How much do you spend on practice?

[Springveldt]

There is a long term solution: buy a simulator.

A guy I know at my club spent £20k building a sim room at home, but he told me if you buy a second hand GC quad you can do it for less than £10k. In the long run it works out cheaper than the range, gives you unlimited practice without having to leave the house, and you can use it to play games with family and friends in winter.

Every winter I get the idea of buying a Skytrak and kitting out the garage only to then remember that the garage is only 7 foot 8 inches wide, 8 foot ceilings and 18 foot long. I can't even get my car in there unless I plan on climbing out through the boot.

My clubs £150 trackman membership is well worth it and it's only a 10 minute drive. Only annoying thing is you have to phone the pro shop to book it after hours so I've got to negotiate with the wife what days I can go at around 8pm. Wish the pro would make a google calendar or something so you could just book it on a whim and pop over if no one was using it. I don't think he would appreciate a phone call at 9pm asking if anyone was using the room.

I've said that if we ever move again the only condition for me is that the house has a double garage so I can get my simulator/cinema room.

 

[sjw]

There's a conservatory in the way.

A foam ball won't break glass, Shirley

 

[Orikoru]

A foam ball won't break glass, Shirley

No, but it will fly over the roof of it and end up in the drainpipe or next door's garden.

 

[RichA]

I made it up, sounds like something these millennials would drink now.

Aren't you quite close to being a millennial?

 

[evemccc]

Until about two or three years ago I didn't bother practicing much as I was improving just be playing regularly - but then of course I hit a bit of a glass ceiling where I needed to start working on it.

I typically go to the local range on a Tuesday lunchtime (work from home Tuesdays), which is £4.50 for 50 balls. On Thursday nights I used to play football, my wife would have her best friend round for the evening - my football group has died out now, so I was thinking to keep the same arrangement and go to my nearest Trackman range instead. It's £12 for 100 balls there, which I can take my time over, spend an hour and half ish there.

But when you add it all up it's a lot steeper than you realise. £16.50 a week is £858 a year on practicing - some people's actual memberships aren't that much! Over 70 quid a month in practice sounds insane tbh. But people will say you need to be practicing twice a week to really improve. (Granted my football worked out a bit less than a fiver a week, so I can deduct that I suppose.)

I don't really have the option of practicing at my club, they have a hitting area that you use your own balls for, and a putting green, that's about it. Maybe in the longest nights of summer I could get out and do nine holes on those Thursdays nights between 8 and 9pm but that feels a long way away right now.

How much do you all spend just practice? Is £70 a month something you'd be willing to put in to get better at golf?

Disclaimer: I say this as someone who doesn’t currently do this, but have an intention to..

I would say that if you want to maximise improvement through practice and minimise cost - then totally focus on short game and putting

Why not put down a cheap £5 entrance hall foot mat from Dunelm or wherever, onto your garden/yard/patio and position an upturned golf umbrella varying distances away and work on strike and landing spot

Obvs short game practice is clearly most useful when working on a chipping practice green — but anyone can do this and it’s free and time-efficient (no need to spend time driving to and from practice facilities) and you and many people don’t have the access to a club with a chipping green

Spending money on ranges and TT ranges working on full swing is financially expensive and most people, I think, would lower their scores by improving chipping/putting etc

 

[Orikoru]

Aren't you quite close to being a millennial?

I have no idea.

 

[BobbyA]

Disclaimer: I say this as someone who doesn’t currently do this, but have an intention to..

I would say that if you want to maximise improvement through practice and minimise cost - then totally focus on short game and putting

Why not put down a cheap £5 entrance hall foot mat from Dunelm or wherever, onto your garden/yard/patio and position an upturned golf umbrella varying distances away and work on strike and landing spot

Obvs short game practice is clearly most useful when working on a chipping practice green — but anyone can do this and it’s free and time-efficient (no need to spend time driving to and from practice facilities) and you and many people don’t have the access to a club with a chipping green

Spending money on ranges and TT ranges working on full swing is financially expensive and most people, I think, would lower their scores by improving chipping/putting etc

Ive been basically doing this over the last month or so. Cheap golf matt from amazon and an old chipping net I had.
I work from home twice a week and have a garden office, each time I go to or from the office I hit 5 or 10 balls. Over the day its at least 50 chip shots, probably more.
My chipping on the course is massively improved, i still need to work on distance / speed control but i am confident i can get a good strike each time. Will continue doing this, and when my garden dry's out a bit I wont have to clean the balls each time after wards.

I've also brought my putting matt in from the garage to the front room, i hit a few putts every now and again in the evenings. I'm committed to keep practicing these 2 things consistently this year and hope it will give good results on the course.

 

[Imurg]

Ah...Lockdown memories

 

[RichA]

Ah...Lockdown memories

Yeah. After taking a few divots out of the lawn with practice swings I bought a little fairway mat. Then I constructed a "net" attaching a decorating sheet to a couple of tent poles so I could hit proper golf balls. Then I realised hollow practice balls would be less hazardous. What a faff. Lockdown madness!

 

[LincolnShep]

c£5pa - I probably go the range about once a year, realise it's boring and go home again, rinse and repeat 12 months later.

 

[Orikoru]

c£5pa - I probably go the range about once a year, realise it's boring and go home again, rinse and repeat 12 months later.

I used to feel the same to be honest, but something's changed in the last year. Ever since I had a lesson a year ago I felt motivated to actually practice my swing (otherwise would've been pointless getting a lesson really). And then my driving being so absolutely awful also motivated me to go and work on it. And since one of my local ranges got Trackman installed, it is more expensive but way more enjoyable as a practice session to set it up as if you're playing a golf course on the screen - rather than whack 10 wedges, 15 irons, 10 woods, 15 drives, etc.

 

[jim8flog]

There's a conservatory in the way.

That gives you the opportunity to study the swing in the reflection before it hits the glass.

 

[jim8flog]

No, but it will fly over the roof of it and end up in the drainpipe or next door's garden.

I used to hit air flow balls over the top of the house in to the front garden then realised the ones that did not make it finished in the gutter and then down the drain when the rains came.

 

[nickjdavis]

I reckon (looking at the app that links to the ranges ball tracking system) that in 2024 I had maybe 35 sessions at the range...usually I will hit around 75 ball which costs around £7.....so £245. Throw in a couple of paid for hours on other tracking systems and you can maybe add another £70 to that.

 

[Steve Wilkes]

I have a membership of a sports store that has a dedicated floor for a Golf Sky Track studio, it has 4 bays, I don't use it much in the summer as I'm playing out on the course most days, but if it's raining or too cold for golf I go up there for a couple of hours, I take 4 clubs, a Driver and 3 irons(different ones each time), I have a routine that I love doing. It costs £30 per month, so its works out a fair bit over the year, but I couldn't keep my lowish handicap without it

 

[sunshine]

I used to buy a tea at the station every day , then I bought a leak proof cup from amazon and make one for the journey at home and for the way home at work.Saves a fortune

I think we have different definitions of saving a fortune.

Unless you were buying some ultra luxury tea hand picked by supermodels and air lifted by helicopter directly to the station.

 

[hambugerpete]

I think we have different definitions of saving a fortune.

Unless you were buying some ultra luxury tea hand picked by supermodels and air lifted by helicopter directly to the station.

Great banter.

 

[sunshine]

Great banter.

Thanks. I’m on fire I know

 

[chrisd]

I usually take up a deal at a local range which, this year, is £300 for 5,000 balls not all of which are worth hitting. The year I decided to go for my club pro's deal to use his newly opened studio. The best deal on offer is £350 for 52 hours and I've taken that up. I've now done 4 one hour sessions and have been very happy with the progress I'm making for about £7 a booking, given all the added info that the screen gives. I do think a plan is important and I do try to work out what I'm going to work on prior to the session.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

That my practice is free may not be so great for my physical health.

Over each of the last three years I’ve done more practice than over the previous 40yrs combined…and I think that that may be at the root of my ‘left hand trigger finger’ problems that have come back a year after having cortisone injections for it.