As a dedicated golfer, I find nothing annoys me more than thinking I've played a shot well, only to see it drifting way off target. Even more irritating than that is that I often think I've played the shot exactly the way I have before when it worked well.

That's where you - like me - will benefit from some advice from a professional golfer. I've had many lessons over the past few years, and I'm passing on some of the wisdom that I've learned in a series of articles. Starting with the most important lesson - keep the ball moving the right way.

I learned very early on from my professional golf coach that perfect technique is unlikely to be attainable by all but the most dedicated / most naturally gifted of golfers. Many amateurs obsess over keeping their left arm (for right handed players) straight in the backswing, having their fingers in exactly the right grip position etc.

More important than any of this, though, is hitting the ball so it heads in the right direction. That is, keep the ball moving towards the green. To demonstrate the importance of this 1 factor above all others, my coach showed me exactly what he meant.

He took the club back in a swing that would make any amateur blush, even letting go of the club at the top of the swing. However, when he hit the ball, it travelled in the direction he was aiming, not especially quickly, but was definitely on target.

This showed me that the fundamental issue in golf is ensuring that the head of the club meets the ball in the right position to send the ball off in the right direction. Which is where I realised I should concentrate my initial efforts.

It would be silly for me to suggest that having control over the other things is irrelevant, and obviously things such as your choice of club and the power you put into the shot will affect the distance the ball travels.

The main lesson I learnt from this, though, was that if you can get the ball heading in the direction you want it to, you're halfway to becoming a good golfer. After all, the aim of the game is to get the ball from the tee into the hole. This is where I concentrated my efforts for quite some time, which has made me a better golfer, and hopefully will help you, too.

Mike Jackson runs an online golf equipment store, where you can buy golf clubs, golf balls, golf gifts, golf bags etc.

Posted under Golf