Take our pro's advice and stay straight down the middle of the fairway. Chris Nugent, professional at Dunfermline Golf Club, will try and keep you out of the rough with his regular column on the game, packed full of playing tips, handy hints and drills.

It is important that we make every shot on the golf course count and try to get full potential out of every round.

It would be a good idea to set a goal of quality shots during play rather than quantity.

Bear in mind, having to make the perfect swing could also be difficult and there are many factors which will affect your results.

Some you might tackle without altering your normal address position.

It may be a difficult lie, the ball sitting on a slope with the ball well above our feet, which often causes players to hit the ball left.

An uphill lie can act like a launch pad and send the ball much higher than required, less loft and more control with the legs through impact can help.

If you don't allow for certain aspects such as weather, ground conditions and how the ball is sitting at address, you won't end up with positive results.

A fair number of poorer shots might just be lack of preparation.

Try working on this with help from your PGA pro. You can learn how to read the ground situation and adjust your body and club position accordingly.

A heavy lie in thick grass will definitely require extra care.

Often these shots don't fly well and can go left of target as the club head gets tangled up and club face closes at impact.

A lot of this is down to the pre-shot preparation.

Feel the movements and how your swing will work out.

You might be able to nail your practice swings but check out your real finish after playing the shot.

Is it the same? Did you finish balanced? Was the swing as smooth as you thought it would be?

Especially important for the short irons or approach game is whether to have the glove on or glove off.

Does it make a difference to you? If this is noticeable then lose the glove for a week.

The only reason you should wear a glove is to encourage feel and relieve some tension.

Gloves allow you to almost feel you are hardly holding the grip. No squeeze on the fingers and no hidden white knuckles.

Imagine for a minute if we had no definite target and only concentrated on the strike.

The ball is to land in an area, as we do sometimes on the practice ground.

No pressure to be perfectly on line. Try and recognise a solid shot, a shot that has no vibrations through your hands at impact.

A good impact should mean you have connected with the club head's sweet spot.

The trajectory will look good and the arms will not feel the ball hitting the club face. Maximum distance and maximum success.

Many of us can imagine that a straight line is practically impossible anywhere on the golf course.

We can easily visualise a sliced tee shot moving left to right in the air or a big hook from right to left if the swing is too fast.

It is vitally important to visualise a straight line to the target, especially on the putting surface.

Unless you find yourself on a dead flat green, most of your putts will roll with a bend left to right or vice versa.

It can be hard to imagine hitting a straight putt and would make life a lot easier if you could!

Usually our eyes can read a line on a putt, but more often it's the pace and roll distance that let us down.

Practice putting with six balls in a straight line.

If you can groove a straight line action with the club head you may also groove an imaginary line for your eye.

Anything from around six feet could now be treated as straight.

A chalk mark on the putting surface or a tape line on the ground will help.

Keep relaxed and enjoy.

Is there anything you'd like to ask Chris to help improve your game? Call 729061 or email professional@dunfermlinegolfclub.com