This week I would like to focus on practicing. Good players practice and they practice a lot. I love working on my game and find the range relaxing not to mention what a great work out it is to hit 75 to 100 balls…hard.
One of the nice features at Lakeside is that the practice range is included in your green fee as many other courses do as well. If you have the time, show up well in advance of your tee time and get a good practice session in before your round. Another good tip is to hit the range AFTER your round. Just about every Pro on tour practices after their round when their mistakes are still fresh in their mind. It also is a nice way to put your mind at ease especially if you have had a frustrating round and build confidence for your next round. I know many of you want to head straight to the lounge for refreshments afterward but next time, after you finish your round, go to the range even if it is for only 5 or 10 minutes. I know it is going to help you play better!
PRACTICING AND STARTING THE SEASON RIGHT
It is still early, so where better to start the season (for some of you) then talking about practicing…going to your favourite range, dusting off the clubs, getting the rust out, hitting that first bucket and saying, perhaps only to ourselves, “This is going to be my year!” How many of us have approached a new season believing that this is the year I’m going to practice more, play more, work on my game and yes… finally get better!
PRACTICE TIPS
Here’s some tips on how to get the most out of your practice sessions, start the year off right, and get the improvement you’ve been looking for. If you have been fortunate to have played a number of rounds, due to the great early start we have had, these tips will work for you too.
Warm up. Stretch out those muscles you’re going to be using. It’s been a long winter and the golf swing is more physical than people give credit. You should feel some soreness in your muscles from hitting balls early in the season, that is normal. It actually feels good to feel the muscles ache a bit. It shows you are working.
Plan out how many balls you want to hit and what clubs you are going to use. A large bucket has about 75 balls. That’s plenty if it’s your first time. Jack Nicklaus once said one of the best practice sessions he ever had, was with only 50 balls. Only have a short time for practice? Then just practice your wedge, driver and putter.
Start with your wedges. Wedges create the smallest swing, great as you warm up, and these are the clubs you should practice most, the scoring clubs! Out of 75 balls I might hit 40 wedge shots, 15 short irons, 10 mid to long irons and then finish with 10 drives. These are approximate numbers but definitely hit lots of wedges and short irons. If your working on a specific problem, that’s different, we will address that later.
How many times have you gone to the range, looked down the line and seen almost everyone hitting woods? If there is a low handicapper on the range watch him/her. Watch how they practice, what clubs they are hitting the most and their general approach. In particular, look at their finish position and tempo. You can learn from watching good players.
Take your time. There’s no time limit (unless it’s a very busy day). Even still, practice like you play. Rapid fire hitting is good for a work out but not so good for developing the habits you want. I like to hold my finish position until the ball lands. This slows you down, makes you concentrate and develops good balance. Also, take the time to look around, enjoy the setting, the people you may meet on the range and take pleasure out of the sheer enjoyment of hitting balls. Especially the good ones!
Finally, as you start out you should be concentrating on your tempo, balance and making solid contact with the ball. Don’t be too concerned right now on your ball flight. It’s too early in the year to be hard on yourself if you are just starting your year. But now is the time to get some serious practice in and take advantage of this great spring weather we are having.
Once again, try practicing after your round to fix your mistakes or to reinforce a fine round!
Use these practice tips and you will play YOUR best golf!
