Fail to Practice ~ Prepare to Fail

photo credit: tnarik     1)   Practice Constructively:   Most weekend golfers, just don't have the time to practice the way the Pros do.   When you go to the range, work on the most effective way to reduce your scores and that  is the short game.   Practice your pitching, chipping and putting.   Don't neglect your fairway game altogether, however.  

2)   Know What to Work on:   “Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent.” This means that unless you are practicing the right things, you simply won't improve.   Take lessons regularly.   Devise drills on the practice range that will help you during play.

3)   Practice During Play:   Go to the course in the evening hours by yourself and utilize the time practicing many different shots from all sorts of locations.   This is equivalent to O.J.T. (on job training).

Check Your Aim

photo credit: Dave-F     It does no good to hit a perfect golf shot, if it is not aimed properly.   It's amazing how many golfers pay so little attention to this part of their game.   Most of the time, poor aim involves open shoulders.   Even though your feet  may be  lined up properly, if your shoulders are open to the target, your shot will go in the direction of your shoulders.

Check your aim:   Get into the address position,  carefully place your club along the back of  both of your heels.   Now step away and go behind your address  position and observe where the club is aimed.   Now take the club and aim it towards your target in the same location.   Now set up with the club at your heels.   Being correctly aimed will most likely feel uncomfortable.

Productive Practice

photo credit: Zunami     The majority of amateurs do not have good practice habits, they don't set goals for themselves.   Going to the range and hitting balls relentlessly is not good practice, it's just good exercise.   Setting goals for each practice session leads to accomplishments and that leads to self confidence.

Rather than just hitting balls, set a goal.   For instance:   Just bring a 6 iron and a pitching wedge.   Your goal may be to learn to hit high  6 iron  shots that land softer.   As for the pitching wedge,   just practice short pitches but vary the distances.   Play shots using increments of five yards out to 30 yards.   Practicie such as this will do  wonders for your short game, consequently, improving your score.

Zero in Your Wedges

photo credit: hr.icio     Golfers  don't spend enough time  practicing their  wedge shots, maybe it's just more fun to hit the big D instead.   Good wedge shots can save  you precious strokes, so the next time you're at the range just take one club, your pitching wedge.

Try moving your hands down the grip in one inch increments.   Every time you grip down one inch, you subtract five to eight yards from your shot and no swing changes are required.   It  is necessary to stand a bit closer to the ball every time you change your grip, however.

Doing this allows you to continue to make a full swing while hitting shorter shots, all the while generating the proper amount of  spin on the ball.

Smart Practice

photo credit: tnarik     Don't waste your practice time by hitting as many balls, with as many clubs as you can.   Hit every practice shot as if you were playing an actual shot on the golf course.   Decide which clubs you will use (3 at the most) and divide the practice balls equally.   Have a purpose for each shot.  

Work on developing good tempo, then work on specifics.   Don't expect to hit perfect shots one after another, it just doesn't happen that way.    Learn how to work your shots (fade-draw etc.).

Devote most of your time to your short game, shots between 70 and 120 yards and inside of 15 yards.   Spend the majority of your time practicing short pitch shots within 15 yards.   Don't forget putting practice.

Stop Guessing!

photo credit: Stephen Glauser     Do you know exactly how far you hit each club?   Two things are necessary when playing golf:   know how far you hit each club and know the yardage of the shot you are preparing to hit.

Go to a practice  range with accurate yardage markers and hit 10 balls with each club.   Use that average to figure out how far you hit each club.   Once you  obtain the results,  mark them on the back of a business card and use them whenever you play.   This will eliminate any guesswork and bring more accuracy and confidence to your game.   TiP:   Cover the card with plastic tape and place it in a luggage tag which you can attach to your golf bag for easy reference.

Tiger Woods Practice Session

photo credit: SimonDoggett     Tiger Woods could not have achieved his great success without a huge amount of practice and discipline.   A typical day of practice is more vigorous than most  could endure.

According to Hank Haney, Tiger's coach, Tiger's day begins at 6:30 a.m. at the gym.   After a rigorous workout for 1 1/2 hrs., it's over to the practice range.    Tiger spends 1  hour  hitting balls and then over to the putting green for a  1/2 hour.   After putting practice, it's off for nine holes of golf.  

Tiger has  1 hour for lunch and then back to the practice range for  2 hours.   Chipping and  pitching practice for  1 hour and then off for another nine hole round.   When play is complete it's back to the putting green for  1 hour.   Whew !

Practice Your Strengths

photo credit: marcokenmoeller     No doubt  that every golfer is interested in improving his/her  swing  flaws and rightfully so.   After all you cannot expect improvement without working on that slice or pull etc.   How about  also working  on  the strongest areas of your game?   Just because your chipping game is good doesn't mean that it can't be made even better.

Practicing isn't only about working out the flaws in your game.   The phrase “play to your strengths not your weaknesses” is very true.   The next time you go to the range, spend time on doing what you do best.   If you are a good driver work on more distance.   If you hit your irons straight, try learning to fade and draw the ball.    Make all your time on the range count.

Good Practice Habits

photo credit: kozumel     Let's face it, practice can be tedious and time consuming.   Sure it's more fun to be out on the course but then again, it's no fun batting the ball around either.

Good practice habits,  are hard  to acquire but it's  the only sure way to improve.   Practice at least twice per week and do not  go to the range with your entire bag, take two clubs  for every practice session.  

Instead of randomly hitting balls pick out specific targets, you can even hit approach shots to an imaginary nine hole course.   Hitting a lot of practice balls  is nothing more than exercise unless you have a goal in mind.   Go to the range with a purpose and stay  with it until your goal/s are accomplished.   You'll be glad you did.

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