5 Golf Mistakes You Just Don't Need - STOP DOING THIS! 

I've always told beginner golfers that you get better, not by hitting more good shots, but by hitting fewer bad ones. Which is pretty much the theme of this excellent video.

3 putts and doubles are so important to not do , way way more important than birds , no 3 putt and no double and maybe 1 bird you are gonna have a fine score , off 6 that’s my aim going out, great video thank you !

These videos are always a great watch. You can show up to the course with a game plan but on the first tee that sometimes all goes out the window. Due to playing partners, pace of play and frustration etc. Great content as always Mark! Also looking forward to all the upcoming gear drops next year because your reviews and comparisons are so non bias, no BS. Which I greatly appreciate :) Cheers.

Mark, this was one of your best video's - Thank you. Just goes to show how much of the game is managing the course and our expectations - even before we make a swing.

Yes Mark, golf is hard, but that's what keeps me coming back.

The best video on golf improvement I’ve personally ever seen. The cup was a clever visual.

Great video Mark!!! I love the talk about variance and reasonable goals as a path to improvement.

We all expect to do better than we are capable of most of the time, what we need to do is try our best to enjoy the game and the company we’re with. We may shoot 74 one day and 84 the next which is frustrating but we just don’t have the same swing or state of mind everyday, always lots of variables which Mark is great at telling us,enjoy.

Love this list. I’m a natural fader but always want to draw it. I’m learning to do this but when it really counts, I settle for the fade unless it’s prohibited by the ball location. Cheers

As always great information that’s instantly usable. Years ago my game changed massively when I went back to hitting my natural fade and stopped trying to draw the ball off the tee. Accuracy and feels for the fade just seemed natural. Pick my target and let it go.

love it! i've also learned to accept bogeys and not try to "get it back" because then the doubles appear.

The best all round advice delivered in the best possible way,Chilled great video .

Thanks Mark some practical strategy to take to the course. I would like to see more info on the choices you should make. No one has the perfect golf swing, even the pros but they play smart and within themselves to their strength. Thanks again.

Thanks for another great video superb advice, simple but put so well!

Great comtent Mark. Biggest improvements for me recently have come from keeping ball in play and improving speed control on the greens. Chaged average scores by 10shots atleast.

Great video. So true. So clear. Thx for sharing.

This is such a good video. They way you think the game is different than soooo many others.

Great video Mark. I hit a natural fade but my golf coach on my college golf team is always trying to get me to hit a draw because he says I’m more consistent with that shot but I’ve always found that my dispersion is tighter and am more consistent hitting my natural fade.

I agree with all of your 5 points Mark. We golfers do place higher expectations on ourselves. Played today, no 3 putts, 2 doubles and 3 birdies. Tried to hit a draw on one particular hole and blocked it into the trees. Smartened up and stuck to the power fade.

As someone whose natural shot has, thanks to lessons, moved from being a blocky push fade to a neutral/slight draw, I completely agree the key is what can you consistently control. My coach and I never talked about trying to hit a draw shape, we worked on fundamentals of the swing and just let the shot shape happen. Golf is so much easier when on par 4s or par 5s your second shot is not from the trees

Great Video, as a High Handicapper i changed my mind set to realising i was never going to parr a hole and aim to use my Handicap shots and be happy with a bogey

Great Mark as a 16 handicapper double and sometime triple bogeys kill my scorecard, a lot of the reasons are trying to make shots way above my pay grade

Top video Mark, I enjoy the advice for average golfers like myself over the "gain 8mph club speed" videos, this is very useful. Some strategy for reducing doubles would be greatly received.

Mark - simple, sensible thinking - I just love that about your videos … what helped me break 90? Not being bound by the ‘right’ shot - play what’s in front of you according to you current skills, and the best skill I learned this year was putting with my 6 iron. Sooo many more shots were closer to the hole from 20 yards away and I saved a bucket of strokes. Who knows I may improve my gir and not need to do this much more next year.

Mark, loving your podcast..keep up the good work.

They are great tips. I have been working on no double bogeys. That alone has taken 4 shots off my round👌

Brilliant just the best advice thank you 😊

Oh yes, so great points. Golf is realy hard so we need try keep our game simple as possible. And try to be happy from little things 🙂

Another brilliant video, thank you. As a high handicapper my biggest fault is blowing up! Can be having a really canny round, but one bad error leading to a bad hole just throws me from then on in! 🙄🙄

Practice chipping and punch shots with half swings from within 100 yards when there is no hazards in the way. Most higher handicaps (myself included) have a tough time launching the ball ever time as it is. Add to that a tight lie or slope and a punch shot just has a higher chance at a GIR in my experience.

Great discussion sir.

I love it when you put the cookies on the bottom shelf Mark.

I was a fader that wanted to draw the ball. I changed my swing to hit draws, within a year that draw became a hook to the dreaded pull hook. After 20 years ( numerous coaches & lessons) of not hitting fairways etc anymore, ive found my own solution to changing a big in to out path to a fairly neutral path that i can now hit fades. My dispersion with all clubs is so much tighter because the path is way more neutral and therefore there is less over compensation with my hands.

One of your best videos, must be worth a couple of shots of your handicap.

Great advice on all five tips although I believe the last tip on not three putting can be made more precise. Great putters like Jordan Speith, Brad Faxon, Ben Crenshaw and Inbee Park, to name a few, always try to hole their putts or at least get their ball to stop several inches past the hole. If you read literature by the best putting coaches like Dave Pelz, etc, they generally recommend a distance of between nine and seventeen inches past the hole to give the putt a decent chance to drop. And, yes, tight putting distance dispersion is key.

Great tips Mark!

I think you need to sit and think about every hole on your home course and work out a strategy for EACH HOLE. I had a scratch marker describe how I could play a par 5 on my course. I'd never thought of this way to work my way along the hole but blimey, it worked !

Always used to hit a fade. Had a great lesson to learn to draw. Now I cannot fade and less consistent. Great distance but not necessarily in right direction.

Good stuff. I would add the obsession of spinning the ball, but your list is great.

Thanks Mark. Great advice. As a 9 Handicap golfer, I am happier having a “double free” round than having an occasion birdie.

Just give me all the tools…but, as you said, I just want to know the ones I’m good at. I like these tips… especially about chipping it closer.

I’m a 6 hcp and have never hit a draw on purpose. I’m one of those exceptions that hit the ball pretty straight most of the time or else a tiny fade barring a mis- hit. My son hits a towering draw and I will beat his left-right and front-back dispersion all day long. Despite him hitting it 2-3 clubs longer than me. Combine that with how many fewer 3-putts I have, it explains why he’s a 12 hcp. Although he looks better on the range. 😂

Great video! Try to get it the hole as quick as possible. Don't try to think you're a pro. Golf is a lot more fun!

Thanks Mark. I find I'm always telling myself I need more birdies. Now, if you constantly are getting the same score and for me that is 77-82, what do you believe I should be focused on? I don't three putt often at all, but when I get a couple of bogies, I cannot recover from that with just pars. Any suggestions?

Even as a hit it straight advocate ( for the better player) and of course there is always a small amount of curvature on the day, I totally understand you comment that shape it is the way to go because no one can hit it straight. So lets reassess another way of looking at the challenge- what really matters is being able to hit the ball where you are aiming and how far it carries- whatever the curvature. That is, it comes down to how straight you hit it +/- or how much you bend it- its just as hard to bend it a controlled amount as it is to hit it straight(ish) at least for me. What is very useful and I accept its value is having a consistent shot shape as some would say it doubles your margin for error ( aim down the left with a guaranteed curve to the right say). I know you don't reply to comments but I had to get it off my chest 🙂

My driving is more consistent no bad misses and I improved my chipping, I now consistently score better. But! I have to practice these elements, no free ride.

Another one I learned quickly was to not try flight every shot around the green and land it close, also not just using one club around the green. I learned to take different clubs and try little bump and runs, moving the landing area a lot closer to myself making the shot more achievable, then experimenting with different wedges and irons to see what would get me the best run out in different conditions.

Always bringing the common sense! The hard part is not understand the logic, it’s executing it on the course

I fell into the trap of “needing” to hit a draw. I soon realized that as soon as I just gave into hitting my fade, I was just much more accurate without the additional stress. I can hit the draw now sort of but I use my natural shape all the time with consistent results.

Most amazing thing for me is the expectations of golfers. I have found among the group that I play with that people's expectations seem to lower with their handicaps. I play in a group of people whose handicaps range from +2 to 22. My own handicap is +1 and I find that when I stand over a shot my expectations of the shot seem to be lower than my mates who play off 18 to 22. My shot planning is also so much easier in that I'll always default to my stock shot, try hit a fairway or the middle of a green whereas the guy playing off a 20 is trying to hit a draw off the tee and then fade his approach into the back right flag. When and IF we both hit the middle of the green, I am happy and he is disappointed. When we add our scores up at the end of the day, invariable I am generally shooting 76 or lower and they are never breaking 90.

Mark, Thank you for several great paradigms! Play your shape, Play to the middle- fairway & green. Simple, yet priceless lessons sir! Work on your wardrobe Mr. Crossfield, jus' sayin". Jim

This is a great video that we all need to stop doing regardless of handicap. I think a lot of it boils down to managing expectations. As a 13 handicap, I know that if I try to get cute with a chip and leave myself 30 feet, the statistics show I'm more likely to 3-putt than sink it. The better play would be to chip to a distance where I have a good chance to make a putt, and an expectation of at most 2 putts. Off the tee, I try to know when to lay up with a shorter club that will stay out of trouble, keeping my dispersion in mind. It's all simple until we get out there and want to hit hero shots!

Mark, are you doing an immediate wrist set before you turn back? Its so quick on video. If you are then what are the advantages? Thanks.

The best part of this video was at 8:18 if you didn't watch this far you missed the whole point. Go out have fun, you're not a pro, probably never be one, just enjoy the game don't let it ruin your weekend. Thanks Mark!

Funny you mention golfers wanting to hit a draw. Half of the instructors I've had lessons with told ME that I had to start hitting a draw, tried to get me to do it without success, and basically wasted the lesson package.

The one about leaving the ball below the hole is so true. I can't believe the amount of people who think a 5 footer up the hill is better than a 3 footer down. I had an argument with a guy who believed strokes gained putting was bogus because the best wedge players have a putting advantage as they're always below the hole. When I asked him why their magical ability to place a ball on the green from 100 out only extended to high side vs low side he explained that all tour pros are hitting it to 4 feet from 100 and it's the best who can choose which side they end up on. I gave up.

Is there a technique for getting out of wet condensed bunkers? Don’t really have time to practice this and it cost me shots because I’m catching too much ball and flying them miles out of the bunker because the club is sliding across the sand rather than exploding underneath the ball

There’s all sorts of things I’d like to be able to do however my main aim is to keep the ball in play. It has had the biggest effect on reducing my handicap.

Cool to see those birdie numbers per handicap range ...not much difference 10 hcap and up.... The 10 handicapper would make way less mistakes (as opposed to substantially more birdies) ...interesting!

What I don't get with the below the hole thing is? I'd always like tk give it a run so it has a chance of going in. Short is never in

That last point is so important, a 30ft birdie putt should be seen as a lag, if it goes in, bonus, it's not a birdie putt don't rush it at the hole. Treat it as a golf shot like a 50 yard wedge trying to get it close, not a putt, you get caught up on the birdie aspect because the stroke for a 2ft is the same as 30ft, for longer putts I have started dragging my left foot back a little, opens the body slightly, helps me see the line and ball better using both eyes, then go to the traditional stance for under 10ft.

Your 5th pt (and 'surprise' that you didn't make any of those 25-footers) perfectly highlight Statistically the true power of Strokes-Gained because it brutally reveals how critical getting the ball closer to the hole actually is. Mathematically, that final Putt, like the power of Compound Interest, EXPLODES in your favor of holding a putt less than 6 feet (80%'ish) vs 1in20 for 20 footers.

I 'm trying so hard to get back to the fade I used to play when I was younger, it stops so much better in greens than my over draw i have now

Avoid the doubles is definitely what I focus on. A birdie is a bonus but man, have to keep those big numbers off the scorecard.

Great advice there, I see it all to offer were people take the game up and think they should be brilliant after a few months then throwing tantrums on the course with bad shots 😂 I've played for 20 years and still fat shots, slice drives, under hit putts, leave it in a bunker etc 😂😂😂 It's the game of golf for us, mental and emotional challenges as well as the physical!

People who draw want a fade and vice versa. The grass is always greener...

Wonder why a lot of people, me included, think a draw is a more aesthetically pleasing shot than a fade.? Especially with a driver, a shot starting way right and drawing into the middle of the fairway looks great. A fade with the same result, less so.

As a club caddie for almost 30 years the first and last tips drive me nuts the most. Can't tell you how many times I leave the range with a guy hitting 20 yard fades 260-280 yards that turn into smother hooks on the course because, "I have to get rid of that slice." Our greens roll north of 12 most days so the guy that, "didn't want to leave it short" and "had to make it" are the worst. Watching guys do the nicklaus heel lift on a 30 footer I just said hit it no more than 10 feet takes a special kind of patience. In the last 5 years particularly club golfers don't seem to get the idea that the point of a round of golf is to shoot the lowest possible score. As long as they hit 2 shots they can talk about in the bar afterwards they'll be happy. Unless they are a "3.7 index" that shoots 92 then it's the caddy's fault.

Hitting a fade is GREAT!!!…hitting a slice is not!!😂

+1 +1 +1 +1 Spot on!!!

Many of us wanted to draw the ball with the driver because it used to maximize distance. However, I agree, modern drivers don't gain as much from a draw so it's not worth it

I’ve brought myself down to about an 8 handicap golfer, sometimes shooting a couple over par and a BIG part of that is being able to shape shots at will. It’s too easy to get stuck in the idea of ONLY playing a certain shape, learning to be adaptive is very important

I've been teaching a lot of beginners lately (I'm not a golf pro, just a scratch golfer with a lot of friends that recently took up the game) and I'll add another one here -- wanting to swing super easy so that they have more accuracy/control. I kind of get it. When you are new-ish to the game it's really, really easy to hit one off the planet, duff it, or shank it sideways. It's a flat out embarrassing thing to do, and it terrifies new golfers hitting that ugly shot. So, they will try to slow everything down to a speed where they reduce the likelihood of the terrible shot. IMO, speed is incredibly important. Not just for how far you can hit a drive, but really every shot that is not around the green. Higher launch and more spin with a wedge for stopping power comes from speed. Being able to hold a green with 7+ irons comes from speed. Golfers shouldn't shy away from trying to put a firm move on the ball. And of course, having your 2nd shot being shorter to the green helps a ton. Bunting the ball around the course extremely lowers your potential. I think the rule of thumb is swing as hard as you can while maintaining balance and rhythm. If you're super athletic and can swing 95% total power while maintaining these -- then go nuts. If you start falling over at 70%, well that's all you got. After some practice, your accuracy won't be affected much more than the super slow swings anyway.

I'd like to a fairway at the moment 👍

to hit a 60 degree flop shot from inside 30m and stop the ball dead or zip it backwards

Great information right there.

I would add: Stop playing from tees that are not right for you. The game is so much more enjoyable when you score well and you can score better when you stop hitting it from the big boy tees when you can only drive the ball between 180 and 210 yards.

My problem is getting over I will never be a 6 handicapper again, and am around 12-14 now, as I am a lot older and do not practice or play as much as I once did as a 6hc. HOW, do you get your BRAIN to stop thinking you want to play to a 6 as you ONCE did, but ACCEPT playing at a 12-14 HC now and enjoying the game again. This is the hardest thing to cope with in my game today!

Not expecting to hit every green with a wedge would be a good one

What about spin. Everyone thinks it would be great to spin wedges all the time but is it really what we need?

People want to hit positions in the swing instead of working with a repeatable, fluid swing which doesn’t strain their body/ require flexibility they don’t have.

Ben Hogan once said that if he hit a straight shot, it was a fluke.

as a guy that's has about a year of golfing under his belt I just want to hit less shot 90deg into the trees. I think that's achievable. lol

You need both shots a draw or a fade every hole is different

When I see a golf video on RU-vid by anyone and it says “Don’t do this!” I immediately skip over it. Positive teaching in golf is so important because people tend to have a hard time hearing “don’t, can’t, shouldn’t” when they’re being taught. Just my thoughts.

Ripping a driver every hole to 40, 60 out. Play to a good distance for a full shot in

Number 1 - Colin Montgomery, greatest fader of the ball, couldn't hit a draw to save his life (lucky to be coached by Bill Ferguson as a junior)

I've given up trying to hit a draw. Just hit a cut and hit the fairway.

I definitely don't want to be handing over any money to my playing partners after the round... that's my 1-2-3-4-5.

Suggestion for a Number 6: Stop trying to get home in two for every par 5

They think they want blades , but do you really?😂

#4 is dead on! Just get it close

Embracer of a 4-10 yard cut off the tee or long fairway clubs. It’s infuriating to see a pull left or slight draw.

Ready golf. Stop waiting for me to putt out before you line up your putts

DJ hits a fade and he hits it long really long and ain't done too bad works for him I'll stick with my fade

Ha. What a great video. All so stupidly simple when you say it like that #262

Mark, you are some putter!

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