how much, if any, practice should be done without a ball

[Ricepr]

I know some drills, but to paraphrase Herman Edwards - "why do we play? to HIT THE BALL....."

[MEfree]

I find it helpful to swing in front of a mirror, usually in the house without a club just to check various positions.  I don`t spend a ton of time with this, but will also take practice swings or practice certain movements between shots at the range.

I have also been using the power swing trainer as part of my upper body workout.

[GaijinGolfer]

Hank Haney teaches to take 100 practice swings a day to work the muscles that you use in the golf swing.  Also, taking practice swings in from of a mirror can be very beneficial because it allows you to check your swing mechanics, focusing only on your mechanics and not even thinking about the ball.

[Raymond]

I don't do this because in the past I've messed up my swing more than I've helped it by swinging without a ball. I hear what's said about keeping the muscles toned and looking in the mirror, but the swing is such a fickle mistress that I break something more often than not if I'm just swinging to be swinging. I don't remember which one, but IIR it was one of the big three, Nelson/Snead/Hogan, that said it doesn't do any good to practice junk. I can't tell anything about my swing until the ball is in the air so to me anything without a ball is junk. I can't even go by divots -- my duck hooks leave great looking divots. At the very least I want a practice ball on the ground. If it's raining or cold I'll open a garage door and hit practice balls out into the yard off a sisal door mat. Practice balls are cheap and I can easily get a 100 swings a day that way, and I can make corrections if I don't like the ball flight. My 2c.

[sean_miller]

I seem to work on my swing whenever walking past a full length mirror - it's what us non-athletes (i.e. golfers) do instead of flexing and posing. To be honest I probably do that more than hitting balls at the range.

[lisevolution]

For me it depends on what I'm working on.  Right now I've been working on rotating my hips to initiate the down swing rather than sliding them forward and pulling the clubhead through the zone with my arms.  That type of work definitely doesn't require a ball to start teaching your body the proper sequencing.

[Russtopher]

Originally Posted by lisevolution

For me it depends on what I'm working on.  Right now I've been working on rotating my hips to initiate the down swing rather than sliding them forward and pulling the clubhead through the zone with my arms.  That type of work definitely doesn't require a ball to start teaching your body the proper sequencing.

Agreed. I spent the last week working on my posture and hip rotation using a 7 iron in front of a full length mirror. This really helped me feel the rotation and proper back bend (I never realized what a horrible shoulder sloucher I was until I saw a video of my swing a week ago) without worrying about hitting the ball.

When I got to the range yesterday, my body automatically rotated my hips and bent my left knee the way I had been practicing. My irons were much straighter and my driver had moved from a fairly bad slice to a combo of slight fades and straight shots. I'm not a distance guy (maybe 200 with my driver, 225 on a perfect hit) but I'm ok with that if I can hit my driver semi-straight going forward!

[Liteenie]

My instructor recommends practicing my swing and hitting a tee or a leaf or a chunk of uprooted grass, basically anything but a ball. That way I really focus on my swing and I know if I make contact but I don't have to be concerned about a ball and where it goes. I believe this is one of Harvey Penick's lessons.