Practice time??

[TN94z]

I am going to take a different approach this year with my game. Usually I play 3-4 rounds per week and hardly ever hit the range. I have just always used the course to practice on. This year I am thinking about practicing on the range, putting greens, etc....3-4 times per week and maybe playing once or twice on the weekends. Do you guys think this is a better approach that what I usually do? How much do you guys practice compared to how much you play?

[schapman]

I spent most of the winter practicing in anticipation for this years golf season (after just starting to golf after a 10+ year layoff in Aug). Played my first round yesterday and it was so much more challenging than the range is. All those differences in lie/angles/when to choke up /down make such a difference to me that I think I'm going to spend a lot more time "practicing" by heading down to the par 3 that is a few blocks away. I can see the benefit of long shot practice at the range but for me at least, so many of the shots were the 150 and in ones that I missed so that's where I'm headed now.

[dagolfer]

i have also changed my thinking in terms of practice. My putting stunk at the end of last year so that was first on the list. I played yesterday and tied my lowest amount of putts for nine holes this year which was 16. I want to get down to about 12 putts. However during my rounds this year my chipping and approach shots have gone down the tubes so the next practice session will be something like this. About an hour on the chipping green. Half hour on putting green and then over to the range to hit one bag (about 20 balls) and try to get some nicely tempoed 7 iron shots working. I will probably end with my 17 degree hybrid cuz this range doesn't allow drivers. My driving does need some help but hopefully with the work with the iron to get a good tempo everything will fall into place.

[clubhousehero]

My only advice would be go to the range on weekends and play on weekdays. It's cheaper and less crowded.

[Zeph]

Depends where I'm at, but currently I've practiced 7 times this week and played 9 holes. Have hit thousands of balls on the range the last month.

[TN94z]

  clubhousehero said:

My only advice would be go to the range on weekends and play on weekdays. It's cheaper and less crowded.

I always have a membership so cost is not really that big of a concern. My course is never really that crowded on the weekends, so that is that big of a deal either. I think I will practice during the week just because the guys I play golf with can usually only play on the weekends too.

[schapman]

Just started looking. $9 for supertwilight (after 5pm) at the par3 18 hole). I can get there by 6 and have almost 2 hours before the sun goes down. Should be a lot better for practicing my short game. They actually have a decently priced range too so I can work on some long shots while I'm there.

[JetFan1983]

Hey, I would practice at the practice range all the time....but guess what...there are no grass tee ranges anywhere near where I live. Yes, that's right, I live in a part of NJ where there are only mat ranges.

So I have no choice but to practice on the course. Hell, the two courses I play at the most don't even have warm up ranges. And obviously, when it's crowded, I can't practice on the course, I can only play.

So all of you people out there who have access to grass tees, practice bunkers, etc. Consider yourselves lucky...because I truly envy you and I hate this god forsaken area that I live in.

[DaveLeeNC]

I'm retired and typically play 2x per week and practice 4x per week. That seems right for me - probably not right for everybody.

dave

[TN94z]

  DaveLeeNC said:

I'm retired and typically play 2x per week and practice 4x per week. That seems right for me - probably not right for everybody.

I see that you play Wishon clubs. How do you like those? I was thinking about going with them when I get a new set. I have already been fit or them. I hit the driver and it was HOT!!

[DaveLeeNC]

  TN94z said:

I see that you play Wishon clubs. How do you like those? I was thinking about going with them when I get a new set. I have already been fit or them. I hit the driver and it was HOT!!

I got into building my own clubs just because I wanted to learn for myself what did and did not matter regarding equipment and my swing. After building a bunch of clubs and doing a lot of research I came to the conclusion that Wishon's stuff is as good as anything out there and way better than most. I just don't look anywhere else at clubs anymore - not worth my time, trouble, and money.

dave

[Neco]

The more you practice, the better you will play. I would suggest hitting the range after you play a round for sure. That is the best time.

[Zeph]

  JetFan1983 said:

Hey, I would practice at the practice range all the time....but guess what...there are no grass tee ranges anywhere near where I live. Yes, that's right, I live in a part of NJ where there are only mat ranges.

I got no option but to practice off mats. I know they aren't ideal, but it's not like I can't improve on them. If I hit the ball flush I don't feel the mat much anyways. Practicing on the course is not an option, I need many balls and lots of time.

[tm22721]

The range engrains bad habits. Like taking 5 swings to get a good shot. And totally flat lie. And mats. I could go on.

[Zeph]

So it's better to take those bad shots on the course? One can't expect to get better without practice or an incredible natural talent.

The range is for making changes and ingraining them into the swing. Just hitting balls will of course not get you anywhere, you need a plan.

[TN94z]

  Neco said:

The more you practice, the better you will play. I would suggest hitting the range after you play a round for sure. That is the best time.

Usually by the time I get done playing, I don't feel like going to the range. I know that is one of the best times because your bad shots are fresh on your mind.

  tm22721 said:

The range engrains bad habits. Like taking 5 swings to get a good shot. And totally flat lie. And mats. I could go on.

I can see what you are saying, but the range is also the best place to work out those bad habits. If you are just hitting balls with no purpose and bad habits then I can see where they would become engrained. But if you are on the range to fix the bad habits and making changes to do so, then the range is the best place to do it. Of course the lie is always good...that is to promote good ball contact because that is generally what you are trying to achieve at the range. Over all, I would say that practicing at the range is much much better than trying to do it on the course. I have done the latter and the range is where its at. How can you groove and good consistent swing when your lie is changing all of the time? Why wouldn't you want to go to the range and groove a good swing then worry about the lie changes?

[msd3075]

Over the past 2-3 months, I've altered my practice routine quite a bit. I used to spend probably around 80% of my time on the range, 15% on the putting green, and 5% on the chipping green. I've switched it up to around 30% range, 30% putting green, and 40% chipping green (by chipping green I mean anything 20 yards and in from the hole).

My handicap has dropped by about 4 strokes form this time last year (10.something to the current 6.8). Not only do I get up and down more often if I miss the green but my mental game doesn't tae a beating every time I miss an approach shot. Before I'd worry; now I have confidence.

Also, the mojority of my practice on the putting green is on putts 10 feet and shorter. I've realized the realisticly I'm not going to make 20 and 30 footers on a regular basis and instead should focus on putts that I can actually make. It's made a world of difference.

[TN94z]

  msd3075 said:

Not only do I get up and down more often if I miss the green but my mental game doesn't tae a beating every time I miss an approach shot. Before I'd worry; now I have confidence.

Exactly. If you get your short game to the point to where you can get up and down if you miss the green then you don't have to worry about missing the green as much. That would lead to less stress on your approach shots and probably lead to better results there as well. That is my thinking anway and that is why I have decided to dedicate the first half of this year to my short game.