Rick Shiels outlines five common course management and mental mistakes that cause golfers to waste shots on the course. He explains practical solutions, including visualising positive tee targets, taking enough club, chipping with lower lofted irons, reading putt slopes from the side, and resetting emotionally after bad holes.
Focus on positive targets on the tee rather than trying to avoid trees, water, or rough.
Take enough club to hit pin-high, as leaving shots short consistently increases your score.
Use lower-lofted clubs like an 8-iron for short chips to minimise the risk of catastrophic mishits.
Read putts from the side of the line to evaluate whether the putt is uphill or downhill.
Reset your mental state on the next tee after a bad hole instead of rushing and swinging too hard.
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