Take Your Golf Practice to the Course By Bob Fagan
As a once aspiring touring professional and range rat, I became a creditable ballstriker, but often left my precision on the practice tee and turned in disappointing scores. Maybe you are like me and have asked "How come I can hit the ball so well on the range, but have a difficult time replicating it on the golf course"?
Definitely something happens during the walk from the practice and warm-up areas to the first tee in that most valuable piece of real estate – that six-inch space between your ears. I will also venture that your on-the-course game demeanor is not the cause of your difficulty, but rather your practice regimen and expectations are the culprit.
Practicing and developing a solid swing as well as touch and feel is necessary to in order to improve at golf. And yes, practice makes perfect. That said, imperfect practice negates most any chance to ever consistently play golf at a high level.
I have long watched all levels of golfers intently hitting ball after ball, like machines, on the driving range. They are becoming great practice range strikers. I know that I was, and did not realize until after my playing days the mistakes I had made. A more effective way of practicing is to more closely imitate the looks, style, changes, and pressure that you will encounter on the real golf course. Mindless pounding balls with the same club at the same target may be the right medicine for some short-term swing problems, but it won’t get you to the next level as a player. The real key is to practice more like you play! Here are 5 easy ways to make your practice sessions translate to better golf while playing.
- Jack Nicklaus claims to have never hit a golf shot he did not previously fully visualize. Mentally paint a picture before you on the range of the course you are about to play and then fully envision the feel, swing, sound, and trajectory of the shot you intend to hit. For example, picture that out of bounds fence on the left of the fifth hole or the pond on the right of the eighth, the elevated green on the eleventh, the trees on both sides of the fourteenth, or the bunker that always seems to catch you on the sixteenth. Whatever causes you stress or can turn a good round sour will suffice. Then play yourself through your round from the practice tee, visualizing and playing each shot as if your match or tournament depended upon it.
- Change targets frequently just as you would on the golf course. On the golf course, you rarely hit two balls in a row to the same exact target. Why do so on the range? Playing through your round, it is okay to stop occasionally to work on a flaw or cement a swing thought, but for the most part, practice hitting to a different target with each shot. Each shot is thought through and executed as a unique entity- just like on the course.
- This technique will require you to change clubs frequently, again as you would on the real course. If would not regularly hit your 9-iron four times in a row on the course, don’t here. Changing clubs regularly, say every second or third shot, is a good way to approximate what it feels like to be on the course. Again, I repeat, visualize each hole, or if you don’t know the course, visualize anything combination of course obstacles that usually takes you out of your comfort zone.
- Employ your pre-shot routine all the time, consistently. The touring professionals never vary with their pre-shot routine. Why should you? Building a consistent routine places the player in a consistent comfort zone when on the course facing real make-or-break pressure. Replicating it shot after shot on the practice tee will build that strong base for you when the pressure mounts. One aside, your routine will mirror your personality, quick or slow. Let your pre-shot routine development in a similar manner, but be cognizant of not being too slow or deliberate. The game does not need another slow player at any level nor do you want to become a player who flirts with two-shot delay of game penalties. Taking the time and attention to build these habits will provide you extra confidence to free you from fear when you do face challenges as you will be able to take confidence in your preparation and concentrate on the process.
- Similar to the experience of the practice tee, once you have rolled several
putts or chipped a few shots to get the feel of speed on the greens, putt or chip
using one ball. Again, you want to imitate the golf course environment in which
you are not given the luxury of hitting the same putt or chip two or three times.
Yet many people drop two or three putts and stroke the same putt over and over
to the same target. If pressed for time practice using just one ball, employing
your full routine of reading the putt and taking your customary practice strokes,
identical to what you intend to do on the course. Again, you are striving to
become “course-comfortable,” not “practice-comfortable” before your round or
competition begins.
Sometimes we tend to confuse warm-up time on the practice tee with practice so I will also address that. In any warm-up session, your goal should be to loosen up your muscles, and to take inventory as to how your body is performing and what type of shot shape should you envision as you play your upcoming round. You will also want to reacquaint yourself with your daily rhythm and balance, thus developing your feel for the day. The feel segment also applies to the putting green and short game area as well. At a deeper level, you are trying to quiet your chatter, build your confidence and calm yourself. Yes, I would agree that early in the process of learning one's swing, it is sometimes helpful to hit the same club to the same target time and again. In trying to correct or change a swing, that is yet another time to build consistency through repetition. However, in warming up or preparing for golf on the course, thoughtless banging away will only loosening you up physically, and do nothing for preparing your mind and concentration for taking your talent to play on the course. By preparing yourself to deal with some of the same sensations that you have on the golf course in your practice, you will not only become a better practitioner, but more importantly a better player. One major point of caution: don’t let your success, or lack of it on the practice tee, dictate your expectations for your round. If you place high expectations for your upcoming round after a great warm-up session, you add extra pressure and you also start anticipating the future. Even if it’s positive, you take yourself out of the present, which takes you out of alignment for great golf. Rather divorce yourself of rating your practice session, assume a neutral non-assuming disposition, and instead take comfort that you have simply prepared yourself for the challenges you are about to face. Step to the first tee with an open, aware mind clean of expectation or anticipation. You are now in a better position to take your practice and warm-up to the golf course, and enjoy the entire experience even more!
Bob Fagan is Associate Editor for Golf Today Magazine. A former teaching and playing professional, Bob is the author of “Golf’s Higher Plane” and a coach for golfers and business folks. Refer to www.golfshigherplane.com
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