Practice Ground Routine

Despite the millions of people who play golf how many of them actually know where the practice ground is at their golf club?

And of the few who know where it is and what it's for, how many actually use it!

If I haven't got time to play eighteen holes then I'll go down to my club and hit some balls on the practice ground.   It's a good job that I only live two and a half miles from my golf club.

The other problem with using the practice ground is using for a reason, it's no good going down there and just hitting balls out there somewhere!

I read or heard that you should always aim at a target when hitting a golf ball, that's why there are targets/poles/distance markers on driving ranges.

Our club had it's Jubilee Cup/Norman Plum team trials a couple of weeks ago.

I arrived early and went onto the practice ground with 100 ball.  They were all old lakeballs so I had decided to leave them on the practice ground after using them.

It was breezy but sunny so I decided to use the following warm-up routine.

First shot was a draw

Second shot was a fade

Third shot was a punch shot

Fourth shot was a straight shot

I did this over and over again.

I've been working on shaping my shots more, or just having the ability to hit a draw/fade when I need one.

On the golf course I always aim for a straight shot, but I normally get a little fade (which I can live with).

When my two playing partners arrived on the practice ground they did comment on how widely spread my golf balls were.  I had to explain to the two numptys that only fifty percent of my draws/fades worked, the others just went straight were I had aimed my body!

I'm having a golf lesson so I can get my draw/fade into my book of golf shots.

The warm-up must have worked as I won the qualification game and I also shot a course record for me, 81 on a par 72 course.

I can understand that some people would be happy just to improve their ball striking, without worrying about where the ball ends up.

What kind of practice routine do you need?

Russ

I like to use the Practice Ground more than The Range.

I can practice as much as I like at the moment, I just have trouble walking with my knees. Hope they will stand up when I play more this summer.

MY ROUTINE.

I keep 200 Titleist balls in the Practice Sack, so thats my target session.

I will hit a few wedges to loosen up and only when I feel loose will I start proper.

I start with a 7iron and just put on a smooth swing x's10.

I then try and hit full 8irons into those ten balls x's10.

I then try and hit 6iron into the batch of balls x's 10.

I go back to the 7iron and start to hit cuts, draws, high & low into the batch of balls until I feel happy.

I will then select a few old "throw-away balls" and hit them with Driver & 3wood.

I will then select my 'Club of the Session' and play a round in my head. Draws, Cuts, Fades, High & Low all at the same 'Target'.

I then finish off the balls with either Wedge or SW's and just try to make as tighter bunch of balls that I can.

I then take my trusty 52*SW, place my Practice Sack in the middle of the balls and chip the balls back to it. This is done one-handed, using both R/H & L/H.

I then 'flick' each ball into the Practice Sack using the SW in my R/H while holding the Sack in my L/H.

Thats the Session done, then its off to the Putting Green.

TheLyth

Christopher,

"At no point now do I ever hit a Driver or Wood in Practice, I have total trust and faith in those clubs just to use them on the course. Those clubs on a practice range or driving range and be so destructive because you inevitably try to hit them further then the previous shot and end up mucking up your rythm and swing.

Interesting comment.

It is an art to be able to hit a full Driver, followed by a Iron, then a delicate chip and a putt, or two/three. Do you agree that putting each element of practice together on the course is the hardest bit?

TheLyth 

 Lyth I liked reading your routine. I too have a similar routine which always starts with 9 iron looseners in 20 ball batches. I then practise around the green with 60*/9 iron comparitive shots over bunkers/elevated parts of the green. iF it's windy I'll do comparative 7/ three qtr 5 irons from 150 yds and then my driving (including 1 and 3 irons off the tee, hitting them back with 1-6 irons.

 Onbe thing about practice is you have got to want to do it. If you're mind is not on it then don't bother, as Russ says you may as well just hit balls for the sake of hitting them.

Patrick,

Your right.

The Range has been a great invention, for the lazy Practicers that is. The only benefit from a Range is that you don't have to go pick the balls up.

What benefit comes from hitting ball after ball without purpose. No target, just hitting balls. The number of times I've watched people hit Driver after Driver down the range without taking aim.

A help with practice Putting is not to keep taking the same putt time after time, you don't learn to 'read lines' then. Play 9/18 hole rounds in your mind with putts for birdie, par etc, this also helps get your mind set.

TheLyth