Practicing Smart

photo credit: Hawaiiwave19   Too many amateurs spend their time on the practice range in an unproductive manner.  They can be observed  hitting balls with each and every club thinking that it will help them develop a familiarity with every club in the bag.

The bottom-line is that if you are swinging properly, it doesn’t matter what club you have in your hands.  You must work on your tempo which will create solid contact with the ball. 

At the range, try hitting only the following clubs:  pitching wedge, 6-iron, driver, or:  pitching wedge, 4-iron, 3-metal.  The lob wedges deserve special attention since they can be very difficult to master properly.  At least half of your practice time should be devoted to putting.

The Need for Practice

Golf is like no other game.  A player like Tiger Woods, who was at the top of his game for so long, can lose his edge in a matter of weeks.  After nearly a year, Woods’ game is finally starting to make a come-back but only after an almost fanatical practice schedule. 

The single biggest problem with most amateurs is their lack of  a systematic practice schedule.  Playing once or twice per week just won’t get the job done if you want to improve.  You cannot expect improvement in your game without spending sufficient time on the practice range.  Bring no more than 3 clubs per session.  Doing so will pay great dividends in your game and enjoyment on the course.

The Shaft Drill

The relationship between the upper-body and arms is critical in the golf swing.  They must work together in order to hit reliable golf shots.  Striking the ball the same on every shot is necessary for optimum consistency.  To train your body and arms to work together during pitch shots, try the following:

1)  Place a club across your chest and under your armpits so it rests against your chest.  Use a pitching wedge and assume your normal address position while the club still rests against your chest.  2)  Now rock the shaft, which is across your chest, by turning your body back and through.  Allow your arms to respond to the turning movement.  If the club moves (comes undone) your arms are working independently of your body.  They must all work together.

The Planned Practice

photo credit: dan taylor   Practice should have a purpose, don’t go to the range just to smack balls.  Use your range time wisely, it’s just as important as playing the game.  For a Pre-match warm-up.  Try the following:

The Range > 1)  To avoid injury take 5 minutes to stretch your back and arms.  2)  Hit 15 balls with the sand wedge.  3)  5 – 10 balls with the 9, 7, 5 irons, 5 metal and driver.  Revert back to your sand wedge and hit 15 – 20 more shots.  Concentrate on tempo.

The Chipping Green > 20 chip shots to specific targets.

The Putting Green > 8 – 10 putts from 25 and 40 ft.  Now hit 10 – 20  putts from 3 to 4 ft.

Practice a Short 18

photo credit: fredcamino   To make for a more enjoyable and productive short game practice session, try playing a “short 18″ – here’s how:  Locate 9 balls in seperate locations around the practice green.  The placement, if possible, should be in various lie positions (down-slope, up-slope etc.).

From the first location, hit your shot as close to the pin as possible and then try to make the putt.  If you make the putt (called an up and down), count it as par.  If you make more than one putt it will count as a bogey (three putts will be a double bogey etc.).  Keep a matchplay-style score.  Advance to each ball. 

Goal > play the entire 9 locations in 18 strokes.  Note: just use one club with one type of pitch/chip shot.

Practice Pulling Back

photo credit: jlastras   On the practice green, insert 6 tees, 3 feet apart, to a total of 18 feet from the cup.  Use three balls, start at the first tee (3ft.) and try to sink all three.  Once you sink all three, move on to the second tee (6 ft.) and continue on.  Some players will move to the next tee after sinking only two balls which is OK. 

Don’t forget, you must continue to putt from the same location until you sink at least two out of three putts during the same three-ball session.  Keep doing this until you reach the last tee (18 ft.).

If you have committed to finish all 6 positions, you have introduced your own degree of competition.

Practice Strategy

photo credit: dktrpepr   Most golfers do not take their practice sessions serious enough.  Develop a strategy for each practice session and stick to it.  You don’t go to the range just to “loosen-up,” since that can be done at home.  For more productive sessions you must have a strategy on the range.

A)  Don’t just hit one ball after another.  Each shot should be as if you were executing that particular shot on the golf course.  Set-up for each shot as if you were actually playing.  Watch the path of your ball in the air and it’s roll on the ground, it can tell you a lot about your shot.  B)  Set a goal for each session.  C)  Always set a time limit for practice sessions and stick to it.

The Bottom of Your Arc

photo credit: stanik2007   Many golfers don’t really understand the purpose of a practice swing.  The primary purpose of the practice swing is to learn where the bottom of your swing arc will be. 

In every round of golf there are no two lies that are exactly alike.  The practice swing should determine where the bottom of your arc is for the terrain that you are standing on.  If you notice that your arc bottoms out further back in your stance, play the ball back.  If it bottoms farther forward then play the ball farther forward in your stance. 

Knowing where your swing arc bottoms out will help prevent thin or fat shots.  Keep this in mind every time you make a practice swing and watch your scores drop.

Keep Your Head Down?

photo credit: akeg   How many times, after you have made a bad shot,  have you heard someone say “you need to keep your head down.”  It’s one of the most common phrases in golf.  If you listen to this advice, you will never make a good swing.  Keeping your head down prevents a full shoulder turn by blocking your shoulder as it moves back.  It also creates more tension in your upper body.  Your chin must not impede the movement of your shoulders or upper body during the swing.

At address, simply raise your chin to allow your shoulders ample room to move under it.  Doing so, allows your body to rotate fully around it’s center axis which your head is the top of (head to bottom of spine).

Practice Range vs. Golf Course

photo credit: tnarik   Players are often bewildered as to why their golf shots on the course are not as good as they were earlier on the practice range.  This common complaint is heard routinely. 

The reason why the quality of the shots can be so different is that on the range you are hitting one shot after another.  On the golf course there is much more time between shots, time for more thought and muscle tension to set in.

In many cases, a player will just hit too many practice shots.  When you go to the range, before a round, there is no need to hit a large bag of balls.  Twenty or thirty shots should do.  Get there early and take plenty of time between shots to preserve your timing.

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