The improvement process starts with planning

• By Ed Oldham, SwingFix Instructor
• Feb 8, 2013 7:00 AM ET

When you’re going on a trip, it’s a pretty good bet that you plan the details in advance.

You look at dates, book your tickets or look at a map and see how you will get there. You most likely wouldn’t just get in your car and start driving without knowing your final destination.

Unfortunately, however, the latter approach is how most golfers try to improve. They practice without a purpose or a plan and without any idea on where they’re going or how to get there.

Instead, you should be looking to plan your improvement.

Applying a logical, organized approach to improving your golf game will help you to get better this year.

• Ed Oldham

Sit down with your instructor or coach and do a complete analysis of your golf game, and then establish goals for the coming golf season.

I suggest to my students that they should always work to improve the two weakest areas of their game first, and that starts with determining what you would like to accomplish.

Maybe you would like to average hitting two more greens in regulation per round and reduce your number of 3-putts.

That decision is up to you, but after deciding what you want to accomplish, next determine the specific steps you can take to achieve those goals and plan your weekly practice with an aim toward accomplishing those goals.

You can work with your instructor, taking lessons on those specific areas of your game, or create a practice plan yourself based on what you perceive as your major weaknesses.

But applying a logical, organized approach to improving your golf game will help you to get better this year.

Take an online lesson with Ed Oldham.