Protip with Louis Melanson

Starting the Season

It’s that magical time of the year when we dust off our clubs and head to our local driving range. The ceilings get a rest for another 6 months. The golf season is like a marathon and we need to pace ourselves early. We all seem to make the resolution to practice more and become consistent.

Consistent, the magic word of golf…but is it truly attainable? I would like to think so but I believe consistency comes from recognizing our strengths and weaknesses. When we realize these we can then maximize and minimize them accordingly.

The golfer’s search for consistency is like an explorer’s quest: they set off not knowing where they are going, when they arrive they don't know where they are, when they leave, they don't know where they have been.
Your compass in this search is your local professional. Starting the season with a visit to a golf professional will save you the frustration in the future.

Living in a climate which forces us to take an extended absence from the game makes it difficult for us to improve. Our bodies do not like change and they always want to feel comfortable. Making a visit to your golf professional will set you out on the correct path so you will not waste any valuable time practicing incorrectly.
Start the season off with baby steps. There is no need of hitting 200 balls on your first visit to the range. You should always be aware of the point of your practice session when your mind is in left field and you are hitting balls just for the sake of hitting balls. You are not doing yourself any justice by embedding bad habits early in the season.

With all that said, what can you do to become a more consistent player? The key to consistency is committing to practice effectively. It is better to practice effectively for 15 minutes than hitting for an hour with a driver. Take these 15 minutes and work on the weaknesses in your game. The work you put into your weaknesses will minimize them on the course, which will lead to lower scores.

Consistency can be reached but it should not be as hard as we make it. If you practice your weaknesses and minimize them on the course you will score better. It doesn’t matter if you’re scratch player or a beginning golfer. Your commitment to consistency can be as easy or hard as you want to make it. I hope you choose the easy way.