Almost everybody knows that golf is good for health. But what most of us don’t know is that more than 1 million Americans quit golfing every year, apparently due to frustration. They find the game too difficult to master, and eventually wash their hands off golf. If you are new to the game, but want to make it to the country’s top golf courses located in Texas, Florida, California, New York, and other states, you must pay heed to the factors that force some of the golfers out of the fairways for good. Here are the five practices you must avoid at any cost if you don’t want to join the bandwagon of the golf dropouts:
Wrong Selection of Clubs
As far as sports is concerned, over-expectation breeds frustration. Many amateur golfers simply forget that playing in the practice range is different from performing at the links. When you are hitting the ball in the practice range – which happens to have a wide, open space – it is expected to fly over a longer distance. However, when you are at the link, the same club will stop you from driving as far as you normally do. When on the fairway you have to consider the roughs, water, trees, sand and other hazards, and therefore put extra efforts to get your ball farther. This means you will need to use lower number of iron at the link than the one you generally use in the practice range.
Forgetting to Warm Up
Did we say injury is another top reason that forces golfers to quit the game? Considering that 18 percent of amateurs hit the green without doing proper warm-ups, it is hardly surprising that so many golfers sustain injuries. Only 10 to 12 minutes of warm-up exercises involving mild aerobics and stretching are all that you need to lower your risk of injury.
Set Your Performance Improvement Expectations Right
While honing your skill, don’t expect that your performance curve will show an upward rise forever. At the initial stage, the curve is likely to show a steep rise. It will gradually lose its momentum, and there will come a point when you won’t see any more improvements. Very soon, you will be getting a flat curve. It may even start to drop. This phase is called a ‘plateau’. Many golfers give up out of frustration once they have entered this stage. You can attribute this fall to training effect – it happens with everybody trying to master a skill. How to overcome the training effect? By simply putting in more training. You will start improving pretty soon.
Ignoring Golf Lessons
If you ever tried to swing, shank, slice or hook to get the tiny golf ball fly across the fairway and end up in the intended hole, you know how difficult it can be. And if you were successful without someone telling you how to do it right, well, you are gifted. But most of us are not, and that’s why we need a trainer to point out the tricks to us. The unwillingness to sign up for a training program is one of the major reasons why people fail to improve at the game and start feeling that golf is not their cup of tea. Well, if you don’t want to join the league of quitters, simply rope in a trainer. It may be a bit expensive, but is definitely worth your every penny.
Don’t let injuries or baseless frustrations stop you from playing golf. Take the right course of action and soon you will find yourself teeing off at the top golf courses in Texas and other places in the country. Concentrate on your training, set your expectations right, and you will never have to join the league of the frustrated quitters.
