Gizmo722
Hacker
What do you peeps think is the best way to keep on improving.Playing alot of rounds or maybe less rounds but practicing inbetween them.
best way to improve?
- Thread starter Gizmo722
- Start date
Less is more. Get yourself a decent pro and have a couple of laessons. Work on what he tells you so it becomes natural and then let it loose on the course.
Don't try and overplay as this is where faults creep in especially if you are playing every day and not necessarily playing well. The tendency is to keep playing to play your way out of a rut but this just ingrains the faults already there.
Get out on the range or practice ground and work on the problem and maybe get a recap lesson with the pro. I always practice more than I play especially on things like my putting and short game
Don't try and overplay as this is where faults creep in especially if you are playing every day and not necessarily playing well. The tendency is to keep playing to play your way out of a rut but this just ingrains the faults already there.
Get out on the range or practice ground and work on the problem and maybe get a recap lesson with the pro. I always practice more than I play especially on things like my putting and short game
Happy_Gilmore
Club Champion
I'd suggest looking for more quality rounds rather than quantity to see an improvment.
limit it to a couple of rounds a week if you can and then put in some decent practice too.
limit it to a couple of rounds a week if you can and then put in some decent practice too.
benny
Head Pro
3 hours a week with a wedge will see you lower your handicap whoever you are.
Try the old HRH Faldo drill - take 100 balls and drop them in any old place and play them EXACTLY AS THEY LIE. Don't give yourself an improved lie in practise, get used to hitting shots of crap lies and you will become a seriously dangerous match player. Up hills, from stupid angles, ball below feet, bunkers, cart paths, anywhere you can find to increase your shot making potential - this is the most fun you can have in practise i think.
Like Homer says - pitching and putting practise will do you more good than endless rounds that just groove in swing faults that you don't know your making worse.
Try the old HRH Faldo drill - take 100 balls and drop them in any old place and play them EXACTLY AS THEY LIE. Don't give yourself an improved lie in practise, get used to hitting shots of crap lies and you will become a seriously dangerous match player. Up hills, from stupid angles, ball below feet, bunkers, cart paths, anywhere you can find to increase your shot making potential - this is the most fun you can have in practise i think.
Like Homer says - pitching and putting practise will do you more good than endless rounds that just groove in swing faults that you don't know your making worse.
Tommo21
Tour Winner
Gizmo, practice more, without any doubt. If you play four rounds a week, quite a lot, you’re still not hitting a lot of shots when you take putting into account. You can go to the practice area and hit your four rounds worth in about one or two hours. Practice brings confidence, a confidence that is hard to gain by just playing rounds of golf, especially if you’re a beginner.
I also like playing alone (sad but true) in the evenings. It gives me a chance to hit two or three balls with different clubs.
I still play in sweeps and I’ve played 5 medals already this year so I’ve got plenty opportunity to play rounds of golf.
Off topic a little, I watched a guy last night and he was practice putting, all well and good. But he was hitting about 6 or 7 balls from the same spot. Nothing wrong with that…………..well, you only get one shot on the greens so I always practice my putting from different lengths with each ball. You must be able to size up one putt at a time. It’s easy after you hit the first one if you follow up from the same spot.
I also like playing alone (sad but true) in the evenings. It gives me a chance to hit two or three balls with different clubs.
I still play in sweeps and I’ve played 5 medals already this year so I’ve got plenty opportunity to play rounds of golf.
Off topic a little, I watched a guy last night and he was practice putting, all well and good. But he was hitting about 6 or 7 balls from the same spot. Nothing wrong with that…………..well, you only get one shot on the greens so I always practice my putting from different lengths with each ball. You must be able to size up one putt at a time. It’s easy after you hit the first one if you follow up from the same spot.
Up_Point_1
Head Pro
1: Get some lessons with decent Pro who'll be able to iron out any existing faults with your swing, posture, grip etc.
2: Then practise what you've learnt so that it becomes natural.
Not much point in playing loads and loads in the hope that it'll eventually improve. If you're doing it wrong in the first place then you'll just waste your time and become even more frustrated.
DHM.
2: Then practise what you've learnt so that it becomes natural.
Not much point in playing loads and loads in the hope that it'll eventually improve. If you're doing it wrong in the first place then you'll just waste your time and become even more frustrated.
DHM.
haplesshacker
Money List Winner
Wish I could get 2 rounds in a week.
USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
May be the dude on the practice putting green was trying to groove his actio and not work on pace or accuracy particularly. I like to hit the same putt a lot of times to get the right back and through, and then putt with only one ball to get the pace of the greens.
OldWindy
Q-School Graduate
- Joined
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Play the normal number of rounds and practice in between. Split the practice to 15% drives/woods/long irons, 30% mid-to-short irons, 30% pitching and chipping, 20% putting and 5% bunker play.
Or thereabouts, IMHO.
Or thereabouts, IMHO.
Gizmo722
Hacker
Cheers guys, now that i have joined a club it is tempting to constantly play the course.I might limit my rounds and spend quality time with my short game between rounds.
thanks for all your suggestions
thanks for all your suggestions
ColinR
Head Pro
You probably will do that for the first month, I certainly did, I was just so excited to be a new member !!! After the first month I started putting more time into practice, still waiting for the pay off though !!
vig
Tour Winner
Practice the weak areas of your game and play against better players.
It should help you raise your game.
I am currently looking for a lower H/cap regular partner as my mate plays off a generous 24 and I need to make a step up.
I used play with a scratch player but lost contact over the years
It should help you raise your game.
I am currently looking for a lower H/cap regular partner as my mate plays off a generous 24 and I need to make a step up.
I used play with a scratch player but lost contact over the years
There is nothing like striding out on a new course. When I rejoined Ascot we had moved from inside the racecourse to this longer but infintiely better course and I just wanted to play it again and again. It took most of last Summer to get to know the right and wrong places to miss fairways and greens and the subtle borrows on the greens (good job I was out of work at the time and had time to put the "research" in!!)
What you need to temper is that it is only enjoyable if you are hitting it half decently. I was in the midst of my course of lessons and so my swing was at a peak and so I could get away with playing more. Since December it has been in a trough and I am dedicating more time to eradicating the errors via my pro and tightening my short game and putting up. I am normally playing once a week (Saturdays or Sunday if it is a comp) and the rest of the week I am working on my game either at the range or on the practice ground.
I'm going to be upping my golf to rounds on Saturdays and Sunday from this weekend and maybe 9 holes midweek. The rest of the time I will just be hitting balls keeping everything grooved
What you need to temper is that it is only enjoyable if you are hitting it half decently. I was in the midst of my course of lessons and so my swing was at a peak and so I could get away with playing more. Since December it has been in a trough and I am dedicating more time to eradicating the errors via my pro and tightening my short game and putting up. I am normally playing once a week (Saturdays or Sunday if it is a comp) and the rest of the week I am working on my game either at the range or on the practice ground.
I'm going to be upping my golf to rounds on Saturdays and Sunday from this weekend and maybe 9 holes midweek. The rest of the time I will just be hitting balls keeping everything grooved
RGuk
Tour Winner
To improve your score, putting/chipping/bunker/pitches....we all know it....but it's boring!
As for long game, I personaly feel I get worse the more I just go out and play. If I can practice instead, the next time I play for real, I feel a rush of hope for playing better.
If you play a lot, you are going to learn how to negotiate your way around your course and learn your limitations etc. but we all need to watch if bad patterns are emerging in the general swing. Knowing how to get round with a constant pull/slice/draw/hook etc. is good for one off scores, but eventually we all need to take stock and start correcting ingrained flaws, or we're just learning to live with not-straight-enough hitting. That's my opinion.
As for long game, I personaly feel I get worse the more I just go out and play. If I can practice instead, the next time I play for real, I feel a rush of hope for playing better.
If you play a lot, you are going to learn how to negotiate your way around your course and learn your limitations etc. but we all need to watch if bad patterns are emerging in the general swing. Knowing how to get round with a constant pull/slice/draw/hook etc. is good for one off scores, but eventually we all need to take stock and start correcting ingrained flaws, or we're just learning to live with not-straight-enough hitting. That's my opinion.
Tommo21
Tour Winner
You’re quite right he could have been working on something different. However, I’ve very rarely seen anyone putt each ball from different lengths. I genuinely think this is very important part of putting practice.
It’s only my opinion but it’s worth remembering we do have a club for different lengths of shot. On the greens we can be putting from 5 feet or 55 feet with the same club. Each putt has to be sized up individually when we’re playing, we all know this, but we don’t get a second chance.
If I am using my eyeliner practice device on the putting green I will hit several putts to any given hole but that is more to develop the mechanics rather than anything else. Once I am in free play (not using the device) on the practice green I use one ball per target.
The only deviation from that is when I do the round the clock drill from 3 foot (6 balls in a circle at three foot away and try and hloe them all or start again). It gives you all the different types of break and is an ideal way of developing confidence
The only deviation from that is when I do the round the clock drill from 3 foot (6 balls in a circle at three foot away and try and hloe them all or start again). It gives you all the different types of break and is an ideal way of developing confidence
wilf_74
Assistant Pro
My pro always said, Practise makes permanent (not perfect). Make sure you practise correctly to improve, get help from your pro or use some drills from GM. 
rgs
Tour Rookie
IMO it takes a combination of playing, practise and lessons to improve.
Naturally practising properly and not perfecting faults is the optimum way to improve.
No matter how many range balls you hit i believe you need to hit the course and play your way around the course avoiding hazards and/or getting up and down from bunkers and poor lies etc.
Naturally practising properly and not perfecting faults is the optimum way to improve.
No matter how many range balls you hit i believe you need to hit the course and play your way around the course avoiding hazards and/or getting up and down from bunkers and poor lies etc.
