What and how to practice on the practice area

[karlcole]

Hi everyone,
ive just joined a new club and it comes with a really good practice are which stretches out to 200m with markers every 50m. Im keen to start using this asap but was wondering what sort of drills do people use on this? im thinking of trying to find out my club distances and was thinking maybe hitting 10balls with each club and then getting a average dstance (would this work?) also maybe practice some distance control 60,70,80 yard chips etc?
is there anything you guys specifically work on or is there any good drills out there to help?

cheers

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Distance control, from 120 yards and in

 

[jimbob.someroo]

Would depend on what I wanted to work on that day but getting your distances is a good place to start if you've got a laser.

Don't do it on a set number of balls but when you hit a couple of shots nicely, use those distances. No point including a pitching wedge that was thinned 140 yards or a four iron duffed 70 yards for the sake of getting an average.

This should massively help on the course.

Would then potentially spend some time doing as you suggested. Work out how to hit your scoring clubs different distances. ie, how far does a half swing with a sand wedge travel, can you accurately hit a shot to 100 yards etc.

Also use it to have some fun - pick targets, pick clubs at random and try and get as near to the target with a random club - it could mean you learning to punch a 7 iron 110 yards, or playing a 50 yard pitch with a wedge instead of a high lob wedge (useful shot to learn for the wind).

 

[Birchy]

Like the guys have said above work out how far your hitting each club. Add 50 yards on then post it on here (joking )

After that like Homer says the 120 yards and in is huge. Get good at every distance from inside there and the chances are you will shoot some very good scores. Practice the half and 3 quarter shots etc.

 

[londonlewis]

good advice above.

Learning your distances on full shots is important but it isn't going to make you a great golfer.
Being able to control half and three-quarter swings will improve your ability to get up and down on the course.
Spend time controlling your distances.
A great golfer will be able to hit a ball 100 yards with their 8 iron, 9 iron as well as 46 degree / 52 degree wedges etc...
Same is true when you decrease the distance - learn to control how far you hit each iron, don't just learn how far each iron can go.

Have fun with it and set yourself challenges, make a game of it

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Take the Aimpoint course then spend all your time on the putting green, handicap will come down between 10 and 15 shots

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Reading through some of these posts, there is lots of well meaning advice but the OP has an unofficial handicap of 21. At that level, I don't see the point in learning to hit half and three quarter shots, fancy long pitches etc.

Time spent grooving a decent, repeatable swing will reap greater dividends. Concentrate on hitting full shots consistently and learn how far they go. When you can do that it's then time to learn the fancy stuff.

And spend LOTS of time practicing your pitching, chipping and putting :thup:

 

[G_Mulligan]

Reading through some of these posts, there is lots of well meaning advice but the OP has an unofficial handicap of 21. At that level, I don't see the point in learning to hit half and three quarter shots, fancy long pitches etc.

Time spent grooving a decent, repeatable swing will reap greater dividends. Concentrate on hitting full shots consistently and learn how far they go. When you can do that it's then time to learn the fancy stuff.

And spend LOTS of time practicing your pitching, chipping and putting :thup:

All about scoring for me. you can have a beautiful silky smooth full swing and still be a 21 handicap. Time spent on 100 yards and in learning your distances and the ability to pitch it close will reduce your handicap faster as long as you keep up the putting and chipping practice at the same time.

Also practice novelty shots from bad lies, under trees, plugged bunkers, wrong handed etc. then nothing will phase you out on the course.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

All about scoring for me. you can have a beautiful silky smooth full swing and still be a 21 handicap.

Yes you can, if you practice the wrong things! But if you have a repeatable swing then you are giving yourself a good platform to score well. Learn your natural shape and play to hit.

You won't score very well hitting beautifully controlled 1/2 pitches from the trees back to the fairway

 

[Pistol Peter]

Reading through some of these posts, there is lots of well meaning advice but the OP has an unofficial handicap of 21. At that level, I don't see the point in learning to hit half and three quarter shots, fancy long pitches etc.

Time spent grooving a decent, repeatable swing will reap greater dividends. Concentrate on hitting full shots consistently and learn how far they go. When you can do that it's then time to learn the fancy stuff.

And spend LOTS of time practicing your pitching, chipping and putting :thup:

Totally agree with this, playing of 21 there has to be a lot more wrong with your game than yardages. Learn how to hit the ball consistently and in the right direction then you can start to work on yardages, the practice area is a great place to work on this so just go out and spend as much time there as you can.

 

[cookelad]

As apparently it's bad advice no one else will post it but --> have lessons and then use the practice ground to hone what ever drills and techniques your pro has given you to work on between lessons!

 

[Birchy]

An unofficial handicap of 21 means an official handicap of about 12

We all know that don't we? :whoo:

 

[G_Mulligan]

Yes you can, if you practice the wrong things! But if you have a repeatable swing then you are giving yourself a good platform to score well. Learn your natural shape and play to hit.

You won't score very well hitting beautifully controlled 1/2 pitches from the trees back to the fairway

Going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Any swing can land you in the trees and once you hack out sideways or bump it 50 yards forwards a solid pitch close to the hole is the best chance at saving par.

 

[garyinderry]

surely getting a rough idea of yardages is no bad thing.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

surely getting a rough idea of yardages is no bad thing.

Agreed, it isn't. But until you can hit the ball consistently it isn't going to be very much use. The advice is generally to concentrate on building a solid repeatable swing. When you can do that it is worthwhile learning how far you can hit it. With an inconsistent swing there could be 50 yards difference between a good and bad strike

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Any swing can land you in the trees and once you hack out sideways or bump it 50 yards forwards a solid pitch close to the hole is the best chance at saving par.

We will have to disagree because not any swing can land you in the trees. If you spend time learning your swing and where it goes, avoiding the trees on a regular basis shouldn't be too much of a challenge.

 

[Evesdad]

Also use it before a round to get warmed up. In the summer I love getting there early and having a good practice to knock the cobwebs off.

 

[garyinderry]

Agreed, it isn't. But until you can hit the ball consistently it isn't going to be very much use. The advice is generally to concentrate on building a solid repeatable swing. When you can do that it is worthwhile learning how far you can hit it. With an inconsistent swing there could be 50 yards difference between a good and bad strike

21 handicap is a decent starting handicap. this chap might hit his irons quite consistently distance wise. he may carve his driver and lose shots off the tee. his chipping is bound to need work and course management probably isn't the best. there is a million reasons why he plays off 21 but there is nothing to suggest his irons are the reason his handicap is what it is.


get out there, jot down rough yardages and move on.


ive met many 20+ handicaps who can bomb it off the tee but I've yet to see many with a razor sharp short game. karlcole get chipping and putting my good man! :thup:

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

21 handicap is a decent starting handicap. this chap might hit his irons quite consistently distance wise.

Ask any decent golfer which they would prefer, distance or direction. I think you'll find most will opt for direction. Working on accuracy will get the OP`s handicap down quicker than knowing how far into the cabbage he has hit it.

 

[garyinderry]

Ask any decent golfer which they would prefer, distance or direction. I think you'll find most will opt for direction. Working on accuracy will get the OP`s handicap down quicker than knowing how far into the cabbage he has hit it.

I don't dispute that at all. hitting a consistent distance should tie in with a decent amount of accuracy. I just suggested he should find out his rough distances and move on. as long as a player can keep it between the hedges on the way to the green, a good short game can produce a decent score. :thup: