Practice Makes Perfect, or Does it?

If you’ve ever spent hours on the driving range or practice green working on putts, drives and more, you know that it can be hard to translate to the course. While practicing for golf is a wonderful thing to do to improve your game, it’s not quite like playing a game of golf. So maybe it’s time you changed the way you practice, to help your game improve even more on the green.

Get off the turf

While practicing on turf is fine, it’s still turf. Unless you plan to only play on turf, it will hurt you in the end. Practice in all kinds of conditions, with long grass, short grass, on uphill’s, downhills, etc. If you’re prepared for all conditions of play, hardly anything will phase you. You’ll encounter all situations in every Bend golf course, so the better prepared you are for them, the better you’ll play.

Short Game Shots

Taking one shot repeatedly from one angle, may teach you how to take that shot on the course, but it’s not helping you anywhere else. Try taking shots from all over. Don’t perfect one and move on; take a shot from one angle, and then move quickly onto the next angle. This will immensely help your short game, as you’ll be prepared for any shot from any angle.

Under Pressure

Some would say that one of the biggest parts of golf is the mental game. If you take a shot three times, and then make it on the final try, you might think to yourself that you’ve got it down. The truth is, you only get one shot out on the course. If you routinely allow yourself to practice until you get it right, you’ll be disappointed with your game out on the course. In golf there’s one try, so give yourself one try in practice, and then move on. You’ll find that it might help the mental side of golf get stronger, as you’ll be able to shrug off the bad shots and move onto the next hole.

Different Conditions

It’s not always going to be a beautiful sunny day when you play golf, and the weather can’t altogether be avoided. So take on the challenge of playing in different conditions, and see what you’re capable of. Try playing in windy weather, try playing in rainy weather. See what works for you in those conditions, and use them for practice. If you practice in non-perfect conditions, you’re more likely to play better in them, when they arise during a game of golf.

Practice

So yes, practice does help your game, but it highly depends on the way that you practice. If you’re perfecting shots you’ll never take in conditions you rarely play in, it’s best to change up your practice. Challenge yourself in your practice, and you’ll find that your game will improve. By using some of these techniques you might find that you’re more able to get out of your head, and focus on your game.