Remember these ‘4 Ps' for guaranteed improvement
GOLF Top 100 Teacher Tom Patri recommends focusing on four key pillars to drive improvement.Getty Images
Improving at golf doesn't require reinventing your swing every season or chasing the latest tip on social media. Real progress comes from following a simple, repeatable system. That system can be summed up in four words: Process, Practice, Patience and Persistence.
Here's how to apply each one - step by step - to your own game.
Your process starts before you ever pull a club from the bag. Choose your target, pick a shot shape you can execute, and commit to a pre-shot routine you use on every swing. This routine should look the same on the range and on the course.
On the course, good process also means smart decision-making. Don't fire at tucked pins if the miss brings big trouble into play. Plan for your common miss and choose clubs that keep you in position. When your decisions and routine stay consistent, your swing has a better chance to repeat.
Action step: Write down your pre-shot routine and commit to using it on every full shot for one full round - no exceptions.
Effective practice is focused practice. Instead of bouncing between drivers, wedges and putting every few balls, choose one skill per session. That could be improving your takeaway, increasing shoulder turn or stabilizing your tempo.
Work on that one skill deliberately, using slow swings, checkpoints, and feedback. When you feel improvement, test it with a few full-speed swings - but don't move on until the skill starts to feel predictable.
Action step: Go to your next practice session with a single goal written down. If you catch yourself drifting, reset and return to that one objective.
Swing changes rarely feel good right away. In fact, they often feel worse before they feel better. Old habits are comfortable because they're familiar, not because they're effective.
Expect inconsistency. Expect good swings mixed with bad ones. That's normal. If you judge progress solely by score or ball flight in the short term, you'll abandon changes that are actually working.
Action step: Measure progress by contact quality or start direction - not score - during the first few rounds after a change.
Persistence is continuing to work the plan when results lag behind effort. Scores may go up temporarily. Confidence may dip. That's where most golfers quit.
Meaningful improvement takes reps under pressure, both in practice and on the course. Persistence means showing up, trusting the process, and resisting the urge to "fix" everything after one bad round.
Action step: Commit to your improvement plan for a set timeline - two weeks, a month, or 10 rounds - before making any major changes.
When Process guides your decisions, Practice targets your weaknesses, Patience gives changes time to develop, and Persistence keeps you moving forward, improvement becomes predictable - not accidental.
Talent matters. Fundamentals matter. But players who consistently get better aren't guessing. They're following a plan and sticking to it. If you do this same, I guarantee you’ll get better, too.
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