Stop Fighting Your Golf Ball

If I could give every golfer one piece of advice, it would be this:

Stop trying to hit every shot perfectly straight.

It sounds strange, but even the best players in the world don't play that way. Most Tour professionals have a stock shot—a ball flight they trust under pressure. Some play a fade, others a draw. The difference is they don't fight their natural shape. They learn to trust it.

One of the first questions I ask golfers during a lesson is:

"What does your normal shot look like?"

Many don't know. They remember the great shots and the bad ones, but not the pattern. Yet your pattern is one of the most valuable things you can understand.

Whether your ball moves a little left or a little right, it's not necessarily a problem. It's simply how you play golf.

Once you know your stock shot, course management becomes much easier.

If you naturally hit a fade, aim down the left side of the fairway and let the ball work back. If you play a draw, use that shape instead. Rather than trying to hit the perfect shot every time, you're making the course fit your game.

That's often the difference between playing smart golf and playing hopeful golf.

Knowing your ball flight also makes it much easier to visualise the shot. Instead of standing over the ball wondering where it might go, you can picture the start line, the curve and the finish. That picture helps you commit to the shot—and committed swings almost always produce better results than hesitant ones.

Golf isn't about hitting perfect shots, It's about hitting shots you can predict.

The more predictable your ball flight becomes, the easier it is to make good decisions, avoid trouble and play with confidence. Next time you're on the course, don't ask yourself, "How can I hit this perfectly?"

Instead ask,

"What does my stock shot do, and how can I use it?"

You might be surprised how much simpler the game becomes.

George's challenge

During your next round, don't judge your score. Judge your pattern.

After every full shot, ask yourself:

• Did it start where I expected?

• Which way did it curve?

• Would I be happy if every shot looked like that?

The better you know your stock shot, the easier golf becomes.