Golf Improvement Mistakes (1 to 3)

Below you’ll find a video with John Richardson and Andy Brown.  And this is a must see video because in it John Richardson reveals the top 3 reasons why golfers fail to improve. Make sure you watch right the way to the end too because when you fix the 3rd “mistake” you’ll undoubtedly lower your score the next game you you play.

Now who is John Richardson?

John is a golfer from Northern Ireland. And he was the typical golfer who shoots over 100, works full-time, has a family etc., etc. But John set a huge goal to shoot par or break par within a year and here were his rules for this challenge:

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  • There must be a witness present
  • The course must be par 70 or more
  • The course must be at least 6000 yards
  • Don’t get divorced
  • Don’t go bankrupt or lose his business
[/green_tick_2_list]

Sam Torrance told John to “Dream On” and Darren Clarke said ‘Three years would be a realistic minimum’ to break par!

Well John shot a round of 70 (1 under par) – just 362 days after shooting 103! He achieved this while working full time, looking after the family etc. so if you’re in a similar situation to John and want to improve your golf game a lot then listen to what he has to say very carefully.

Over the last 4 years or so since John achieved his goal he has written a best selling book, is going to have a movie made about his year long journey AND he’s helped hundreds of golfers in his Break Par Blueprint Program to make massive improvements to their golf games too. But over the last 4 years John has identified 10 main mistakes that stop golfers from improving like they really want.

With John’s permission I’m lucky enough to be able to share these videos with you that will reveal these 10 top mistakes. And in this first video John shares the top 3 main mistakes golfers make when they try to improve.  So watch this video and then leave your comments below.

About John Richardson: John is from Northern Ireland.  And as an average golfer he set an extraordinary goal of shooting par or better within a year.  His first round to kick off the challenge was 103.  And then 362 days later he shot 70!  Everything John did to achieve this goal is explained in full detail in this Break Par Blueprint Program which is perfect for the “average” golfer that want’s to make a big improvement to their golf game.

About Andy Brown: Andy lives in St. Andrews and is the publisher of The New Four Magic moves which you can find out more about here.

Posted in

Jeff Richmond

34 Comments

  1. G Tanner on October 3, 2011 at 9:07 am

    Great video! Thanks for sharing. I am guilty of all 3! Keep the good information coming.

  2. John on October 3, 2011 at 9:26 am

    Awesome video. more please.

  3. Mr Peters on October 3, 2011 at 9:38 am

    It is amazing to me that handicaps have not come down in 40 years of improvement. I do not know where I would be without my hypbrids. But maybe that thinking is an illusion?? Good video with good information. I look forward to hearing more information along the same lines.

  4. Dennis on October 3, 2011 at 11:14 am

    great vidio, I totally agree with step #3 . Most average golf always believe they are going to hit the perfect shot and come up short. Can’t waite to hear you’re next step.

  5. Kall Ramanathan on October 3, 2011 at 11:19 am

    Great “teaser” to what looks like an exciting set of tips to come! I have one comment on your point #3. While most amateurs “under club”, it is also important not to “over club”. The best advice, like you said, is to go ask the green keeper, starter or a course staff what the distance markers mean. Plus, factor in the wind.

  6. Kieran on October 3, 2011 at 11:27 am

    Excellent advice, and good common sense.

  7. Joe Krarup on October 3, 2011 at 12:09 pm

    Great first video, goal setting is important, I currently play of 15 and want to get to single figures but I’ve not set any goals to get there! I shall now:-)

    I bet one of the mistakes is not practising, particularly the short game, chipping and putting. Most high handicappers bash balls down the driving range but don’t practice chipping and putting!

    looking forward to the next videos!

    Joe.

  8. Israel Freedman on October 3, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    Very nice presintation. I’m 74, maybe a little late.

  9. jon on October 3, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    greeting,s Refreshing a trat to wach.

  10. michael on October 3, 2011 at 12:48 pm

    Guilty of #3. Keep the “hits” coming!!

  11. Steve on October 3, 2011 at 9:19 am

    Love the accents. I am definetly prone to mistake number 2. If you could see my garage you would laugh. It’s so easy to get caught up in the all the hype around a new club release. Very good video and I look forward to more.

  12. Ron on October 3, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    Liked the information very much. I think many of us look for the easy way to success. I know I have a tendency to underclub a lot, and I don’t work on my short game as much as I should. Looking forward to your next videos. Keep em coming!

  13. Carlos Soares on October 3, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Simple, Logic and obvious (usually hard to identify objectivelly). Very good.

  14. Dianne Lloyd on October 3, 2011 at 2:57 pm

    Way too rational 🙂
    We vary rarely have the BIG picture in mind and continually look at the teeny weeny piece of the golfing elephant that we are in touch with.

    Thank you for the insight….I will be watching….

    I, too really want to get better at this game….

  15. Victoria on October 3, 2011 at 3:54 pm

    totally agree with what I have seen so far . Great advise. Thank you

  16. Paul Fitz on October 3, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    Was discussing point 3 at the weekend (still make the same mistake) very interesting

  17. Noel Winders on October 3, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    I have watched the video and I can relate to everything so far discussed. My average score is around 100, sometimes 97 and others 103. My best game ever was a score of 90, but only once.
    I am looking forward to the next videos

  18. Eugene Fabry on October 3, 2011 at 6:12 pm

    very realizitic view of my approach to golf. I won the senior section of the my club sunday but I have a 32 handcap. I want to win it next year with a 20 handicap

  19. john on October 3, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    thanks for the information i really appreciate it

  20. Thom Cooke on October 3, 2011 at 11:31 pm

    How true, all these points should be taken on board.

    But if you are thinking, I will drop a few shots then get a new set of clubs, change your thinking, if you are going to get new clubs do it now, on your journey to a lower score it is better to do it with clubs that you have learnt your distances with, new clubs will alter your game.

    Lookinf forward to the next video.

  21. Mark on October 4, 2011 at 3:02 am

    Andy and John,

    You are laying a good foundation. I especially like what John said about work on the areas that you are having difficulty in. I was having trouble with putting, so I worked on putts. However, when ever I have a round where I three putt a hole, I hit the putting practice harder. This has taken strokes off my game. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

  22. Doug Janes on October 4, 2011 at 4:03 am

    I set a goal to break 90 before I was 60. I missed by 11 days. Andy’s Magic Move book was the motivation for my swing makeover. So you say I should set another goal. OK. I’m embarrassed to say it took two seasons to break 90. My new goal is to shoot 80 by this day next year, October 3rd, 2012. Thanks John for the encouragement!

  23. Ivan Berryman on October 4, 2011 at 4:29 am

    As a “veteran” golfer,(have played for a long time) it has been great to get a wake up call. Sometimes one gets caught up in all the technical stuff and loses sight of the basics. I am looking forward with relish to your next video(s) of advice.
    thank you!

  24. Parthapratim Gupta on October 4, 2011 at 4:34 am

    Good viewing after having adopted Andy’s four magic moves which has immensely improved my game .

  25. joe on October 4, 2011 at 5:39 am

    is this in any way related to the 4 magic moves ANDY? cause i thought that was GREAT STUFF!

  26. Tim Flynn on October 4, 2011 at 6:31 am

    Excellent advice.
    Cannot wait for more.
    So simple yet timeless truths.
    Thank you!

  27. James Burroughs on October 4, 2011 at 6:34 am

    I am 69. I can’t hit the ball more than 160 yards. It’s hard to get to any par four in two shots. I play from the yellow tees. It helps me to almost get to a par four with a three wood. Then my short shot to the green is quite easy, but I still use clubs with low numbers even if the distance is less than100 yards. The six iron goes about 90 to 100 yards. The other clubs go about 10 yards less per club. The five wood, an Iron length, and a three iron wood, work about 110 to 120 yards. I have three wedges, a 60 degree wedge, a sand wedge and a fifty six degree wedge.
    These are good for 20 yards, 30 yards and 40 yards. If my shot gets close to the pin (5 to 10 ft) and if my putting is OK I can get pars. I shoot from 88 to100. I’m going to set my goal to under 80 by 2012. It seems if I could just hit the ball twenty yards further I could almost shoot par.

  28. David Graville on October 4, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    Good Stuff
    Leave your ego in the car park

    Keep it coming

  29. Eyad Aljayousi on October 4, 2011 at 3:54 pm

    John/Andy,

    Very interesting first 3 mistakes we (Average) golfers make (I say Average very loosely here)..

    I agree with all these mistakes.. I have set a goal of scoring scratch in less than 2 years.. I am consistantly using the 4 magic moves as my swing.. I did end up buying a used set of golf clubs and I splurged a little bit with a new putter, but I know I can’t buy my self a better golf game!

    Finally that 3rd mistake I am so guilty of it and I actually knew that it was a mistake before hearing it from you and I’m not sure if it’s a combination of my inabliity to really judge how far the distance is or just not using the right club. I told my friend last week what I’m going to do is judge everything as I do normally then before I hit just use a lower club because my biggest problem is hitting it short every single time!

    Thank you for the insight and I really look forward to hearing about the other 7 mistakes we common golfers make, and maybe this will help me wiht my goal of shooting par or better in less than 2 years!

  30. Birtchy on October 4, 2011 at 8:23 pm

    Excellent! Andy and John, I have been talking golf for about a year and a half, I do comment a lot on these golfing chat sites, and my primary discussions are not, the 4 secret moves or stand up, stay low, head up, athletic positioning etc etc. I always talk about things like what you have discovered with this break par blueprint. Setting goals, mostly realistic goals, your goal in 365 days to me was not realistic, I started 5-9 years ago and I told someone during the first season I was going to be a scratch golfer, it sounds silly now and it must have been humerous back then. What do you need to do to break 90, no doubles and I don’t mean a good shot of Irish whiskey, to break 80 par the 5’s and 3’s and bogie the 4’s on most courses especially ours that gives you a 79. Most people think 1 demensional and that is why there has not been much improvment over the years with handicap scores, then you got the local pro who really doesnt care if you get better or not, as long as there is some improvement and you pay that hourly fee. I probably have never broke things down like you have John but my handicap did not drop until I stopped listing to what the local pro was telling me to work on. I like the way you think, and I hope you all the success. Cheers!!!

    Ottawa Valley Ontario Canada
    Birtchy 8.6

  31. John on October 5, 2011 at 1:41 am

    Why haven’t scores come down in the past 20 years with all the advances and improvements in the equipment used. It is because golfers are not using their head for lower scores. Swinging hard and getting great equipment will never give you lower scores.

    The average golfer believes hitting the ball a long distance will guarantee lower scores. Reality is — it isn’t true. Less than 1/3 of the pros average over 280 yds distance with their driver.

    3 things will help – a repeatable reliable swing that will keep the ball in the fairway, irrespective of which club is used, good short game skills, and knowledge of course management. Of the three, learning proper course management coupled with a repeatable swing will guarantee lower scores faster. Adding good short game skills puts a little more icing on the cake.

    I am speaking from experience. Last years scores were mostly in the 100’s, with a few in the 90’s. , This year, when I play for scores, I am usually in mid to upper 80’s. If my putting would only improve – not my fault 🙂 – I am sure I would be lower 80’s consistently.

    The original “drivers” served only one purpose, putting the ball in play. It was not to hit the ball a bazillion yards down the fairway. Irons and other clubs were the mainstay of the game – they were the scoring tools.

    Using the driver as the “play Club” will keep you in the fairways., and I can guarantee you, lower scores will occur when you learn how to keep the “first” ball in the fairway .

  32. J. Barry Stephens on October 7, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    First video has some very sensible ideas and provide a firm basis for improvement.

    Baz.

  33. Olivia on December 7, 2011 at 1:03 am

    Heck of a job there, it absolutely helps me out.

  34. Stethoskop on April 17, 2012 at 10:36 pm

    It is really a great and useful piece of info. I am happy that you simply shared this useful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.

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