Using the driving range and practice green for - practice!

Practise between rounds

Let’s face it, golf is a very difficult game, and most of us do not apply the time needed toward practice to improve ourselves. 

The majority of people that play the game do just that – play the game.  We hope that through the course of a round, we can pick up some problems in our swings that we can correct  the next time we go out to the course.  However, to make a marked improvement, we should practice in between rounds.

Practice on the driving range 

The best thing we can do to improve our games is to head to the driving range as much as possible.  Repeatedly striking balls will help you develop the muscle memory required to develop a consistent golf swing. There is more information on the Golf swing page. When hitting balls at the range, place a golf tee into the ground three inches behind the ball and another one three inches in front of the ball.  Also place a long club, preferably a driver, at your toes, parallel with tees.

When you begin to hit balls with this alignment, you should make sure that your clubface is going straight over the tees when making contact with the ball.  Your back shoe should pivot against the club shaft lying on the ground.  It is recommended that you try to focus on a high follow through after striking the ball, and also turning your hips toward the target.There is more information on the driving to the flag page.

Practice on the practise green 

Most driving ranges will have a practice green or mound that you can pitch onto.You should spend a significant amount of time working around this area because most amateur golfers do not place their approach shots on the green. There is normally a flag that you can aim towards as a target, so experiment with various shots to the target.  For these short pitches, choke down on the pitching wedge a little, don’t be afraid to swing the club (decelerate), and avoid the tendency to raise your head and follow the flight of the ball.

Practice putting with golf drills and target putting

Finally, practice your feel for putting on the manicured practice greens that are at most driving ranges.  Use three balls and try to hit three putts from the same spot.  You should begin by putting from a distance of three feet from the hole, and increase the distance of the putts throughout the practice session.  Also, keep in mind that you should be “target putting” – that is, trying to get the ball as close to the hole as possible.There is more information on golf drills on Putting on the green.

Practice with a pro

There is nothing like learning from another human being, in real time, asking questions, seeing them demonstrate and correcting you when you copy them. So if you're serious about getting a better score, practice with a pro. There's more information on the PGA Professional golf instructors page.

Taking the risk of repeating myself... repetition helps you learn

So did you get the main point of this article? Repeatedly striking balls will help you develop the muscle memory required to develop a consistent golf swing. So don't just think about it - practice!

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