Easy Tips to Improve Accuracy

There are 15,014 golf facilities across the United States. It's no secret that Americans love golf. In fact, the golf industry creates and maintains close to 2 million jobs in the country.

Golf is a beloved pastime across the global. Golf courses are in 85% of the countries in the world. That's 208 of the world’s 245 nations.

Although few of us are going to make it to the PGA Tour, that doesn't mean that we can't all learn how to improve at golf.

Read on for a list of 7 simple habits you can start today to learn how to improve accuracy in your golf game.

1. Keep Flex in Your Wrist at Impact

One of the ways to improve your accuracy shot is to keep flex in your left wrist. When you bend your wrist so that the palm moves a bit closer to your forearm.

When you do this, you put the clubface in the right position to compress the ball and control the distance and trajectory of the shot.

Start out by practicing on 50-yard wedge shots until this movement feels comfortable. Then move on to the course.

2. Club Head First Followed By Your Feet

One of the best golf made simple tips is learning how to approach the ball. Rookies place their feet next to the ball before the club is in place.

Instead, walk up the ball and place the club head down and aim it before you step your feet into position. Otherwise, your feet will probably be aiming in the wrong direction. This can ruin your shot even if the club face is properly aligned.

You can practice this with some alignment sticks on the range to get the hang of having your feet and club face on target.

Again, aiming the club face at the target is one of the best ways to learn how to improve at golf. A great swing is no good if the ball is hurtling beautifully but in the wrong direction.

Don't rush. Take time to get your club face and feet in position each time. 

3. Practice With Low-Trajectory Shots

Another trick to improve how consistently you hit your target is to control your ball. An easy fix for this is to swing for low-trajectory shots.

Grip your lob or sand wedge with just your left hand. Place the ball in the middle of your stance. Then, transfer a tad more of your weight to your left side.

Swing the club back till your left arm is in the 9 o'clock position. Swing down into the back of the ball. The grass will limit your follow-through (which is just what you want).

Think of this trick as "hit and hold." 

4. Point Your Knee to the Ball

As you can see, there are many small adjustments that help you learn how to improve accuracy in your golf game.

Improper weight transfer on your downswing will likely lead to poor contact. That inevitably results in loss of accuracy.

To fix this, focus first on completing the backswing. Next, start going down with a slide-turn of your hips as you simultaneously move weight to your left foot.  Your right knee should point at the ball (or even slightly in front of the ball) during impact.

If so, that means you've made the right shift of weight. As with most things in life, practice makes progress. So go ahead and give this a try or twenty.

5. Improve Your Visualization Methods

This tip may sound like it belongs in the realm of "if you believe it, you can do it," but that's not what we're getting at here.

Sometimes, poor drives happen when golfers don't visualize the target clearly enough. A general sense of where you want the ball to go is not enough.

Instead, pick the exact spot you want the ball to land. Then, imagine a hula hoop or a ring of fire used in circus acts sitting 10 or 20 yards in front of you on that target line. 

When you swing, imagine your ball sailing through your ring onto your target spot. Having the two spots of visualization will help you control not just where the ball lands, but how it gets there.  

6. Use Speed to Control the Trajectory

Whether you hit the ball high or lower into the wind can make a big difference in where the ball lands compared to your aim.

A simple way to control trajectory is to adjust swing speed. Make a shot fly lower by going slower. You can either shorten your swing or choke down on the club to achieve this.

A faster swing creates more backspin and more height. 

You can also change your release. The shot will go lower the more you extend your arms through the shot. Letting the club up more in the follow-through equals more height. 

7. Use a  box to get Rid of That Slice

An open face, when you make contact with the ball, can result in a slice. Same is true with a faulty swing even if your clubface is square to the target.

To help with this, try the box drill. Take the top half of a golf ball box and stand it on its side. Line up the box parallel to your target line.

Try to groove a path so that the shaft can pass just over the box. For slicers, set up the box just forward of the ball. Don't hit the box!

Keep practicing and you'll soon see improvement.

Final Thoughts on How to Improve Accuracy in your Golf Game

Thanks for reading. We hope this list of tips on how to improve accuracy will make a huge difference to your game.

Eager to play your next 18 holes? Find a tee time at Southern Hills.