Most people think that they should practice golf to swing just like their favorite professionals. And on the surface that makes sense. The reason those guys and gals are on the PGA and LPGA tours is because they are the greatest at what they do. And if you're not trying to be like Tiger Woods, you are still receiving more tips than you can handle from pros on television and in magazines.
Now let's return to this planet for a second. Becoming the next Tiger Woods may be your ambition, but for the tremendous majority of us, that is not going to happen. There is a very small chance you or anyone else will reach that level. Bettering your scores should be your very realistic goal. We all want to play our best, but to seek to imitate the best players in the world is just the wrong way to go about it.
Professional golfers don't do their practicing after they finish their job for the day. Golf is their 9 to 5 job. They wake up and hit the course. putting in a tremendous amount of hours working to get better at their craft. You on the other hand do not have that luxury. It would be terrific if you did, but let's work within the realm of the time and energy you have accessible.
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.
Think for a minute about how you spend your practice time. You were likely teeing it up, and using your driver on the range. A good driver might take a few strokes off your score, but think about how many drives you hit during a round. See where we're going with this? You need to spend much more time working on your short game.
It's not exhilarating and not exactly that much fun either, but the gains of this practice are tremendous. Short game practice is where the pros spend 80% of their time. They'll work on different shots from different angles, different lies and in different conditions. And while we don't want you to copy their swing, it's likely a good idea to concentrate your practice in the same areas as they do.
This may describe you. You have the farthest and straightest drive among the people you play with, but you are still shooting 90 or higher. The problem is obviously with your short game and this is where you should focus your practice efforts. Get better here, and watch your scores go down dramatically.
So the next time you get off your job and want to head to the driving range to blast a few drives, alter your plan. Instead work on any shot that's under 75 yards. That means putting, pitching, chipping and short shots from the sand trap.
Still not a believer? Think about this. Shots from 75 yards or less make up more than half of your shots in a typical round of golf. This includes putts, chips, etc. Logic dictates that you should therefore spend at least 50% of your practice time working on them. If you're still shooting in the 90's, less than twenty percent of your shots are with a driver off the tee. Your practice time needs to be mainly spent on the strokes you hit most.
Sure hitting drives on the range is fun, but it's not nearly as much fun as seeing your scores fall by as many as 10 shots per round.
Now let's return to this planet for a second. Becoming the next Tiger Woods may be your ambition, but for the tremendous majority of us, that is not going to happen. There is a very small chance you or anyone else will reach that level. Bettering your scores should be your very realistic goal. We all want to play our best, but to seek to imitate the best players in the world is just the wrong way to go about it.
Professional golfers don't do their practicing after they finish their job for the day. Golf is their 9 to 5 job. They wake up and hit the course. putting in a tremendous amount of hours working to get better at their craft. You on the other hand do not have that luxury. It would be terrific if you did, but let's work within the realm of the time and energy you have accessible.
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.
Think for a minute about how you spend your practice time. You were likely teeing it up, and using your driver on the range. A good driver might take a few strokes off your score, but think about how many drives you hit during a round. See where we're going with this? You need to spend much more time working on your short game.
It's not exhilarating and not exactly that much fun either, but the gains of this practice are tremendous. Short game practice is where the pros spend 80% of their time. They'll work on different shots from different angles, different lies and in different conditions. And while we don't want you to copy their swing, it's likely a good idea to concentrate your practice in the same areas as they do.
This may describe you. You have the farthest and straightest drive among the people you play with, but you are still shooting 90 or higher. The problem is obviously with your short game and this is where you should focus your practice efforts. Get better here, and watch your scores go down dramatically.
So the next time you get off your job and want to head to the driving range to blast a few drives, alter your plan. Instead work on any shot that's under 75 yards. That means putting, pitching, chipping and short shots from the sand trap.
Still not a believer? Think about this. Shots from 75 yards or less make up more than half of your shots in a typical round of golf. This includes putts, chips, etc. Logic dictates that you should therefore spend at least 50% of your practice time working on them. If you're still shooting in the 90's, less than twenty percent of your shots are with a driver off the tee. Your practice time needs to be mainly spent on the strokes you hit most.
Sure hitting drives on the range is fun, but it's not nearly as much fun as seeing your scores fall by as many as 10 shots per round.
About the Author:
The best way to practice at home is by acquiring a golf practice net. You can discover more golf tips like this, as well as read course and golf equipment reviews and advice by going to AllThingsGolfBlog.com.
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