The GOLF Scoring Zone

What You Must Do Prior To Address the Ball

by Phil Rodgers with Al Barkow

This involves the rehearsal swings you should take before getting up to play your shots during a round of golf.  It is a very simple business and follows my basic precept for every golf swing…Make it even paced.  With the rehearsal swing you imitate the feels you’re after when it’s “show time.”  Try to simulate mechanics as much as you do the tempo and synchronization of the Swing

Practice Practice

Work on swing technique is more productive when done in short, concentrated sessions.  Long periods of ball hitting are fine to relieve the frustrations and tensions of life in general, and if you stand there just hammering at balls long enough you may eventually find some timing and rhythm that will produce decent shots.  But such sessions are invariably worthless in terms of developing a swing you can use on the golf course.

For one thing, on the golf course you are hitting a shot about ever five minutes.  But on the practice range the tendency is to hit a ball every 30 seconds.  That’s on reason why I think no practice session should be over an hour long, that you shouldn’t hit a great number of balls and that there should be a reasonable pause between each shot.  I don’t expect you to hit a practice shot every five minutes, but you want to come as close as you can to simulating on-course conditions.  Then, too, each practice shot tends to be hit with thought and purpose–you’re more likely sto concentrate well on each swing, and the work becomes productive.

With the exception of tour pros who through constant practice build up golf strength and stamina, golfers cannot usually sustain themselves physically for more than an hour of practice.  Every individual has his own level of physical endurance, and some people may be able to practice a little longer than others, but a person should quit when he finds himself or herself not thinking about each shot he hits and/or feels he is no longer able to put out a maximum physical effort.  Thoughtless and tired golf swings on th practice range make the session counter productive.  The muscles are left with a poor “memory,” and there is no psychological benefit, either, from leaving the range frustrated.

It pretty much follows that if each practice session is going to be relatively Short and concentrated, then at each one you can work on only on element of your swing–at most two.  Go into each practice session with a single thought.  When you’re satisfied that you have reached a goal with the work, leave.  If you’ve reached that goal after hitting only 40 balls, still leave.  Don’t get into another idea.  Go chip and putt.  or better yet, go play.

Practice, but practice for a reason and not just to hit golf balls.

Tags: Pre Shot Practice Routine // Add Comment »