Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes In Your First Rounds This Season

For golfers who don’t play year-round, the start of the season is always exciting. You’re eager to get back out there but your swing is probably rusty, and the course conditions aren’t doing you any favors. Maybe you practiced over the winter, maybe you didn’t. Either way, here are five common mistakes to avoid in your first few rounds back.

Trusting last year’s distances

If your 6-iron went 165 yards at the end of last season, don’t assume it still does. Your swing speed may be down, your contact might be inconsistent and early-season conditions play a role, too.

Use a launch monitor, simulator or range session to recheck your yardages. Colder temps, slower swings and physical rust can easily cost you five to 10 yards this time of year.

Going all-in before you have balance

There are two problems with swinging at full speed at the start of the season: control and the risk of injury. If you come out of the gate looking to hit the longest drive of your life, there will be consistency issues.

For the first few rounds of the season, 80 percent speed and 100 percent balance is a good combination.

One important reminder: even at 80 percent speed, you should still be accelerating through the ball. Swinging with intent matters just make sure you can stay balanced when you do.

Ignoring that the course conditions have changed

Fall golf course conditions and spring golf course conditions are not the same. Spring fairways are often soft, muddy and slow. Greens can be patchy and there may be areas that require maintenance due to winter damage.

You can’t play the course in April the same way you do in September.

One of the most important areas to adjust is the short game. Pay close attention to how the ball reacts on the greens and play accordingly. Chances are that you will get a little less roll-out and have to adjust your landing spot to be closer to the hole.

Chasing shot shapes you don’t own yet

Hitting a high fade that moves from the center of the green to the pin tucked on the right side may seem like the ideal shot. However, if you don’t have full control over the ball early in the season, you may set yourself up for missed greens and costly mistakes.

Play the shot you trust. Trying to force something may put you out of bounds or in a water hazard.

Control will come as the season evolves.

Ignoring the fundamentals

While it may seem basic to tell yourself to focus on fundamentals, it is a real issue that amateur golfers often face.

After a long layoff, it’s tempting to fix your game by tweaking backswing positions, swing plane or how open your hips are at impact. Most likely, that’s not where your mistakes lie.

Focus on posture, ball position and alignment before worrying about your swing mechanics. A poor setup is the primary cause of most early-season misses.

Final thoughts

Don’t set your expectations too high when it comes to scoring. Use this time of year to hone your skills, get comfortable with your swing, build muscle memory and prepare yourself for the peak of the golf season. A few higher scores in the spring are completely expected.