Many people misinterpret the saying “golf is 90% mental”. This would imply that if one understands how golf is supposed to be played, they can easily translate it to how they play. This is wrong. The saying implies that 90% of golf is played in your mind. In other words, you control 90% of your golf game. To be in control of your game, you have practice with a purpose.
How you practice is how you play. Many people go to the range and hit hundreds of balls without focusing on anything specifically. They randomly smash balls to the open range and as long as the balls goes far and relatively straight, they’re happy. They’ll work thru all their favorites clubs and what they deem as the problem clubs, forgetting about all the fundamentals of the game.
Unfortunately, most of these golfers are doing nothing but ingraining many of their bad habits into their swings. These are the same golfers who complain of not being able to take the “range game” on the course. Why? Because they they do not practice with a purpose.
How to practice with a purpose
Fundamentals and pre-shot routine
The foundation of good golf rests on four fundamental things; grip, posture, aim, and alignment. A good golfer will focus on these four things on every swing, be it on the range or the course. This means that to practice with a purpose you have to ensure your grip is right, your posture is okay, you have a target and your alignment is proper – on every swing. Without these the foundation of your swing is already weak and it will manifest itself in the results more often than not.
One of the most neglected concepts that directly improve your fundamentals is the pre-shot routine. Every golfer should have a consistent, repeatable pre-shot routine. Once established, a pre-shot routine becomes an automatic function that eliminates the need to thing much when playing. Why? Because a pre-shot routine will make sure your grip is correct, you have a target, your posture is solid, and you’re alignment is correct. Therefore it’s paramount that when practicing, one incorporates the pre-shot routine on every shot.
Short game
More than 75% of the shots most golfers play in a regular round are from 120 yards in. Than makes the short game the most important part of the game. To have meaningful practice that will bare results in your game, it then behoves each golfer to spend most of their time practicing the short game. This includes putting, chipping and pitching. Invest in these parts of your game and you will reap rewards quickly.
Swing Mechanics
The golf swing is very complex and has very many parts. The back swing, wrist hinge, transition, forward swing, lag, impact, follow through, finish are some of the concepts in the swing. It is important that if you’re going to practice with a purpose, you need to focus on one or two concepts in the swing and make sure you get them right. The problem comes with you practice many different aspects because you never truly get to calibrate any one area. So next time you’re on the range, focus on an area or two of the swing and try to perfect them before moving on.
Pressure
You will inevitable find yourself under pressure to execute a certain shot on almost every hole. It can be the drive, that tricky second shot, a chip or that putt to make birdie, save par or bogey. That’s a guarantee in every round of golf. It is therefore very important to make sure you incorporate some level of pressure in your practice sessions. Challenge yourself to chip 6 out of 10 balls from different ranges within 3 feet. Make 50 2 foot putts in a row. Make 8 out of 10 putts from 5 feet range. Hit 5 drives in a row on target. Whatever it is, find a way to add some pressure in your practice sessions. It will give you confidence when on the course.
Coaching
Coaching can play a big part in implementing the above suggested areas of focus. To practice with a purpose, you need to make sure you’re practicing the right things. This is where a qualified golf teacher/instructor comes in. A good teacher will help you get your fundamentals right before they even look at your swing. They’ll be able to look at your swing and recommend adjustments you need to make it more efficient. Many golfers have shied from hiring qualified instructors forgetting that any good thing needs some investment. The investment one makes in getting golf lessons lead to better scores and a higher level of enjoyment in the game of golf.
While there are not many trained and qualified golf instructors in Kenya, here are a few you can consider: Shem Golf Academy, Total Golf Solutionz, Golf for Kids, John Van Liefland, Rose Naliaka.
Conclusion
If you want to improve your game, you have to practice with a purpose. That means making every swing with a conscious focus. It means creating situations in your practice that will give you confidence when you get on the course. It means simplifying the static elements of your game (grip, posture, aim, alignment) by creating a sound and repeatable pre-shot routine.
