Being an accomplished junior golfer and having the privilege of meeting numerous successful professional golfers, I know many tips to not only help you hit it well, but to look like a pro while doing it. So here are 9 tips to help you look more like a pro on the course.

1. The club won’t slip while putting

Many amateur golfers believe that wearing a glove while putting will not only help you hold the club better, but also will give you a better feel for all of your putts. Well, that is a load of bogus. If you have a proper putting grip and swing, there is no possibility of the club being loose in any sort of manner; and for the extra feel with a glove on, you might as well just putt with one hand on the club because that’ll make you have the same amount of feel.

2. Your irons don’t need protection

Iron covers may be the #1 sign to others that you are indeed a hacker and have no significant value what so ever unless you constantly drag your irons along the cart path while driving to your next shot. It’s just another thing to lose on the course as well.

3. Lose the cart bag and get a carry bag

Having a cart bag may be a good idea if your a regular weekend golfer, but if you’re looking to practice avidly and even walk a round every now and then, I would highly recommend investing in a nice carry bag that isn’t too heavy. This will also save some trunk space for the car and will be much easier standing it up on the range or anywhere else.

4. Look into a quality putter

Having a nice putter will not only catch the eye of all of your friends, but will most likely give you better results around the greens. You will find that putting with a Scotty Cameron might just be a little nicer than the old bullseye that was left in Grandpa’s garage. You’ll notice it has a much softer feel and will role much truer, which might just get you back those couple strokes from being in the 70’s or 80’s.

5. Have a plan before the shot

Before every shot, it’s good to have a routine that you do every time to be confident and prepared over the ball. I always pick out a target in the far distance as well as an intermediate target just a few inches in front of the ball. I line up my body and blub to the intermediate target and then commit to the shot. You’ll notice you feel much more organized and committed to the shot than you would normally.

6. The good ole club twirl

An iconic move that mostly all of the pros do after hitting a good iron is twirling the club down to your hand. It honestly has no definite benefit for your game, but it looks cool so just do it when you hit a good shot.

7. Line up everything on the green

Lining up your putts will not only help you with your alignment in your setup, but will also help with green reading along the way over time. It will show your playing competitors that you care about playing well and will most likely save you strokes on those dreaded 5 footers.

8. Death from above

For any of those who have a ball marker on the bill of their hats, please take them off right now. Although those may save several second from digging around in your pocket for a coin, it looks unprofessional from the outside even if you can’t see it. This may also distract you while you’re about to put because you have to reach up to your hat and find the small magnet instead of just putting it in your pocket. Not everyone wants to see your favorite football team on the front of your hat all the time, so please just keep it in the pocket.

9. Divide them up

Having your clubs divided up in a fashioned manner in your bag will help you speed it up while looking for the club and will make your bag look more presentable. Most pro golfers have it divided up as wedges on the bottom, 9-7 iron, 6-4 (depending on what they play), and hybrid, wood, driver, and putter in the top section.

I hope that all of these tips freshen up your skills and help you look more like a professional golfer on the course.