There are many ways

My most recent rounds of golf have re-confirmed that there are many ways to wreck ones score. Driving well, but hitting poor fairway shots or approaches will do it. Playing well tee to green and then putting badly, as I am inclined to do, is another formula for disastrous scoring. The possibilities are endless.

The solution is, of course, to develop a great golf swing, learn about course management, club selection, green reading and then find a way to get the ball into the hole. A number of people on the planet have learned these skills - these are the low marker amateurs and the professional golfers. Nearly all of them will have devoted a large chunk of their lives to this end. That's fine for them, but what about the mid-week or weekend warrior?

The reality is: it is unlikely that we once or twice weekly golfers can ever develop a truly reliable, consistent, low scoring game, even if we start young, let alone if we start in middle age. We have to concentrate on the things we can have some control over and that don't require great athletic skill, plus physical fitness and flexibility, to succeed.

In this category, I would include as number one, course management: what shot to hit, where to hit it, how hard to hit it and so forth. Alignment and set up are part of this, but also the need to realise that it does not make sense to try to hit the ball as hard as you can. In fact, trying to hit the ball too hard is, I believe, one of the major reasons most weekend players (including me) come unstuck.

Number two is, I think, temperament, or the ability to manage ones emotions, for example after a bad shot or a missed putt. Staying the present by forgetting the past, and not anticipating or worrying about the future shot or hole, is very important for good golf.

Finally, knowing your own game and playing to you strengths, closely related to course management, is I believe an excellent strategy for playing more consistent golf. I used to have a good short game, but by focusing too much on my full swing, I lost some of that ability. And it is the short game that you need for good scoring - especially because you lose distance as you age.

I'm not saying one shouldn't work on developing a good swing, with good rhythm and even proper techniques. But this will not get the job done. There are many ways to play more successful and enjoyable golf, but if scoring is a high priority for us, we should think seriously about the three areas mentioned above because these are well within our control.