The Four Foundations of Golf: How to Build a Game That Lasts a Lifetime

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I am writing today to ask for your help. For over seven years, I have shared free articles on Practical Golf. And now, I need your help to make this book a success. How to practice efficiently. Get detailed, step-by-step instructions on methods that will increase your skills and finally transfer your practice range game to the course

Lower your scores, increase enjoyment. Are you struggling to take your golf game to the next level? Learn the philosophy that has helped thousands of players worldwide lower their scores and improve their relationship with golf. Swing tips come and go, but foundational golf skills last forever.

Using Grit On the Course

Since 2015, Practical Golf has been one of the top online game-improvement resources for golfers. Jon Sherman has written hundreds of articles, sharing his perspective as a “player-coach.” You can finally get all of the methods he’s used to become a scratch golfer and coach other golfers in one complete guide. Swing tips come and go, but foundational golf skills last forever. Whether you are a complete beginner or an advanced player, The Four Foundations of Golf will give you the blueprint to build a stronger, longer-lasting game. This is not your typical, fluffy golf guide that leaves all the important details out. At every handicap level, double-bogey avoidance is a more significant separator in scoring potential than birdies. One of the cornerstones of course management is making optimal decisions that will reduce double bogeys. Aggressive decision-making, particularly on approach shots and greenside wedges, is counterproductive. Often, it results in an increase in score rather than the desired outcome (birdie).

Understanding that being 20 feet from the hole or 40 feet really has little difference on scoring. There isn't a real trade off with pin hunting on approach shots versus aiming for the middle of the green. Even the pros don't achieve amazing proximity on average on approach shots. And, the reality is a pro and a high handicapper are both statistically unlikely to one putt from outside 8 feet so taking risks to get the ball close on approach just doesn't pay off. Gains can be made by high handicappers, like myself, in working on speed control with putts. Just getting the ball within two putt territory and avoiding 3 putts. I’ve had to go through this same process with my driver and putting. In my quest to become a better tournament player, it became apparent by watching other golfers and benchmarking my performance that these were also problems that needed to be solved. The predicament was that I kept telling myself, “I’m a great iron player, but I just struggle off the tee and on the greens.”An absolute must-read for any golfer of any level. I’m in my early 40s and wish a mentor, coach, or my dad had put a book like this in front of me when I was 9 years old (albeit the data Jon references was not available in the 1990s, but you get the point). However, golf might not be as serious as an endeavor for you. Or you might not even have many opportunities to play. I’ll let you make the ultimate decision, but grit might not be relevant or necessary for some. That’s the beauty of golf – there is no right or wrong in your approach. Exploring Grit You don't need to be perfect to have a great round of golf; you need to be patient. At least one part of your game is going to abandon you. If you can remind yourself that mistakes are OK and have the mental resolve to dig in, your scores will improve.

Golfers tend to struggle with happiness on the course when their expectations and skill level are far apart. Everyone’s “happiness equation” looks different. To find the balance, you might need to make adjustments in how much time you can spend improving, or what you expect of yourself. These themes are familiar to long-time readers of this newsletter. I won’t rehash the importance of each since I’ve written multiple pieces on each subject ( see at the bottom of this post ).In a way, I was shifting my mindset and identity. While I still have to work on these shots to maintain my skill, I believe I am an excellent intermediate wedge player. One of my favorite authors, James Clear, describes these as identity-based habits. There are many reasons why “golf grit” is harder to develop. It’s much easier for some to give up when you become embarrassed and your ego is damaged. I know that was the case for me. Jon offers a genuinely unique perspective as a player-coach. His methods are tried and tested - and proven to help golfers worldwide get better without having to stand on a range all day, tinkering with their swing. The Four Foundations of Golf is an excellent addition to any golf library, explaining a wide range of improvement methods in great depth without being confusing. You'll get so much out of this book, you'd be a fool not to get it!" Professional golfers are playing an entirely different game. Be careful assuming you have much to learn from them whenever you watch television broadcasts or read articles about their swing tips! TV is mostly a highlight reel of the best shots at any time. If they exclusively showed tour players at the bottom of the leaderboards missing cuts, you’d see a very different version of golf. A typical tour player will hit the ball about 20 feet from the hole with a full wedge shot in the fairway. This is an essential reference point for multiple reasons. A PGA Tour player will make bogey roughly 80% of the time in a recovery situation like being in the trees. Stop trying to be a hero! Putting is perhaps the most difficult and misunderstood part of golf. Golfers have their best chance of holing putts inside of 8 feet, and outside of those distances, it becomes more of a test of speed control and proximity. Birdies are very hard to come by, even for tour players. Lowering your scores is not about making more birdies; it’s more about mistake avoidance.