Practice Persuasion
In one
phase of golf, I usually find it necessary to utilize the art of friendly
persuasion on my readers and listeners.
That’s when I try to convince them that practice is important and fun.
It is rare
to find a person among newcomers to the game or average amateurs who are
willing to spend the hours of practice so necessary for them to develop their
golf to the full extent of their ability.
I guess it is understandable that they prefer the companionship and
competition of a round of golf to the solitary work on a practice tee or green
or at a driving range. Yet, I have spent
many of my most enjoyable hours hitting balls—in my younger days when I was
developing my game and throughout my pro career when I was sharpening and
refining it. I have particularly
relished those first days of spring or, in later years, the first sessions in
Florida or out west after a few weeks of winter-enforced idleness at home in
Pennsylvania.
Take my
word for it. Practice as much as you
can—but do it the right way.
Golfers who
belong to clubs usually have a practice area to use. Few public courses do, but nowadays you can
find good driving ranges most everywhere.
If you are not worried too much about the turf, you can practice little
chip and wedge shots in the backyard; and many golfers, myself included, have
done a lot of worthwhile putting indoors on the carpet or artificial greens,
developing the stroke and feel of the putter.
Regardless
of where you practice, do it with a purpose.
Study each shot, concentrate on every part of the swing, have a target
in mind. Aim at some object in the
practice area. You might set out your
shag bag as a short-iron target.
An
important point about the sequence of your practice with the woods and
irons. Start slowly, regardless of
wheter it has been a day or a month since you last swung a club. Here is the practice pattern I and most pros
follow starting a day of practice or warming up for a round:
We begin
with the pitching wedge, hitting little flip shots to loosen the up and get the
feel of the club and the contact with the ball.
When we
feel loose, we start hitting full shots with the wedge, then move through the
irons, from nine to one, skipping a few if the time is limited.
Next come
the woods. We hit the three- and
four-woods off the turf, as we would in actual play, and wind up that phase of
practice with the driver, teeing up the ball, of course.
Usually, we
have sand traps and model greens available in the practice area. We then can work on our pitching and chipping
as well as the bunker shots with the sand iron.
In most
cases, putting comes last. Here it’s a
matter of personal preference. Some pros
dump a bag of balls at one spot on the practice green and putt away from there
with all of the before moving. I prefer
to use just a few balls and keep moving around, varying the distances and
slopes between ball and hole.
Getting
back to the work with the irons and woods on the practice range, here are some
of the checkpoints you should remember to make practice most valuable and
enjoyable:
- Occasionally, lay a club in front
of your stance to be certain your alignment is and remains correct.
- Examine the divot marks you are
making to be sure you are coming through the ball in the direction of the
target.
- Be sure you are squaring the
clubface behind the ball at address.
- Check your grip for proper
positioning and firmness, both at address and at the top of the backswing.
- Concentrate on keeping your head
still throughout the swing and on starting your take-away in one piece without
immediate wrist break.
- Be certain that the ball is
positioned correctly in the stance—off the left heel.
To
get the full benefit of this practice, particularly if you are not an expert
player, you should do it at least occasionally as a part of or following a
lesson from a qualified golf pro. That
way, you will be hitting your shots with the right techniques and will have an
expert observer watching you to correct your errors and keep you from
developing bad habits.