Play Better Without Practice

There’s no substitute for practice when you want to improve—or is there? How often have you hit your first-tee shot off the map after grooving your swing on the range? In this video, Golf Digest Best Young Teacher Will Robins explains why it’s important to put aside expectations and rid yourself of swing-killing tension.

After you’ve tempered your expectations, it’s time to put the ball in play. This should be your only goal. Follow this strategy on the first tee, and for every tee shot during the round. You can’t make pars hitting the ball out-of-bounds or into hazards. Here, Will Robins explains his three-step plan for driving the ball in the fairway.

We all wish we hit our approach shots the exact distance we have in mind. The reality is, that rarely happens. For average golfers, mis-hits are more common than perfect strikes. This often results in approaches left short—and trouble around the greens. Will Robins shares his advice on how to stop hitting your approaches into bad spots.

On difficult shots, like tee shots or long approaches, we can live with a mis-hit here and there. But doing it with a wedge when you have a chance to save par can drive you crazy. Chunks, blades and shanks are extremely frustrating and can wear on you mentally. In this video, Will Robins explains how to simplify greenside shots.

Many amateurs complicate putting by reading the green from every angle. Here, Will Robins explains that three-putts are often a result of poor distance control on long putts, something average golfers aren’t always focused on. For fewer three-putts, Robins says you should stop reading greens and focus only on your speed.

Shooting at every flag looks like fun when we see the PGA Tour’s best do it on TV, but even those guys know how to play away from trouble. It’s not about hitting the hero shot; it’s about avoiding disasters. In this video, Will Robins offers tips for how to hit better approach shots so you have more putts for birdie and par.

Let’s face it, unless you play the perfect round, you’ll find yourself in trouble at some point. The best way to get out of it is to be smart. If you attempt a tough recovery shot, especially after you’ve just hit a poor shot, you’re probably headed for a big number. Will Robins shows why good decision-making is essential for lower scores.

Having a half-wedge shot to the green can be a scary situation for many. Most of us have a 100-yard club we like, but being able to dial back that club can be challenging. In this video, Will Robins demonstrates how to execute partial wedge shots. Reducing tension and focusing on a few fundamentals, he says, will get you on the green.

Golf is a numbers game. At the end of each round, you add them up and see what you shot. This can be a humbling experience, but what if you lowered your expectations? Will Robins explains how to reconfigure the scorecard before you tee off to put yourself in a better position to judge your results.

Even if you apply all these lessons, the game will still be difficult—you have to appreciate that. In this video, Will Robins talks about the importance of having fun and not placing too much pressure on yourself. To help, he offers his best tips for shooting lower scores by being honest about what you’re comfortable doing.