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Your Perfect Practice Session

Canadan

Canadan

LGND
Albatross 2024 Club
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Two scenarios;

1 - You've got two hours to burn.
2 - You've got one hour to burn.

You're at a facility with a pristine grass range with unlimited fresh balls, a full practice green and a secondary green for chipping and a big old bunker. You also see a friend up at the clubhouse and know of a couple other members with nothing better to do (at your disposal essentially).

How do you spend your time and why?
 
My motto....sorry bud.

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Scenario 1 - 1 hour short game. Chipping, pitching, all sorts of shots. Fly to the hole. Run up to the hole. Sand work. 1 Hour on the range, 1/2 hour full swing 7i-PW. Finish up with 1/2 hour working 6i to Driver.

Scenario 2 - 30-40 mins short game. 20 mins Full swing on the range (mainly 7i-PW work).

I try and do the majority of my range work on 7i to Short game. It is where I burn up the most of my strokes, so I spend as much time there as possible.
 
Option 1

Little long range session playing closest to the pin with a club that is two clubs two long, time in the bunker closest to target(good lies, fried eggs, upslope/down slope), chipping green call your shot(pitch, chip, flop), then a game of horse/pig on the putting green

Why?
Working on distance control is great practice for tempo and when you need to keep the ball low.

Bunker- because it's easy to jack a hole up here and their are lots of ways to get out.

Chipping green- working on different shot shapes to control release and use contours of green will give you the chance to get up and down to save par

Putting- horse/pig cause it puts pressure on you to sink the putt
 
It will involve a FlightScope I think.
For the two hours I will work for 45 minutes hitting my irons two different flights.
Then 30 minutes working with metal woods. Nothing more than hitting my groove and imagining a fairway.
Then the final 45 minutes working on nothing but short game. Usually that means 20 minutes of putting and 25 minutes of some sort of short game drill.

For the one hour of practice I would do 30 minutes on full swing and 30 minutes on short game. Full swing would be less about drills, than just working on a single item I am trying to achieve with my swing. For me this is usually balance. Short game would be all about a single drill to keep me vested mentally.
 
Both scenarios will have me working through my entire bag on the range. The only difference will be how I break up my short game time.


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Scenario One: Two hours to burn
- Create a Virtual Course of 18 holes. 2 Par 5s, 4 Par 3s and 12 Par 4s.
- 10 Minute warm up, all clubs
- Tee to Green: Play each shot as if I was on a course and based on the currently hit shot, take the next shot from where I would expect my last shot to have landed. Use bunkers and my short game on the appropriate practice area again depending on what my previous shot was. For example, if I flub the approach shot, take the next shot form a bunker, etc.
- Try to vary the terrain and the width of fairways, etc.
- Try to get through the "course" as quickly and efficiently as possible, not taking my time with the shots. If I had someone around to help my "create" each scenario, I would do that.

Scenario Two: One hour to burn.
- Spend 20 minutes working from short game clubs to driver.
- 10 Minutes on Driver down to Woods and Hybrids
- 10 minutes working on short game from 125 yards out to 25 yards out
- 10 minutes chipping from short game area to green and then putting from wherever the ball lands
- 10 Minutes bunker to green and putting wherever the ball lands
 
I find myself in these exact scenarios quite often in the summer after work and have some routines down pat.

Scenario 1)
Get a large bucket of balls (usually about 75-80) and play my way mentally around a course while keeping 'score'. I drain the remainder of the basket working on partial wedges to specific targets and different flights. This usually takes about 1 hour for me. I then spend the next hour on short game and putting with a focus on whatever I've been struggling with lately. When i practice putting I like to find a hole that's on a portion of the green with a little slope but nothing crazy and put 4 balls all the way around. I'll putt these balls from different distances until I'm draining more than I'm missing.

Scenario 2)
All short game and putting. If I only have 1 hour on the range I tend to rush through the bucket and the practice becomes negligible, so i just avoid it. I'll take 1 ball to the practice green and play "2-putt" which is a game where I lag putt to a distant hole and try to always make it in with 2 or less putts. I tend to practice chipping from all the lies that absolutely wreck me during a round, like an uphill tight lie or a downhill rough lie and really make sure to take my time never hitting the same chip twice in a row.
 
ArmyGolf said:
I find myself in these exact scenarios quite often in the summer after work and have some routines down pat.

Scenario 1)
Get a large bucket of balls (usually about 75-80) and play my way mentally around a course while keeping 'score'. I drain the remainder of the basket working on partial wedges to specific targets and different flights. This usually takes about 1 hour for me. I then spend the next hour on short game and putting with a focus on whatever I've been struggling with lately. When i practice putting I like to find a hole that's on a portion of the green with a little slope but nothing crazy and put 4 balls all the way around. I'll putt these balls from different distances until I'm draining more than I'm missing.

Scenario 2)
All short game and putting. If I only have 1 hour on the range I tend to rush through the bucket and the practice becomes negligible, so i just avoid it. I'll take 1 ball to the practice green and play "2-putt" which is a game where I lag putt to a distant hole and try to always make it in with 2 or less putts. I tend to practice chipping from all the lies that absolutely wreck me during a round, like an uphill tight lie or a downhill rough lie and really make sure to take my time never hitting the same chip twice in a row.
Click to expand...

Typically I would do a 50/50 split between the range and short game area but I like this plan much better!
 
Option 1 - hit 35 to 40 balls mostly shots between 50 and 100 yards with a few 6 irons thrown in. Then do a few drills. After the drills head onto the course and play 9 holes.
Option 2 - same as option 1 but instead of going out to play. I will chip and putt.

Truth be told the only time I spend more than 30 minutes on the range is when I get a lesson or go to my instructors studio. If I spend more than 30 to 40 minutes out there I will do more damage than good. Plus after hitting balls on trackman for the last year. At least for me, hitting balls when not on the trackman is a waste of time.
 
So many options! What to do?

Scenario one. First hour- warm up hitting wedges to the closest target or two. Shots that don't require a full swing. Then move on to mid irons and take aim at a target about a 7 iron away. Work on hitting different types of shots: high, low, draw, fade, straight. Work on the ball flight that is giving me the most trouble. Lastly, move to fw woods and driver. Imagining a fairway down the range. Work on draws and fades into the imaginary fairway.
Second hour go to the putting green. Start at the hole, doing a clock drill from 3, 6, and 9 feet. Move back to 15 and 25 feet, trying to get ten out of ten in the 3 foot circle. Move off the green and chip, low runners and high trying to get 10 of 10 of each shot within the 3 foot circle. Then grab your buddy from the clubhouse and play a match on the chipping/putting green. Play until you hile out, winner picks new location and hole.

One hour to practice: small bucket of balls to loosen up. Moving from wedges up to driver, hitting half the clubs, no more than 4 or 5 shots per club. The balance of my time is spent on the green or chipping green. Drills as above for putting or chipping, or working out of the bunker.

With more time to work, I would spend more time working on ball flight, since I usually just play for a straight shot, and I can't quite shape the ball on command. I like to spend a lot more time on the green and chipping, since getting the ball close enough to sink a putt can make up for poor approach shots. Obviously, working on approach distances helps, but even a good looking approach can get a bad result and you are stuck with a short game shot.
 
Scenario One - 1 hour on the range, wedges warm up for 10 mins, then going through the bag as though I was playing 18 at my home course. This way I'm not stuck hitting the same club over and over again. Then 1 hour on the short game area, 30 mins putting drills then 30 mins working on various chips and pitches.

Scenario Two - 30 mins on the range, 10 minutes with wedges to get my groove then alternating iron shots before ending with 5 minutes of driver. Then 30 mins at the short game area, 15 minutes putting and 15 minutes chipping/pitching.
 
This requires thought.
 
My routine has changed a lot over the last year, more focused on short game.

Scenario 1:
- I would spend 30 minutes on the range getting loosened up. I would probably only focus on a wedge, 8 iron, 4 iron and Driver.
- 30 minutes of focus on chipping with maybe 10 of that being in the bunker.
- 30 minutes on the putting green with the main focus 10 feet and in. I may spend a max of 10 minutes on putts over 10 feet.
- The rest of the time I would challenge my friend/other members to some putting and chipping games.

Scenario 2:
- 10 minutes on the range getting loose. Use a wedge, 5 iron and driver.
- 25 minutes on the putting green again focusing on 10 feet and in. 5-10 minutes on lag putting.
- 25 minutes working on chipping.

In the past I would have spent the majority of the time on the driving range but especially over this last season I finally realized outside of my poor driver performance, I am losing the most shots on my short game. This season was the first year I really spent time on the practice areas and I've really enjoyed playing games against myself to keep it from getting stagnant.
 
For two hours I would:

30 minutes putting, 30 minutes working on wedges 50 yards and in, 30 minutes with the driver, fairway and hybrid, 30 minutes with irons.

For one hour I would:

30 minutes putting and wedge game, 30 minutes with everything else.
 
1....45 minutes on range...45 short game/bunkers...20 putting then a quick 10 back at range hitting balls.

2. 30 at range...20 short game 10 putting
 
Scenario 1: will spend 30 mins working on irons. Working on tempo and contact. 15 mins with driver and woods. 15 mins of simulating golf holes and playing them out. 30 mins of chipping/pitching and 30 mins of putting working on 4-5' and speed control from 12-24'

scenario 2: 30 mins on swing with mid iron and driver. 30 mins of putting similar to scenario 1
 
Given my game presently.

i'd spend 30 minutes on full swings. The remaining time would be short game. Putting lag putting, and pouring in 5-10 footers, chipping,from every conceivable lie I could find, knock down wedges, some time in the bunker if I felt comfortable with the work around the green.

For the 1 hour session. 20 minutes on full swings the rest of the time on and around the putting green.
 
Just the hour. I like to hit the range and practice my chipping and putting. I've never been one of the guys who will stay out on a range hitting balls for hours on end.
 
The perfect practice session is the one that comes before a good game. It could either be just chipping before the horn goes off on a shotgun start, or an hour at the range the day before. An hour is enough for me, hour and a half tops, and that would include putting and bunker practice. Any more than that I'm just easing the boredom.
 
2 Hour - get a spot on the range next to My friends so we can chat, harass each other about bad shots & probably take a few swings with the other guys stuff if that have anything new or interesting.
Warm up with the 8i & then work my way through the bag a few times. Then I focus on 80 to 120 yards shots for a while which inevitably leads to a closest to the pin completion with the friends.
When the arms start getting tired I move on the the short game practice area for some 10 to 40 yard practice. I like to hit to a different flag each time & practice shots that stop vs shots that role out.
Depending on how much time I have left. I'll get some bunker work in before moving on to the putting green. If my friends are still there, closest to the hole games are guaranteed to happen.
 
A few years ago I would have just pounded balls at the range for 2 hours. Now I would do things differently.

Scenario 1: First hour....Warm up with some wedges then move progressively through the set to driver. Work on the driver for a little while then eventually start practicing as if I was playing. Driver, 7i, wedge. Driver, 5i, wedge, etc. I'd also hit a few 3w and hybos of the deck and a few off the tee. 2nd hour all short game. Pitches, chips and bunker play then a solid 30 mins of putting.

Scenario 2: 30 mins of wedges and 30 mins of putting.

If you can't tell short game is my focus this year. I want to be deadly with the wedges and improve my putting a ton.
 
Scenario 1: Hit a bucket of balls, going through the bag and just working on solid contact. Probably takes 30 minutes to an hour. Then over to the practice area to spend the rest of the time split between different bunker lies and chipping and then putting. The rest of the time, I'll socialize. If I spend more than an hour out there, I'll end up goofing off and wasting time.

Scenario 2: Small bucket of balls on the range, rest of the time in the short game area.
 
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