Keep it simple, keep it fun

The game is meant to be fun but the amount of fun you experience quickly diminishes as soon as you make things more complicated. Whether you are an avid golfer, someone who can play only occasionally, or someone who is thinking about taking up the game, the key to enjoying the game on a higher level is this: SIMPLIFY.

Simplify how you think about your swing - It will not only help you improve your swing much faster, but it will improve your confidence and you will enjoy the game so much more. You should have no more than two “swing thoughts” at a time. This will help you improve the mechanics of your swing while still allowing you to swing freely enough to incorporate a good tempo. A PGA member will be able to understand your swing and address the most important changes first, helping you identify the “roots” or “check points” you need to position yourself properly.

Check your grip, stance and setup - Many players are too quick to blame their golf swing for a shot not going where they want it to go. They immediately start changing things in their swing when the problem might actually be taking place before the swing even begins. They don't realize they are not aimed at their target so when the ball does not go where they want it to, they automatically assume it is their golf swing that is off.

Set realistic expectations - Since golf is a "game of misses," we need to expect that we will have some bad shots during our round. We are not going to hit every shot pure and it is important to keep that in mind as we make our club selection. If you are faced with a 150-yard approach shot, choose your 155-160-yard club and swing a little easier. This will not only make it possible to incorporate proper swing mechanics and improve your consistency, but your odds are much better that your approach shot will actually reach the green.

Don’t get too technical - Since "feel" is so important in both the full swing and short game, the less technical you can make things the easier it will be to incorporate good rhythm, timing, and tempo. I have included some of my favorite golf tips that have helped my athletes improve the mechanics of their full swing and short game while at the same time taking the focus off being too technical and putting that focus on feel and tempo.