Over the last several weeks, I embarked on a journey to help non-golfers become more confident in starting the sport that I love so much. I explored topics ranging from equipment to scoring to golf cart etiquette.

Well non-golfers, move over. It’s time to give some advice to the golfers out there that are looking to improve their game.

My brother-in-law Matt is what I would consider a very good golfer. He’s in the stage of his life (as am I) where he has young kids at home and finding the time to golf enough to stay sharp is increasingly difficult. That said, he loves the game as much as anyone I’ve ever met. He reads all of my articles despite living down in Wilmington, NC. This topic and a majority of the entries were actually his idea.

Long story short, these tips are coming from someone who actually does know the game very well. They’re just being relayed through a hacker like myself.

Here we go!

1) Choose accuracy over distance off the tee – I can vouch that this first tip isn’t just lip service. I have seen Matt grab a 3-wood many times when we’re teeing off on a shorter par 4. The reasoning here is simple. A gigantic percentage of people struggle to hit their drivers straight. I’d wager a majority of people slice, but if you’re like me, you have a tendency to get all out of whack and pull the driver way left. Let’s say it’s a 300-yard par 4. Best case scenario with driver: you hit it dead straight 250 yards and then still have that awkward half-swing with a wedge to get to the green. Worst case scenario (and far more likely, let’s be honest): you slice it OB and end up with a drop and penalty strokes. Or you could hit it 200 yards off the tee and be able to take your full swing approach shot. The risk-reward ratio is way out of balance, but most people will always pull out the big stick anyway.

2) Play the game one hole at a time and don’t be so score focused – Matt admits that this is easier said than done and includes his own personal story. “The two best rounds I have carded are 73. The first time I shot that score was in college. I shot 33 on the front nine and was aware that I was playing well, but not completely aware of what my tally was until my uncle told me my score at the turn. Instead of just sticking to my game, I immediately became absorbed with defending my score and breaking a personal record. This resulted in a 40 on the back side. I could have ended with a high 60s score if I had just used a one-hole-at-a-time approach.”

I, too, have a story about this. It was the first time I played with my buddy CJ. We hadn’t seen each other in a decade, but met up for a round of golf. Before teeing off, I told him I was a bogey golfer and would probably shoot around a 45. Well, I went on to shoot completely out of my mind. For some absolutely incomprehensible reason, I added up my score prior to teeing off on No. 9. Then I knew that a par on the long par 3 would give me my first-ever sub-40 round. That pressure was intense and completely unnecessary. We were having a great time and then in a puff of smoke it became all about that score. Spoiler alert: I did actually sink a pretty long putt to save par, but the moral of the story is that sometimes it’s better to put scores out of your head and trust your swing.

3) Go with your shot shape – This one is kind of another “trust your swing” piece of advice. Once again, I’d wager that most of us don’t have the skill necessary to intentionally wrap our shots around doglegs, etc. Personally, I know the mechanics of how to hit a fade or draw, but I’ve never been able to translate that into the physical skill on the course. Matt, too, admits that his natural shot has a bit of left-to-right motion to it midflight. Instead of fighting that tendency, he’ll aim a little bit to the left of where he actually wants to ball to end up. It seems almost too obvious, but it takes a certain amount of trust to aim away from the flagstick.

I feel just a little hypocritical writing this because I’m pretty sure I follow exactly zero of these first three pieces advice. I’m the always-use-driver guy. I’m the “I’m five-over par right now” guy. And I’m the aim-for-the-middle-of-the-green guy. Hmm…maybe that’s why I’m still a bogey golfer.

Either way, I hope these tidbits don’t fall on deaf ears. We should all be striving to improve (in more than just golf, but this isn’t a philosophy article). Hopefully by the end of this series you’ll pick up something that will allow you to do just that.

Until next time, golf is great. Go get some.