There are certain disciplines most top sportsmen and women have in common and normally they are learned through competing and initially failing. Talent alone is rarely enough to make a champion and following is a list of crucial skills a golfer, or any sportsman, needs to hone before fulfilling their true and full potential.

Knowing the Rules in Sport

Knowing the rules is a vital component of a sportsman’s armoury if wanting to compete successfully. Not only will a sound knowledge of the rules help avoid unnecessary and annoying penalties, but knowing the rules will help a sportsman prepare effectively. The great Jack Nicklaus always maintained that his intimate knowledge of the rules gave him an edge over fellow competitors.

2010 was full of incidents where a lack of knowledge caused potential champions to fail. A classic case of this was when Dustin Johnson was disqualified for inadvertently grounding his club in a bunker during the USPGA.