What’s an Effective Golf Practice Routine?
Are you making the best use of your golf practice time? Judging by the golfers I watch at my local range, I’d bet that 90% of you could benefit from a better golf practice routine.
What can you do better at the range? It’s simple really.
Start with an idea of what it is you want to improve. Most golfers seem to be at the range to hit as many long, straight shots as they can. That approach is ineffective for several reasons.
First, average golfers are not capable of hitting more than a few perfectly straight shots per round (or bucket). Heck, even the majority of better-than-average golfers don’t hit many perfectly straight shots.
The good news is that you don’t need to hit the golf ball perfectly straight to shoot better golf scores.
On just about every shot you’ll ever play, one side of your target area will be a better place from which to play your next shot than the other. So, your goal should rarely be to hit a perfectly straight shot. Your goal should be to hit a shot that has a good chance of finishing near your target — and on the better side of it.
If the best side is left, the best way to ensure being there is to hit a shot that curves right-to-left. If the best side is right of your target, just the opposite is true.
When hitting into greens and tight fairways, length control also comes into play at times. Most golfers find it easier to control the shot length of a fade (left-to-right flight for right handers) than a draw (right-to-left for righties) because draws tends to run after landing.
So, when you practice, don’t waste your time trying to hit perfectly straight shots. Work instead on getting the feel for how to make the ball move left and right. It’s not as hard as you may think, and having the ability to move the ball both directions will do wonders for your confidence.
In no time at all, you should be able to move the ball by merely thinking of the shot shape you want. Then you’ll find practicing both types of shots a much better use of your range time than trying to hit ball after ball perfectly straight.
Kelly Conway is Founder and CEO of Better Golf U. At Better Golf U, we research, test, and teach practical techniques for the average golfer to improve golf scores and more fully enjoy the game.
