Have you ever taken a time-out to think about how easy it could be to lower your golf score? When you really break it down, all you would need to do to significantly improve your game would be to shoot one less shot every third hole. If you could do this, your score would be 6 strokes less than your normal score.

Of course, this is a case of easier said than done. If it were so easy, Tiger Woods would have more competition than he does. But, for the recreational golfer, a stroke here and a stroke there can mean the difference between a personal best score, or, breaking the barrier of 80, 90, or 100. There are tons of golfers who have recorded a 92, 91, or even a 90 without ever achieving the bragging rights to say they have shot in the 80s. Imagine how it feels to be looking at a scorecard of 90 after a great personal round and youve always dreamed of breaking 90. It wouldnt feel good, especially thinking back about that 7 you took on the par 4 tenth hole, or the four putt on number 3.

The idea of golf, as simple as it appears on paper, it to get the lowest possible score you can. A missed putt can lead to three or four addition strokes. This is what makes golf so incredibly addictive. It is rare that any golfer finishes a round thinking that it was the perfect round. It is this pursuit of the perfect round that keeps golfers coming back for more each and every time.

As with any game of numbers, golf can be made to appear very easy on paper. Sure, save a stroke per each hole and you can shoot 18 strokes less than your last round. Is this possible and if not, why not? The answer is consistency. It is extremely difficult to make shot after shot and putt after putt. Through a couple of sand traps and a forest here and there and suddenly the golf course wins.

Over 18 holes, the golf course itself is the only one than remains consistent, shot after shot, game after game. When you think about it, 18 holes are not that many but each and every time the course manages to wear you down. Sure, the average golfer hits great shots here and there that would be worthy of The Golf Channels highlight real but the reality is over the course of 18 holes, the less skillful golfer has his faults exposed.

So, can golf be made easy? Maybe on paper. Maybe by Tiger. But not likely by the recreational golfer.