Limited time, play or practice?

[ducati07]

Hello y'all!

I was wondering what players thought about how to spend their time trying to improve their game.  I'm around a 10 handicap with limited time to get better, hoping to shave a few strokes to shoot in the 70's.  I've got a net to hit into, a putting mat, and a small range to hit balls on my property where I hit balls almost every day.  I play anywhere from once a week, to once every two or three weeks...depending on my busy schedule. 

My questions is:  what do you believe would be the best use of time?  Playing more rounds or spending that time hitting balls, working on my swing?  I think my short game is where I'm losing strokes and needs the most improvement.  Obviously I'd like to play at least once a week but if there's more time in that week for a second round...do I play or practice?   What kind of ratio should I consider when figuring out how much time to spend on each, playing:practicing? 

Thanks for any thoughts.  

[MrGolfguy67]

34 minutes ago, ducati07 said:

 ...hoping to shave a few strokes to shoot in the 70's.   

...I think my short game is where I'm losing strokes and needs the most improvement. 

Thanks for any thoughts.  

You answered your own question; you want to shave strokes to get into the 70s and know that your short game needs work. Work on pitching & chipping from 60 yds in and on becoming a putting wizard. Do this and your wishes will come true.

[Patch]

There is no substitute for actual play when learning this game.  Even if it is 9 holes or less. Playing tells the golfer what they need to work on, while at the same time not neglecting the good parts of their game. 

When playing, the golfer is using various clubs, in different situations. When practicing, it's not various clubs, and different situations. 

If the course is not crowded, play more than one ball on each hole. Make it a practice round. 

Maybe one week play twice, and the next week play once, and practice. 

It's easier to find time to practice than to play a round. 

[gepoherana]

A typical practice session with a friend should not take more than an hour, and will show up on the golf course with lower scores and increased enjoyment.

[HJJ003]

Practice practice practice. As a 10 cap I don’t think playing more is going to significantly help your scoring. It will likely just engrain what your doing with your game. A 20 cap or worse may be different, just because they likely need some “in the moment” decision making practice. Even if you only practice for 5-10 minutes a day on your “off” practice days you could make legitimate improvements if your working on the right piece. 

[Buckeyebowman]

You don't say how old you are, but at my age, 65, if I have the time I'd rather play. I think I've reached the age where I am limited in how much "better" I can get.

However, to play even 9 holes involves at least a 2 hour commitment, plus the time to get to and from the course. So, more like 3 hours. I can drive to the closest range and hit a leisurely small bucket in about an hour.

And I always hit balls at a leisurely pace. I think it's death to get in a rush. And even though I might not be working on anything specific, other than ensuring I pick a target, make a turn, and finish the swing, some issue will usually reveal itself during the session.

[MarvChamp]

Agree with @Buckeyebowman. With age, old bones and some illness/injuries, I have reduced my practice time and try to enjoy play. I was practicing 2-3 sessions per week and playing 1 x week. Now, 1 x week practice (will substitute some lessons). I find I play with less "fear"...less thinking of form or technique, more about course management and target distances...the goal being to advance the ball and get it in the hole. Best wishes, -Marv

[ducati07]

Thanks for the replies everyone! 

At 48, I feel like I still have time to devote to making my game better and lowering my scores. 

I've got kind of a hyperactive personality so playing a slow round can really get on my nerves which makes practicing almost more fun for me.  So, I've taken the advise from above to concentrate on practice, practice, practice.  I've learned quite a bit about my game by just focusing on very specific shots while filming in slow motion with my phone.  I've gained quite a bit of yardage with all my clubs by doing this and have also discovered how bad I was at the 20 yard pitch!

I'm looking forward to playing again...it's been a few weeks so it should be an interesting round this Thursday.  I'll probably go out and hack it up but I know it'll come around.  It's like after buying that new putter that I couldn't miss with at the store but then when I took it to battle....I couldn't make a putt to save my life.  It just took me a few rounds to settle in to the new look and now that putter is doing me right.  

Thanks again for the thoughts!  

 

[gepoherana]

I think it's death to get in a rush. And even though I might not be working on anything specific, other than ensuring I pick a target, make a turn, and finish the swing, some issue will usually reveal itself during the session.

Edited June 15, 2018 by gepoherana

[Piz]

I'd rather play than practice.  That being said; I enjoy practice more when I've been playing.  I need a reason to practice...and playing provides plenty.  If it was a choice between the two I would play...but it isn't.

[Patch]

I 

On 5/20/2018 at 6:44 AM, MarvChamp said:

Agree with @Buckeyebowman. With age, old bones and some illness/injuries, I have reduced my practice time and try to enjoy play. I was practicing 2-3 sessions per week and playing 1 x week. Now, 1 x week practice (will substitute some lessons). I find I play with less "fear"...less thinking of form or technique, more about course management and target distances...the goal being to advance the ball and get it in the hole. Best wishes, -Marv

I tend to agree that as we get older, in some cases, practice can be reduced due to certain situations. 

Myself, I continue to do something with a golf club, (or clubs) every day. I do this to help stay in shape to play once or twice a week. That, or to be ready for the ocassional road trip that pops up. Practice also keeps me familiar with shots I run into when playing for a score.

I too no longer worry about technique or form in my swing. Just take aim, and hit the ball. Find the ball and hit it again. After all these years, my swing is what it is. 

[Buckeyebowman]

Oh! I like that Patch!

I kind of laugh at the guys who stand behind their ball, sizing up their shot, and then hose it all up!

I pick a line, set up, and go! Fussing around does not help me a bit!

At my age, I find the less conscious thought that goes into a shot, the better it will probably be. I just have to see it, and feel it.

[Carl3]

On 5/21/2018 at 1:10 PM, ducati07 said:

focusing on very specific shots while filming in slow motion with my phone

I have not done it yet myself, but I see that if you post your swing on this site you can get a lot of feedback on it.

 

On 5/21/2018 at 1:10 PM, ducati07 said:

the 20 yard pitch

My game and scores really improved when I spent a good amount of time hitting chips and pitches into practice pins on greens. I have a course nearby that has a good short game practice area and I drop 10 shag balls down and spend an hour or two once in a while there. I think you can pick up a few strokes per round on this element of the game if you are more than a single digit. This improves morale and giving you the motivation to incrementally improve other parts of the game.

[gregsandiego]

12 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Oh! I like that Patch!

I kind of laugh at the guys who stand behind their ball, sizing up their shot, and then hose it all up!

I pick a line, set up, and go! Fussing around does not help me a bit!

At my age, I find the less conscious thought that goes into a shot, the better it will probably be. I just have to see it, and feel it.

That i something funny about our sport. How about this. You pull out the range finder, check the wind, etc etc an then hit it fat for 50 yards. (hole is 200 yards away)

[easyjay39402]

On 5/20/2018 at 8:44 AM, MarvChamp said:

Agree with @Buckeyebowman. With age, old bones and some illness/injuries, I have reduced my practice time and try to enjoy play. I was practicing 2-3 sessions per week and playing 1 x week. Now, 1 x week practice (will substitute some lessons). I find I play with less "fear"...less thinking of form or technique, more about course management and target distances...the goal being to advance the ball and get it in the hole. Best wishes, -Marv

That’s the problem with age, Marc, you have more time to practice and play, but your body’s recovery cycle limits how often you can go at it 😳 My approach at the moment is to use recovery days to work on the short game and on Full Swing days hit fewer balls, but with clear purpose. Too early to say whether this will be effective for me ...

[RWC]

For me, at 65, my body can handle 1 day of practice and 1 day of golf per week. With this limited opportunity, I'm working on accepting the quirks of my swing and trying to make the bad shots less bad - trying to improve the quality of the strike. Had a late start to the season here in Chicago but early results seem to be trending positively.

 

 

[Buckeyebowman]

I hear you, RWC! I'm currently debating whether or not to enter the "Greatest Golfer in the Valley" tournament sponsored by the local paper. If you make the 36 hole cut, it calls for 3 straight days of golf, with maybe some long layoffs between 9's! They tee off on both the front and back 9! It's very popular.

A couple years ago my buddy's Son, who was then 40 years old, was on vacation for a week. I had scored some cards that allowed us to play some local, high end courses and country clubs. We golfed it up big time, playing 5 rounds in 6 days! I was so stove up at the end of the week I could barely move!

Still, I'd like to take a crack at it.

[iacas]

13 hours ago, gregsandiego said:

That i something funny about our sport. How about this. You pull out the range finder, check the wind, etc etc an then hit it fat for 50 yards. (hole is 200 yards away)

So… you're not supposed to check the yardage, and prepare as best as you can to hit a good shot?