Does practice make you better or worse?

[bobmac]

You arrive at the range full of hope and anticipation.
You get your 100 balls and off you go.
Out comes the driver and half an hour later, 95 bad ones and 5 wedges to warm down then off to the pub to calm down. :angry:
Familiar?
Firstly, have a plan.
Warm up first with a few half wedges at the 50 yard marker. Then 3/4 swings at the 100 yard marker then up to the full swing. Then a few 8 irons, the 6, then 4, rescue, 3 wood and finally driver.
That's you warmed up.
Next, decide which area to work on... short/medium or long game.
Now, here's where you can improve.

Self Analysis

If you hit a bad shot, analyse it and ask yourself this question.
"Was it a bad contact or a bad direction". Hopefully it wont be both.
You then need to understand how to fix the problem.
If it was a bad contact, work out why. Head moving is a favourite here.
Practice staying more centred.

If it was a bad direction, again, work out why. Where did it start...where did it finish and work out what caused the bad flight. Swingpath/clubface.

By watching what the ball does, you can work out what went wrong and hopefully work on a cure.

Self analysis is a great tool for improving your swing and will give structure to your practice sessions and hopefully you will leave the range a happier and more confident bunny.
Duffing/topping/slicing 95 drivers will not.
:fore:

 

[StrangelyBrown]

All good in theory Bob, but what I struggle with is the self analysis bit. I've often had my Dad film me, again to see the difference between feel and real (I feel like i'm hitting it from the inside, but my slice proves otherwise as does the video).

Once I have confirmed what I'm doing I rarely have the solution to hand and that's why I am so damned frustrated right now. I know i'm hitting out to in, I know I have to hit from the inside, I feel like I'm hitting from the inside but I just can't effing do it.

 

[DCB]

Good post Bob, some very simple but sensible advice on there.

I think that working through a basket of 50 balls is the best way to go, forget big baskets of 100 balls. You can concentrate on what you are doing far better with a single basket.

Thanks for the advice Bob.

 

[Alex1975]

What a great post!!!

Thanks Bob!!

 

[Aztecs27]

Good post Bob, some very simple but sensible advice on there.

I think that working through a basket of 50 balls is the best way to go, forget big baskets of 100 balls. You can concentrate on what you are doing far better with a single basket.

Thanks for the advice Bob.

I would agree, but I get a loyalty stamp with a big basket

What I tend to do though is as Bob described above, work my way up the bag) then decide what to work on (usually long or mid game) then have 30 or so balls at the end that I always use for wedge work to try and groove my "pitch" swing (100 yards and in).

 

[Monty_Brown]

:thup:

Great advice, thanks Bob.

100 balls is a lot, as DCB says. Is that always too many or is it horses for courses? I'd be cream crackered after that many.

 

[Aztecs27]

:thup:

Great advice, thanks Bob.

100 balls is a lot, as DCB says. Is that always too many or is it horses for courses? I'd be cream crackered after that many.

I think it depends how long you're there. I'm usually at the range for over an hour and a half if I hit 100 balls. So I have periodic rests between sets of 5 shots. Have a chat with mate, grab a coffee etc. If I hit them in quick succession (as I have done in the past) then I'm exhausted afterwards.

 

[Monty_Brown]

I think it depends how long you're there. I'm usually at the range for over an hour and a half if I hit 100 balls. So I have periodic rests between sets of 5 shots. Have a chat with mate, grab a coffee etc. If I hit them in quick succession (as I have done in the past) then I'm exhausted afterwards.

You mean you wait for the ball to land before hitting the next one?

 

[Region3]

I'm guilty of not taking much time between shots, but I do at least have a plan.

I do roughly the same as Bob suggested but I don't usually hit any iron lower than a 6, sometimes 5.
With crappy range balls it's a bit demoralising watching a 4 iron go the same distance as a 6 iron, so I don't bother. Don't normally hit many with hybrid or fairway wood either but then I only have 50 balls.

I try to save 10 or 15 at the end for hitting to 65, 75, and 85yd flags with different wedges.

As for self analysis, I enjoy trying to work out what went (or is going) wrong on a poor shot but I over complicate it too much.

I watched a series of The Haney Project on the Golf Channel's website, with Ray Romano.
Haney was asking him to concentrate on one or two things and Romano was coming out with all this stuff that he didn't like about his swing. Things that Haney hadn't even mentioned!

That's me that is!!

I'm not a golf coach so why do I worry about things I don't like in my swing that no-one has mentioned to me before?

 

[CMAC]

Adam Hunter was also a big advocator of 50 balls.

I tend to start with a 3 iron though as I put a smooth swing on it and helps a better connection. We all do it differently but less balls would help us all concentrate more I believe.

 

[DCB]

If you hit a bad shot, analyse it and ask yourself this question.
"Was it a bad contact or a bad direction". Hopefully it wont be both.
You then need to understand how to fix the problem.
If it was a bad contact, work out why. Head moving is a favourite here.
Practice staying more centred.

If it was a bad direction, again, work out why. Where did it start...where did it finish and work out what caused the bad flight. Swingpath/clubface.

By watching what the ball does, you can work out what went wrong and hopefully work on a cure.​

That's the crux of the matter IMO. follow that through and you'll get the best out of your practise sessions.

I always try to hit my last four balls in a manner that makes me feel positive about my session. leave in a high and you build confidence.

 

[RichardC]

I'm guilty of not taking much time between shots, but I do at least have a plan.

I do roughly the same as Bob suggested but I don't usually hit any iron lower than a 6, sometimes 5.
With crappy range balls it's a bit demoralising watching a 4 iron go the same distance as a 6 iron, so I don't bother. Don't normally hit many with hybrid or fairway wood either but then I only have 50 balls.

I try to save 10 or 15 at the end for hitting to 65, 75, and 85yd flags with different wedges.

Im the same.

Try not to hit more than 5 balls with the driver on the range, as I tend to get into thrashing mode

Now taking a couple of wedges and 5, 7, 9 irons.

 

[wull]

great post......

at killin golf club the practise area is very short so i can only really practise with a 56* wedge and i use this to gain feel and to loosen up.this helps alot as most yardages are from within 100 yrds as killin is short.

when i do go to the driving range,closest being 38 miles away i tend to do what you say.starting with the short sticks and working my way up.

something i have been working whilst out on the course is making sure i'm lined up properly and what a difference.i'm always there or there abouts and if i strike it badly i'm always down the middle.i hope it continues.

 

[Aztecs27]

I also concentrate on dispersion rather than distance when I'm at the range. May sound obvious, but I pick an area between two points that would be as wide as a fairway (maybe a bit wider) and hope to get it down the middle. Helps to focus the mind on hitting to a target and if you get one that ends up outside, if it's just outside, you're not too demoralised as you'd (in theory) only be in the 1st cut out on the course.

Was going to go to the range tonight (who said romance is dead? ) but I've pulled a muscle slightly in the middle of my back so it's a bit tight. Hoping it loosens up in time for Saturday!

 

[Swinger]

Nice post Bob.

Personally I don't like hitting wedges or pitch shots at a range because I feel to get real value out of a session I have to hit a lot of hard shots!!

Saying that though a basket of 100 takes me at least 45 mins (normally longer) to get through which judging by the amount of time other people get through them is ages!
I like to think I'm pretty good at understanding what went wrong but I'm sure it could be a lot better.

Not convinced about the 50 balls though. If I've made the effort to go to the range then I want to hit as many balls as possible (within reason and not rushing) to get the most out of my session.

 

[USER1999]

I normally hit 120 odd, and don't really hang about much between shots. I usually have a specific problem which has made me go to the range in the first place, so I will work on that.

Recently I have just been taking a 6 iron, and hitting it 1000s of times, to try to ingrain some swing changes. I think it will take a few 1000 more before I feel it is my default swing.

I am going tonight, so will hit about 60 6 irons to start with, and then see how that swing translates across the bag with the other 60 balls.

 

[DCB]

It maybe helps if you've got decent targets at your range. I go to Kings Acre just outside Edinburgh. It has four large target greens with 5-6 pins on each green. The bays all have a chart with the measured distance to each pin position. Makes for good practice sessions. I tend to concentrate on my iron shots. Not even had the driver at the range this year yet. Got to get the rhythm going before I try to hit the Driver.

 

[garyinderry]

there is a good selection of flags, markers and light poles at our range. my friend and I sometimes play an imainary 9 holes our of course. drive down first, if its straight then 5/6/7 in, if sliced then poss hybrid. we use the things out on the range as markings for fairways etc. we do this the whole way round 9. once you chip on to the green you move to next hole. gets you more focused as your actually aiming at things rather than just hitting into a field as hard as you can.

i also go to the range and do the usual, pump x amount of balls as far as i can with the driver.

 

[Region3]

I pick an area between two points that would be as wide as a fairway (maybe a bit wider) and hope to get it down the middle. Helps to focus the mind on hitting to a target and if you get one that ends up outside, if it's just outside, you're not too demoralised as you'd (in theory) only be in the 1st cut out on the course.

I have to disagree. I think having a target 30yds wide does nothing to focus your mind. Fair enough to designate between 2 markers as the fairway, but then have your target as small as possible like the line to a flag or a fence post or tree trunk. Whatever is in the background at your range. Then you can judge how far wide of your small target you were.

If you're aiming "down the middle" then hope is a good word to describe your chances imo.

We have a few targets but I have no interest in how far anything but my wedges are going so I just use them as 'line' targets.

 

[lofty1019]

This time of year is purely for any big swing changes i want to make. Get them in now so i don't need to mess about with my swing when the decent (hopefully) weather comes along! When practising tho i always pick something to aim at. Most people i see at the range don't aim at anything. Pointless!!!