actually get better every year. Despite new technology in clubs, greater sweet spots, and improved course conditions amateur golfers still struggle to lower their handicap and shoot better scores.
The good news is that there is a recipe to improve your game and shoot better scores. Whether you are a 90s, 80, or 70s golfer there are steps you call follow to get better.
Several years ago, my average score was in the mid to upper 70s. With applying these 10 tips or if you will, the recipe below, I was able to actually improve as someone that was already scoring in the 70s.
I have been able to reduce my average score by 4-6 shots on average. Make sure you check out tip #3, which has been the most helpful of the 10 tips!
I often hear the question, how can I improve my golf swing!
I would recommend the following tips/recipe below to improve your golf swing:
- Follow an instructor or system online
- Take a lesson: Online or In Person
- Daily Repetitions – Golf Simulator
- Measure your swing
- Gain Speed in your swing
- Short Game improvements
- Work on Fundamentals
- Experiment with swing adjustments
- Improve your mental game
- Improve your course management
How To Improve A Golf Swing: 10 Tips
Tip #1: Follow an instructor or system online
One great thing about being a golfer in the era that we live in today is the access to some great minds and knowledge that can help us grow our understanding of the golf swing.
The golf swing is complicated! However, it is worth finding an instructor online to learn from. And there are some great ones out there. The leaders in the best thinking in the best way to understand the swing and how to communicate it to the students.
The true growth is finding a system to follow. This can help you solve problems in those days or weeks when the swing just seems a bit off. Each of these instructors have drills or fixes you can utilize within their system or swing approach.
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
Tip #2: Take a lesson: Online or In Person
Taking a lesson or investing in a package of lessons is never a bad idea. In today’s era you can have access to the best in the world through the online lessons as well. Some need the in person lessons, while others may excel with any online lesson.
The key here, similar to #1, is to find a system and an approach that can help you improve. Having your go to instructor can help eliminate some of the bigger valleys that you can experience in your game.
It can also help you improve. I know that the lessons of Monte Scheinblum and Shawn Clement have helped tremendously. They are both great wealths of knowledge.
Tip #3: Daily Repetitions – Golf Simulator
I should have put this number one because it has actually had the greatest impact on my game. LIving in the part of the United States that I do, having access to playing golf 365 days a year is a true game changer.
For most parts of my golfing life, I have been cut off around November and can’t really return to golfing again in March. This is 5 months of not getting better and possibly even getting worse. It then takes months to recover.
Now during the winter months, I am able to continue to improve and grow my overall game and work on the finer parts of my swing. The overall amount of repetitions is impressive and helps one improve.
Check out Rain or Shine Golf. They have some great pricing, packages, and finance offers:
I have now played over 700 rounds of simulator golf over the past 30ish months. I am averaging over 20 rounds per month and the great thing is that it only takes 40-45 minutes to play 18 holes.
This doesn’t even account for the number of practice shots I have hit. I can stand on the tee on the 17th hole at TPC sawgrass and hit wedges into an island green. Or stand on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach and practice the driver. The real course situations are game changers!
Tip #4: Measure your swing
The professional golfers of today all have access to some great technology including launch monitors to help measure their swing and know their numbers. Can an amateur use this same or similar technology for game improvement? Yes, absolutely and I would highly recommend it.
Even if you aren’t going to go all out and build an indoor golf simulator, you can still pick up a launch monitor at a reasonable price and use it in your indoor net or taking to the course or driving range with you!
Know numbers like spin rate, ball speed, spin axis and other key information is vital to your growth. Sharing these numbers with your instructor can be helpful and help with equipment selection as well.
I would recommend one of the three launch monitors listed below:
Tip #5: Gain Speed in your swing
Let’s face it, regardless of the current state of your game we all want more speed. It has become very clear the need for speed in the golf swing and there are ways to add speed! The analytics on all levels of golf show how important speed and additional speed are in reducing golf scores.
It is time to start training for some additional speed. This is a drill and training protocol that I would highly recommend.
SPEED DRILL: Increase your swing speed through overspeed training
- Check out SuperSpeed Overspeed Training Protocols
- Train every other day for 10-15 minutes.
- See a 4-6% increase in swing speed as early as the first training protocol.
The number one thing that has helped me gain significant distance is the SuperSpeed Training System. This overspeed based system where you train every other day for about 10-15 minutes with different swing sticks can help you increase your swing speed by 5-8% which can be 20-30 yards. Who wouldn’t want an extra 20-30 yards. Plus it helps improve your mechanics.
SuperSpeed Golf – Use Discount Code Golfjourney365 for some savings!
The analytics are pretty clear on the importance of speed in the game of golf. Would you rather hit your approach shot from 130 yards of 160 yards?
The answer is pretty simple! We know that over the course of time, we will hit shots from 130 yards much closer than from 160 yards, whether we are an average amateur golfer, a scratch golfer, or a PGA Tour member!
The key is having shorter approach shots, so we can hit the ball closer to the hole and then make more putts! Speed is king in the game of golf! Make sure you check out SuperSpeed Golf!
Tip #6: Short Game improvements
The short game is the fastest way to game improvement and overall swing improvement. It can take great pressure off of you during a round if you know that you can get up and down to save a part more than half the time.
Here are some numbers on the key to being a scratch golfer.
| Greens in Regulation | 67% |
| Fairways Hit | 53% |
| Putts Per Hole | 1.67 |
| Scrambling | 54% |
| Sand Saves | 59% |
| Average Driving Distance | 251 |
The number that truly jumps out to be is the 54% scrambling rate. This means the typical scratch golfer is saving par 54% of the time when they miss a green in regulation.
The key here to short game improvement is practice. There really is no shortcut, other than spending the time working on saving par and hitting your chips shot close.
Tip #7: Work on Fundamentals
The Stack and Tilt Instructors said it best when they described what they believed were the fundamentals of golf. They explained it somewhat similar to this:
- The first fundamental is the golfer’s ability to control the bottom of the golf swing. The best golfers will hit the ground in the intended spot, close to 100% of the time.
- The second fundamental is the golfer’s ability to control the curve of the golf ball. The best golfers are able to start the ball to the right or left of the target line and have the ball curve towards the target without the ball over curving past the target.
- The third fundamental is the golfer’s ability to have enough power to play the golf course. This means they are able to hit the ball far enough to play the course in regulation.
They explained that among the greatest golfers of all time there were different grips and different aim points. The fundamentals in golf are not grip, and alignment. Ben Hogan played with a weak grip, while Lee Trevino had a strong grip. Lee Trevino and Fred Couples aimed way to the right, while Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer aimed well to the right.
We explain all of this to help understand the importance of controlling the curve of the ball. Read your ball flight and start to get better today.
Drill #1: How to Build A Stock Shot
A stock shot allows you to control your start line and your curve, which is the 2nd fundamental in golf. I would recommend the stock draw shot. Here is a drill you can practice at the driving range:
- Setup an alignment stick about 7 to 10 yards in front of you on the target line.
- See how many shots out of 10 you can start to the right of the target.
- Track this data over time and continue to work on your start line.
The goal here is to get the club face pointing in a similar direction as many times out of 10 as possible. Once we get the ball starting the right spot, we can then move onto the curve of the ball.
If your ball is starting to the right and curving to the right, let’s work on getting your swing path more to the right, which will then help you hit a draw.
Practice this every range session you have for at least 20-30 golf balls. Don’t just stand at the range and aimlessly hit golf balls. This drill can be a game changer for many golfers.
Tip #8: Experiment with swing adjustments
Don’t be afraid to try some new swing adjustments. Experimenting with a swing and working on improvements might be what it takes to get better. Some golfers have two options: stick with a swing that produces a score in the 90s or try to make improvements with the hope of lowering that score.
With the access to online instructors and a great amount of free info, it is worth learning more and giving it a shot. Of course I would highly recommend a launch monitor or golf simulator setup to give you the instant feedback needed to know if something is working or not.
Tip #9: Improve your mental game
Your mental game is directly connected to the swing that you produce. If you are standing over a shot fearful of the woods left or a pond to the right, chances are pretty high that you will hit a poor shot.
By working on your mental game, thru reading some of the books below, you can start to control your fears and anxieties on the golf course. We all know and can recall times when nerves or anxiety got the best of us! We don’t always do our best to control this, but it is a work in progress.
Tip #10: Improve your course management
Oftentimes the key to breaking through to the next level is simply controlling your course management.
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
Final Thoughts: My Secret To Golf Improvement
Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage.
I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.
This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.
It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.
Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:
Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
4 – Practice Frequently
Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions: