practice routine/schedule

[mmcgee13]

I really like crafty's routine. I'm going to use that however, I think you should practice more than you play.

[Guest]

For winter practice I recommend setting up a net and piece of artificial turf in the garage. It is also very helpful to use mirrors. Print out pictures of professionals' swings and compare them to yours in whatever positions they are in. Work on your swing in segments this way. The biggest thing and best way to start inside is with your posture/alignment. From there work on takeaway and setting it at the top. Then impact and follow through. When I do this, I only hit a few balls, and spend most of the time setting my club in these various positions, then when you get around to hitting a ball make sure it feels the same as it did when you were setting the club. Don't worry about hitting the ball hard and whatnot. Just work on technique. That way when you come out in the spring, your fundamentals are solid and you can work with shot shaping and distance when you can see where the ball goes. When you are hitting shots inside, videotape them (if that is available to you) and compare them to the pictures.

The only problem with this is that your car will be cold in the morning. It is worth it to me though.

Come spring and summer, keep working on your technique, but spend most of your time working on your feel and distance control, ESPECIALLY with your wedges. Spend a lot of time at the chipping green. It is best if you can find one that lets you hit shots up to about 40-50 yards. Do a lot of these drills that guys have been posting on this thread. When putting, I recommend doing a ladder drill type drill to start off using a straight putt. I have a little level in my bag (costs about $2) to make sure the putt I have is perfectly straight. Really focus on lining up every putt. Then there are a bunch of other good drills on here. I read one that is very good about taking a hard breaking putt and making it on several different lines by adjusting your speed. Also, lag putting is essential. I set up a box around the hole about 3 ft wide and 3 deep, the hole being on the closest side of the square to you. then set up tees at 9,15,21,27,33,39 ft, and beyond if you can find a green big enough. I just like that six foot increment for some reason. use 5 balls and get 5 points to move back a tee. 2 pts to make it, 1 in the box, 0 outside. You will see your feel improve immensely. These drills have made putting the best part of my game. When I am in the heart of the season I feel like I can make anything from within 8-9 feet and two putt from anywhere on the green.

Keep it real and practice hard.