When things are going wrong it is easy to give up during a round of golf. However, this does not have to happen if you know what you are looking for to get your round back on track.

The main thing to consider if you are struggling during a round of golf is do not panic! It is not that the ability to play golf has suddenly been lost or that you will never play golf well again but more usually just that something may be slightly off line or out of time. When this situation occurs, hold back the emotion (mainly anger), be objective and look for patterns in the shots being hit. For instance; two holes have been played and the shots have all gone to the left, one of which a golf ball has been lost. There is no need to give up on this round; be objective and think what may be happening to cause this issue. For example – Are you aiming correctly? Are the hands too active and turning too much? This is a very difficult thing to do on the golf course as golf is a very emotional game but if it is possible to look past the emotion, the game can be brought back on track. Here are a few thoughts on how to do it:

1. Look for patterns of shots. Do not hit one bad shot and then try to change everything. If this starts happening, every shot would end up being a different swing.

2. Check the basics first. Most of the issues with the golf swing come from a poor set up position. Check your aim, grip, posture and distance from the ball. Performing these points well will help to not only swing correctly but also focus the mind and get into a good routine.

3. Check your finish position. Other than the golf ball, this is the best piece of feedback provided by the golf swing. Are you standing up straight on the front foot? Have you lost balance? Have the feet moved? Where did the club travel? Low, high, left, right? Take some practice swings to correct your balance or your foot movement before hitting the next shot.

4. Identify the problem shot. It can be broken down into one of the following:

Left, right, top (hitting the top of the ball), fat (hitting the ground first). Once this is simplified in this way, think about what part of the golf swing may cause the problem.

Here are a few examples:

Left – Problem: Dragging the club left by pulling the arms into the body. Cure: extend the arms out to the target through the ball.

Right – Problem: Club face pointing to the right through the ball. Cure: relax the grip and roll the hands through the ball.

Top – Problem: Turning the head away from the ball. Cure: stay looking at the floor a little longer through the swing and concentrate on hitting the floor.

Fat – Problem: Leaning back and staying on the back foot through the ball. Cure: Make sure the weight moves on to the front foot in the finish position.

These are just some examples of issues and cures. There are many of them but if you are objective and clear in your thinking, you will be able to get the round back on track and keep scores under control.