Practice For Improvement

John Toepel

I would like to focus on the concept of practice. I will tell you what real practice is and how you can practice constructively. You will learn how to practice correctly to lower your scores. These two newsletter will show you the practice that will always help you and what practice will make you continually worse.
Practice is one of the most misunderstood and misused parts of the game of golf.
What is the practice range for? The answer most golfers will give is that the range is the place to perfect the swing. That common misconception has hurt countless golfers. Read on and you’ll learn the PGA Tour practice secrets that will make you a better golfer, I promise.
Practice is one of the most misunderstood concepts in (or out of) golf. "Practice makes perfect" is the old adage -- and it is not true. Perfect practice makes perfect is true. The right kind of practice will make you better; practicing the wrong ideas or even the right ideas in the wrong way will make you worse.
I ask my students to limit their practice of full shots to 25 balls a day.
It is so tempting to go out and hit 250 balls with a driver and think you have done something to improve your swing and your game. Most of the time you can hit the BIG bucket in less than an hour by having at least three balls in the air at all times. This is not productive practice, it is counterproductive practice. It often causes the golfer to “try” things with his swing - and get thoroughly confused. Hitting millions of practice balls may make some golfers better, but it destroys more golfers than it improves. It's reasonable to hit some practice balls and do a lot of putting and pitching practice. However, it's more effective to understand the correct concepts than to be a tireless practicer.
Learn the swing with a practice swing and confirm with a ball
As an aside, the balls you hit before you play are not practice. This is simply warming up and finding out how your shots are going today. Warming up is important because each day is unique and you need to find out how things are going right now and make your game plan accordingly.
To practice your swing, make practice swings at home without a ball for 15 minutes every day. Use a 5- iron and simply swing correctly. This will help your swing become the swing you want. Learn the swing with a practice swing and confirm with a ball. Don’t try to learn the swing by swinging with a ball.
I watched Jimmy Ballard help Dave Hill in January 1977 in Phoenix. Ballard had asked Hill to do something very specific with his swing. Dave kept practice swinging and practice swinging. Finally Ballard asked Hill to hit a ball. Since Ballard hadn't said he was doing the change properly with the practice swing, Hill asked, "Why?" "When I get it right with the practice swing, then I'll hit a ball," Hill told him. That makes perfect sense. The ball is often intimidating, and hitting balls does not promote learning a new thought. Get your thoughts organized, then hit a few balls. Stop trying to hit balls to get your swing right. And if you start hitting shots poorly, stop. Go back to practicing your swing without the ball until you sense that your swing is back on track. Only then should you go back to hitting practice balls.
Why do I ask you to limit your range practice to 25 balls a day? Hitting lots of balls can be very detrimental. A typical golfer goes to the range with the intention of getting better. He hits a few wedges, moves to the mid and longer irons and then on to perfect the dreaded driver. The first few go all right, and then things start to go haywire -- just a little at first, then some real hooks, slices and miss-hit shots. Now he is off to the races. The bad shots create that "What's wrong?" question, which is quickly followed by the really bad thoughts of trying to “fix” the swing that he believes is causing those bad shots.
Now we have a golfer who doesn't understand the swing trying to “fix” what he thinks is wrong with the swing. His knowledge of what went wrong is based entirely on what the bad swing “felt” like. But he may be “fortunate” enough to have a good friend and golfer nearby to give him the answer. This is a formula for real swing trouble -- like the dentist teaching the accountant the golf swing!
This kind of practice sets the golfer back by several years. You can see where this could lead to big problems. This kind of practice can be disastrous for your game. It leads people to tinker with their swing rather than get better at playing the game. The best rule for your swing and your game is to never try to “fix” a “bad shot” swing. Focus on the five fundamentals and let the bad shots go. Just say "whoops" and move on!
John Toepel is a Veteran PGA Tour Player, instructor, author, and professional speaker. He is also the discoverer of Concept Golf, the quickest way to immediate, life-long lasting improvements to anyone's golf game. To learn more about Concept Golf, including the most comprehensive golf instruction system ever, "The Concept Golf Perfect Shot Making System", please visit http://www.conceptgolf.com/PSMS.htm and Discover the Par Golfer in You!