Taking the time to practice different golf shots is the only way you are going to improve. Finding time to practice is one thing but making sure you do not waste that time is something else entirely.
Too many people use their practice time by going to the driving range and hitting 50 balls with the driver before going to the bar or heading home. This is not going to translate to improvement on the golf course.
Even if you are striking the ball well in practice, this does not automatically mean you are going to do the same when playing a real round of golf. Today we have some tips which will improve your practice and get you playing well on the golf course.
Working on your swing in the driving range is a good way to get the different aspects of the swing in place. However, if you want to improve your shots, you must try and practice in similar conditions to what you will find on the golf course.
On the driving range, the lie of the ball is always the same whereas on the golf course the lie of the ball will nearly always be different. You could be on the fairway, in the rough, on an uphill slope, on a downhill slope or have a lie with no grass under the ball at all.
By always practicing in the driving range, your memory has no way of dealing with these lies when they crop up on the golf course. Therefore, you should practice in different environments as often as possible, so you know how to deal with them when they appear on the golf course.
When practicing your putting prior to playing a round of golf, do not take several balls with you and keep hitting them until one drops and walk away. This does not mean you have found your touch on the green.
Instead, take one ball and make your putt. If you miss it, walk up and mark your ball, before going through your putting routine, exactly as you would during a round of golf. When on the first green, you will not throw another ball down and keep doing so until you find the hole from your starting position. So why do it in practice, just before you are about to start your round?
Finally, when practicing your short game, you should always be making notes of each shot, before moving to the next. Take one shot from one area and make a note of what happened and what you did right or wrong. Move to a different spot and do the same thing. Keep changing your starting spot for the shot and making notes on what you are doing and try not to repeat any of them.
Do not be afraid to randomise your practice when working on your short game. If you keep notes as you go along, this will prepare you nicely for any type of short game shot on the golf course.
