Practice makes it permanent.
You head to the range for some time with your clubs. But when you get there, are you actually working to improve, or are you building bad habits?
I see it almost daily with many amateur players: ball beating. Standing in one spot, constantly hitting without breaking down what they are doing. But what most of them are doing is ingraining bad habits! The more you “practice” with the bad habits, the more ingrained it becomes in the swing. The longer you do it, the harder it will become to break it.
Practice with purpose!
Most golfers want to get better; it’s a part of the game. It’s also inherent in most golfers to want to beat their playing partners! The problems arise with how many people view practice. They will stand on the range and hit ball after ball and barely move. They might swap clubs out every now and then, but they do not allow themselves the opportunity to think about what they are doing right or wrong! Now, granted, you are hitting golf balls, so you are doing some work, but it is not good work. Hitting nonstop in one spot is a good way to stretch out and work the golf muscles, but it’s teaching them the wrong way.
How to fix your practice time
One thing I tell every student, in group class or single lessons, is to always practice with purpose. If you are mindlessly hitting balls, then you are just ingraining bad habits and wearing your body down to a point where it’s not making progress. The fix is a relatively easy one!
- Set Up: Do not just drop your bucket and dump them all out. Leave it to the side so you can reach in easily. Take 5 balls out at a time. This will give you time to adjust and to check things between sets.
- Alignment: Always make sure you are checking your alignment on the range. Set an alignment stick down and make sure your feet and club are pointing towards your target. If you do not have one, Tanglewood has some on the range for your use!
- 5-Ball Rule: Those 5 balls I had you set aside- that’s the key to help you practice with purpose. Hit your 5 balls, and keep track of each one and what happened with each of them. Once those 5 are hit, step off your mat or hitting area for a moment!
- Reflect and Analyze: Take some time after your 5 balls to think about what and why each shot went the way it did. Was it fat, thin, hook, or slice? Reflect on how you positioned yourself between the shots and how you felt during and after the shots.
- Adjust: After thinking things through, drop 5 more and make your adjustments. Keep track of how things go this time and see if they are better or worse.
Results
While you go through the routine, you should start to see small changes. You should be better aligned both on the range and the course as you make an effort. Practicing with small batches will also allow your body to rest and produce more accurate range-to-course results. Small adjustments can produce major improvements over time if you are consistent in your practice.
And of course, if the results are not coming fast enough, seek an instructor to help guide you. Every player, no matter how good they are, uses a coach/instructor to improve or find the flaws. Even Tiger in his prime had someone reviewing his practice.
Written By: Jeromy Prosser
Email: Jeromy@Prossergolf.com
Website: www.Prossergolf.com
