My Father’s Secret Golf Tips Change My Game Forever

With nearly 45 years of golf experience and a PGA professional for nearly 17 years, I have encountered countless strategies and advice. However, one of the most influential golfing tips I received was not from the coaching manual, but my dad’s adulthood as a teenage golfer. I am sharing this with my own students now that this is a fundamental principle and I believe this can greatly benefit your game.

A common challenge for many golfers is to bridge the gap between practical scope competence and actual course scores. Achieve consistent swing or mastering putts on a green exercise is usually effortless, but success is proven to be a huge obstacle when the scorecard is in positive shape. The transition from practice to performance is also an important test, even for highly skilled players.

Traditionally, the golf scorecard divides the turn into 9 or 18 holes and is assigned to each hole, which the player measures the performance. Although this standard framework has been widely accepted, my dad proposed a simplification that changed how people approached.

My father’s simple golf tips

His advice is simple: “Let’s simplify that.” Although every golfer has an ultimate scoring goal, whether it’s a break of 90, 100, or 70, this goal must be realistic and aligned with current abilities. The key to achieving it, he explained, is to remove the powerful 9 or 18-hole target into smaller, more manageable segments.

The core of this strategy involves dividing the tour into Three hole section.

For each three-hole segment, the golfer decides the target scores needed to achieve their overall goals. For example, if the end goal is to break 90 in 18 holes, that would translate into 45 on 9 holes. Apply the three-hole segment rules and the player will target 15 per three holes (Nine holes 15 + 15 + 15 = 45).

This narrowing method provides a unique psychological advantage. It enables the mind to be keenly focused on instant tasks to prevent mental fatigue and frustration caused by considering a larger, distant goal.

I often observe the effectiveness of this approach with my students. Consider a common situation: a golfer starts the circle with a difficult hole, perhaps a three-bogee (7 on 4-4). For many, such early setbacks can lead to immediate frustration, effectively “end” their mental rounds.

However, when viewed through the lens of the three-hole segment, the dynamics will completely change. Imagine that your first three holes consist of 4, 5 and another 4. The standard standard for this section is 13. If your goal is based on a 18-hole score of 90, you have 15 strokes for this segment, and you have built-in flexibility.

Despite the challenging 7 starting from the first hole, you hit 5 and scored 6. The cumulative score of the first two holes is 13 (7+6). At this point, you have matched the traditional standards of the three-hole segment. However, if your segment has one hole left, make a birdie in the last 4 of the pole in that section (A 2), the score for the three holes will become 15 (7+6+2 = 15). You have successfully achieved your segment goals, mitigating the impact of the initial bad hole and restoring confidence.

This approach encourages the management of the round on a microscopic scale, turning the daunting 18-hole challenge into a series of achievable mini goals. I encourage you to try this method for a few rounds. I have confidence that it will greatly enhance your ability to focus on the current moment and prevent common pitfalls that are far beyond your own mentally.

Related Note: This is a way to increase your swing speed.