Golf Dreams - When Practice Doesn't Go Well

Well you know the old saying practice makes perfect.  Some days you practice and it doesn't go perfect or get better.  I had one of those days yesterday.

I went to the range and worked on hitting my warm up drills, worked through my drills with fading and drawing the ball, finishing with putting and chipping.   Normally I meet my goals and everything seems to be in place with tempo, rhythm and distance control.

It didn't work yesterday.  My tempo was off, my shots were not going how I wanted them to and my distance was weak.  It is like I didn't have enough energy.

Just to let you know, those days happen also.  When you have that kind of day and it doesn't seem to get any better below are a list of what you can do.

1. When getting frustrated when not working, change to another drill
2. Take a breather and rest removing yourself from the range for a short time
3. Work through it the best you can.
4. If still not working call it a day and start again tomorrow.

Sometime it is better to just stop the practice that isn't working and get back to it at a later time.  It could be that something else is keeping your mind occupied so you cannot use it to control what you are working on.

Until next time, if at first you don't succeed, try try again.......

Tournament Preparation and Vacation Wyndham Fairfield Glade, Tennesse - chip, putt, range

Today was another beautiful day at Wyndham Fairfield Glade Resort in Crossville, Tennessee.  My wife and I went out for a walk today and enjoyed the nature.  After the morning walk I went to the course for some practice.

With the courses still packed and looking at a good six hour round, I again opted for working on the range, chipping area, and practicing on putting.

The practice areas are in really good condition since they just held the Tennessee Senior Open here recently.

I worked on the pretty much the same drills I did yesterday at the chipping area and range.

I was happy with all my work out.  I claim it as a success.  My finger didn't feel sensitive at all.

The putting drills were also excellent.  There was no one on the practice putting area and the stimpmeter was probably at an 11 for speed.  I prefer fast greens to practice on since it will allow you to have a truer stroke and role.  By stating Truer stroke, you don't have to force your stroke to make the ball get to the hole. 

I worked on the following putting drills:

• 8 balls 6 feet from hole
• holed 75% putts
• 5, 10, 15 feet drill
• 20 minutes making 3 balls at each location in a row
• 3 foot drill 8 balls
• 50 balls in a row
• lag drill
• 30 foot putts
• goal finishing putts either in hole or near hole within 1 foot
• 75% of putts left inside 1 foot. 

I am very happy with my putting drills and what I accomplished.  I am feeling good about my practice and getting ready for the Qualifier that is coming up.

As you continue to read and follow my blogging I am providing a lot of knowledge in practice drills.  If you work on these drills I can guarantee that your game will improve and bring any level of golfer to a different level. 

Tomorrow I am heading back home so I won't have time to practice or write another blog.  My next blog should be in a couple of days so keep reading. 

My next blog I will write about the resort we stayed at and provide some pictures.

Until next time, If you are having any issues with your game and you need advise see your local PGA Professional.....

Following the Dream - Getting Ready for Tournament - Daily Practice

It is another day for practice to get my self in shape for the next tournament. 

Today my main practice was on putting.

Below is the routine I followed:

• Started with 3 foot drill
• Place 8 balls 3 feet from hole
• putt until miss
• keep putting until make 50 in row

• Then worked on 5, 10, 15 drill
• place tee markers 5, 10, and 15 feet from hole in straight line
• place another tee marker 2 feet from opposite line of the 5,10, 15
• place three balls at 5 foot tee marker
• stroke each ball either in the hole or stopping before the 2 foot tee marker behind the hole
• If you hit any putts short of the hole or past the tee marker start over.
• continue to 10 and 15 foot marker
• again, if you miss any you must start back at the 5 foot marker and begin again
• continue until you have completed 3 balls at each marker

The first drill I worked on helps with confidence and consistency.  You will be amazed how much your confidence will build by making 50 putts in a row.

The second 5,10,15 drill will help build your distance and speed control.

By continually practicing these drills you will be able to not only impress your playing partners on the weekend, but take their money.

Until next time, keep your tempo smooth and your eye on the ball.......

Understanding What You Need to Practice

I was talking to a fellow golfer the other day and he asked the question what he should practice the most on his driver or another part of the game.  I asked him why he thought it was important to practice with his driver.  He stated, so he could have more accuracy and keep the ball in the fairway to give him a chance to get to the green better.

I asked him how many drives do you hit in a round.  He thought about it and stated 18.  I explained to him that in reality you only hit 14 drives.  He asked, what happened to the other 4 drives.  I stated that those are par threes.  Most par threes for average golfers are only 150 yards or shorter, therefore, you wouldn't hit a driver.   He stated he never thought of that.

Then I got into percentages.  I stated that the higher percentage of practice should be based the higher percentage of shots that will be taken in the course of a round of golf. 

If par is 72 and you only hit 14 drives that is only 19% of your score.  Even if you hit 18 drives that is still only 25% of your score.  Putting is the highest percentage of your score in golf.  In 18 holes of golf the par for putting is 36, which is 50% of your score.   The remainder of your score after the tee shot is 25-31% depending on the number of drives you consider as 14 or 18.  So what is your area you want to practice most, drives or putts. 

With the information in previous paragraph, you want to spend most of your time on putting, then chipping and pitching and working on 150 yards in which will be at least 75% of your scoring.  Then the remainder of the practice you want to work on is your swing technique, tempo and yardage control.  The least amount of time should be spent on your driver. 

In the mathematical scheme of things, Drives are the only constant in the game.  You see, there only 14-18 holes to which you would probably hit your driver.  So you will not hit less than 14 and no more than 14 shots with your driver (not including par threes).  That is the only constant in the game.  You cannot go up or down it stays 14.  The rest of the game is what truly determines your score.  If you had a 400 yard hole and you hit a 1 iron 200 yards that gives you 200 yards left and you hit the 1 iron again.  You will either be on the green or close to the green depending on your accuracy.  So you have to either chip close and one putt or two putt for a par.  Any additional strokes is what makes your score add above par. 

With all this being stated above it comes down to the game of golf is a mathematical percentage that determines how close your score will be to par.  Mathematics determines what you need to work on and how you need to play the game.  The old saying of 10% skill and 90% mental is truly not an understatement.

I know that is a lot of math, but, I just wanted to get the point across that golfers should spend most of their time putting, chipping, and working on 150 yards and less into the green. 

The other practice should be on swing technique, tempo, and balance. Not smacking the driver over and over on the practice range. 

Until next time, go to the range and practice area with a purpose and your score on the course will get better........

Golf Etiquette, Make Golf More Enjoyable Cont'd

Time to continue with the Etiquette Tips to help make golf more enjoyable.

Today we are going to talk about Keeping Golf Safe:

• Do not swing your club until you know that others in your group are at a safe distance.  Likewise, keep your distance when others are swinging.  Be aware to steer clear of trouble.

• When practicing your swing never swing in the direction of another player.  There may be pebbles or twigs or other matter in the grass that could fly up and injure a playing partner.

• Do not hit the ball until you are certain that the group ahead of you is out of range.

• If your ball appears headed toward another player or another group give them a warning by yelling out, "FORE!" (an internationally recognized alert)

• Observe the safety suggestions posted in golf carts and drive carefully.  Golf etiquette requires your cart off the grass as much as possible.
• Never throw clubs in anger.  In addition to being rude and childish, it could also be dangerous.

Tomorrow we will talk about Kindness to the Course. 

Until then, Be Safe and have fun......

Five Spring Time Drills to Improve your Golf Swing

Well the weather is starting to get a little nicer out as we get further into spring. The golf bug will be kicking in and everyone will want to skip work school and get on the course.  You haven't played golf for a few months and you want to get back into it.  Your swing isn't  the same since the end of last year because of the cobwebs, stiffness, and lack of movement has crept in.

Remember, stretch before every workout.

Stance

If you are having trouble with your aim, the ladder drill may help. To perform the drill, drop a ball in front of you and address it as if you are lining up to take a swing with a mid-iron so your feet are neither open nor closed to the target.

Drop the club at your feet so the shaft runs from foot to foot. Look down and examine where the club is pointing and make adjustments. Imagine the club making a line to out to the target. If that line is to the left of the target, during a real golf shot, your ball will end up to the left. If the club's line is to the right of the target, then your ball will fly to the right of the target.

To correct, aim slightly left or right of your starting point, depending on the direction of the error. For example, if the club line is pointing to the left, adjust your stance slightly to the right and repeat the drill.

Do this drill regularly and you will see a noticeable difference in how you address the ball.

Follow-through Drill

The release is one of the keys to a solid golf swing, in which the wrists become un-cocked and turn at impact with the ball. If that does not occur correctly, the club head will strike the ball at an angle, resulting in a ball flight to the right or left.

To perform this drill, take a club and swing about half your typical speed. Stop when your arms make a L during the backswing and check where your wrists are. Swing through and release, turning your wrists through the ball and finish by creating the reverse L as you follow through.

Continue swinging in this manner, but increase the speed. You will become more cognizant of these two important points in the golf swing while noticing increased power.

If the desired ball flight is not occurring while you're doing this drill, adjust your grip and arm angle. These should be slight adjustments that the individual golfer will need to experiment with, because it depends somewhat on the strength of the grip and velocity of the swing.

During the adjustments, continue to do the drill and test different arm angles and grips. This will help the golfer understand the relationship between club head, wrist motion, arm angle and grip in his own swing.

Putting Drill

One of the least-practiced skills of golf is putting even though it is a huge part of the game.  While being able to read greens is an important element to being a good putter, the most critical part is understanding pace. To perform this drill, place three balls at 5-feet intervals away from the hole on

the putting green. Attempt to hit each ball into the hole, concentrating only on the length of your putting stroke. Every putt, no matter the distance, should be struck with the same speed of the putter. The only element that changes is the length of the backstroke. Continue to vary distances while keeping the same pace, but altering the length of the backswing. The final step is to do this drill with several balls and various distances with your eyes closed. This will allow you to feel the clubhead move back and forth through the ball.

Counting Drill

Is a hook or slice killing your golf game?  Try this drill on for size. Take a normal backswing. At the top of the backswing, stop. Count to 2 before proceeding back to the ball. This will decrease the speed of your lower body and help you think of your swing in sequential parts, exposing issues with your downswing and giving you the ability to see, feel and correct them.

This drill will help the golfer expose an inconsistent velocity issue with his/her swing and body. If the body is slightly ahead or behind the golf swing, then the ball will be sliced or hooked. This drill will break this timing issue by making the golfer's body move at the same time as the club.

Penny Drill

This simple but extremely effective drill will help a golfer get the ball off the ground quickly. Take a penny and place it on a practice mat. Hit a penny off a mat. Try to hit the penny off the mat with different clubs. See how high you can get it to fly. This will help you stop topping the ball. Now try to hit the penny when a ball is on top of it. This will continue to train you not to top the ball.

 

Well time to go.  Keep practicing and the game will get easier.

 

bye for now.....