Play better this weekend!

Tommy Fleetwood with Jeremy Ellwood | These eight tips will help you in the quest to lower your handicap

We all want to hope or believe that we could or should be able to do better this weekend when we head out on to the golf course. But we don’t all have the time or inclination to work hard on the swing faults that, deep down, we know are holding us back.

But is it possible to play better this weekend without major swing surgery? Ryder Cup star and former Race to Dubai winner Tommy Fleetwood believes it is, simply by rethinking the way we go about things before and during every round we play.

Over the next few pages, Fleetwood shares his thoughts on a number of ways to approach things a little differently, any one of which could perhaps hold the key to you shaving a shot or two a round off your scores without changing your swing.

Pre-round prep

1 . For me, giving myself enough time that I don’t feel rushed getting to the tee, but not so much time that I risk overthinking it, is important. Professional golfers always have a warm up and would never leave it too late and be rushing to the 1st tee, like your regular amateur might be!

But I think people can give themselves too long to warm up – they hit a few shots and are hitting it great, but with too much time they might end up overthinking things. Time management is very important.

Having the pace of the greens is also important. If you feel comfortable towards the far end of the hole, it takes the pressure off the rest of the hole – whether that’s feeling good about your chipping or feeling comfortable on the greens. I think that works its way through the rest of your game and can be a comfort before you tee off.

Mid-round checks