What Should I Work on First in My Golf Swing?

Choose the result that matters

Start with something you can observe and learn to influence.

If you keep hitting the toe, can you find the heel? If every shot starts right, can you start one left? Those tasks give your practice a direction.

Before adding a swing change, take care of the setup. Check that you are aiming where you intend and placing the ball where you intend. Those are things you can control before the motion starts.

Then choose the problem that matters most to your game.

Maybe the contact is costing you distance. Maybe the driver miss is putting balls out of play. Be specific enough that you can recognize whether practice is helping.

Give the practice a test

At The Tips, TrackMan lets us turn that problem into a game.

For a strike problem, pull up impact location. For a start-direction problem, choose a target and watch where the ball begins. Use the relevant feedback instead of trying to improve every number on the screen.

Make a small attempt at the opposite result. See whether you can move the pattern.

If you can, start learning how to bring it back toward the shot you want. If you cannot, that gives us a reason to investigate what is limiting you.

Let the task guide the coaching

This is where technical coaching can help. We can check whether the setup or movement is making the task unnecessarily difficult. The task gives that investigation a purpose.

You do not have to identify every flaw before having a productive practice session.

Choose one observable problem. Give yourself a clear experiment, then look at the result before deciding what to do next.

That is how I want students to use a lesson, too. Leave with something you understand and a way to practice it independently.

The first priority should help you learn more about your own pattern while moving you toward a shot you can use.