7 Deadly Sins

Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach Steve Robinson highlights common tee-to-green mistakes and simple remedies to prevent them from costing you shots

- Steve Robinson

We may not be blessed with the power, skill and finesse required to be the next Rory or DJ, but many of us fail to achieve our true scoring potential because of straightforward mistakes that can be remedied fairly easily, regardless of ability level.

Here, highly experienced coach Steve Robinson picks out his ‘seven deadly sins’ – the things he observes time and again that really hold golfers back unnecessarily. There are tips from driver down to putter and everything in between – all recommending simple changes to technique, thinking, routine or set-up – that could send your scores tumbling this year…

Driving

1 Deadly sin: too much tension Many handicap golfers grip the driver too tightly in a mistaken bid for control. But tension can be the source of a major power leak, and lead to you not being able to square the club up and release the clubhead at impact.

There’s very little or no wrist action, so it becomes much more of a one levered swing. It can also be a major cause of topping or blocking because it creates tension up your arm and in your shoulders, your arm muscles contract and your arms, in effect, become slightly shorter than when relaxed. To check the tension levels in your grip, waggle the club in front of you and make sure there is still some ‘play’ at the head end.

2 Long approach play

Deadly sin: being overly ambitious

The classic mistake in long approach play comes when you’re trying to get up in two and over-ambition gets in the way of wise decision making. Golfers tend to push too hard, even when the lie doesn’t really allow it, leading to overswings and wild shots.