There are countless tips, tricks, drills and training aids out there to help the casual golfer shave strokes off their score. Everyone has their preferred snippet of advice to give the weekend warrior looking to go lower.
Jon Rahm says amateurs often overestimate how far they can hit the ball and need to club up to make sure they get the ball all the way to the target. Brooks Koepka preaches the importance of finding clubs that work for you and sticking with them instead of always opting for the newest tech. Rory McIlroy believes most amateurs get themselves in trouble by trying to hit shots that aren’t in their repertoire. If you want to lower your scores, the reigning Masters champion suggests being realistic about the shots you are attempting.
For Tommy Fleetwood, the best advice is the simplest. If you want lower scores, Fleetwood suggests trying to play an entire round with just one ball — it will help your score and bank account.
“If club golfers can start with trying to get around with one golf ball is always kind of very cheap,” Fleetwood said on Wednesday ahead of the DP World India Championship. “So I feel like my dad, that’s always his form of success in a round of golf, no matter what he’s shot, he has the same golf ball in the end. That will definitely save strokes if you can do that. And by the way, putting the ball in play and being sensible.”
Of course, there’s more than one thing to take from Fleetwood to help shave strokes off your score.
Fleetwood uses the Swing Plane Perfector —a device developed by Michael Bannon, longtime swing coach of Rory McIlroy — to help him with one of the parts of the golf swing that he sometimes struggles with.
“The three big ones I think are spine angle, shaft angle and arm track — or where your arms are swinging,” he says, “This [using the swing plane perfector] for me basically takes care of the one that I would probably struggle the most with at early stages in my career would be the shaft angle. Keeps me nice and on plane.”
Fleetwood’s mental approach to the game is also something for amateurs to take note of. Prior to his FedEx Cup Championship win at East Lake, Fleetwood had numerous close calls as he hunted for his first PGA Tour win. Even as the heartbreaks piled up, Fleetwood remained positive and vowed to have resolve, believing his time would come as long as he continued to play good golf. To Fleetwood, it’s important not to let frustration from poor shots or outcomes impact what comes next. That can be true for any golfer, regardless of their goals or skill level. Bad shots are bound to happen, but don’t compound the mistake by dwelling on a loose shot or poor decision.
“I think the obvious first thing is that whatever happens, I mean, what’s the point in letting it have a negative effect on whatever happens next? I mean, it’s just pointless,” Fleetwood said. “There’s absolutely no point in letting anything have a negative impact on what happens next. … There are times when I’ve played tournaments and I’ve been really happy finishing 20th because I had a good Sunday. So there’s so much good there. That’s the stuff you should focus on. Of course, there are things I would want to improve on and things I know I might have got wrong, and I’ll work on those things. I’m not going to lie to myself and say everything was great. I know I’ve got things wrong.
“But the important thing for me is to give yourself the best chance every time you go out and play, having a positive attitude and a good mindset is very important for that.”
