Practice Methods to Improve Scoring/Consistency

Please, if you have anything that you do that you find particularly helpful, please include it. And if you do any of these drills/techniques, again, please let me/us know what it is you do and why you think it works. A recent discussion on breaking 100 had me thinking about the best drills/practice drills I know of for improving. Going to the range and beating 100-200 balls doesn't hurt, but if you really want to see your scores drop, you need to take an approach to practicing that either teaches you how to score or helps to replicate the "one shot" pressure of being on the course. And since I have an hour train ride right now, I figured it wouldn't be a bad thing to start such a discussion.

Here are some drills that I find particularly helpful:

1. Putting/Chipping match play with a friend. Go to the putting/chipping green and play a match with a friend. 18 holes, alternate player selects tee/hole. No gimme's, make every shot. This is a great way to replicate the "one shot" situation of on course play. Mix it up, on the putting green pick a few 30 footers, but don't be afraid of a 7-15 "could make" putt, the type that a 1 could win it, but it is not a gimme. Do some tougher chips, bunker shots, but also throw in some straight forward chips. Mark your ball, like on the course. You'll be surprised how anxious you get over that 4 footer that you left yourself. You'll be surprised how comfortable you will feel over the next 4 footer you leave yourself on the course.

2. H-O-R-S-E on the range. Don't just go beat 100 balls, learn to shoot at targets. If your range has greens with targets, use them against an opponent. Shots from 150'ish might be tougher to hit, but if you become efficient at hitting the 50 yd or the 30 yd green, you can beat your friends, and it will improve your play on the course. Our range is a turf landing area, so we usually play a "touch" rule, if the ball touches the target (painted circle around the green), it counts. Doesn't matter if it flies on or rolls on, or if it holds. For some of the shorter ones we will sometimes call "fly it to the target" or "hold thbe target", like how you would call "swish" or "bank shot" in a hoops game of horse.

3. Short courses. We had this discussion in another thread, but playing a course of 5,000-5,500 yds can do wonders for your approach to scoring. It can really help you mentally adjust to making pars or bogeys instead of doubles or triples. And as mentioned in other threads, give yourself a few rounds at a short course to really see improvement.


4. Par 3 courses. Similar to short courses, but a different approach as you are playing "normal" holes. I like to play 2 balls at a par 3 course, and I don't tee them up. I always find my iron play improves for the time immediately following my session on a par 3 course.

5. Chip N Putts. I know, I know, you're a real golfer and "real golfers" don't go to chip n putts. But it should never take you more than 3 shots to get down from 100 yds. Test your ability at the chip n putt. If it is taking you more than 54 strokes to get through 18 holes, then you should spend some more time there and figure out how to get around the course in 54 or fewer strokes.


6. Irons Only. Like the Tiger challenge in the video game, this is a good practice technique. This actually can work well at a short course as well, but don't be afraid to play the white tees at your course with irons only. Approach the tee shot like it is a par 3, and you have to hit the fairway. Try to get down in 3 from the fairway. I think many of you will be surprised how well you score without using your woods.

7. 4 clubs, some type of wood, 7 iron, wedge, putter. You should be able to break 90 using these three clubs and a putter. Improves your creaticity, helps you realize that there are more than one way to get to the hole, makes you less reliant on particular clubs.



If anybody has any other drills that they think are helpful, please let us know. I'm always looking for new practice ideas.

A lot of good ideas. Number 1 sounds like it'd be pretty fun to do and it would help a lot. Thanks.

Trust me it is. Especially if the wager is a drink after practicing.

Nicklaus once said that before tournaments he would practice a round or two from the ladies tees at his home course so he could get the feeling of scoring. I've never tried it, but I thought it was an interesting tip nonetheless.





3JACK

PUTTING! best way to improve scores, simple as. a missed four footer is the same as topping a shot, now what makes you angrier, think about it.

The first putting suggestion is definitely worth doing for a drink, or a sleeve of balls, or something to get the nerves jumping and force you to pay attention.

I love the results from the "adrenaline rush" style practice methods. Taking a 4 footer, knowing that somebody is watching and counting it for something, is much better for your nerves than simply draining 10-20 4 footers in a row with nobody watching.

Not that I am against draining 10-20 or more 4 footers in a row, I do that a lot too. But having "pressure" on the shot really makes a difference.



Richie3Jack, apparently Jack Nicklaus never met meenman (see the "how long did it take you to break 100" thread for insight into the joke).

My Drill: "Play the Course on the Range"

Of course all of you know your home course really well. What I do is imagine a couple of holes and play them on the range. It takes alot of imagination, but is fun to practise before you even get out there.

I imagine the first hole on the range (completely block out the range and put the first hole in your head) I'll hit Driver, I hit it 260 and am left with 274 to the flag, I'll play it safe and hit a 4 iron dead straight. I come up 70 yards short, I'll hit a nice low 54* degree: Hole Finished.

I play out a couple of holes just to get the feel of each club, it really boosts my confidence and gets me prepared, I feel like I am actually playing.

I like to do that too, dent. I don't usually bring my full bag to the range, so usually I just do something generic, like:

driver - 4I
driver - 7I
3W - 100 yd wedge
Driver - 100 yd wedge
Driver - 7I
3W - 4I
Driver - 4I
3W - 7I
Driver - 100 yd wedge
3W - 100 yd wedge
Driver - 7I
Driver - 4I................

and run down the line for 18 holes.

If I mis-hit a shot on the "hole", then I have to hit a 30 or 50 yd pitch to the target.

I also like to take 30 seconds between each shot (although I will sometimes bend this rule for the final wedge if I hit a poor shot).

I like to take 3 irons. Lets say a 3, 5, 7. I like to hit them the same distance. I normally do 100-125 yards. It makes the range a bit for fun as you have to control your shots more. It has really helped me in the scrambling aspect if I get behind some trees or I am playing into a super strong headwind.



As someone stated eariler, I like to play super long second shots into par 4's. Anywhere from 200-250. I am not super long off the tee but most courses do not offer long second shots to par 4's if you drive the ball more than 265.

Cool Idea, thanks. I've got a couple blank score cards from my favorite course, maybe I'll give that a try and keep score. LOL, might get some funny looks from other people at the range, but who cares!

Thought this was a good threat and just trying to keep it towards the top.

From another thread (from 3.9 to scratch), but thought it was relevant to this discussion:

(Posted by extremeld, 0.0 index)

(posted by doublesuited, a 4.9 index)

One of the lost arts in golf is tempo. We have gotten so stuck on positions in the swing that we forget it is a dynamic movement. Thankfully, it is slowly making a recurrence (see the book Tour Tempo) and suprise suprise, the tempo of the pro's today is exactly what the old pro's used to teach back in the early days of golf. Golf is a waltz tempo, with a 3:1 ratio of backswing to downswing.

Getting a metronome (check your local music shop) and working on that 1-2-3 1-2-3 tempo is one of the best things you can do for your swing and scoring consistency. Sam Snead said tempo was all he every really "worked" on. Everything else just fell into place. The tempo is the same for all clubs, breeding great consistency.

You'd be suprised what learning to play by waltz tempo does for your ballstriking and your performance on the course. Too bad I keep forgetting this when I go play!

I like that idea, kc. I don't give much thought to tempo, usually more concerned about plane and weight shifting, but lately I have tried to focus on tempo and I'm liking the result.

This drill requires either a rangefinder or a (not that big) open field for practice. But hitting LW'es to targets set at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 yards can open up some serious scoring opportunities (if you are a decent putter inside 10').

dave

I just practice hitting my 56 degree wedge this afternoon at an open grass field, I was working on my tempo and my take away so that I was hitting all my 1/4 and 1/2 shots flush and hearing the click sound of the ball contacting the face of the wedge. Once I found the take away that I consistently hit solid I practice my full shot with a nice easy and smooth tempo.

The wind was blowing from left to right so I practice drawing the ball against the wind to keep it straight.

That 1 - 2 hours of practice help me with my feel, tempo and the take away to begin my backswing so that I can make solid contact with my irons. I am going to play a round of golf tomorrow so I can't wait to use what I learned out on the course to see how I hit my irons and driver and what I end up scoring.

Hi everyone, just joined this forum and I am looking forward to lots of information given and received! Anyway, onto the topic at hand.

Let me say that the following quote is the perfect practice:

I have just learned (5 months ago) and mastered the idea that each one of my irons have two lengths, a full swing and knock down yardage. It takes a certain 'finesse' and feel in order to exploit the idea of a knock down shot to go the yardage required for any situation. In my opinion, it is this idea that separates the 0 to the 10 hcaps, the 10 to the 20 hcaps, and so on.

Also, I wanted to bump this topic, as I feel that it hasn't been discussed enough.