That is what will happen if you don't work on your game by hitting more fairways and greens,working on your short game and making more putts.You can wave goodbye to birdies and pars as they will be hard to come by if your all over the course.By not practicing correctly your setting yourself up for failure.There is an old expression that goes,"Golf is an intelligent game played by intelligent people stupidly."So let me enlighten you on how to practice with purpose.

First, you must learn that the ball is not your target,your target is the fairway or the green that your attempting to hit.Many golfers make the game harder than it has to be because they make their motion to the ball and it(golf ball)is not their target like in so many other sports.For example in other sports like Baseball.Where are the batters eyes focused on?The ball.Football receiver eyes are on the ball to catch it.Tennis player has to look at the ball coming to them in order to hit it.However, a quarterback,pitcher,basketball player shooting all have to look towards their intended target in order to see where they are throwing.They can't look at the ball,instead they project to their target and trust there mechanics that they have trained to get the job done well.

By the way a golfer sets up to the ball he or she cannot really see their target so they must rely on their swing to carry them through.That is the reason the blind can play golf.Without a ball in front of them they aren't hypnotized into hitting(golf ball) and commit to just swinging.By not having that tiny object being the focus of their attention they can just make a nice free flowing swing.This is the reason most people's practice swings are better than their real swings because they don't have a ball in front of them.

The secret to having a successful swing is first and foremost staying in balance.Balance is a must in order to create centrifugal force which results in accuracy as well as distance.Allowing the body to rotate around a steady head or around the spine propels the clubhead in a true swing arc.Regardless of what sport you play all great athletes have to have good balance in order to execute their particular moves.What robs most people of their balance is Tension! Under stress which we all experience especially in tight situations where an imporant shot or putt is needed to be made we start tightening up.Once this occurs we start having too many moving parts in our swing and this throws us out of balance.

Next time your out practicing hit some balls with your feet together and I think you'll be surprised if you maintained balance your how far and straight you can hit the ball.Then with your feet together hit some shots with your eyes closed to take your focus off the ball and trust your swing.This will give you a greater sense of how important it is to maintain your balance and project to your target with your mind's eye, not your physical eye.Like the old saying,"Throw your heart over the bar, and your body will follow."By doing this drill you will enter the world of the physically challenged to see what they deal with on a daily basis 24-7,yet can do some incredible things when it comes to playing golf.My father was legally blind before he passed away two years ago and he played a lot of good golf consistently breaking 80.You may have excuses when it comes to your golf game,but I promise none of them are good ones.

So if you want to see more birdies on your scorecard let's get you started playing the right way this season.These articles I am writing are to help you tune up your game or get you excited about taking up this wonderful sport that you can play for a lifetime.So say hello to Birdies, and Bye Bye to Bogies.I'll leave you with a little golf poem that goes,"Pars are good, and birdies are great,but bogies are things that all golfers hate!"

Tom Ward can be reached at www.adventurousgolf.com.