Golf Tips

Let's talk about practicing smart, and utilizing your time wisely when you head to the range.

Below are four suggestions to help you maximize your practice time:

1- Separate your practice balls into small piles and work on one thing at a time.
If you are taking lessons and have multiple things to work on, focus on only one thing at a time. The goal is to work each area of focus independently. Ultimately, you are trying to create gradual and permanent change.

2- Practice with your scoring clubs.
I consider your wedges, putter and driver your scoring clubs. You can't play good golf from off the fairway, so your driver sets up most every hole. Being able to hit solid wedge shots and crisp, controlled pitch shots ideally sets up make-able putts. Spend most of your time focusing on these clubs, which account for about 75% of your total score.

3- Practice targeting.
Golf ultimately is a target game, and I believe that most people hit the ball better on the range because there is no consequence. You swing freely, and without worry. When you get to the first tee and now you need to pick a target in the fairway, suddenly "where" your ball goes becomes important. So practice picking the most precise targets possible on the range: flagsticks, the top of a tree, the edge of a house in the horizon, etc...the smaller the target, the better.

4- Mechanics on the range, feelings on the course.
When you practice, go ahead and experiment and work on your swing... try new things and try to implement change. When you go on the course, that mindset is not conducive to good play. Play by feeling and instinct, pick a clear, precise target, and swing freely to that target. As they say, you have to play with what you have that day. If you are normally hitting a draw on the range, and find yourself hitting a fade, then get a feeling for that shot, and play for it all day.