In many northern areas the golf season has now passed. Even the Indian Summer autumn season has come to an end as cold, wind, and wet weather arrives and sunshine hours dwindle. 

It’s a good time to reflect on how we played this past season and what areas we need to focus on most to improve our scoring potential. For some, it might be getting the ball on or near the green in regulation. For others it might be improved putting, and for others, it might be driver distance and control. 

My main issue, as I suspect is an issue for many golfers, is consistency. I can birdie the toughest hole on a golf course, have a good round going, and then get a double bogie on the easiest hole on the course.  This may be due to a mental lapse, poor judgment regarding club selection, poor shot positioning, misread greens, or a host of other reasons. 

The important element is to determine if one or two patterns have developed, such as frequent misread greens, or weak chip shots, or iron shots off to the right or left, or weak or poor drives. By recognizing a common or frequent cause for poor position on the course, we can then focus our practice or learning time on those specific shots or clubs that will help us the most.  

Our newest training course, “Get More Distance”, is designed to help improve ball striking and to increase applied power and distance for all clubs, especially the driver. If you are not getting good distance off the tee, then this training course will definitely help you increase your distance and consistency. 

From the other end of the fairway, the “Improve Your Putting” training course will help anyone who has difficulty managing speed of putts and getting the 1^st putt in the cup or close to the cup.  This is a great training course for new or beginning golfers, or for experienced golfers who 3-putt greens or miss more than 50% of their putts that are less than 10-ft. 

In those areas where golf can be played year round there is still a lag in the action. This is often the time to find great deals on this years close-out clubs, golf balls, apparel, and other golf items and gifts. 

If you plan a Florida get-away this winter, be sure to read the Blog of March 20, 2008 (scroll down, below).  It highlights a number of Florida golf locations and activities along the east coast from Jacksonville to Key West. 

Now, think about what area you want to improve and what steps you plan to take to make those improvements. Look at our training course offerings and consider taking the one course that addresses your most important area for improvement.  Don’t settle for mediocrity. You can improve with a training program that is focused on your needs. 

Hit ‘em straight! 

Phil Lawrence