If, like me, you’ve caught the golf bug, you’ll know how frustrating it can be to play what you think is exactly the same shot as you’ve played before, only to find the ball sailing off at a 90 degree angle from where you aimed it.

So some lessons from a professional will always come in handy, which is what I’ve been having for the last 2-3 years. I’ve condensed some of the info from these lessons into a set of article tips, starting with this one about keeping the ball moving forwards.

My golf coach impressed on me from the start of my lessons that almost nobody ever achieves the perfect swing, perfect grip, perfect stance etc. He assured me that most amateur golfers will waste 90% of their time trying to perfect what they see as a problem. And indeed most golfers have plenty of issues to be concerned about, such as keeping their arm straight or their head still.

More important than any of this, though, is hitting the ball so it heads in the right direction. That is, keep the ball moving towards the green. To demonstrate the importance of this 1 factor above all others, my coach showed me exactly what he meant.

He took a backswing that was certainly not what could be described as textbook, and even let go of the grip with his left hand. But when he brought the club down, the ball left the tee moving in the right direction – admittedly without much power – and towards the intended target.

I realised from this that the key element of the whole shot was the club face hitting the ball. So long as you have this under control, you can send the ball towards the hole. Which is where I started to focus my efforts in practice.

Of course, having better control of the backswing, the grip, stance and other things, will enable you to get more power into your shots, which will help to send the ball further. But club selection is also a key here, to get the right length on the shot.

But the fundamental nature of the game is to send the ball from the tee to the green, so if you can hit the ball with the club head facing the right direction, you’re halfway towards achieving this goal. It’s a lesson that’s certainly helped me in my game, and I hope will also help you in yours.

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