How do you conduct serious practice?

[Pinseeker81]

This thread got me thinking about something I was pondering the other day.
I want to start taking practice seriously. I want to put in the time to get much much better than I am (not that it would take a lot to be much much better than I am now, lol).

So I load the clubs in the truck, head off the the practice range, ...and......now what? Hit some balls, make some puts, do some chipping. It sounds pretty simple, but I end up feeling on the range like I do while standing in front of my messy apartment....."where do I start"?

What do those of you who really dedicate time to getting better do as a practice routine? How do you go about your session?
Any help is much appreciated.

[Laxplayer201092]

You sir need goals!

if i ever am doing something like hooking the ball alittle more than i would like, i go to my room and look at my window and swing. i can see the reflection and i try to pick out what is going wrong/what is causing the problem.Once i have figured this out, i can have meaningful practice. If i cant find out whats wrong, i will talk to some of the pros at work, or bring my friend who helps teach me. This keeps me focused on what they are seeing.

Mindlessly beating balls can be good. Learning how to hit the fun stingers, hooks, slices, huge flops, they all will come in handy some day, so that is good to do. And when you are swinging well, i like to pound some just to engrain the feeling in my head.

My way at least..lol

[Laxplayer201092]

Also!

If you wanna reall get better, the cheaper, and better! way to do it is this,

For every hour you spend at the range, spend 2 hours on your short game. Its stupid and arbitrary, but god does it help.

[Fat Slice]

I know it sounds stupid, but I spent a LOT of time at the range being stupid. So, here's my advice. AIM at something.

[Ben]

In practice I relate to a quote I heard on those old time Bobby Jones instructional shows you can find on Golf Channel. I remember him saying something along the lines of, practice to an extent to where you don't find your mind drifting, once you loose focus in your practice you really aren't doing yourself any good. That being said, here's a breakdown of how I spend my time in certain areas of practice.

The Range: I don't really spend all that much time on the range. Well, I should say, I don't hit that many balls, but it does take me a while to go through them. I hit a bucket, maybe a bucket and a half, but I take my time with it. Approach each shot as if it is a real shot on the course. Except for the practice swing, but mentally I go through my whole routine.

Putting: Usually never more than one hour at a time. Mind drift effect. Some days I'll hit all 5 feet and in. Some days all 15 and out. Most days I'll switch it up. But I'll always go through my whole routine. Reading, practice strokes, pull the trigger. And I'll always try to make every putt.

Chipping: I love practicing my shortgame. This I could spend hours with, and usally do. I reserve this practice to Mondays, because my course closes early and there is about two hours left of daylight [much more in summer] where I can practice. Again, I will make sure I stick to my actual routine. Not just busting through chips. When I have more time I'll even go through the whole routine of trying to get up and down (putting out).

Reading: Feed your brain. Some golf books I enjoy. Ben Hogan's Five Lessons . Ben Hogan's Power Golf . Bob Rotella's Putting Out of Your Mind . Bob Rotella's Golf is a Game of Confidence . Ben Hogan by James Dodson. Nelson an Autobiography . A Golfer's Life , Arnold Palmer. Watch the episodes of Playing Lessons From the Pros of the players you admire. Or the Shells' Wonderful World of Golf shows.

[Garbag3 Man]

For me when ever I'm hitting at the range I try and make it a competition against myself or a friend on how many shots I can hit close to a certain target. I try and switch up the target and distance after every 5 shots or so. I'm a very competitive person so this helps me concentrate on making a good, productive swing everytime.

[ks8829]

I spend most of my practice time on my short game.

I will hit pitches from 50 yards and focus on distance control, making solid contacts.

I will practice putting for about 30 - 60 minutes before I play a round.

If I go to the range I will practice distances of 100 and 150 yards and try to hit 1/2 & 3/4 shots with different clubs to 100 and 150 yards and I may work on hitting long irons such as a 3 and 4 irons.

[RC]

A lot depends on what my situation is at the time. If I have developed a problem and I know what to do about it, I go to the range and work on a specific thing. Otherwise, I have a more general routine. The general routine is to hit lots of 6 irons and then 4 irons first, then go to the wedges and hit progressively shorter shots before finishing them off with the 60 degree and a few floppers. Then I might hit two or three drivers and woods. Before going to the chipping and putting green for short game warm-up, I like to finish off with my 3 iron... if it is flying high and straight, I feel good about the upcoming round.

Most days, I like to hit a small bucket after a round, re-creating shot situations I might have not hit well on the course. For example, if during the round I lose confidence on pulling off a little fade to a back right pin, I'll hit a bunch of those. If the round is normal, my draw starts getting more pronounced so I try to hit lots of cuts and baby draws.

I think the problem we all have is we have to go to sleep -- and after sleeping, our normal swing keys tend to vaporize. I've told friends we would all be on tour if we did not have to go to sleep. I use the range to get the new feelings ready for the day at hand, or afterwards to find something I can go home feeling good about.

[tiger4prez]

One thing that has greatly improved my practice sessions....getting EXCITED. Making my practice sessions as fun as possible has improved them so much lately.

[Pinseeker81]

Lots of good info. I'll be taking a lot of it to the range this weekend