Here are Kevin Markham’s tips for frustrated golfers.
1 Learn a Rule
Most of us have a rough idea of the rules of golf but we pay little heed to the specifics. When you’re out playing for fun the rules really don’t matter, do they?
The trouble comes when you’re playing in a competition and you find yourself in a situation where the rules apply.
Sure, you can ask your companions but the obvious tip would be to learn the basic
rules… and what better place to start than with the rule most applicable to your home course? For example, is there a lot of Out of Bounds or water or GUR?
2 Learn how to repair a pitchmark properly
a) you might be surprised to find you’re doing it wrong. b) it might just encourage you to repair one once in a while.
Repair a pitchmark correctly and it will recover in 24 hours, but leave it for just two hours and it can take up to two months to recover. Ask your pro or a greenkeeper… or look it up on YouTube. Remember this: looking after the greens is as much your responsibility as the club’s.
3 Improve your speed of play
There are so many ways to play faster without having to walk more quickly. The golf bag left on the wrong side of the green is guaranteed to annoy the golfers behind you. Chatting on a tee box when there’s an empty fairway ahead is another. And don’t stand on the green or beside it marking your card. Golf may not be a race but you should show some simple courtesy to the golfers around you and always keep up with the golfers in front of you… which leads on to...
4 Stop moaning about slow play. Do something about it.
We all moan but we rarely confront those holding us up. Make this the year to change that. In the nicest possible way, tell the guilty group that they’ve lost ground on the golfers in front… then ask to play through. It’s hard to do but you want to get home in time for the 9pm news, don’t you? If they refuse to let you through, then a letter to the committee, the general manager, whoever, shouldn’t be seen as ‘sneaking’. Slow play is killing the game and it is your, their, and the club’s responsibility to do everything possible to stamp it out. Seriously, it’s time the gloves came off.
And remember… you might play fast but if someone behind is faster, please wave them through at the first opportunity.
5 Visit a new golf course
Yes, if you are a member and you’re paying an annual sub, then green fees at another club are a luxury, but why not enjoy a course you’ve never experienced before? The grass isn’t necessarily greener… but if it’s green and has 9/18 holes, what more do you need to know?
Play it in an Open event for the best value, or try for an Early Bird or Twilight rate. If you work it really hard, you can even get a golfing buddy to drive you, so you can enjoy a well-earned pint after your round.
6 Try a new shot
Ever wonder how guys play the bump-and-run so effectively, or play low punch shots that stop dead on the green? Make 2016 the year you find out how it’s done. Ask a good golfer in your club or, better yet, get a lesson.
7 Take a lesson
Go on, how many times have you promised you’re going to visit a pro… and then left it for another year? If you really want to improve how you play, the simplest way is to get a pro to look at what you’re doing right… and wrong.
8 Establish a routine
If you prepare to play every shot with the same routine, you’ll find it helps with your concentration and, more than likely, your confidence. Please note: this does not mean that you should take longer to play your shot! A good routine should, in fact, speed up play. A scratch golfer I know breaks it down into four simple steps: ‘stand behind the ball, visualise the shot, step up, and hit it.’ Ten practice swings are a definite no-no.
9 Flexibility/Exercise
Over the last few years, golf magazines have begun introducing full sections on flexibility, fitness, and strength as it becomes increasingly apparent just how important they are to playing the game… and enjoying it.
And then there are those photos of McIlroy pumping 350lbs in the gym.
While golf may be playable by everyone from 4 to 104 years of age, flexibility and strength will improve your performance, reduce injuries and increase your energy levels.
Some clubs have even introduced golf-specific yoga classes… sorry, but they have.
10 Encourage someone to try golf
The powers that be are constantly trying to attract new players to the game so why not give it a go yourself? Have a chat with someone at work — who you like, presumably — and encourage them to come to the course, or to a driving range. Give your young godchild a beginner’s set. Or ask the girl you fancy at the office out on a date, then take her to the driving range so she can go weak at the knees watching you hit one ball after another… but I doubt you’ll get a second date.
11 Keep it in the family
If you’re lucky enough to have family who golf, take them somewhere special for their birthday. Make it into a day out with lunch in the clubhouse. I asked my 84-year-old dad where he most wanted to play: ‘Concra Wood’ was his immediate response. Trust me, you’ll treasure those days.
12 Visit the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at the K Club next week
The organisation will be immaculate, the extras fantastic, and the golf phenomenal. You’ll get to see many of the world’s best so bring your kids (who go free) and get them inspired. I saw Seve Ballesteros playing at Portmarnock when I was a kid; it was an amazing moment.
13 Think of a way to help your home club
Whether you bring a work golf society, arrange a corporate day, invite three friends or volunteer, it all adds up.
14 Invest in a good pair of golf shoes
Considering the amount of time you spend in them and the amount of pressure you put on them throughout the swing, take the time to find a really comfortable pair of shoes. Some of them are pricey, for sure, but how much better will a pair of quality shoes be than a €39 pair if you play once a week?
15 Distance measurement devices
GPS, Rangefinders, Laser devices, your lucky 8 ball… whatever gizmo you use to get exact measurements to the flag or bunker please, learn how to use it correctly and effectively. Now, go back to point Number 3...
16 Stop cheating
Sorry, but it happens far more than the governing bodies are prepared to admit… and that usually comes down to the events and classics where there is little or no governance. Golfers know this and will happily post team scores of 112 points (where 94 claims second) or individual Stableford scores of 48 points off a 20 handicap. It’s ludicrous that such results aren’t pursued by the clubs involved, but they have so many other things to occupy them, that it is of little concern. Maybe these cheats are desperate to prove themselves, maybe they want the glory of boasting about their ‘victory’… but they are ruining it for everyone else.
Golfers will stop paying to enter events where they know their honesty and love of the game is never going to yield a result.
