Practice length of time

[Elvis Estrada]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum and wanted to start off saying that I'm proud to be here sharing golf concerns at the amateur level. My question to anyone who feels free to answer or guve opinion is how much practice should one be doing. I have considerably dropped from a high 90 to mid 80 on a good day within the last year. I set up a net and in my backya

[Lihu]

8 minutes ago, Elvis Estrada said:

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum and wanted to start off saying that I'm proud to be here sharing golf concerns at the amateur level. My question to anyone who feels free to answer or guve opinion is how much practice should one be doing. I have considerably dropped from a high 90 to mid 80 on a good day within the last year. I set up a net and in my backya

As you get better you need more practice to improve. It seems like I went from a lot of long game practice and playing to practicing everything now.

This site advocates practicing 65 long game, 20 short game and 15 putting, but I generally find that out of a week I practice 2 times long game, 2 days short game and play 1 or 2 days with 1 day off. I currently shoot anywhere from 80 to 90. My daily practice consists of anywhere from 5 minutes to half an hour in the mornings on long game technique in front of mirrors or with video feedback. I spend anywhere from half an hour to 3 hours on those practice sessions averaging about 4 to 6 hours a week total practice.

I probably spend too much time blogging because it possibly adds up to the almost the same amount of time.

[Elvis Estrada]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum and wanted to start off saying that I'm proud to be here sharing golf concerns at the amateur level. My question to anyone who feels free to answer or give an opinion is how much practice should one be doing. I have considerably dropped from a high 90 to mid 80 on a good day within the last year. I set up a net and in my backyard and focus on contact, swing path( draw or cut), and feel. I hit every club in the bag on full shots to 3/4 shots. I have a semi large backyard so pitching and chipping around 20 yards is all I can get. I do this everyday from for about an hour and a half. I also focus on putting but only on a 9ft putting contraption that is only for indoor use. I hit the range to see what my ball flight is doing and also what I'm trying accomplish. (Distance variations, low, high balls.) This usually happens once a week and play full 18 once a week. 

[Elvis Estrada]

Thanks for the feedback. I make the most out of the time that I do have. Kids, family,etc. come first of coarse. My goal is to get good enough to compete on am-tour by the time I retire.

Edited February 1, 2018 by Elvis Estrada

[klineka]

You can compete on am-tours now. All of the am-tours I've looked into are flighted stroke play and usually have at least 3-4 different handicap groupings. 

How much practice is only something you can answer. Everyone on the forum has different responsibilities outside of golf, different climates, different practice facilities available, different income levels, etc etc. 

And everyone has different goals. Some people might be ok with shooting mid 80s and might not have to practice much to maintain that. Others might want to get down to a scratch handicap and will have to practice their tails off for years in order to get that.

Being in a climate that gets pretty cold and snowy, plus not having an affordable (for me) indoor facility to frequent, the amount of practice I do in the winter is drastically different compared to the summer.

[cooke119]

1 hour ago, klineka said:

You can compete on am-tours now. All of the am-tours I've looked into are flighted stroke play and usually have at least 3-4 different handicap groupings. 

How much practice is only something you can answer. Everyone on the forum has different responsibilities outside of golf, different climates, different practice facilities available, different income levels, etc etc. 

And everyone has different goals. Some people might be ok with shooting mid 80s and might not have to practice much to maintain that. Others might want to get down to a scratch handicap and will have to practice their tails off for years in order to get that.

Being in a climate that gets pretty cold and snowy, plus not having an affordable (for me) indoor facility to frequent, the amount of practice I do in the winter is drastically different compared to the summer.

I too live in a cold and snowy climate, (Long Island, NY) so winter dramatically cuts down on my playing and practicing. Today was in the mid 40's but my buddy and I still hit the range, (out door range but they have overhead heaters). I'm retired so I can devote a lot of time to golf. During the warmer times of year I usually play twice a week and go to the range once or twice. When at the range I work through my bag starting with short irons up to my driver. I spend about an hour or two depending on what I'm working on. My irons give me the biggest problems so I spend a lot of time on them. I'm not sure that is a good thing to do off a mat versus grass but that is all they have around here. I would love to practice off of grass but no can do, not allowed. Played last Saturday, it was 50 degrees but the wind was howling, felt like 30 degrees. 

I would say you should practice as often as time allows, (without getting your wife pissed off at you). Mine is very understanding plus I've been married for 44 years so...

Best of luck achieving your goals.

[Piz]

I wouldn't say that I practice per se.  When time allows, and I feel like it, I knock the ball around: at the range, on the course, in the den (foam orbs only)...wherever.  It's the joy of doing.  If I'd rather do something else; that is, generally, what I do.

[Patch]

Assuming you know how to practice correctly, I would say practice as much as you can, especially on the weaker spots of your game. I say practice correctly, because incorrect practice has ruined many a possible good player. 

I do something with a golf club just about everyday. Even if it does not include hitting balls. Some days I might just go over my playing notes I have acquired over the years. 

Edited February 2, 2018 by Patch

[iacas]

11 hours ago, Patch said:

Assuming you know how to practice correctly, I would say practice as much as you can, especially on the weaker spots of your game.

That's okay, as long as you keep things fresh. I'll only hit 10-15 balls (granted, it's 1:30 to 2:30 per ball, with rehearsals, etc.), because attention wanes heavily after 20 minutes or so.

So practice a lot, sure, but keep things fresh, keep switching tasks, etc.

[saevel25]

21 minutes ago, iacas said:

So practice a lot, sure, but keep things fresh, keep switching tasks, etc.

I do this a lot more.

I'll do work on my swing. Then I'll switch to short game pitching stuff. Then back to full swing stuff.