Practice with a Purpose

We all know the importance of practice yet so many of us neglect the areas of our game that need the most work. For most amateurs heading to the practice ground they want the session to be enjoyable and hitting bad shots is not enjoyable for anyone, but If you don't practice then how can you improve? This is why planning your practice sessions before you get there is so important, you can even plan it in your head on the way to the course. The point is you have to practice with purpose, set yourself goals for the session or even play a game - I find this to be very effective.

So lets give you some ideas for the future, if you're working on technique like a new grip or takeway for example then block practice is great. Block practice is a high number of repetitions rehearsing the same movement, this will groove in the adjustment in the fastest possible way. Its important to make sure that after a number of repetitions in your block practice you then take one golf ball and play to a target, go through your routine and try to put as much pressure on that one shot as you can. The result will then tell you if you're improving and ready to take your new swing to the course.

The next form of practice which I find very effective is what we call random practice. This form of training is re creating what you would do on the course, you start by picking different targets on the range. You could pick out a fairway using two trees or flagsticks, mounds, bushes anything to give you a variety of shots. The aim of this practice is to never hit the same shot twice, after all there's no second chances on the golf course. Every shot should get your full attention going through your routine as you normally would, if you hit the target you get 3 points if you miss your target you lose a point. Play as many holes as you like and keep track of your score for the next time you get to the practice ground and always try to better yourself. The great thing about these forms of practice is that even if you only have a short amount of time they're still going to be effective and the next time you get on the course your bad shots will be a whole lot better.