Let's face it, the golf season in most areas of Canada and the U.S. runs from mid-April to late October. To make the best of the golf season, hone your game in your backyard by practicing with used golf balls. You can lower your golf score. If the golf season is seven months long, it can seem even longer when your scores don't improve and when you don't practice.

Who wants to trudge down the fairway feeling bad because hitting topped balls, shanks, or slices that only look good on watermelons? Isn't it embarrassing to admit to friends and family that you had the same lousy round yesterday as you did three or four months ago. Guess what - you get better by practicing golf shots. And you don' t have to spend tons of money by going to the golf driving range every day. You can set up your own mini golf range right in your own yard.

Here are tips to improve your golf score, impress your friends and smile when you look at the scorecard after your round of golf.

1.Put an easy-to-use golf practice area in your backyard.
For less than $100, you can buy quality used golf balls, a golf practice mat, a golf practice net, or even a golf practice cage. Just set them up in your back yard. Then, practice your golf swing with every golf club you have, from a driver to a sand wedge. When you set up your own practice area, you don't have to worry about waiting in long lines at the golf range; you can practice when you want.

2.Target your short game with practice games.
Get a basket, used tire, or a hula hoop. Practice your chipping by hitting used golf balls into the chosen the target. You will develop a feel for how hard to hit a golf ball. When you improve your aim, you will improve your game.

3.Practice often.
If you think you only need to take a couple of swings, hit ten golf balls and feel you are ready to take on Tiger Woods, think again. In fact, just what are you thinking? Golf pros hit hundreds of practice shots a day to hone their aim, distance and muscle memory. If you can't commit to a two hour practice session, break it up. Hit used golf balls into a net for 30 minutes in the early morning, chip into a tire for 15 minutes at noon and hone your short game in the evening.

4.Master one club at a time.
Do you want to shave off strokes quicker than a triple blade razor on a soft beard? Try this. Think about your last ten rounds of golf. What money shots did you miss that would have lowered your score? If you are like most golfers, you probably realize that you could have saved dozens of strokes from shots that were under 100 yards from the green. Here's what to do. Tell yourself "I'm getting down in two" to get a can-do mindset. Practice those shots. Expect to hit good shots, take only two strokes to put your golf ball in the hole and guess what? That is exactly what you will do.

5.Visualize your perfect golf shots.
Many golf pros have a "mental" coach, a sports psychologist, to visualize a positive outcome. Here is what to do. Invest 10 minutes a day in sitting in a comfortable chair, closing your eyes and watching a mental movie of yourself driving straight and long down the middle of the fairway, or hitting a nine iron within twelve inches of the cup. Imagine leaping into the air or making a "YES!!!" fist pump with a lot of emotion. You will amaze yourself at the results.

When you use quality used golf balls and practice these five tips, your golf score can only improve. All you need is reliable golf practice equipment to make your practice sessions effective.