| Practicing your golf game properly is vital to | | | | minutes to loosen up your muscles. Start with a short |
| improving. Knowing how to practice increases | | | | iron, then move to a mid-iron. In my golf lessons I |
| self-confidence, reduces scores, and lowers golf | | | | suggest starting with a pitching wedge, then dropping |
| handicaps. It also increases the fun of playing as you | | | | down to a 7-iron, but you can use other clubs as well. |
| see your scores drop on each round. I consider it so | | | | Hit several shots with each until you feel comfortable |
| important that I discuss how to practice with all my | | | | swinging the club.o Next, spend about 15 minutes or |
| students during golf lessons. | | | | so working on areas of your short game needing |
| Unfortunately, some students don't always follow my | | | | improvement, like chipping. Try dividing the time into |
| advice. They either focus on the wrong things during | | | | four 15 minute mini-sessions, with each mini-session |
| practice or they practice without purpose. Some | | | | devoted to one phase of your short game-- pitching, |
| students do both, preferring instead to flail away | | | | putting, chipping, or bunker play. |
| with the driver on a driving range time and time again. | | | | Use drills during the 15 minutes that focus on |
| When their scores don't drop as quickly as they'd like, | | | | improving weaknesses within that phase of the |
| they stop practicing, forfeiting any chance of | | | | game. For example, use this drill to practice chipping |
| improving. | | | | from the rough shot:o Place a ball just outside the |
| You have only so much time to practice, so you | | | | first cut of rough on the green's fringe. Make sure |
| must make the most of it. To optimize practice time, | | | | the grass is about one to one and one-half inches in |
| try organizing your sessions into a structured | | | | length. Instead of hitting the ball, practice just |
| program with specific goals clearly in mind. The | | | | sweeping the tips of the grass. Use a low sweeping |
| program needs to focus on fundamentals and | | | | motion employing just your arms and shoulders. After |
| address your weaknesses. Developing an organized | | | | ten sweeps, move immediately to the ball and chip it |
| program speeds learning, maintains focus, and cuts | | | | using the same motion. Then move the ball back to |
| strokes from you golf handicap. | | | | higher grass and repeat the sequence. |
| Here's one organized practice program I suggest in | | | | In the next hourly session try focus on your long |
| my golf lessons: | | | | game. You can work on hitting your woods and long |
| Adopt a set of exercises and drills to practice at | | | | irons during this session. Spending 5-10 minutes on |
| home. They should concentrate on grooving your | | | | warm up shots, then 10-15 minutes each on your |
| fundamentals, like your takeaway or your backswing. | | | | woods and long irons. Once again, use drills should be |
| My golf tips highlight drills and exercises that fit nicely | | | | designed to improve a specific problem. |
| into a program. The phone book drill, for example, | | | | Work in some realistic game situations in your |
| improves your putting stroke:o Drop two phone | | | | practice sessions. For example, try chipping over a |
| books on the floor. Position them far enough apart | | | | wading pool in your backyard to practice hitting over |
| soyour putterhead just squeezes through them. Place | | | | an obstacle on the course. Another good technique is |
| a ball between thebooks, assume your putting | | | | to actually play holes on the driving range. So, let's |
| posture, and make your stroke. Use the booksas a | | | | say the first hole you're going to play on Saturday is |
| visual guide to match the lengths of your back | | | | a 440 yard par four. When practicing during the |
| stroke and forward stroke. | | | | week or prior to the round, you would actually "play |
| This approach ensures a smooth stroke with perfect | | | | the hole" but starting by hitting your driver, then |
| tempo. You'll find itdifficult to guide your putter | | | | maybe a 6 or 7 iron for your approach shot and then |
| between the books unless your stroke followsthe | | | | maybe a small chip in case you missed the green. |
| intended line. If you strike the side of either phone | | | | The more of these you can program into you |
| book, your stroke strayed off-line. | | | | session, the more you'll prepare yourself for hitting a |
| Go to a practice range as often as you can. Split | | | | shot under the pressure of actual game situation. |
| your time between your short game and your long | | | | This program is just an example of how you can |
| game. If you can't work on both in one session, try | | | | structure your practice. It might not be appropriate |
| working on the short game in one session and the | | | | for every golfer, but I think you get the idea of how |
| long game in the next. Your goal might be to perfect | | | | to organize a session or session. Developing an |
| your pitching in the first session and to master long | | | | organized program--and following it closely --produces |
| distance driving in the next. Also, organize your time | | | | results. The more you work on it, the more you'll |
| within each session. An organized session could look | | | | build self-confidence, reduce scores, and slash your |
| like the following:o Hit some warm-up shots for five | | | | golf handicap. |