If you went home and did your homework, you probably did OK on the test. If you went home and did your homework and studied extra hard, you probably got an A on the test.

Golf is no different. If you want to improve, you have to do more that play once a week or take a weekly lesson. You must "do your homework" to improve.

The more homework you do the better you get. Professionals in any sport get to the level they are at because they practice, practice and then practice some more.

Not many of us have time to hit the amount of balls that they do. However, ask yourself the question, when was the last time you got to the course an hour early and practiced? When was the last time you worked on your chipping, your trouble shots? Your sand trap shots?

I would guess the answer and also guess that those aren't the strongest parts of your game. Set up a practice routine featuring the different aspects of the game.

Practice hitting the driver, fairway woods, long, mid and short irons, putting, chipping, sand play and work on the trouble shots.

To be a complete player you must practice the complete game. I see too many players go to the range, immediately pull out the driver and try to hit it as hard as they can. That isn't practice.

So the next time you get upset for missing that shot that you feel you should have hit, ask yourself if you have really been putting in the time needed to stop missing those shots. In this game, you get out of it what you put into it. Go ahead, challenge yourself to be better!