My Dad’s Secret Golf Tip Changed My Game Forever

With nearly 45 years of experience playing golf and almost 17 years as a PGA professional, I’ve encountered countless strategies and pieces of advice. However, one of the most profoundly impactful golf tips I ever received came not from a coaching manual, but from my own father during my formative years as a teenage high school golfer. It’s a fundamental principle that I now share with my own students, and I believe it can significantly benefit your game.

A common challenge for many golfers lies in bridging the gap between practice range proficiency and actual on-course scoring. Achieving a consistent swing or mastering a putt on the practice green often feels effortless, yet replicating that success when the scorecard is active proves to be a considerable hurdle. This transition from practice to performance is a significant test, even for highly skilled players.

Traditionally, golf scorecards delineate rounds into nine or 18 holes, with a par assigned to each hole, against which a player measures their performance. While this standard framework is universally accepted, my father proposed a simplification that transforms how one approaches the round.

My Dad’s Simple Golf Tip

His advice was straightforward: “Let’s simplify this.” While every golfer has an ultimate scoring objective, be it breaking 90, 100, or even 70, this goal must be realistic and align with one’s current ability. The key to achieving it, he explained, is to dismantle the formidable 9 or 18-hole objective into smaller, more manageable segments.

The core of this strategy involves dividing the round into three-hole segments.

For each three-hole segment, a golfer determines the target score required to meet their overall objective. For instance, if the ultimate goal is to break 90 over 18 holes, this translates to shooting 45 for nine holes. Applying the three-hole segment rule, a player would aim for 15 strokes every three holes (15 + 15 + 15 = 45 for nine holes).

This scaled-down approach offers a distinct psychological advantage. It allows the mind to remain acutely focused on the immediate task, preventing the mental fatigue and frustration that often arise from considering a larger, distant objective.

I have frequently observed the effectiveness of this method with my students. Consider a common scenario: a golfer starts the round with a difficult hole, perhaps making a triple bogey (a 7 on a par 4). For many, such an early setback can lead to immediate demoralization, effectively “ending” their round mentally.

However, when viewed through the lens of three-hole segments, the dynamic changes entirely. Imagine your first three holes consist of a par 4, a par 5, and another par 4. The standard par for this segment is 13 strokes. If your target, based on an 18-hole score of 90, is 15 strokes for this segment, you have built-in flexibility.

Despite starting with that challenging 7 on the first hole, you then play the par 5 and score a 6. Your cumulative score for the first two holes is 13 (7+6). At this point, you’ve already matched the traditional par for the three-hole segment. Yet, with one hole remaining in your segment, if you then make a birdie (a 2) on the final par 4 of that segment, your score for the three holes becomes 15 (7+6+2=15). You have successfully met your segment goal, mitigating the impact of that initial poor hole and restoring confidence.

This method encourages managing the round on a micro-scale, transforming an intimidating 18-hole challenge into a series of achievable mini-goals. I encourage you to try this approach for a few rounds. I am confident that it will significantly enhance your ability to focus on the present moment and prevent the common pitfall of getting too far ahead of yourself mentally.

On a related note: Here’s how to increase your swing speed.