Usually, the first thing a golfer wants fixed is their golf swing so they can get rid of their slice or get more distance. And they give me 30 minutes to do it.

I learned very early to ask the question - "Do you want me to put a band aid on your swing or lower your scores and reduce your handicap?"

A great drive is a good experience but a consistent overall game that wins the trophy satisfies a lot longer.

I try to get someone to play 9 holes with me so I can assess their overall game and also give them a standard they can aspire to. Shooting around 80 should not really be too difficult for the average player.

I played with a mate the other day who was worried about his slice and ball striking in general. He proceeded to hit the best drive of his life on the first hole but it just caught the fairway bunker.

He got it out of there and hit a pitch onto the green to about 30 feet, but then hit it 6 feet past and missed it for 6.

He also three putted the next and missed a 4 foot putt for birdie on the next hole. He was playing well, but had thrown three shots away in the first three holes. And when he duffed one into the water on the next hole, he ran up a 9. Another double bogey on the next short par 3 with a poor chip that overshot the green, another in the water on the next and he was ready to listen to an overall approach to improving his game.

Now you might be a better golfer than my friend, or worse, but the question remains - Do you want to lower your scores? If you do, it will take an overall approach, improving each area of your game so if one part of your game is falling down, you can rely on another part to limit or repair the damage.

To improve your golf requires a plan, something like Project Golf (not Project Golf Swing, which is just part of the overall plan).Improvement has its rewards.

Following an improvement plan will make you a much better player.The better you play, the more fun you have.The better player you are will help you appreciate the challenge of the top courses.

You will have the knowledge that you have the tools to overcome the challenges of golf that very few people experience.

You will be able to beat the other people who are too lazy or have egos that are too big to think they can improve without some intelligent thinking and organized practice.

They will remain confused about golf, wondering why other people play better than them while they jump from new club to new club, tip to tip and theory to theory while their performances stay inconsistent.

You can achieve your goals in golf if you assess where you are at in each area of the game, get the knowledge of the fundamentals, plan which areas to work on, practice these areas, test how they go when practicing and playing, and reassess so you can go through the cycle again. Have fun, be persistent and have patience.