Man, my golf game was straight-up terrible last month. I shanked more balls than I care to admit and nearly threw my driver into the pond on the 9th hole. Embarrassing. So, I decided enough was enough. I went digging online for simple fixes, nothing fancy, and dug up these five tips. Figured I’d actually try them out properly for a few weeks and see what stuck.
Getting Started at the Range
First session was rough. Felt super awkward. Tip #1 was all about fixing my grip. Apparently, I was holding that club like I was scared it’d bite me. I saw this picture showing the “V” shapes your thumbs and forefingers make should point towards your trailing shoulder. Mine were pointing everywhere. I spent a whole bucket just re-gripping the club, setting my hands, then taking a little half swing. Felt weird as heck, like holding chopsticks for the first time. Hands felt clumsy.
The Weird “Standing on One Foot” Thing
Next range day, I tackled tip #2: weight shift. They said amateurs sway instead of turn. Okay, so I tried this drill before swinging: lift my front foot, put weight on the back, then step through as I swing. Seriously? Standing on one foot? Looked and felt ridiculous. But I stuck with it, even talking through it out loud like an idiot: “Back… step… swing.” Forced me to slow down. After a bunch of tries, I actually felt my hips turning instead of sliding all over the place. Weird, but okay.
Staring at the Ball (Seriously)
Tip #3 sounded dumb simple: keep your head down. I thought I was doing that already. Spoiler: I wasn’t. Videoed myself on my phone and bam, I was peeking up way too early. So, my new obsession became staring at a specific dimple on the back of the ball. That was the only thing in the world. Didn’t care where the ball went initially, just keeping my damn eyes locked on that spot until after the club hit it. Felt like an eternity. Messed up my timing bad at first, hitting some serious chunks. Slowly, it got less forced. My buddy even mentioned my head wasn’t bobbing around like a chicken anymore.
Counting Like a Kid
Swing rhythm? Tip #4 was counting. Seriously. “One” on the takeaway, “Two” at the top, “Three” on the downswing. Felt like kindergarten but promised smoother swings. Started ridiculously slow. “Oooooone…. Twooooo… Threeeeee.” Swing felt glacial, but I hit the ball surprisingly solidly. Huh. Gradually sped it up, but kept that 1-2-3 beat. Replaced my old habit of yanking back fast and then trying to murder the ball. Started feeling less frantic.
The Brutal Part: Doing It Every Time
Last tip was brutal: consistency. No shortcuts. Every single ball at the range, every chip, had to involve these changes: think about the grip, do the weight shift thing, stare fiercely at the ball, count the tempo. Didn’t let myself just bash a bucket mindlessly anymore. Some days felt like zero progress. Seriously frustrating. Club still felt wobbly in the new grip, the counting messed up my distance feel. But I kept showing up. Played a few holes forcing myself to go through the whole checklist every shot, even with people waiting.
The “Oh Wow” Moment
Then, about two weeks in… magic. Walked onto the first tee box, didn’t overthink it. Did my steps: Grip felt natural. Shifted weight back easy. Stared a hole into the ball while thinking “One… Two… Three”. Boom. Straight down the fairway, solid thwack sound. Didn’t fight it. It just clicked. Whole round was the most consistent I’ve played in years. Didn’t fix everything overnight, shanks still pop up, but way less often. The change is real. Saved my wallet too – way fewer lost balls. Seriously, just sticking with those five basic changes made the biggest difference. Who knew?
