It seems logical on the surface; if you want to practice golf and get better you should follow and emulate the pros. Certainly you've heard that it's good to emulate success. Then naturally you can switch on the golf TV station and get countless points and direction from pros of all levels.
Well it is time for a reality check. Becoming the next Tiger Woods may be your ambition, but for the vast majority of us, that isn't going to occur. The chances of anyone getting to that level are minute. Bettering your scores should be your really practical goal. And the worst thing you can do to reach your practical goals is to try to imitate the best.
If you are similar to the majority of people, you perform your practice on the weekends and after you get off work. Golf is their 9 to 5 occupation. They wake up and hit the course. putting in a tremendous amount of hours working to become better at their trade. You on the other hand don't have that luxury. You might want practice golf 24/7, but let's be practical and make the best use of the time you do have.
We have all watched our favorite professionals hit a beautifully lofted shot that stops dead on the green a few feet from the hole, or maybe one that backs up towards the pin. We could spend months working on this, but as a weekend golfer, there are more productive ways to spend our time that will result in lower scores. What we should do is improve the basics first, and that's where our focus needs to be.
So let's analyze how we do our golf practice. Chances are nearly all of that time was spent on the driving range, driver in hand, trying to hit it long and straight. A good driver is critical there's no doubt, but what percentage of your shots during a round are hit off the tee with a driver? Understand where we're going with this? You should spend much more time practicing your short game.
We recognize it's hard to get excited about practicing the short game, but it will be easy to get excited about the lower scores you will be posting. Short game practice is where the professionals spend 80% of their time. They work on different angles. They work on different lies and in different wind conditions. And it's likely a good idea to practice what the pros work on most, even if it's not a good idea to copy their swing.
If you're like most golfers, your scores are probably in the 90's. And that's in spite of the fact that you might have the longest drive in your group. The problem is obviously with your short game and this is where you should concentrate your practice efforts. Your scores will go down rapidly if you get better in this area of your game.
It's time to make a change. Don't travel straight to the driving range when you get off work. Practice your putting. Put some extra effort into your pitches, chips, shots from the bunker and your wedge shots up to 75 yards.
Here's something to think about that should make this crystal clear. Did you know that during a typical round, more than 50% of your shots are from under 75 yards. This includes putts, chips, etc. If these shots are 50% of your score, then you should be spending at least half of your practice time working on them. Now consider that in all likelihood less than 20% of your shots are with a driver. If you are honest with yourself, you will recognize that this is where you need to practice most.
We understand that it's not as much fun as banging away off the tee, but it will be a lot more fun when you start to knock at least 10 shots off your game.
Well it is time for a reality check. Becoming the next Tiger Woods may be your ambition, but for the vast majority of us, that isn't going to occur. The chances of anyone getting to that level are minute. Bettering your scores should be your really practical goal. And the worst thing you can do to reach your practical goals is to try to imitate the best.
If you are similar to the majority of people, you perform your practice on the weekends and after you get off work. Golf is their 9 to 5 occupation. They wake up and hit the course. putting in a tremendous amount of hours working to become better at their trade. You on the other hand don't have that luxury. You might want practice golf 24/7, but let's be practical and make the best use of the time you do have.
We have all watched our favorite professionals hit a beautifully lofted shot that stops dead on the green a few feet from the hole, or maybe one that backs up towards the pin. We could spend months working on this, but as a weekend golfer, there are more productive ways to spend our time that will result in lower scores. What we should do is improve the basics first, and that's where our focus needs to be.
So let's analyze how we do our golf practice. Chances are nearly all of that time was spent on the driving range, driver in hand, trying to hit it long and straight. A good driver is critical there's no doubt, but what percentage of your shots during a round are hit off the tee with a driver? Understand where we're going with this? You should spend much more time practicing your short game.
We recognize it's hard to get excited about practicing the short game, but it will be easy to get excited about the lower scores you will be posting. Short game practice is where the professionals spend 80% of their time. They work on different angles. They work on different lies and in different wind conditions. And it's likely a good idea to practice what the pros work on most, even if it's not a good idea to copy their swing.
If you're like most golfers, your scores are probably in the 90's. And that's in spite of the fact that you might have the longest drive in your group. The problem is obviously with your short game and this is where you should concentrate your practice efforts. Your scores will go down rapidly if you get better in this area of your game.
It's time to make a change. Don't travel straight to the driving range when you get off work. Practice your putting. Put some extra effort into your pitches, chips, shots from the bunker and your wedge shots up to 75 yards.
Here's something to think about that should make this crystal clear. Did you know that during a typical round, more than 50% of your shots are from under 75 yards. This includes putts, chips, etc. If these shots are 50% of your score, then you should be spending at least half of your practice time working on them. Now consider that in all likelihood less than 20% of your shots are with a driver. If you are honest with yourself, you will recognize that this is where you need to practice most.
We understand that it's not as much fun as banging away off the tee, but it will be a lot more fun when you start to knock at least 10 shots off your game.
About the Author:
The ideal way to practice without going to the range is by purchasing a golf practice net. You can learn more golf tips like this, as well as read course and golf club reviews and advice by going to AllThingsGolfBlog.com.
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