Once you're prepared to tee off for a golf event you need to stay with your game plan.It's easy to deviate from your program once you have gotten off to a poor start with some bogies.For instance,perhaps after your a couple over par on the first few holes and the next hole is a tight,but reachable par four that with a big drive can be reached off the tee.Now you might be tempted to alter your plan of attack and try to bomb a tee shot onto the green to try to make up for a few quick bogies.This is when you could push or snap hook your ball into the woods and take a really big number and for all intense and purposes the round is ruined.Altering your game plan while on the course can only invite this kind of disaster.

Another problem golfers encounter is keeping the ball in play.Nothing from my experience is so disturbing in a round of golf to be playing well and suddenly you lose a ball by sending it out of bounds.The sick feeling of having to re-tee and take a stroke and distance is one not easily to forget.Now your trying to avoid a double bogey or worse,and this is difficult to do because your disgusted with yourself for the penalty situation.Here's a simple exercize that I was taught by one of my instructors years ago that might help.I periodically use this method on my students during playing lessons on the golf course.For example,if my student has a shot of 150 yards to the green and he or she hits it out of bounds or in a hazard with a 9 iron I will make them move about 10-15 yards back from the spot where they just hit their ball.Then I ask them to select another club like a 8 or 7 iron and make the shot without trying to swing so hard to try to get the ball to the green.By swinging within yourself you can avoid taking a big number on any hole.Time after time by just playing the percentages even without hitting a great shot you can put yourself into a position to score.Like my father always told me when I came home from a golf tournament and I told him about my round where I hit a driver and 7 iron over water to a long par five hole.He asked,"What did you score on the hole?"and I replied,"I just lipped out on a birdie putt."He exclaimded,"Nobody, but you cares what club you hit into the hole,all that matters is what did score did you make."It's true that it makes for a great story in the grill area with your friends,but if you don't convert on those gambles it really isn't worth it in the long run.

In college I had a teammate of mine on the golf team who I would consistently outdrive off the tee by 50 yards.He would be hitting first into the green with maybe a 5 iron and I might have a 9 iron,however I was amazed that a lot of the time his shot would be closer to the hole than mine.It goes to show you it's "Not how,it's how many".Your not rewarded for what club you hit into the green.Bottom line is it's all about getting that little white ball in the hole in the fewest shots possible.

Another issue to contend with is making swing corrections during your round.First,unless your a very advanced player with good knowledge of your game beware of doing this too much.Any swing adjustments should be kept ot a minimum.The time for working on your swing is on the practice tee with a qualified teacher and not the golf course in competition.It's nearly impossible to play well on the course when your mind is focused on swing mechanics because it takes away your ability to concentrate on scoring.

Speaking of concentration I believe this is one area where the best players seperate themselves from the rest of the pack.Many missed shots are caused by not concentrating on target projection during your swing.Too many times I see golfers thinking about problems at their office or school or at home during the round.Or even conversations with their respective playing partners are distracting them.Always step away from the ball if you find you have loss focus for the shot at hand.Having a good setup routine with the proper mind set will alleviate this problem with a little practice.

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