Practicing with just one ball, I don't get it?

[jfrain2004]

Wanted to get this one off my chest.  What is it about golfers that some people will do a full practice round on their own with just 1 ball? Out yesterday evening and saw two guys on their own hacking away ( I'm no tiger myself ) with just one ball. Hit it 100 yrds,  find it,  hit again.... and so on.

Any sport I have ever played like soccer for instance,  you don't practice your free taking by playing 90mins and hoping there'll be one or 2 frees over the course of the 90 mins that you can practice with?

My practice session involve 20 balls off the tee,  maybe counting just the first ball if I'm trying to simulate some pressure,  into a bit of second cut,  another 20 shots,  into bunker,  another batch and so on.

Who of ye is amongst the single ballers?

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by jfrain2004

Wanted to get this one off my chest.  What is it about golfers that some people will do a full practice round on their own with just 1 ball? Out yesterday evening and saw two guys on their own hacking away ( I'm no tiger myself ) with just one ball. Hit it 100 yrds,  find it,  hit again.... and so on.

Any sport I have ever played like soccer for instance,  you don't practice your free taking by playing 90mins and hoping there'll be one or 2 frees over the course of the 90 mins that you can practice with?

My practice session involve 20 balls off the tee,  maybe counting just the first ball if I'm trying to simulate some pressure,  into a bit of second cut,  another 20 shots,  into bunker,  another batch and so on.

Who of ye is amongst the single ballers?

Hope you replace all those divots!

[Shorty]

How do you know they were practicing and not playing?

Most people play a single ball - that is the way the game is played.

You must play at a very quiet course - and you'd be kicked off any course I've ever heard of, hitting 20 balls.

And --- I'd love to know how hitting 20 balls off the tee "simulates pressure".

[jfrain2004]

I wouldn't hit 20 onto a green or hit off a fairway,  just off to the side.

I only count the first ball I hit if I'm trying to mark a score on a hole if I'm on my own or maybe play 3 ball,  worst ball.  ie 3 off the tee and play my next shot from the position of the worst of the 3 I just hit

[David in FL]

As a general rule, I only play one ball. Seems to me there's something in the rules about that..... ;-)

[nevets88]

Practice round at most 3 off the tee and approach shots. Maybe one or two more 100 yards and in. If you're trying new things out, you can loose more balls than you care to off the tee.

[dak4n6]

20 shots off each tee??? Do you own your own course?

[Snowman80]

i usualy play one of the tee but 2 or 3 from outside the green. then  putt one of them. if people are behind me ill play just the one

[RonTheSavage]

In a "practice" situation no more than 2 off the tee. I'll hit 2 or 3 approach shots, chip/putt the furthest ball and move on. And for me to do this there has to be absolutely no one around which is usually during the week after work.

[TomK82]

I don't own 20 balls at this time usally a dozen at the most.

[Zeph]

Why would I carry around 20 balls in my bag? ;-) In practice rounds I sometimes hit two or three balls, to get more shots in the round.

[turtleback]

When I am practiving OFF the course at the chipping green, if no one is around I like to practice with one ball.  I'll put it in various places, chip it towards a particulat target hole, and then putt it out.  I feel like that simulates the real process I'll face on course.  Personally I've never found chipping from one place to one target over and over again to be all that valuable.  Sure I can groove that shot, but when I face it on the course I don't get 10 "sighting in" attempts before the real one.

[MEfree]

When I went to a practice round at the Masters a few years ago, most of the guys were taking additional shots around the greens by putting and chipping to different potential hole locations.  Occasionally I would see additional tee shots or approaches, but this was more the exception than the rule.

I remember reading a while back that Tiger likes to practice on the course.

If I am playing on my own and nobody is around, I will play my first ball, but will re-hit shots I am not happy with a max of 3 times.  I have played several courses that either don`t have a driving range or the range is too short to hit drivers, so practicing on the course is the only way to go.  I also think the course offers more realistic visuals than most driving ranges (and the advantage of using your own balls to dial in distances), but in my experience it is usually unrealistic to even think about hitting 20 shots unless you are well out of sight and nobody at all is around.

[dak4n6]

Originally Posted by RonTheSavage

In a "practice" situation no more than 2 off the tee. I'll hit 2 or 3 approach shots, chip/putt the furthest ball and move on. And for me to do this there has to be absolutely no one around which is usually during the week after work.

From what I recall, that doesn't happen much in the E Bay area!

[LBlack14]

I wouldn't hit 20 onto a green or hit off a fairway,  just off to the side. I only count the first ball I hit if I'm trying to mark a score on a hole if I'm on my own or maybe play 3 ball,  worst ball.  ie 3 off the tee and play my next shot from the position of the worst of the 3 I just hit

You do that and I'll run you off the course. You want to practice, go to the range. Beating up fwys, greens and tees on course is 100% bull sh*t.

[RonTheSavage]

Originally Posted by dak4n6

From what I recall, that doesn't happen much in the E Bay area!

It's rare but every now and then after work I get lucky.

[Jimdangles]

I have a tube of balls to practice chipping but I will usually just take one or two of the balls I actually use. If I am hitting the same shot more than a couple times it just becomes pointless. If I have one I concentrate on that shot. If I have 20 balls I just say ill get it the next one. Give yourself only one ball (like how the usual game is played) and you will probably put all your effort into that one. Especially off a tee. Driver 20 times in a row is gonne be tiring and after 5 im probably just smacking it whereever.

[Jimdangles]

When I was trying to figure out what kind of ball was best for me I played 2 balls and kept score with each to see what I shot better with