7 Secrets on How to Lower Your Golf Handicap

Do you want to learn how to lower your golf handicap? Then you need to learn these 7 secrets of golf professionals.

1. Course management - this is actually the tactics of playing on the golf course. The most important principle is to figure out how to use your best strokes to get from where you are to where you want the ball to be. Do not aim for the uncertain 3 strokes if you can get the certain 4 strokes. Remember: a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

2. Practice putting - golf pros have an old saying: "You swing for show, you putt for dough." Remember that it is easy to train your putting. Many amateur golfers have shaved 3 or 4 strokes off their games just by practicing 5 or 10 minutes while waiting for dinner or supper to be served. Putting is something you can easily practice at home. If you are not sure that your putting is correct, then go look for golf putting tips on the internet or pay a pro to give you proper golf putting instructions.

3. Practice your wedges - many people play with both the sand wedge and pitching wedge. Make these 2 clubs your very good pals. They are there to get you out of trouble. And believe me, you will get in trouble. Not even the pros manage to avoid all the hazards all the time. The good thing is that your wedges are quite easy to practice. Just like your putter, you can practice with both of these wedges in your back yard. Just get a few minutes in everyday, and you will find your golf improving greatly.

4. Practice with training grips - using training grips will teach you how to hold a golf club correctly. More than one golfer suffering from a horrible slice has improved his golf swing just by learning how to grip his golf clubs correctly. One more thing you should think about - buy some old style blade irons and practice with them. They have small sweet spots, so a bad swing will quickly give you feedback - the irons will vibrate and sting your hand. You will quickly improve your golf swing.

5. Get custom-fitted clubs (to make sure they are the right length, flex, etc.) In the most extreme case, if your club is too long or too short you will not be able to swing it properly. Your golf clubs will either keep on ploughing into the ground or miss the golf ball. Either way, you will look stupid and feel stupid.

6. Identify your problem spots and practice more. Remain honest with yourself and take notes when you play golf. Where do you always have problems? Get more practice in these problem spots. If you are not able to solve the problems yourself, then pay your local pro to help you.

7. Simplify your game - despite their best effort, many weekend golfers just cannot find time to practice everything. If you cannot get your driver to work correctly, then stick to the easier-to-play fairway woods. The improved accuracy will pay off in the long run. You can also try the 1-iron golf system - all the irons are the same length, so you only have to learn one swing. Since half your golf clubs are irons, you can easily cut your learning curve by half.

There are many more secrets on how to lower your golf handicap, but for now, start with these seven. Work on them one by one, and as you master each secret, you will find your golf handicap improving step-by-step.