Almost all of us spend time practicing, but only a tiny percentage of those get the most out of their time. How you practice is almost more important than working on technique! In fact, proper practice habits are the fastest way to make new techniques take hold.
In this conversation, we must also broach the topic of what to practice as there are certain aspects of the game that you will benefit the most from. According to the data compiled by Shotlink on the PGA Tour, Mark Broadie has proved that the number one attribute to lower scores is Driver Distance. Coming in a close 2nd is Approach Shots.
Lets look at what most people have called the most important part of the game…Putting! Most of the people I see practicing putting do so by using 3-4 balls to roll 20 footers. This couldn’t be a bigger waste of time as the data shows that even if a 90’s shooter becomes as good as a PGA Tour player from this range, they shave off less than 1 stroke per round. Don’t waste your time here!
The most important range with a putter is 3 to 8 feet, with PGA Tour players making 50% of their 8 footers. My favorite drill for working on this range is also a great way to practice as it covers all the main aspects of a great practice session; 1. Hitting different shots is just like what happens on the golf course, whereas, hitting the same shot over and over again is only good for exercise. 2. Add some meaning and pressure to your practice to further mimic the real game. 3. Make the practice quantifiable so that you can compare your results & progress. 4. Be sure you go through your entire routine so that your practice perfectly mirrors what you would do on the golf course.
The 3,5,7 Drill begins by picking a putt that is uphill and dead straight. If you choose a downhill putt it could cause you to baby your stroke a little bit instead of making a confident stroke. No braking putts as this is not a drill for reading greens which can make quantifying & analyzing results difficult. Put down a few tees to mark the 3 foot, 5 foot and 7 foot points. This will help to keep you from wandering accidentally into a breaking putt. Please only use 1 golf ball to help force yourself to go through your entire routine on every putt. You must make three 3 footers in a row before you can advance to the 5 foot mark. Three more from there before the 7 foot mark. If you miss anywhere on the way to finishing your three 7 footers, you must start over. It is this element that adds that sense of meaning and pressure that make the drill so good!
In this conversation, we must also broach the topic of what to practice as there are certain aspects of the game that you will benefit the most from. According to the data compiled by Shotlink on the PGA Tour, Mark Broadie has proved that the number one attribute to lower scores is Driver Distance. Coming in a close 2nd is Approach Shots.
Lets look at what most people have called the most important part of the game…Putting! Most of the people I see practicing putting do so by using 3-4 balls to roll 20 footers. This couldn’t be a bigger waste of time as the data shows that even if a 90’s shooter becomes as good as a PGA Tour player from this range, they shave off less than 1 stroke per round. Don’t waste your time here!
The most important range with a putter is 3 to 8 feet, with PGA Tour players making 50% of their 8 footers. My favorite drill for working on this range is also a great way to practice as it covers all the main aspects of a great practice session; 1. Hitting different shots is just like what happens on the golf course, whereas, hitting the same shot over and over again is only good for exercise. 2. Add some meaning and pressure to your practice to further mimic the real game. 3. Make the practice quantifiable so that you can compare your results & progress. 4. Be sure you go through your entire routine so that your practice perfectly mirrors what you would do on the golf course.
The 3,5,7 Drill begins by picking a putt that is uphill and dead straight. If you choose a downhill putt it could cause you to baby your stroke a little bit instead of making a confident stroke. No braking putts as this is not a drill for reading greens which can make quantifying & analyzing results difficult. Put down a few tees to mark the 3 foot, 5 foot and 7 foot points. This will help to keep you from wandering accidentally into a breaking putt. Please only use 1 golf ball to help force yourself to go through your entire routine on every putt. You must make three 3 footers in a row before you can advance to the 5 foot mark. Three more from there before the 7 foot mark. If you miss anywhere on the way to finishing your three 7 footers, you must start over. It is this element that adds that sense of meaning and pressure that make the drill so good!