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Describe Your Practice

JB

JB

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For those that take practice seriously, or do more than just pound balls (guilty). Describe what your typical practice sesh looks like.
 
With this weather, 12-16” of snow last night, it will consist of indoor putting, chipping and mirror work for a while!
 
sometimes I am just working on tempo and setup, I will imagine I am playing a course I know well, and play the shots I would in a round, it helps me get out of the "pound balls" mode and focus a bit more
 
I like to set up balls in segments of 5, and pick one thing to focus on for those 5 balls. It's an idea I got from Martin Chuck. I will do this for half a bucket, then I will go around the bag playing "holes" from courses I'm familiar with. I try to avoid large buckets since I want to take my time and concentrate on what I'm doing.

I always make sure I have a target in mind when I'm hitting balls, even when I'm just trying to groove a move. I found that my swing finally started to improve when I had focused practice, vs hitting balls as far as I could.
 
I used to just pound balls, and to an extent I still do; but rather than look for a certain distance with a club, I like to feel like my swing has reached a certain feel, like a groove. When I have that; then I will move thru the bag and hit some different shots.


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Something I don't do nearly enough of and I wonder why I don't get any better. Typical full practice:
Short game area first, drop 15-20 balls in various lies around the green and hit to short, medium, and far flags on the green.
Putting green second, start with several 25-30 footers to get idea of green speed. Start with 2-3 footers so I can see the ball go in the whole. Spend about 15 minutes putting from 20' and in and finish with 2 or 3 4 footers.
Range last, hit 4 or 5 balls with pw in no particular direction and at about 1/2 speed just to make some clean contact and see how my swing feels that particular day. I'll then hit 5 pw at 125 flag.
Next up is 7i, 5 stock shots then I will hit 5 knockdowns, cuts, and my attempt at a draw at the 150 flag.
Next up is 5i.....same routine as above.
Next is either 3-4h, nothing special here..5 shots at 200 flag.
3w I spend a little more time with as I hit this both off the tee and the deck. Bout 10 balls with this club.
Oddly enough I'll usually hit wedges 2nd to last. Mostly 1/2 and 3/4 swings..10 balls total.
Thor's hammer is always last, 10-15 balls concentrating on tempo.
If I'm playing after warm-up/practice, whatever shot is required on first tee is what I'll finish up with on the range.
 
JB said:
For those that take practice seriously, or do more than just pound balls (guilty). Describe what your typical practice sesh looks like.
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Honestly, until recently the only true process practice I did was on the putting green. Star drill, 3’ 6’ 9’ 12’ with 5 balls each, miss and go back.... spend about 45-60 mins each time I do the putting tree.
Hitting balls, I’ve recently started to simulate game shots more, once I’ve warmed up, hit driver, 6i, wedge; 3w, 8i, GW, etc... then hit 8-10 each wedge to a distance



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I've been trying to be more focused this winter, and not just go and hit balls. I'll warm up with some short/mid length clubs, and then focus on trying to hit a specific shot. Sometimes I'll do this by playing a "fake round" where I think of the home course and what shots I usually need to hit. Other times I'll try to aim for the same target a few times and get there different ways - knockdowns with one club vs a stock shot. I'll try to limit myself to attempting the same shot 3-4 times to prevent really getting in a groove on one type of swing unless I'm focusing on trying to hit a specific shot that day.
 
My typical practice sesh starts with wedges. The first few are to warm up. Then I start flighting the ball to various targets. The goal is to start the ball right of my target with draw spin. I have a tendency to pull my wedges so this is important work when I practice.

After I’ve determined I’m satisfied, I move onto my 7i and then my 5i. The goal here is a high, natural ball flight, typically a lazy draw. If I see a lazy fade, I work on my alignment. This usually gets me back on track.

Depending on how I feel, I’ll move to my FW or hybrid. Looking for solid contact and tight ball flight as well as max distance.

I finish with drivers and a solid weight shift. Really looking for a solid shoulder turn and a strong clearance of the left side through impact.

Then it’s off to the short game area. Putts and various short game shots. Always creative in my shot selection with the wedges never straight forward.
 
Straight to the short game area to chip/pitch/bunker for 30 minutes to an hour depending on how it's going. Plugging golf balls in the grass, tight lies, square shots, flop shots, bump and runs, etc. Usually 20-60 yards max in this area. Bunker self explanatory but I'll mess around with some fried eggs and some tougher shots instead of just nice and easy bunker shots.

Then it's stretch time and hit a small/medium bucket at the range setting up my alignment sticks and starting with wedges working my way up to the driver.

Sounds pretty "blah" and oh yeah I rarely putt...Maybe that's a problem to my putting woes :act-up:
 
I'll warmup with a 7i and a wedge and eventually transition into all the other clubs. I don't have hours to spend at the range and I don't have anywhere local that has a decent practice area so I am guilty of just pounding balls. Occasionally I will focus on setup and try and hit some targets but thats about the extent of my practice, I'd rather be on the course.
 
I typically start with my sand wedge, hitting shots 80-100 yard to a target, sometimes nice easy swings and then some full swings. Then I switch to my 7 iron and practice shots to the 150 yard marker. I never tire of hitting those 7 iron shots, it is relaxing exercise for me.
 
For me it’s two large bags.

I take the first swings with my 52. Just getting loose and at the same time paying attention to distances.

Move to my 48* through 5i. The intent is to hit 5-7 balls each and make good swings. I’m paying attention to carry distances andas well as flight.

I’ll hit a few with my hybrids and woods to make sure everything is where I want it to be.

After that I take about half a bag and go to the short game area. Work on 50yds and in, hitting different shots with everything from my 9i down to my 60.

I finish it off with about 30/45 minutes of putting.

If something is off swing wise I’ll abandon going through the bag and just work on that club.
 
For me it varies quite a bit depending on what I am trying to work on at that time. Sometimes I do just go pound balls down range to blow off some steam or just to make sure I am still swinging straight. Most of the time when I go to practice I have specific things I want to work on. I may go and just visit the putting green for example or I may go and do nothing but chip shots or pitch shots. Sometimes I warm up with an iron and then go straight to working on driver. It all just depends on what I am trying to accomplish for that particular day and that is usually defined by what I was doing poorly on my previous rounds.
 
If I'm on the range most of the time I'm pounding balls to loosen up. If I'm working on something specific in my swing I'll start with my 52* to loosen up, jump up to 8 iron and then up to 6 iron. I'll finish with a hybrid and then driver.

The biggest area of emphasis for practice is short game. I'll spend time at our short game range and drop about 30 balls starting at 50 yards and working down to 30, 15, 5 and then off the fringe. I'll usually work through that twice and will work on different types of shots each time. I'll go for the high shot and then switch to the low checking shot.
 
FWIW from a newbie, I usually take 30-40 minutes with a small bucket. My driver is my best club, and I struggle with distance, so I work with it, my 3 wood, and my 5. I'll sometimes mix in the hybrids because I just don't know what to do with them quite yet.

Then I take about 30 minutes on the chipping green, trying to figure that part out, without much success, but I have a fun time trying to get the ball near the flag.

Then I take at least 30 minutes, maybe an hour, on the putting green. If no one else is around, I'll do a few drills, but mostly it's just tempo and feel. I kind of have my own two putt game - I hit three balls towards a far target, and try to get them to stop where I can make the putt.
 
My typical practice session starts with the 7 iron and then I go up and down the bag with about 7-8 shots a piece. Like to finish with some half swing wedges and then maybe 15 min on the putting green. Practice regimen may change now that I have added the SC200, maybe a target mode?
 
tpluff said:
My typical practice session starts with the 7 iron and then I go up and down the bag with about 7-8 shots a piece. Like to finish with some half swing wedges and then maybe 15 min on the putting green. Practice regimen may change now that I have added the SC200, maybe a target mode?
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I will be using the target mode this year with the SC200 for sure, it sounds like fun. I'm glad you mentioned that it reminded me I need to go order a new remote.
 
tpluff said:
My typical practice session starts with the 7 iron and then I go up and down the bag with about 7-8 shots a piece. Like to finish with some half swing wedges and then maybe 15 min on the putting green. Practice regimen may change now that I have added the SC200, maybe a target mode?
Click to expand...

Target mode is great to break up the practice and helps you with your yardages
 
jdtox said:
I will be using the target mode this year with the SC200 for sure, it sounds like fun. I'm glad you mentioned that it reminded me I need to go order a new remote.
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Well, I'm useful for something!

mikeg_74 said:
Target mode is great to break up the practice and helps you with your yardages
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I think so too. Once I get my yardages down in a couple sessions, I think it will be great for exactly that.
 
I used to grab a large bucket and go up and down my bag just hitting balls. Now that I’m dealing with nasty lower back issues, I have to be much smarter with my practice time. Non-round practice is a medium bucket, working mainly on a specific detail + alignment; some days I skip the range balls and work on chipping/putting. Pre-round practice is 7i, 4h, driver, then the putting green.
 
I always start by swinging my orange whip trainer for a few minutes. I will take swings from both sides.

I begin with my 60 degree just trying to hit them between 20-30 yards

I will then move onto my 9 iron for 8-10 balls

I will progressively move through my bag 8-6-hybrid-5 wood then driver between 5 and 10 balls each. Once I go through my bag I will go back to the clubs I feel I struggled with the most.
 
I feel like I'm always working on tempo and swing plane. Once I hit about 30-50 balls trying to find a good rhythm, I move on to shaping shots - left, right, high, and low. I just work through my bag.
 
Depends on where I am, home or range.

At the range, I stretch first, then start with 5-10 shots with my lob wedge and work my way back through the entire bag, taking extra shots as needed with troublesome clubs. I end with the driver, and pound the last few just for fun. The range I frequent doesn't have a putting green, so I do that work at home.

At home, I stretch first, then start with 5-10 dry swings with my lob wedge ... mimicking the range session work through the bag. Sometimes I'll use a bucket of foam balls, but most times not, as they are occasionally more trouble than they are worth. Then, I break out the kiddie pool and practice chipping into that from various ranges, until I'm either satisfied or tired. Putting practice happens in the sunroom with the roll-up mat. I start at the distance from the sole to the bottom of the grip with 5 balls, and must make at least 7 of 10 shots before moving back one grip length each time until I reach the end of the mat (about 9 feet).

I don't always do all of that in one day. In fact, more often than not, it's divided over different days.
 
i rarely have time to combine full swing work with short game work.

for full swing, i usually like to grab two clubs. one club from the top end of the bag, and something shorter. so maybe fairway wood and 9i, or driver and sw. and i try to work on something specific. one swing thought for the whole session, or just ball position, or one shot shape over and over.

for short game, it's usually one wedge and a handful of balls dropped in different locations and trying to hit different trajectory shots to different targets.

for putting, it's a handful of balls dropped at different spots and focusing on stroke and distance control. i don't drop balls in the same location, i try to treat each putt as its own in-round putts. the tendency i try to fight is to only putt from distances outside 10'. it's a habit i fall into because outside 10' it's ok if i miss as long as i leave a tap-in. but if i miss from 6' i get frustrated. so i try to mix it up and stress parts of my game.
 
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