How Should One Approach Practice?

[Marty2019]

I've had a few sessions on the range lately where I have finished and gone home feeling like I accomplished nothing.   I get a bucket of balls, and I start with some wedges, move up through the clubs until I get to my driver, I try to think about what I'm doing, why I am or am not hitting the ball well, and at the end, I pack up my clubs and go home feeling good if I hit the ball well and bad if I didn't hit the ball well.  But what have I actually accomplished by this process?   I enjoy it, but still, I'm not sure I'm getting as much out of it as I could if I had some sort of agenda for what I am doing. 

So my question is, what is the right mental approach to hitting a bucket of balls?   How do you make sure you get the most benefit from it?  

 

 

[carpediem4300]

I got to the range for 2 reasons

1) ingrain muscle memory on whatever im working on

2) working on something

 

My last session i was focused on improving contact as I was hitting them a bit thin, started with a 9 iron and worked different clubs focusing on the piece I was working on, i usually finish by playing some "practice holes" so i'll drive off, then hit a 9 iron, then a wedge, then repeat but use different clubs

[CarlSpackler]

Two words. Priority piece. Unless you are just warming up before a round (not the time to work on your swing) you should never just be hitting balls. I admit that I do sometimes if I'm just trying to get away from life for a bit.

[Patch]

Myself, at this point, I just enjoy hitting golf balls. That's #1 for me. I want to keep what I have, physically current, swing wise. I swing a club just about every day to stay in swing shape. 

When I practice I always have a target that I am hitting to. Regardless of how many balls I hit, that target acts as protection against any poor issues creeping into my game. 

One of my biggest practice points is set up, and alignment. This is the one part of my game that is the easiest for me to screw up, and is why I think a good preshot routine is a good thing. . I have a good grip, and I have a decent swing. However, if my set up, and alignment are wrong, the ball is not going  to go to my chosen landing area. This, even though the ball stiil goes where I hit it. Think about that. 

I usually start off with chip shots, while incorporating my green reads. Again set up, and alignment are important, as are my green reads. Usually at different targets, from different areas, for 28-42 balls. Next will be pitch shots, from various distances, using the same practice regimen as the chips. This is pretty much my short game practice. 

Some days I will spend a little time just putting, and nothing else. Again, set up alignment, and reads are paramount.

My full swing practice sessions are not as numerous as my short game practices. However, I still work with a landing area in mind, while paying a lot of attention to my set up, and alignment. Every once in a while I will check my carry yardages with my full swing clubs. 

Other days I will just hit balls from goofy lies. I do this just to see how the ball reacts coming out of those poor lies. For me, this is usefull info when playing for a score. 

Like I said at the beginning of this post. I just like to hit balls. I always make it a fun thing. Obviously some days are more productive than others, but they are all positive in one way or another. I figure if a golfer leaves the practice area in a poor frame of mind, they just practiced using that same poor frame of mind when playing for a score. 

[iacas]

44 minutes ago, Patch said:

When I practice I always have a target that I am hitting to. Regardless of how many balls I hit, that target acts as protection against any poor issues creeping into my game.

"Target" does not start with an "S".

Kidding aside, when you're working on something - actually practicing, you shouldn't really have a target in mind. It's far more important to "do the right thing" or "make a change" than it is to hit your 7-iron the usual distance and on-line.

@Patch, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're not really the lesson-taking type, so your practices are going to be a bit different than someone who is working to change something.

@Marty2019, the answer in my opinion is at least mostly in the thread I linked to here in this post. It's the fastest and best way to get better.

[Marty2019]

5 minutes ago, iacas said:

"Target" does not start with an "S".

Kidding aside, when you're working on something - actually practicing, you shouldn't really have a target in mind. It's far more important to "do the right thing" or "make a change" than it is to hit your 7-iron the usual distance and on-line.

@Patch, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're not really the lesson-taking type, so your practices are going to be a bit different than someone who is working to change something.

@Marty2019, the answer in my opinion is at least mostly in the thread I linked to here in this post. It's the fastest and best way to get better.

 

Excellent thread, thanks for pointing me to that.   And an excellent first post in that thread.   I need to read that several times. 

 

 

[JonMA1]

I've used - and try to continue using - the 5S's of good practice when I decided to start over from scratch late this year in developing a better swing. And it seemed to work. But it's so difficult to disregard contact and results to focus on the priority piece.

Looking back, I guess I would try the slow half swings until I felt I was accomplishing the piece. But it wouldn't take long for me to "feel" the move and, at the same time,  try for good contact. Then, the quality of the shot would start to matter. But throughout the entire process, the priority piece would be just that - priority. If it felt like I was neglecting that in order to get good contact or good results, I'd go back a few steps by slowing it down or taking a shorter swing until that felt better.

Having said all that, it's really difficult to remain disciplined. I love to hit iron shots. Often, "practice" is more about the enjoyment of hitting nice shots than improving that piece. And that's why I'm not very good at this game.

[Patch]

"@iacas correct me if I'm wrong, but you're not really the lesson-taking type, so your practices are going to be a bit different than someone who is working to change something."

You are correct in your assumptiont on my practice time. My practices are more of a maintenance type of thing. Just trying to keep what I already have, most useful when I need it. 

I use to work on specific things in a slow deliberate manner, but those days are now long over for me. Have been for quite a few years. Now days, with some of the physical limitations I have to deal with, I just use my own "KISS" practice regimine. 

 

[Rainmaker]

Over the last year or so I've kind of evolved into this way of practicing that seems to work pretty well for me.  I'm taking lessons so I always have some specific thing I'm working on. 

For the priority piece - I do most of that practice in my garage with a mat and net.  I'm out there usually every day for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour.  With the mat and net I typically only work on my priority piece . .or whatever specific small thing I'm working on.  As I progress on it, I'll get out the video camera and check.  When I think I got it, I'll go in for another lesson and get something else to work on.  

In addition to my garage/net "micro practice", I go to the outdoor driving range about twice a month (usually).  At the outdoor driving range I tend not to work on specific little pieces.  At the outdoor range I want to 1.  See the ball flight  and 2.  Ingrain some motor memory/feel.  It's kind of stepping stone between my garage and the course.  

Now . .I *would* work on specific little things at the driving range if I were capable of it.  I am not, though.  For some reason when I can see the ball flight I can't really focus on tiny things - I just want to hit it far.  

So that's what I've gravitated to and it's definitely working for me.  Without the mat and net I would make way less progress in my lessons or I would have to force myself to really practice at the range . .which I'm pretty sure I can't do, lol.  

[70sSanO]

One thing I have not done, but in my opinion is the best way to practice is to video your swing during your practice session.  Quite often when I am working on one thing some other flaw creeps in and it is not until I get back in front of a mirror at home does the lightbulb go on.

If I could review it real time, I could address it right away and not after the fact, which is the next time I hit balls.  But it takes space, time, and discipline to set a camera up and I haven't put out the effort to do it.

John

[mcanadiens]

This has been a difficult thing for me. Without a camera or the cash for lessons, I'm kind of going with what I can observe in the first person. Every time, there is an effort to work on something. That something is usually based on the biggest problem from my latest round.

Maybe, I just need to bite the bullet and scrounge up the cash for a camera. Not going very fast otherwise.

[Ernest Jones]

17 hours ago, Rainmaker said:

Over the last year or so I've kind of evolved into this way of practicing that seems to work pretty well for me.  I'm taking lessons so I always have some specific thing I'm working on. 

For the priority piece - I do most of that practice in my garage with a mat and net.  I'm out there usually every day for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour.  With the mat and net I typically only work on my priority piece . .or whatever specific small thing I'm working on.  As I progress on it, I'll get out the video camera and check.  When I think I got it, I'll go in for another lesson and get something else to work on.  

In addition to my garage/net "micro practice", I go to the outdoor driving range about twice a month (usually).  At the outdoor driving range I tend not to work on specific little pieces.  At the outdoor range I want to 1.  See the ball flight  and 2.  Ingrain some motor memory/feel.  It's kind of stepping stone between my garage and the course.  

Now . .I *would* work on specific little things at the driving range if I were capable of it.  I am not, though.  For some reason when I can see the ball flight I can't really focus on tiny things - I just want to hit it far.  

So that's what I've gravitated to and it's definitely working for me.  Without the mat and net I would make way less progress in my lessons or I would have to force myself to really practice at the range . .which I'm pretty sure I can't do, lol.  

That's me too. Much better a focusing on specifics when working with a net or tethered ball. However, in my defence, my priority piece is absolutely my main focus on every full swing I make. I'm blessed in that my priority piece is a speed piece - faster - harder - MOAR!!! The better I execute that piece, the higher and deeper my ball flight. So I can be a stupid monkey and swing for the fences at the same time!

 

[uitar9]

Just started reading the little red book.One of the stories, he suggested one of his students try using all of his irons on the same target. Tried that yesterday, actually used two targets.

Definitely forced me to use irons in a different way, 56  degree through 7 iron. 50 yards and 75 yards.

Then I tried the usual, hit them full swing. Like Ernest Jones-faster, harder, more.

It seemed to improve my aim, sense of distance, ball striking.

[Marty2019]

Thanks for all the opinions, everyone.  

I went and bought a little flexible tripod that has a smartphone holder.   The flexible tripod can attach to a golf bag or anything.   It cost $20. 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/joby-griptight-gorillapod-stand-tripod-for-select-cell-phones-black/9235047.p?skuId=9235047&ref=212&loc=1&ksid=17acc3aa-2d35-4b72-802e-8cba6ad352fe&ksprof_id=14&ksaffcode=pg147385&ksdevice=c&lsft=ref:212,loc:2

I used it on the range the other day, and it works great.   I hang it off the side of my golf bag. 

So now I am hitting maybe 3 to 5 shots and then reviewing the video.   Very eye-opening.  

So that's my new practice routine.   Work on that one thing my instructor taught me in my last lesson, and review the video after every few shots.  I can even rehearse indoors without a golf ball and review the video to see if I actually get into good positions.  

This'll be a lot better than just beating balls and wondering why I'm not hitting solid shots.