We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Why do you practice golf?

kiteman said:
Actually the only way to get more of those is to play on the course itself. There is no way to get any of those results unless you are playing on a course. Practice on a range simply improves your odds of making those shots happen, but then again hitting those shots repeatedly the more you play that course also improves your odds of making those shots happen. My whole point is they are both forms of practice, and I prefer being on the course.
Click to expand...
I respectfully disagree. The way to get more of those is to repeat those situations over and over again which can't be done on the course. Example: My main fault right now is 30-50 yds out. I need to be at the range repeting these shots over and over to build muscle memory and such. On the course I might find myself in that situation maybe 3-4 times. That's not enough to improve. IMO.
 
Tadashi70 said:
Practice on the course is fine, if you know what mistakes you made and know how to fix those mistakes. Most people don't know how to fix those mistakes and continue to make them. more importantly it's highly unlikely you will have the same two shots on the golf course outside of your T-ball
Click to expand...
exactly.
 
kiteman said:
Who said you must be a poor golfer if you don't spend time on a range? And again I guess it's not really being conceptualized very well, but playing on a course is in fact a form of practice.
Click to expand...
I get it. I prefer practicing on the course as well, vs. going to the range if I have the available time. However, your posed question is why do you practice?

Obviously time constraints is the number one instigator. Unless golf is your day job or not working, I don't see how anyone has time to play 4+ rounds a week. If you do, man power to you. So if it's between not practicing or going to the range, go to the range.

I typically play 2-3 rounds a week, and try to go to the range once every week or two between long breaks to make sure my memories still there.
 
Practice to improve, I enjoy it more when playing well but seasonal for me.
During the summer, pretty much all my practice has been on the course (fun and enjoyable, slower progress) and competitive is only about once a week, as the season draws to a close, will transfer back to the range which for me is not as enjoyable but there is (occasionally) a sense of satisfaction.

I like the variety of on course practice, I'll hit a few balls and maybe hit 100-150 shots across the bag, I like the drill and repetition of the range as I'll usually only take three clubs at most and hit 100-150 with these three.
 
Canadan said:
Repetitive strikes on the ball with the same club allow me to have a more confident swing on the course. Some call it muscle memory, some call it other things, but I call it success by repetition.

That can't be accomplished by merely playing the game. Neither can the countless hours it takes around the practice green chipping and putting.

I practice to push myself to be better. I practice because I think one can always improve at the game. I practice so I can score well.
Click to expand...


What he said. That first line is the reason I go practice. When I strike the ball well and hit the shots I want to and even when I am correcting a problem I am working toward hitting shots on the course with confidence and with out conscious thought. ie: thinking about grip and stance and swing. So when I get out on the course I can look at the shot and distance pull a club, set up to the ball and have every confidence that I can hit the shot in front of me - with a clear picture of the target and confidence I can get the ball there.
 
sleuth said:
Why would anyone want to play any sport poorly? I know I want to be good at anything I do. Practicing leads to improvement.
Click to expand...

I guess that all depends on what you consider poorly (that's a funny looking word if you stare at it too long). If you practice to achieve a certain goal, what happens when you reach that goal? Yep, a new goal and more practice. It's a never ending cycle for most of us and there's no time limit, so while one person might be happy to improve by 2 strokes a year, another wants it all now.

As an example, if I was trying to get into the 2014 Morgan Cup I'd have to do a lot of work on my game to give the MC the commitment and dedication it deserves. I'd be practicing and refining my game whenever possible. But since I can't make that kind of commitment at this time, there isn't any point in neglecting other parts of my life just to get a little better at golf. I'm happy making small but steady advances. To some people I'm considered a poor player, but in my mind I'm average, and there's nothing wrong with that.
 
I dont go to the course for just the range because it is not that close to me, but when I go play golf it is a all day event. My course has "free range" with the purchase of a round, so I will go to the course about two hours before my round and work on one thing that I want to improve then play my round. After the round I take one thing that I did poor during the round and practice that for at least an hour afterwards that will be the one thing that I practice before the next round.

I also like to put in my headphones on the range and listen to some piano music or something to that effect. It has a nice calming effect and puts me in the right state of mind to focus on what I am working on. I'm alittle weird that way but if it works then it works.
 
Hawk said:
I practice to get better. One of the great joys of the game (to me) is the feeling off accomplishment gained through improvement. I've seen a direct correlation between the amount of practice time I spend and how well I swing the club. The last place I want to hone my swing is when I'm playing.
Click to expand...

I don't need to even read the rest of the other posts below. Hawk (IMO) nailed in on the head.

I do enjoy practicing on the range though, I'm not a range junky...but I do enjoy it.
 
I agree that playing better comes through practice and that adds to my enjoyment of the game. But also, I really like smacking golf balls. There is something pure and cathartic when you get everything correct and mash that ball just right. You can feel it without even looking where the ball goes. It feels great!
 
Mtdream said:
your right, but there are people who are just naturally gifted and dont need or want it...have a good friend who bounces from a +2 to a 2 Handicap and he never practices, plays about 50 rounds a year (which is light IMHO for a guy that good) he just has a natural swing, grooved from early age, and he has done the practice grinding, and for him, it adds no value..for me it adds value!!!
Click to expand...

So if he's that talented, why not practice and take it on tour? No practice and as good as lower tier pros is stout
 
Echoing what some others have said, playing better is a result of getting more repetitions and being able to duplicate the motions and results. If you were to sit at a range and hit 100yd shots all day long at a target, you'll certainly be hitting closer to the pin from that distance when you're out on the course.

Now, I'm not one to go to the range 2-3 times a week due to my schedule, but I'd also prefer to have the actual course atmosphere to play in. I prefer having to make adjustments for course conditions and layout rather than hitting from a perfect lie on the range every shot.
 
There are several reason for me practicing:

1) Like most people in this forum, to work on a consistently good swing with all of the clubs. Everyday will provide something different as far as weather, club selection, ball testing, etc.

2) I like the idea of being able to improve my overall game through practice to be more competitive with several of my friends who are better golfers. It's nice to build up excitement in the last few holes when it's close and the leave the course on that high.

3) Sometimes you have to practice to blow off that weekly grind steam. I split this time also with working out at the gym and softball. I'm lucky to have a course 5 minutes from my work in case the day was rough (and yes, if I don't have my golf bag in the car I always carry at least 3 clubs in the trunk).
 
I ask myself this all the time. I don't get paid to play, does it matter if I practice? I never practiced for basketball, or football, or any other sports but I go to the range to work on my golf game. :confused2:
 
I have not been to the range in three months and I'm playing very well right now.
 
I go practice for two main reasons. One, to try and improve my ball striking and to try out different shots. Reason 2 is because I like practicing. It is a stress relief,and the joy of hitting shots with out worrying about bad hits. I don't keep score on the range. If I hit a lousy shot, so what. I stop and try to figure out what I had done wrong and continue hitting balls.
 
kiteman said:
I had a conversation with a friend who insisted on practicing at the range a few times a week. He doesn't play competitively, or even for money. I asked him why he practiced so much, and he said to polish his game. I asked why he needed to polish his game outside of playing on a course if he's only playing for fun/personal satisfaction, and he responded, "Good question."

Since golf is a singular sport, I see practice as playing the sport itself, not going to a range/putting green. Sure, if you play competitively, you have to get an edge and practice is the answer. But if it's just for fun, unless you find range time as fun as playing a round itself, why do it? I mean I play computer games but don't spend an hour before every round repeatedly clicking my mouse at a blank screen for practice.

So, why do you practice? The only other logical reason I see people wanting to practice is if they simply don't have enough time for a full round, and range time is all they can get with their schedules. But for me, I don't like the range at all, and I never blame a bad shot during a round on a lack of practice. I just learn from the mistake I made and remember how to correct it the next time...aka I'm practicing when I play a round.
Click to expand...

I go to the range at least 3 times a week and practice chipping in my back yard. I don't play competitively or for money. I've been getting better and better each week. Im not sure if I will ever play competitively or for money but I most certainly want to be the best player that I can be. My life philosophy is that if you are going to do something, do it the best that you can.
 
Different strokes I guess (no pun intended), everyone has their own reason for why, or why not, practice.

I go and hit balls almost everyday during the warm months when the course is open. I do it for several reasons: #1 is that I just enjoy hitting golf balls and trying to make them do what I want them to do, some days I can, other days not so much. #2 is I honestly can't afford to "play" golf everyday, but I can afford to hit a bucket, or even just my own shag balls on the practice hole. #3 I practice to try and get better, doesn't always happen. #4 it's something to do in my free times, plus the course is less than two miles away. #5 I find straight up exercise very boring, but I can walk back and forth on the practice hole for hours without getting bored, frustrated sometimes, but never bored.
 
I practice to get better. I hit the range to be able to take my time and relax and focus on whatever I'm working on at that point in time. When I get to the course, I want to have one swing thought. I'm out there to play each hole, not work on my swing. Golf takes a lot of time and effort and a good deal of patience. You can't compare it to a video game.
 
dhartmann34 said:
I practice to get better. I hit the range to be able to take my time and relax and focus on whatever I'm working on at that point in time. When I get to the course, I want to have one swing thought. I'm out there to play each hole, not work on my swing. Golf takes a lot of time and effort and a good deal of patience. You can't compare it to a video game.
Click to expand...

totally agree with this, the range is for me to practice my swing and work on specific things. When I'm on the course I just want to enjoy myself and not be worried about trying to fix something. Here's the funny thing since computer games got mentioned in the original post, I used to practice playing a computer game, I played the game Counter Strike competitively for a number of years - I would work 8 hours, come home and eat / relax and then play/practice from anywhere from 4-6 hours til I went to bed. I did it because I wanted to be a better player.
 
I put my range time/practice in because that's often all I have time for, and because of something a good friend and single-digit handicap said about getting better: A hundred swings a day and drain every 6' putt. To that end, as much as course>range> nothing, a course isn't where I can hit multiple shots over and over again and work on bending my fade into a hook and working it back to a draw.
 
C-Mac13 said:
I practice because I want to improve and be able to compete in amateur events. I also really enjoy that feeling of hitting a pure shot off the tee, an iron shot in to the green that lands next to the pin, or that chip shot off the green that lands in the hole. The more of those I have the more enjoyable the game is for me. The only way to get more of those is to practice.
Click to expand...

Stole the words right out of my mouth.

I really started taking my game quite seriously to start competing in am tour events, and the practice AND competition have become more fun than I could've imagined. I too practice because if I'm going to do anything, I hope to be my best when doing it.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
 
Basically what most others have said in this thread: I practice to be able to be consistent when swinging a club (even though I'm failing to do that) and improve my game.

After only playing a year and taking only a few lessons, I start to see improvement by spending more time on the range (more pars/bogeys, less doubles/triples) but almost all pars come from scrambling (very low GIR %)...

Also, during winter months, the course is closed, so the only way to have the feeling of wacking a golf ball is on the range (and carrying a bucket of hot water because hitting frozen balls = NO FUN!)
 
It's all about consistency and improvement.
 
To try and bed in my swing, I've only been playing for 18 months so I'm still learning how my body works with my golf swing.
To try and develop some semblance of "touch" around the greens. My full swing is coming along okay but metering my power/distance on partial swings needs a lot of practise.
To get some quiet time away from the wife and kids :)
 
I practice 2-3 times a week and play 1-2 times a week. I'm trying to achieve a level of competency that would enable me to claim I play better than a 36 handicap golfer (the default maximum). 3 years into my effort to get better and I'm just now reaching my goal. It's a slow pace. Only having 6 months (max) to play each year doesn't help. Having no real talent for golf isn't helping either, lol.

Would I get the same or better results playing 3-5 times a week? I highly doubt it. There's no way I would have repeated as many putts, chips, pitches and drives. Maybe approach shots with irons would have seen as much repetition, but I kind of doubt that as well.

So, to get the same amount of repetition, I'd probably have to play 7 days a week, with 2-3 36 hole days. Just not feasible. If I lived somewhere with year-round golf, I could play 5 times a week and see the same number of reps over a year. But that gets to the OP's original point - I don't have time to play 5 times a week, or 10 times a week, so I have to practice.

Plus, there are other beneficial aspects to off-course practice that can't really be duplicated on-course - using alignment sticks, repeating various drills, multiple reps of the same type of shot in a short time span, etc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top