While driving range practice and swing lessons can help you improve your distance and control, it's what you do with those swing mechanics that ultimately determine how you score in golf. Strategy lets you use your swing to place the ball in certain areas that maximize your position for your next shot. Understanding how to play a golf course--not just hit a golf ball--will help you improve your score.
Step 1
Hit the ball shorter. Relax your grip on the club, and do not swing for your maximum distance on longer shots. A tightly held grip leads to tense muscles, which can cause a loss of distance and control, and myriad other problems. On the tee, substitute a club you can control if your driver often lands you in the rough or out of bounds, suggests Class-A LPGA member and golf instructor Lana Ortega. Use fairway woods and middle irons to eliminate control problems you may have with long irons.
Step 2
Aim your ball shorter as you approach the green. Approaching the green with a full swing is often more desirable than trying to get on with the abbreviated swing of a pitch, according to professional golfer Nick Price. Leave your approach shot 150 yards from the green, or the shortest distance that lets you take a full swing, rather than trying to land your ball inside 100 yards of the green.
Step 3
Swing along the slope of the bunker when you are in the sand. Professional golfer Tom Watson suggests leaning back if the rim of the bunker goes low to high. Standing straight and swinging against the slope may cause you to swing too far under the ball, keeping you in the bunker or very short when you get out.
Step 4
Hit your pitches in the air, and roll your chips. Use a lofted wedge and a three-quarter swing on pitches, trying to get the ball up and on the green, and near the cup with less roll. Use a more even swing and a less lofted club, such as a 7-iron, to chip your ball onto the green, rolling it toward the hole. Aim at a spot on the green in front of the cup, for both pitches and chips; let the forward roll bring the ball to the hole, rather than aiming for the hole.
Step 5
Finish your swing on your putt. A lack of follow-through not only causes short putts, but also a lack of club control that can lead to directional problems.
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