10 things to do to avoid playing your best golf

Playing good golf requires that you do many things well during a round. Playing poor golf is easy to do. Without realizing it, many golfers sabotage their rounds in a variety of ways and junior golfers, in particular, frequently make mistakes that lead to higher scores.
In this article, I took a look at some of the most common errors young golfers make during a round that is almost sure to guarantee a poor performance.

1. Put too much emphasis on results during the pre-round warmup. Younger players often allow the quality of their range session to affect their confidence and, ultimately their performance on the course. More experienced golfers understand that their goal during the warmup is to get ready for the challenge they face when they walk on the first tee.
2. Have unrealistic expectations. Most junior golfers struggle with unrealistic expectations. They don’t accept the fact that they’re just as likely to shoot a score several strokes above their average as they are to shoot a score below their average. Instead of playing each shot as it comes, they let the first few poor shots change their confidence, attitude, and commitment for the rest of the round.
3. Don’t pay attention to the speed of the greens on the first few holes. Assuming they’re paying attention, the first few holes give golfers the chance to gain an understanding of the speed and receptivity of the greens. When golfers miss these clues, they’re sure to struggle for the majority of the round.
4. Text your coach in the middle of a round. Surprisingly, this happens more frequently than you might imagine. Young golfers who lack the mental toughness to deal with the rigors of competition or who are looking for some magical advice, seek outside help even in the middle of a round. This bad habit only leads to a golfer who is too dependent on outside direction.
5. Take unnecessary risks. It never fails, after hitting a bad shot, all but the most disciplined junior golfers, rather than hitting a shot that gets them back in play, will try to hit a miraculous shot to make up for the previous bad shot. This poor judgement almost always adds more strokes to the score.
6. Make technical changes during the round. Fiddling with swing mechanics during a round is a good way to struggle and play well below your capabilities. Greg Norman once said about his famous collapse in the Masters, “On the back nine, I started tinkering with stuff even though I never did that in my life, and I’ll never do it again. I was just trying things thinking it couldn’t get any worse. Well it got a lot worse.”
7. Try and impress others with your play. If you’ve been around competitive golf for any length of time, you’ve seen the situation in which a young golfer hits a shot and looks to his or her parents for approval or correction. Golf is hard enough without adding the additional pressure of trying to please someone on the sidelines, whether that’s a parent or a coach.
8. Ignore changing conditions. One of the most challenging aspects of golf is the fact that the environment and the conditions can change quickly. Wind direction, temperature, speed of the greens, pace of play, can all demand quick adjustments in order to keep a good round on track. Younger players with limited experience tend to adjust late or fail to adjust at all.
9. Focus on the score. Whether you’re on the way to a great round or struggling to avoid a poor round, putting your attention on the score takes golfers away from the immediate requirement of being focused and ready to the hit the most important shot – the next one.
10. Don’t eat or drink enough when you play. This is one of the most common mistakes young golfers make. They just don’t understand how important it is to stay hydrated and keep energy levels steady throughout the 4-6 hours it takes to play a round in a typical junior golf tournament.

All joking aside, I don’t know any golfers that purposely try to play poorly, but even seemingly normal behavior can make it less likely to play good golf. The choices and actions listed above are, unfortunately, all too common among the vast majority of junior golfers. One of the best ways to avoid these mistakes is have your son or daughter work with an experienced golf coach who can teach them how to avoid these traps and succeed in competition.