Practice with a Purpose

• Posted on Grant
• in Golf Fundamentals, Practice
• on February 28, 2012
• Comments Off on Practice with a Purpose

How much time do you spend planning before you practice? When you go to the range, do you have a plan of exactly what you are going to work on, or do you just “wing it”?

One of the main reasons I have been able to get better at golf,  is because of consistent, planned practice. Below are three steps to an orderly practice.

1. Plan before practice.  Before I go to the range, I decide the number of golf balls I am going to hit, and the exact fundamentals that I am going to work on. I usually practice two to three fundamentals in one practice session. I like to only think about about one fundamental at a time for each swing. If I try to work on more than one fundamental with one swing, I end up losing focus.

An example of a plan for a short range session involving two fundamentals looks like this:

Fundamental #1: Steady head on back-swing and down-swing

Fundamental #2: Full Finish

I will hit three balls working on Fundamental #1, then hit three balls working on Fundamental #2. I will do this ten times while  switching clubs after every six balls. When I have hit 60 balls I will be finished with my range practice.

2. Stick to the plan. While practicing, it is tempting to work on anything that pops into your head. However, it is better to develop discipline by sticking to the plan, than to try to capture a perfect shot with each swing on the range. This discipline that is developed on the range will help you learn how to focus while hitting shots on the golf course in competitive rounds.

3. Stop when the plan is completed. If you want to keep practicing, develop a new plan.

These simple keys have been the foundation of my practice, and I believe that they can help you with your practice also.

GB