The Golf Bandit

 You might play for money, or just for bragging rights, but golf games within the game are something you’ll see every weekend – whether you’re playing in an official tournament or just with a regular foursome.

 Here are a few games you can play with your friends next time you hit the links:

 Traditional Skins

 Skins is a common game and there are several variations.  The classic version pits each golfer against the others on a hole-by-hole challenge.  It’s not the overall score that counts, but each score on each hole.

 Holes have values, so par 3 holes might be worth $0.25, par 4 holes worth $0.50 and par 5 holes worth $1.00.  At the end of the game, players add up the values of the holes they won and the others have to pay the winners.

 Scrambles

 A scramble when you’re playing skins lets you tam up with 2-4 other golfers.  All players tee off, but then the team chooses the best shot in the group.  When they approach the ball, all players hit a shot again to see whose ball is best for that shot. This continues on until the players putt out.

 Each team has a scorecard, but individual players do not.  If you’re playing a regular scramble, then overall score is what counts, but you can also play scramble skins, where each hole counts just as it does with individual skins players.

 Alternate Shots

 With a team of 2 or more golfers, you can play alternate shots.  One ball is played, but the golfers take turns hitting the ball.  One player might hit the ball off the tee, while another chips it onto the green, and a third putts it in. Team scorecards are what count, since each player doesn’t have their own scorecard.

 Football in Golf

You read that right!  You can play football skins in the game of golf.  Play it just like you would traditional skins games, but your talents are put to the test even more.  Once you win the hole, you have the ball, so you have to try to keep it on the next hole by getting a par or better.

Have You Developed a Pre-Shot Routine?

 A pre-shot routine is something most golfers have. Very rarely do you see someone take a club out of their bag, walk right up and smack the ball without any aforethought.

 Your pre-shot routine is where you get comfortable with your stance, where you get mentally geared up for the shot, and where you hunker down to test your physical prowess in the game.

 Men and women both do it.  We walk up to the teebox, plug the tee into the ground, step back, aim, line up, waggle back and forth a couple of times, and eyeball the fairway – and it becomes a system we use each and every time we address the ball.

 Some people always do two warm up swings.  Others lift the clubface off the ground and quickly move it back and forth over the ball before they make contact with it.  What’s your pre-shot routine, or are you even aware that you have one?

 In a famous I Love Lucy episode, Ricky and Fred make fun of Lucy and Ethel by tricking them into thinking they have to hop skip and jump toward the ball or use an “over the shoulder, left-handed, whirling stimey” before they swing the club.

It’s not too much of a stretch for many golfers!  Some have the weirdest set-up pre-shot routines you’ve ever seen, but it doesn’t really help the ball go farther or straighter. 

What it does do is help the golfer feel less anxious about the shot. It’s like a Linus blanket. In fact, some need the pre-shot routine to release the built up tension they feel about hitting the ball – especially on the teebox.

If you want to develop a pre-shot routine that actually works for you better than just being comforting, then make sure it includes lining up your ball and mentally focusing on relaxing during the shot.

Position your clubface behind the ball and imagine a line that your clubface will swing through as it comes down for the follow-through.  Take one practice swing behind the ball and envision the shot.

When you address the ball, commit to the shot, take a breath, and bend your knees.  If you need to take a waggle, do it – but make sure you know what works best and what may be hindering your real backswing and follow-through.

Click here for your Free Golf Swing Plane Test

You can also <a href=”http://www.realfeelgolfmats.com/golf-practice-mat.shtml” title=”Golf Practice Mat”>practice in your own back yard or indoor with you own golf practice mat</a>.
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