How to shoot your best ever round of golf

Just two weeks ago I made my usual weekly trip up to my local golf course. It was a normal Monday in my world. But I came off that golf course with something quite special, to me at least, having shot my record score. I took a few different approaches to my golf game early on this year, and here are a few things I did that helped me break the barrier! 

The round itself 

Am I a single-digit handicapper chasing a sub-70? No. Am I a sort of average golfer chasing the 80s? Yes. The number I shot was an 85, beating the 90 I shot in October before I took a short hiatus for "loss of head." My irons were pure, my tee game was the most reliable it has ever been and my putting was in fact weak. But everything came together well enough to give me my latest benchmark score.

But what made it possible? Perhaps these are some lessons for us all to take forward.

Tee shots 

You can hurl insults at me for this one, but at the end of the day, it is the most sensible decision I have ever made on a golf course. I hit my 3-hybrid on every tee box, except the par 3s, of course. I went the entire round without gambling on my driver once. The result was fairways found at a steady enough distance on almost every hole. This simple, yet effective, disciplined approach to every tee box meant I didn’t lose a single ball during my round, which is only just becoming normal for me! 

Good golf isn’t always flashy and exciting, unfortunately, sometimes, it's boring and sensible. 

Lessons  

Now I would love to sit here and say that this improved score came solely from myself putting in the hard hours and doing my research, but that would be somewhat of a lie. A week or two prior to this round, I had my first golf lesson since I was about 13. The entire hour was spent purely looking at my swing and iron striking, as well as completely changing my grip in there as well.  

This is what made my iron striking as consistent as it is now. My swing has never felt so comfortable and reliable. Big up Jenson Whitham at Chesterfield Golf Club, if you're based in the area, he’s your man at a great price! 

No count at the turn 

I strode up the 9th fairway feeling nothing more than content with my first half of golf. The triple bogey on the first hole was still lingering in the back of my mind, but I knew I had somewhat redeemed it with a few pars later on. I didn’t think at all, however, that this round could have led to being a record score.  

I two putted for a bogey on the par 4 9th and made my way to the 10th. But on this day in particular, I made the decision to not count up what I had scored on the front nine - and this is now something I will be doing every week. Taking away that mental pressure on every single shot and counting your score mentally as you attack the back nine was something I don't regret doing at all. I was left in the calmness of 'whatever happens, happens', allowing me to play some of the best golf of my life so far. Give this one a try if it is something you don’t already do, it's really relaxing and I definitely felt its benefit on my game! 

Mental game and goals 

When I arrived at the course, I wasn’t lacing up my shoes with the intention of trying to get a new record, I simply didn’t think my game had got to that level just yet. My one goal for the round was to score no triple bogeys. This went up in flames at the very first chance.  

I sulked off the first green, slotted my putter into my bag and trudged myself up to the second tee box. I seriously recall out loud saying to myself "what is the point?" But this is also where I discovered an area of my game that had been quietly built up over years of testing.  

Normally after carding a seven on a fairly easy, downhill par 4, my head would have been fogged for the next three holes at least, in a slump which I often find I can't get out of it. But not on this day. I shook it off, relaxed my shoulders, and kept bloody going! 

Yes, my main goal for the round had been shattered, but I knew that at least a half decent score (by my standard) was still salvageable if I could keep the scoring more respectable. Truthfully, the next tee shot wasn't a walk in the park mentally, but my hybrid found the fairway just shy of 200 yards, and we were back. 

Regular driving range sessions with an actual plan and structure 

Now this is where I am proud to say, I have genuinely seen aspects of my game being pieced together. As the winter drew to a close, I realised my brother had been making weekly trips to the driving range. My brother is yet to beat me, but he isn’t a thousand miles behind me, so I knew if I didn’t start cracking on soon, he might just overtake me.  

I started hitting the range frequently, most weeks at least twice, and with an actual plan and structure. It's all good going to the range and smashing half your bucket with your driver (the least used club during most rounds, might I add!) but without an actual plan of attack, your practice is nowhere near as optimal as it could be. Every session I knew what I was working on, short range pitch shots, woods, iron striking, etc. I made my practice sessions optimal, and that is by far the most important thing I did on this list. 

So that is how I did it. Again, I am quite aware that an 85 is a bad day in the office for many golfers, and I won’t be arriving on the PGA Tour anytime soon. But hitting a new record score is a big thing for every golfer. Let us know if you do or have done any of these things before and maybe consider if any of these things might make a positive impact on your next round!