Course practice facilites

[hovis]

Well normally walk up to the ball and then play it again and then next time you are under the tree recall what happened and try something different - or if on your own you could play the shot again

So remind me - how many trees does this range have for you to hit under to practise the punch shot ?

your like a dog with a bone. the majority of people need practice. that includes tour pros. just because you are the minority doesn't make it right.

you dont need a tree in the way to practise a puch shot. your just being silly. for once just say "i personally dont benefit from reputation for practice so i dont need to" rather than state thats how its should be done

 

[Craigg]

So remind me - how many trees does this range have for you to hit under to practise the punch shot ?

Hmm. That's a very weak answer. Do you need a lake to practice your 200yd carry?

 

[richy]

Oh dear. Phil just admit you originally made a stupid comment that continues to get more and more ridiculous the more you try and justify it.

Imagine a teaching professional saying "don't practice at the range just remember what you did wrong last time and don't do it next time"

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Oh dear. Phil just admit you originally made a stupid comment that continues to get more and more ridiculous the more you try and justify it.

Imagine a teaching professional saying "don't practice at the range just remember what you did wrong last time and don't do it next time"

Why is it stupid ?

I believe it's better to practise on the course than on a driving range or practise area. It's what had worked for me and helped me go from 16 to 4 HC - so why is that stupid ?

It's exactly how I approach the game - learn from mistakes and try things out whilst playing on the course.

I will always be in the belief that actually playing the game on the course is what will help bring someone's HC down and get someone playing better golf

 

[richy]

Why is it stupid ?

I believe it's better to practise on the course than on a driving range or practise area. It's what had worked for me and helped me go from 16 to 4 HC - so why is that stupid ?

It's exactly how I approach the game - learn from mistakes and try things out whilst playing on the course.

Because you're probably the only person in the world that would think like that. Many people have commented the exact opposite of what you said. Yes course time is important but how do you know what to try on the course? Just give it a go and hope for the best? That is why it's stupid.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Because you're probably the only person in the world that would think like that. Many people have commented the exact opposite of what you said. Yes course time is important but how do you know what to try on the course? Just give it a go and hope for the best? That is why it's stupid.

Because of a handful of people on the forum ?!

I reckon out of the swindles I play in there must be about 1 person who practises regualry out of the 40/50 people - yet at least 40% of them have had HC improvements - how they heck did they manage that without practise ? By going out on the course when they can and playing - 3 holes here and there couple of 9 holes when time allows.

Any course I go to the amount of people you see filling up the practise area is very small - a handful. If I had to guess at the amount of people that practised at a range or in an area then I reckon it would be under 2% of golfers - everyone else just goes out and plays the game whenever they get the chance - always see people out playing as singles , using two balls , trying two drives , couple of practise putts on the green.

So yes for me there is no better practise than on the course itself with the hole in front of you including all the dangers or hazards and the shots needed to play

 

[fundy]

if you never practise off the course how do you know that you wouldnt be better if you did?

 

[Dasit]

But can't you see how slow the improvement is for the majority of golfers who only play on the course?

I know loads of members who have played for 10 or 20 years and are still not single digit handicappers. These same guys never practice, they only ever play and still make the same mistakes as they never developed the technique to get out of bad situations.

While anyone who practices as much as they play, even if it means playing half the amount, gets better far quicker, and their handicap reflects that.

 

[guest100718]

Because of a handful of people on the forum ?!

I reckon out of the swindles I play in there must be about 1 person who practises regualry out of the 40/50 people - yet at least 40% of them have had HC improvements - how they heck did they manage that without practise ? By going out on the course when they can and playing - 3 holes here and there couple of 9 holes when time allows.

Any course I go to the amount of people you see filling up the practise area is very small - a handful. If I had to guess at the amount of people that practised at a range or in an area then I reckon it would be under 2% of golfers - everyone else just goes out and plays the game whenever they get the chance - always see people out playing as singles , using two balls , trying two drives , couple of practise putts on the green.

So yes for me there is no better practise than on the course itself with the hole in front of you including all the dangers or hazards and the shots needed to play

Such is the predictability of your answers, I am wondering if youre actually real and not just a bot like we get on IRC..

 

[richy]

Because of a handful of people on the forum ?!

I reckon out of the swindles I play in there must be about 1 person who practises regualry out of the 40/50 people - yet at least 40% of them have had HC improvements - how they heck did they manage that without practise ? By going out on the course when they can and playing - 3 holes here and there couple of 9 holes when time allows.

Any course I go to the amount of people you see filling up the practise area is very small - a handful. If I had to guess at the amount of people that practised at a range or in an area then I reckon it would be under 2% of golfers - everyone else just goes out and plays the game whenever they get the chance - always see people out playing as singles , using two balls , trying two drives , couple of practise putts on the green.

So yes for me there is no better practise than on the course itself with the hole in front of you including all the dangers or hazards and the shots needed to play

How do you know they don't practice? Because they don't openly admit it to you or do you make a habit of knowing everyone's business?

And just because you go to a course and don't see anyone practicing at that exact time doesn't mean people never do.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Because of a handful of people on the forum ?!

I reckon out of the swindles I play in there must be about 1 person who practises regualry out of the 40/50 people - yet at least 40% of them have had HC improvements - how they heck did they manage that without practise ? By going out on the course when they can and playing - 3 holes here and there couple of 9 holes when time allows.

Any course I go to the amount of people you see filling up the practise area is very small - a handful. If I had to guess at the amount of people that practised at a range or in an area then I reckon it would be under 2% of golfers - everyone else just goes out and plays the game whenever they get the chance - always see people out playing as singles , using two balls , trying two drives , couple of practise putts on the green.

So yes for me there is no better practise than on the course itself with the hole in front of you including all the dangers or hazards and the shots needed to play

Several points:

1) Our Sunday greedy averages at least twenty-thirty people ranging from 1-28 in handicap. Of those, I would say I see at least a dozen regularly at the two local ranges and at least ten are taking lessons regularly at either of these. In the summer, most evenings you are hard pushed to find a space on our putting green to chip/putt or in the bunker to practice those shots. We have a number of people that simply practice regularly

2) If no one is practicing how come most driving ranges are rammed in the winter evenings. The local one has happy hour where you get double balls from 6.00-7.00 and if you haven't got a bay by 6.15-6.20 you're waiting at least 20 minutes to get one. To say people don't practice is simply naive at best and in my own opinion just a way to back a flimsy argument many others as well as me have disagreed with

3) Many courses frown upon practice on the course, including playing two balls. It can be a big no no at some. In winter with daylight golf hard to fit in imagine rushing up to get a quick nine before it gets dark and having someone hitting two shots (not necessarily in the same direction) and having to wander and get them. Hardly conducive to pace of play

I'm sorry but I think your argument that practice on the course is the only way to learn is seriously flawed and while it may have worked for you, it is certainly not the way forward for most for the reasons everyone has outlined and you are seemingly beginning to argue for the sake of a very weak point

 

[TheDiablo]

 

[upsidedown]

Because of a handful of people on the forum ?!

I reckon out of the swindles I play in there must be about 1 person who practises regualry out of the 40/50 people - yet at least 40% of them have had HC improvements - how they heck did they manage that without practise ? By going out on the course when they can and playing - 3 holes here and there couple of 9 holes when time allows.

Any course I go to the amount of people you see filling up the practise area is very small - a handful. If I had to guess at the amount of people that practised at a range or in an area then I reckon it would be under 2% of golfers - everyone else just goes out and plays the game whenever they get the chance - always see people out playing as singles , using two balls , trying two drives , couple of practise putts on the green.

So yes for me there is no better practise than on the course itself with the hole in front of you including all the dangers or hazards and the shots needed to play

Unbelievable Jeff !!
http://www.golf.com/instruction/deliberate-practice-key-improving-your-golf-game

 

[richy]

:rofl:

 

[Simbo]

Sorry but you would prefer money spent on the practise area over the course ?! Really ?

There is no better place to practise than on the course itself - if your aren't getting better it's not because of the facilities it's because of the person holding the club

Daft reply, that has gotten continually more comical as you've went on through the thread!

At no point did I say I thought the money should be spent on the practice area instead of the course, I said it was fair enough that they were spending money on the course instead of the practice area. Doesn't mean I have to like it though, I realise I'm in a minority or people who enjoy practising and there will be far more people happy with money being spent on the course than the practice area. The course is more important But I do think they should make more of an effort on the practice area.
I'm miffed that I feel I can't get the opportunity to practice areas I feel are weak in my game because of lack of facilities.
Practising on the course is totally against the rules of most golf clubs, good swings and good shots are generally born from repetitiveness, doing the same thing over and over, this is why good golfers practice a lot. Top pros don't build short game areas in their gardens for no reason. Trying to "practice" while you're out playing a bounce game with your mates is nonsense. You, as a big advocate against slow play should be saying the opposite, would you be happy waiting behind someone as they tried 3 or 4 different methods to get out a bunker? Would you be happy putting on a green where someone has plugged the green after they hit 10 balls into from 80 yards? Would your mates just stand and wait on you while you faffed about opening a closing club faces to see the difference in flop shots?. Probably not should be the answer. This is what practice areas are for. Practising the low punch shot ove and over on the range so you have the ability to hit it on the course is far more effective than "practising" on course where it could take you a month to hit 6 of the same type of shot, and more than likely forgotten what you done the last time to try something different, where as you could hit 100 in an hour on the range.
I'm not talking about floodlit bays, ball machines or anything like that, just a decent green with bunkers to use during summer months. I get plenty of playing time on the course but I don't think I should be second guessing my choice of shot on the course, I want to try them all when there's nothing at stake so when I'm in a medal I know which one is the best option to use. I feel I would be a better player if I had better facilities to practice on.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Daft reply, that has gotten continually more comical as you've went on through the thread!

At no point did I say I thought the money should be spent on the practice area instead of the course, I said it was fair enough that they were spending money on the course instead of the practice area. Doesn't mean I have to like it though, I realise I'm in a minority or people who enjoy practising and there will be far more people happy with money being spent on the course than the practice area. The course is more important But I do think they should make more of an effort on the practice area.

my statement was made based on what you said and making a guess with the tone - something you have just backed up with the "doesn't mean I have to like it"

I'm miffed that I feel I can't get the opportunity to practice areas I feel are weak in my game because of lack of facilities.
Practising on the course is totally against the rules of most golf clubs, good swings and good shots are generally born from repetitiveness, doing the same thing over and over, this is why good golfers practice a lot. Top pros don't build short game areas in their gardens for no reason. Trying to "practice" while you're out playing a bounce game with your mates is nonsense. You, as a big advocate against slow play should be saying the opposite, would you be happy waiting behind someone as they tried 3 or 4 different methods to get out a bunker? Would you be happy putting on a green where someone has plugged the green after they hit 10 balls into from 80 yards? Would your mates just stand and wait on you while you faffed about opening a closing club faces to see the difference in flop shots?. Probably not should be the answer.

Nowhere did I suggest anything in regards taking 10 shots from 80 yards or anything of the sort

This is what practice areas are for. Practising the low punch shot ove and over on the range so you have the ability to hit it on the course is far more effective than "practising" on course where it could take you a month to hit 6 of the same type of shot, and more than likely forgotten what you done the last time to try something different, where as you could hit 100 in an hour on the range.
I'm not talking about floodlit bays, ball machines or anything like that, just a decent green with bunkers to use during summer months. I get plenty of playing time on the course but I don't think I should be second guessing my choice of shot on the course, I want to try them all when there's nothing at stake so when I'm in a medal I know which one is the best option to use. I feel I would be a better player if I had better facilities to practice on.

Every round where it is not a qualifying round for me is a practise round , it's facing situations on the course you don't get in a range , differing lies , differing wind , seeing everything in front of you instead of a yardage marker , driving to a specific point in a fairway to miss a hazard , playing into a specific flag on a green -it's all practicing the shots and situations you find yourself in medals etc - you don't find any of that on a practise ground

People can grind away 200 times one shot but how many times do they fail to execute when faced with it on the course with the conditions are far different than the perfect lie on the range. Out on the course you actually play the shots you need

 

[Craigg]

 

[Simbo]

More drivel!!

People mey well fail to execute a shot under pressure in a medal, one they've tried 200 times in practice, but they've given themselves a better chance of pulling it off under pressure if they've tried it 200 times before.

You never said hitting 10 shots from 80 yards just like I never said they should spend the money on the practice area rather than the course, but I'll just "guess" that's what you meant because it suits my agenda better. Hitting 1 0r 2 shots going round in a bounce game isn't practising, it's mucking about!

 

[Farmergeddon]

I am going through a radical swing change and have tried to do it by practise and playing but its just not working, I need to be able to hit the ball off a decent lie to get confidence in my swing, on the course its all sorts of lies and rough etc its just not working... However at this time of year our practise ground is a quagmire. This leaves me with 2 alternatives, the net or the range.. At least it does until our swing studio opens then I can go in there I am hoping that will be the answer but if we had a decent practise ground I would be out there for sure.. I wouldnt move clubs just for the practise facilities but it would be more in my mind if I ever move.

 

[fenwayrich]

The best golfers in the world are professionals. After they have played their round, they don't say 'I didn't drive the ball well today, I'll just nip out for another 9 to sort the problem out'. They go to the range.


Becoming good at golf is a combination of improving and honing a technique by repetitive action, and putting that method into practice in the different conditions found on the course. One without the other will result in being the sort of golfer we amateurs are, i.e modest.