Are you a golfer who shoots an average of 79 and 89?
If you’re struggling to stay consistent, you’re not alone. Consistency in golf is one of the most difficult things to nail down, and it’s really a battle all golfers fight.
Recently, I was speaking with a beginner golfer. He said that they thought they knew how to chip and then it was all gone. Naturally, my first thought was the feeling golf can quickly take away your confidence leaving you feeling like you’re back at square one.
There are ways to improve consistency in your game and become more proficient. You can trust me here – it’s much more enjoyable to shoot 78, 79 than 79, 89!
Table of Contents
- 1. Create a strong Pre Shot Routine
- 2. Pick a grip and stick with it
- 3. Select a solid swing thought
- 4. Keep the Swing Simple
- 5. Practice with Alignment Sticks
- 6. Clubface Angle at Address
- 7. Check the Shafts/Weights of Your Equipment
- 8. Increase your physical strength and improve your balance
- 9. Practice your short game
- 10. Setup a healthy weight
1. Create a strong Pre Shot Routine
You will need a pre shot routine if you want to hit consistent shots on the golf course.
The pre shot routine allows you to easily repeat your golf swing each time. The pre shot routine should be used every time you play golf to ensure consistency and a consistent swing.
Depending on the type of golfer and how long you’ve been playing, the pre-shot routine usually consists of an alignment component and a practice swing. Sometimes, it may also include a mental thought.
The fact that you are actually doing it is more important than what the pre-shot routine consists of.
2. Pick a grip and stick with it
The only connection that we have with the club is the grip.
It can have a big impact on your golf swing if you don’t hold your hands in a good position. Bad grip can affect the left wrist and cause the clubface angles to be affected by impact.
Inconsistency in your golf game can be caused by problems with your grip. You should practice gripping and make sure you feel confident when you are at the address position.
Most golfers have interlock or overlap grip. Consider whether a glove is helpful for you and make sure you regularly regrip your clubs to ensure the best control.
3. Select a Solid Swing Thought
Consider your golf swing as a science experiment. To see the impact of each variable, only one variable can be changed in a science experiment. Golfers seem to have forgotten this important point!
Golfers love to look at the ball with 13 swing thoughts. 11 of those thoughts are different than the ones they had with their last swing.
If you think about something new every time, how can you be consistent with the swings you make? You need to find a swing thought you like and stick with it through the round.
Expect trouble on the course if you keep changing things and making adjustments after adjustment.
4. Keep the Swing Simple
Do you remember when the stack-and-tilt golf swing was so popular?
I can recall well how everyone came out to the range and tried to learn how to do this method. The reason stack and tilt swing was so popular is because it eliminated the slide and added movement from the golf swing and kept it simple.
You must be able to swing consistently and efficiently in order to play good golf. It’s hard to be a consistent player if your club comes inside on one swing and heads outside on the next. Take a video of your swing to see how you could simplify it.
5. Alignment sticks in place: Practice
When practicing, one of the best ways to improve your consistency in golf swing is to use alignment stick.
A major problem that players have with consistency is that their hips are not aligned properly. Additionally, inconsistency can also result from a poor ball position.
You can practice with alignment sticks in the right place so you can pay more attention to where your ball should be placed between your feet and your posture. You can practice this on the driving range for greater success.
If you’re looking for a good alignment stick to buy, here’s one I like to recommend:
Callaway Alignment Stix (2-Pack)
The set includes two 48-inch alignment tools that can be used in multiple ways to improve your game and straighten your swing. This training aid will teach the fundamentals behind setting up and striking the ball, including alignment, ball position and swing plane.
Amazon: Shop for it
6. Clubface Angle work at Address
When I set up to hit a golf ball, I’m fairly confident as to how the clubface is sitting. I know it is square. This was a skill I learned over the years. It takes time to figure out what your clubface angle should be at an address.
When you aren’t out on the green, one of the best ways is to practice your club face angle. Use a 90-degree angle to simulate a door jam to set your golf clubs up against it. This is how the clubface should look at address.
If you are still standing up there, closing the clubface of your club down at times, and feeling like you need to manipulate those angles, you can’t expect the shots you take to be consistent. You can trust a square clubface, and take swings that will return it to square.
7. Check the shafts/weights on your equipment
Sometimes equipment problems can cause inconsistency when golf swings are inconsistent. Are your grips and shafts the same for all your clubs or do they vary greatly? It can be difficult to work with a senior-shafted graphite wedge or a stiff-shafted driver if you have both.
It’s essential to have your golf clubs made to fit your golf game. You will notice that professional golfers have similar equipment. They all have the same shaft weights and the same grip throughout their entire set.
It’s hard to ask a golfer to repeat a swing with two clubs that have different shaft weights or even lengths. These changes in equipment can have an impact on the ball flight, speed, as well as your ability to hit the same shot over and again.
8. Increase your physical strength and improve your balance
You can also improve your physical strength to increase your consistency in your golf swing.
Sometimes, golfers become more inconsistent during a round and begin to miss shots from the heel or toe of their club. Sometimes it’s not about accuracy or consistency, but about getting tired.
If you find it difficult to shift weight from one side to the other, or keep the club high, it will be difficult to maintain consistency at the end. You will see positive results if you begin to exercise more and have a better physical health routine.
9. Practice Your Short Game
You can’t forget the short game when you want to work on consistency in your golf game.
Pitching chip and pitch shots are great for your full swing because it helps you to focus on the impact position and ensures that the swing is mechanically sound.
Practice your short game can help you with rhythm and speed issues. It may be easier for you to achieve the same impressive timing as professionals if you can establish a confident pace in your short game.
You can increase your consistency in your short-game and save those rounds when scoring is not going your direction.
10. Setup a healthy weight
Last but not least, the balance of weight during setup.
Do you know your weight when you set up for a shot at the golf course? Many players struggle to determine if their weight is too close to the toes or too far back in their heels.
You want to feel like your weight is in your feet. This will allow you to turn back and forth with ease. Swing plane issues, and even spine-angle problems in your swing can be caused by a poorly balanced weight.
Weight balance may seem like a simple thing, but it’s a problem that causes quite a bit of inconsistency in the game. It’s worth trying this at the driving range to get a better idea of how weight balance affects your golf swing.
Try a few shots with the weight on toes. See what happens. Then switch to heels. This little change can make a huge difference on the golf ball and could cause some inconsistencies on your golf course.
