Having trouble taking your game from the practice tee to the golf course? There’s a reason. Most people I see on the driving range are simply “exercising,” beating ball after ball with the same club, to no specific target. Unfortunately, that is not how you “play” golf. On the course, you choose different targets and the different clubs for each shot. So why wouldn’t you practice this way?
I’m a proponent of working to improve your swing, using the same club to do so. However, you need to spend time picking different targets and different clubs on the range to practice like you play.
If you have one hour to practice every week, here is how I would spend it:
Spend 10 minutes working on putts from 5 feet. Go through the exact routine you would on the course. Read the putt, and line up the ball. Putt like it’s the chance to shoot your best score ever.
Spend 5 minutes rolling putts from 10-50 feet working to get the ball within 3 feet of the hole.
Spend 20 minutes with one ball, working to chip it to a hole and then putt it in. See how many up and downs you can make.
Spend 25 minutes on the driving range, “playing” a few holes. Pick different targets and different clubs for all the shots you hit. Go through your routine like you’re on the course.
Making your practice as similar to your play as possible is how you bring your game from the practice tee to the course.
By: Derek Deminsky, PGA
