Avoid Practice Boredom

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By Skip Guss

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  • 10 Replies
  1. Skip Guss

    Skip Guss
    Marlborough, MA

    Don’t Let Your Practice Sessions Become Boring

    Practicing can be a GREAT time to improve one’s skills…it can also be deadly to your game. WHHAAATTT??? How can that be? Simple…you hit balls…find your groove…your mind gets bored…you start fiddling around due to the boredom & countless repetitions…and you lose it! Now, as an instructor, I can look back at those times and realize what was actually happening when this situation occurred with me. I got bored…became distracted…resulting in becoming “lost”.

    Here’s a way to avoid a poor practice session the next time you head out to work on your game:

    1) Have a Plan: decide, before you get to the practice facility, what you want to work on and what your goals are for that particular session. Best to write it down, too! (Always carry a notebook with you…an invaluable tool to help you play your best!) SEE PHOTO

    2) 10-Ball Sessions: Think in terms of “10-ball sessions”. Each segment of your practice routine will be with 10-ball being hit, putted, chipped, pitched, etc. The goal is to give all 10-balls your complete focus…taking time to do your VERY best with each ball.

    3) Change It Up: Once you have completed the 10-balls, move onto another aspect of your game (ex: after 10, 30-yd shots, move to the putting green and hit 10, 50-foot putts). Using the plan you wrote down in your notebook, change to a completely different segment of practice after every 10-balls. This will help keep you focused & energized for longer periods of time. So…if you have 10-segments of your game that you wanted to work on during a particular practice session, and you practiced in 10-ball segments, that would mean you gave 100% focus and attention to all 100 balls! WOW!!! That would be fantastic!

    4) Record Your Results: After your session has been completed, write down your thoughts on how you did for each segment, and for the practice session as a whole. Don’t be too harsh on yourself, but don’t sugar-coat things either. BE HONEST IN YOUR EVALUATION(S)! These observations will help you in the future…as well as help you formulate the plan & details for your next practice session.

    Think about this…formulate a plan…move around & practice multiple aspects of your game…all the while, maintaining a high level of focus. Do this, and your game WILL improve!

    Thoughts? Please share!

    Post Image
  2. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military
    Great plan. If I go to the range normally it is to work on a specific problem and usually with my instructor. If I practice it is usually on tempo and alignment..... aiming at specific targets..... their is a lot of room in my brain to file this.... not used a lot..... when I warm up before a round, it is on temp and alignment but with a warm up bucket normally with only three or four clubs...... no thinking when I hit the course....
  3. Goldpanner

    Goldpanner
    Trail, BC

    Great advice.
  4. Eric H

    Eric H
    Ridgway, PA

    Very cool. I like the idea of having a plan. One way that I like to practice is to visualize playing a hole in my mind on the range. See yourself on the fist tee, hit the shot required. Take in the result, then hit the next shot required, maybe its an 8 iron to the green, or a low punch out of the trees! Move on to the second tee shot an do the same. I find good results from this.
  5. Michael P

    Michael P
    Athens, AL

    Eric H said:

    Very cool. I like the idea of having a plan. One way that I like to practice is to visualize playing a hole in my mind on the range. See yourself on the fist tee, hit the shot required. Take in the result, then hit the next shot required, maybe its an 8 iron to the green, or a low punch out of the trees! Move on to the second tee shot an do the same. I find good results from this.

    I really like this method as well- think about each hole at my home course and hit the next shot. Unless I'm learning to hit a new club I've acquired or dialing in an adjustable club, this is my normal practice method.
  6. Steve S

    Steve S

    Thanks for this advice! It's a very nice process for focused practice, which I definitely need.
  7. Todd T

    Todd T
    San Diego, CA

    Military
    Good plan.. They say you're more likely to do something if you write it down.
  8. Lance P

    Lance P
    Hillsborough, NC

    Skip, Thanks for the tips about practice. I especially like the "10 ball" idea and will try that next time I work on my putting. I see others drop a few balls and fly around the practice greens hardly even taking any time. I'd rather do the "around the world" drill with 6-8 balls circling the hole. 10 ball would work fine also.
  9. Geraint I

    Geraint I
    Cardiff

    Like your plan, and I would create next practice session based on post comment results in preparation for future practice session.
    Personally I always go to practice area with a clear plan that is focusing on area that under performed during last round based on stats collected. I currently use game golf for collecting stats that show within 75yrds my area for improvement.
  10. Skip Guss

    Skip Guss
    Marlborough, MA

    GREAT COMMENTS so far...thanks for sharing.

    Meeting up with folks from Titleist HQ later this morning...filming practice routines/regimens. Coming soon....hope you enjoy 'em!

    GO PATS!!!
  11. richbow9

    richbow9
    Huddersfield,

    One thing I like to do (when I can be bothered to practice) is play each shot on the range like I was playing my home course. I generally know what club I’m likely to hit on each tee and then depending on how I hit that ball I’ll pick the typical 2nd or 3rd shot. Stops it getting boring and just hitting balls for the sake of it!

    Alternatively, I’ll do some target practice and try and hit markers etc that are positioned on the range

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