Nobody likes to lose. Even if it’s a casual game with friends, nobody wants to come last. You certainly don’t want to be the guy that everybody has to wait for while you spend half an hour trying to get out of a bunker. Golf is an interesting game, because you can master the basics in a few hours, but then it can take a lifetime to really hone your skills. If your golf game is lacking, then practice is the best way to improve your swing, but there are a few other things that you can try. Here are a few tips to bring your handicap down

Equipment

A bad workman always blames his tools, but in golf, you might be forgiven. The equipment that you use does make a huge difference to your game. The first thing to get right is obviously your clubs. The amount that you should spend depends on how serious you are. If you are playing the occasional friendly game, you still want a decent set but there’s no need to break the bank. But if you are a bit more serious, or play more often, it is worth investing in a more expensive set. Here’s an interesting article on choosing the right clubs.

The next thing is your balls. A lot of beginners make the mistake of thinking that most balls are the same, and the more expensive ones are just priced higher because of the brand. That is not the case. A cheap ball will offer less power, and less spin control, making your shots shorter and much less accurate. You don’t need to buy the most expensive ones out there, but a good mid-range set of balls will improve your score by quite a bit.

Stance

You’ve probably already heard this time and time again, but getting your stance right is the key to a good long game. Your feet need to be slightly wider than shoulder width. Coil like a spring, and release into the shot. One of the most common mistakes is focusing on the arms. It seems logical that all of the power would come from the arms because they’re holding the club. In reality, the majority of the power comes from the legs, so making sure you have a strong stance will ensure maximum distance. Most amateurs also end up trying to aim straight, and slicing left or right. It is best to curve the shot, aiming slightly left or right, so the ball curves round and ends up directly in front of you.

Read The Green

The first step to reading the green is to make note of where all of the slopes are. The next step is to look at the grass. Believe it or not, the trajectory of the ball when it lands is affected quite a lot by the direction that the grass is growing. So get down there and have a good look. As a general rule, the grass will push towards the sunset later in the day. That means that your ball will roll in that direction when it lands. If there is water nearby, the grass will tend to grow in that direction. By keeping an eye on the direction of the grass, you can predict exactly where your ball is likely to end up.