10 Quick Tips to Get Out of a Golf Slump (Get Back on Track Fast)

Brendon Elliott

Apr 22, 2024 . 11 mins read

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Golf is hard, and there is no getting around that fact. It is common for golfers to fall into situations where their game is in a perfect place, and then, out of nowhere, they slide into a major slump.

When this happens, nothing can go right.

I’ll show you 10 of the best tips to get out of a golf slump. Maybe you’ve already tried a few of these, but there are some options here that should help you get a fresh perspective and a kick-start on some better on course performance.

How to Get Out of a Golf Slump – Key Takeaways

Don’t have time to read the full article? Here’s a quick summary of the most crucial steps to break free from a golf slump:

• Take a full self-assessment of your game – evaluate the current state of your game fully and set new goals. Examine your mental game, too.
• Work with a reputable and respected coach can quickly get you back on track.
• Play more! Golf is a game meant to be played more than practiced. So, get out onto the course! You will be more likely to play your way out of a slump than practice your way out of it.
• Work on your short game and putting – shots from 100 yards and in, in total, combine for about 60% of all shots in a round. Working on these areas can help get you out of a slump fast.
• Use technology to find faults and patterns – products like HackMotion can give you a great perspective as to where your issues are in your game.

The 10 Tips to Get Out of a Golf Slump

Take a Deep Dive and Do a Self-Assessment

One of the first things you should do when you see patterns of a slump settling in is to take a deep dive and introspective look at your game as a whole.

Being honest with yourself about the state of your game can help you get back on track.

A great way to do this necessary self-assessment is to play five rounds and keep as many stats as you can. Use golf scoring apps, such as V1 Game, to make this process easier.

You’ll want to keep track of:

• Fairways Hit – Not only track if you hit the fairway, but where you did…center, left, or right. Do the same for missed fairways.
• Greens Hit – Again, not only track your greens in regulation, but where on the green you hit it. Also, track where you miss it if you don’t hit the green.
• Up and Downs – Track how many up and downs you get on those missed greens. This is a massively important statistic in golf.
• Putting – Track your number of putts per green. An excellent 18-hole total would be less than 35 putts. The pros are under 30 total per round.
• Penalties – Track those ugly, off-the-beaten-path penalty situations. Please note where they occurred and the circumstances behind them.
• Clubs Hit, How Good of a Strike, and Shot Shape – Track the clubs you hit on each shot for an even deeper dive. Judge each shot on a scale of 1-10 concerning the quality of the strike. Use arrows on your card to indicate shot shapes.
• Write Notes – It is good to comment on other things such as pace of play, wind, weather, water consumption, snacks eaten, walking or riding, tees played, etc.

A Mental Self-Assessment

Slumps often become more of a mental battle the longer they go.

The trick is to get yourself back into a reasonable frame of mind, even before any mechanical aspects of your game have improved. After all, improvement cannot and will not happen with a bad attitude.

Remembering why you play golf can help you get back into the game. Professional golfers can have a hard time mentally on the course at times, and they must incorporate some of these same strategies into their games.

From a mental standpoint, believing that the game is a journey and that you can learn and grow even on a bad day is a significant key to playing good golf.

How is your self-talk? I bet it’s not too good if you are in a slump.

Have a look at the following from the Golf Science Lab YouTube Channel. It is an excellent look at how lousy self-talk can destroy your game.

Coach Up – Tap Into the Power of a Professional Set of Eyes

In a 2019 National Golf Foundation (NGF) report, only 17% of golfers took professional lessons in some capacity. With the recent golf boom in 2020 and on, that percentage has likely risen but may only be around the 20-22 percent range.

As a professional coach of nearly three decades and a PGA Professional, it is disappointing that more golfers do not take advantage of the power of instruction and coaching.

Especially when studies show that over 80% of golfers that took professional lessons or retained a coach got significantly better.

The volume of lessons you take matters. According to the NGF:

• Golfers that take 1-5 lessons = 28% break 90; 97.6 scoring average.
• Golfers that take 6 or more lessons = 55% break 90; 88.7 scoring average.

Even just a single lesson can get you out of a slump.

A Return to Fundamentals (In a Modern and Personal Way)

Here is a little secret…the best players in the world fall into slumps, too. When the pros slump, they often go back to the basics…but their own unique basics.

Posture, grip, and alignment fundamentals always have a way of setting you on the right pathway to getting back to your old self. The professionals, who are much better than you or I, know this.

However, many amateur golfers are convinced that simple things like your grip or alignment cannot be the only reason they struggle. The reality is that those things are usually the root cause of a majority of swing issues.

The more modern fundamentals include contact, power, and direction. Coach Rob Cheney explains in the following video.

What I mean by this is having a working knowledge of the fundamentals and ball flight laws.

From there, they need to have an in-depth understanding of their game and their tendencies. The combination of knowing the fundamentals and your own game can help get you out of slumps quickly.

Experiment with Some Golf Drills

I can’t tell you how many times a golf drill has helped me get out of a slump. The great thing about golf drills is they will help you focus on one specific area of your game and make a change. Most players have 12 to 15 thoughts going on at any given time.

When you look at just one drill and stay focused on it for a few practice sessions, it could be all you need to get you out of the slump.

Here are some of our favorite drills. Picking even just one drill could get your golf game back on track today.

• Effective Drills to Use at the Driving Range
• Drills to Improve Wrist Mechanics and Clubface Control
• Alignment Stick Drills Every Golfer Should Know
• Proven Drills for Better Ball Striking
• Proven Drills to Perfect Your Backswing

Get Fit (Equipment)

With so many brands, shaft options, grip types, and other various equipment factors and options, it can be daunting to find what may be best for you.

A golf club properly fitted to your game can be that little bit of help you need to get out of your slump.

If your clubs were updated last year, technology may not play a huge role in your improvement. However, if it’s been 5 or more years since your most recent update, then going for a full golf club fitting.

Here’s a pro tip…

Get Fit (Your Body)

In recent years, the best players in golf have started to be seen much more like all other professional athletes.

Dedication to fitness, flexibility, nutrition, hydration, rest, and recovery can help you reinvigorate your game.

Fitness and Flexibility

World #2 Scottie Scheffler discusses how fitness and flexibility are essential to his game. Scottie is a modern professional and sees himself as an athlete.

Nutrition and Hydration

Regardless of age or ability, proper nutrition and hydration are critical to supporting your golf playing and training.

I have seen countless times when my students run out of gas on the golf course. This is due almost exclusively to poor on-course eating and drinking habits. Not only will this affect your play, but it can also become dangerous in extreme situations.

This area doesn’t just influence your game round by round but can play a significant role in your overall development. For example, if you are in a slump, examine your eating and drinking habits.

Rest and Recovery

For those who do indeed train, ensure you rest and recover properly. Injuries can happen if you work too hard. I have seen this happen with some of my students. Additionally, pushing it too hard can sometimes cause you to get off your game.

Play, Play, Play

Golf is a game meant to be played on the course. The driving range is the first place many angry, disgruntled, slumping golfers would head after a bad round. Unfortunately, this is something that can often cause more damage than benefit.

Additionally, that preverbal “range rat” might think that hardcore practicing is the key in general to good golf. That mindset may indeed lead to more frustration than good.

Playing the course as much as you can, especially when you are slumping, is something I would prescribe.

Practicing is indeed essential. If you have a coach you are working with and a dedicated practice plan, there is no question that practice is good. Unfortunately, however, many golfers do not have either of those things.

Go play more and have fun doing it!

Short Game and Putting are Key

Putting takes up nearly 40% of all the shots you hit in a round, and shots from 100 yards and in, in total, combine for about 60% of all shots in a round. So, where should you focus your practice?

Golfers with solid short games score better.

Golf YouTuber, and Professional player, Luke Kwon shows us what he calls “The Gauntlet.” This is a very similar practice routine to what I have my students do.

Use Technology to Find Faults and Patterns

The abundance of beneficial golf technology in the game today is simply incredible.

Products like HackMotion can give you a very insightful look under the hood and get you back on track fast.

HackMotion helps you see how your wrists are working throughout your golf swing. This is one of the most essential aspects of hitting the ball squarely and consistently.

Your lead wrist can be seen as a mirror to your clubface. Where it goes, so does your clubface. HackMotion can tell you, in real-time, as you hit golf balls, if your lead wrist is flat, bowed, or cupped.

One of the most critical factors to getting into a great impact position, and compressing the ball, is through having a flat lead wrist. When golfers are in a slump, it is very often due to an inconsistent impact position.

Summing It All Up

A golf slump is frustrating. The good news is that even the best players in the world have been in slumps that they get themselves out of.

The key is to find that one little trick or thought that moves you out of your slump and into the low scores again.

Use the HackMotion to measure your wrist angles and see if that is a starting point for your improved wrist angles.