One beginner’s tip to help other beginners enjoy the game more, one less suckier day on the links or the practice tee at a time.
Hey Google. ChatGPT. Siri. Gemini. Dad. Bryson. Weird neighbor guy always outside swinging a rusty 7-iron.
How do I stop sucking at golf?
The good news is that every golfer started in exactly the same place. Sucking.
Remember the first time you tried to hit a golf ball? Chances are you skulled, duffed, or fatted that thing. And that’s okay.
I’m almost 40 years old, and I still suck at golf. But you know what? I suck a whole lot less than I did when I first started.
I love celebrating my progress and telling people who ask how good a golfer I am that “I suck less now.”
So, if you’re like how I was as recently as 6 mos. ago — topping every drive, duffing every iron shot, 3/4 putting from 12 feet and pretending bad golf is just as good as good golf, you’ve come to the right place.
Here’re my tips to physically and mentally suck less at golf:
NOTE: I still suck, just less, so these tips are merely meant to help you improve slightly. Just enough to keep you coming back to the range or the course. No quitting allowed!
1. Admit that you suck
Congratulations. You’ve already completed Step 1.
You know you suck.
Welcome to the club.
Even better, you’re actively looking for advice on how to suck less. That’s another step in the right direction.
Sure, you’re lost and searching the internet for answers, but aren’t we all?
The important thing is that you’ve realized something needs to change. Golf is really hard to improve at if you’re convinced every bad shot was caused by the wind, your clubs, or the cart girl talking during your backswing.
Sometimes it’s you.
Actually, most of the time it’s you.
And that’s okay.
2. There are no shortcuts. You have to practice. Even though practice is boring, mostly.
Here’s the truth nobody wants to hear:
The best way to get better at golf is to practice golf. Lots and lots of practice.
Groundbreaking, I know.
Hit the range. Practice regularly. Have a basic plan. 10 minutes of this. 10 minutes of that. You’re trying to gain confidence while getting in some repitition.
And set your ego aside long enough to get in-person advice from someone who actually knows what they’re doing. I signed up for lessons with a range PGA pro I’ve seen teaching students. Gavin Witzer. Not cheap. But I jumped right in, and now I drink less, killed my Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions (I NEVER USED THEM), and steer clear of Amazon Deal Days. I needed to save money somehow to pay for a lesson every few weeks.
If you’re broke, that’s fine too. Find a friend who can golf and go hit balls with them. Ask for a few tips.
Just know, there isn’t some magical YouTube video that’s going to turn you into Scottie Scheffler by Saturday morning.
Consistently not sucks takes reps.
If you can hit one perfect shot out of every bucket of balls, that’s encouraging. Unfortunately, unless your buddies let you take that bucket out on the course, you’re going to continue to big-time suck in the wild.
3. Be patient and celebrate what sucks the least
Maybe you can hit a driver every now and then and keep on the course, but you can’t putt to save your life.
That’s okay.
Maybe you can pitch it ok from a perfect lie around the green, but can never get a ball out of a bunker.
Also okay.
Instead of spending the entire round thinking about everything you suck at, pay attention to the things you can actually do well most of the time.
And remember:
You are never going to be a pro and play on TV.
If you were, you wouldn’t be reading this. You’d be playing.
Golf is supposed to be fun.
Of course, it’s difficult to have fun on the course when you can’t get the ball off the ground and are stacking snowmen. I get it.
I’ve taken breaks from golf before, but I’m not a quitter.
Taking a break lets our egos and calluses heal.
4. Set goals with your coach/friend
If you can afford a $100 lesson, take one. If not, buy your buddy who plays the most golf a six-pack and ask for basic tips.
Focus on the fundamentals and learn to grip the club correctly. Heck, I bought a grip aid at Roger Dunn and slapped that on a beat-up 7-iron I had. Do that. That’ll help you build a decent grip.
That’s it.
For me, I know one of my biggest issues. It’s not necessarily my swing or my clubs.
It’s my grip—and then my head.
I can’t figure out how to grip a club comfortably without using my aid. I take it everywhere. It’s always in my bag. Shhhhhhhh
A lot of guys don’t want to pay someone for advice or admit they’re trash.
Remember, the best golfers in the world have coaches. And they pay those guys tens of thousands of dollars every year. Scottie and Rory included.
You’re not less of a man because someone showed you how to hold a golf club correctly.
5. Say it with me: “I don’t have time to practice”
Same.
I have four kids. Finding several hours every week to go to the range isn’t exactly easy.
So improvise.
Keep an iron somewhere around the house and buy some foam golf balls. Hit them around the backyard. Take swings and look at your reflection in the sliding glass door. Practice your chipping. Roll some putts across the carpet. Repetition leads to confidence. I promise.
Get your kids involved and make it fun.
You’d be surprised what even 30-40 minutes a week can do for your comfort level.
Reps are reps.
6. Golf is a game of finesse, no matter what Bryson says or does
Thought of the day: When you start to play golf you are more likely to play like an 80-year-old grandma, then a young stud.
Just because you can curl 30-pound dumbbells doesn’t mean you can hit 300-yard drives.
If you can’t time up squaring your clubface at impact and clearing your hips, you’re more likely to hit it 200 than 300.
For now, forget distance. Focus on low and slow and smooooooth swings. Ernie Els and Freddy swings.
Focus on contact, balance, and tempo. Or some Tension, Target, Tempo.
Think about how kids learn baseball. They don’t start throwing it 95 mph. And they definitely don’t take batting practice off of someone throwing it 95.
They start with a tee.
Then soft toss.
Then pitching.
Golf should be no different.
Learn golf the way a five-year-old learns how to play baseball.
Except you’ll probably learn a little faster.
Hopefully.
Mr. Billy Madison.
7. Learn how to accept the “sucking”
You’re going to keep hitting terrible golf shots. Heck, PGA Tour player Webb Simpson has won a U.S. Open is famous for hitting a few shanks every year on tour.
Accept the sucking now.
Play with friends who don’t care if you occasionally drop a ball and take a practice shot. And there really isn’t anything wrong with a mulligan unless you are playing for money.
Bring enough balls. Take your drop. Keep things moving.
Bad shot?
Take a breath.
Drink a beer.
Hit the next one.
Most importantly, if you’re going to play bad golf, play bad golf fast.
The group behind you doesn’t care that you’re shooting 112. They only care that you stay out of their way. Remember, they are sucking too. And sucking like a sloth is no way to suck.
8. YouTube is your friend—and your enemy
YouTube can absolutely help you improve at golf.
It can also completely destroy you.
If you already know what’s wrong, YouTube/Instagram is great for finding drills and different ways to work on a specific problem.
If you have absolutely no clue what’s wrong, be careful.
Watching 37 different instructors explain 19 different swing thoughts can leave you worse than when you started.
If you’re confused, go see your coach, erase YouTube on your phone, and catch up on Netflix. Don’t get lost on the interwebs.
9. Play the clubs you can actually it
You don’t get extra points for being able to hit a driver 250 yards if it always slices 50.
If your 5-iron only travels as far as your 9-iron, practice and play with the 9-iron. While you are taking your master class of Sucking at Golf, play with clubs that you have (some)confidence playing with.
If your driver ruins every hole, leave it in the bag.
Play the clubs you trust.
Once you’re comfortable with a new club, start practicing with that one more.
Build your suck less golf game one club at a time.
10. Your woods go far, but putting is what is most important.
Everyone loves hitting bombs. It’s cathartic. Especially when one connects.
It’s downright fun.
But hitting one driver decently out of 10 doesn’t mean you absolutely don’t suck.
You put the ball on a tee, swing as hard as humanly possible and occasionally hit one 270 yards that makes you forget about the previous nine drives you sent into people’s backyards or into the nets at Top Golf.
Now, if your aim is to get good at golf and start gaining confidence, you know, actually doing something the right way on the course, start practicing your putting. Distance control. Getting the ball to roll on your intended line. Practice with a purpose. And keep it up. Putt. Putt. And putt some more.
Use a bunch of drills.
Try out some training aids.
Play contests with some friends.
Practice on your carpet at home.
If you have the means or an amenable wife, afford yourself a turf putting green in the backyard.
When you have time to practice start with putting and end with putting. That’s if you want to start sucking less and posting actual scores on a scorecard.
So there you have it. From one hack to another. Start sucking less, just like me.
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