A beginner should practice as much as possible. Golf is strange as we practice golf not where we play the game. So we play on a golf course but practice on the practice range and really they are 2 different sports. Depends on the time, work and family.
Practicing weekly should include the
Worry about yourself
With a good practice plan and routine a beginner can see noticeable results in a week or two with maybe a few hours of disciplined practice a week! But there still will be a long way to go. Every person will see different results. Some will improve quicker and others slower.
Please don’t compare yourself to others! That’s the number one issue I have with the beginning. I know most of us can be competitive and want to see how you rant with others. There will time and a place for that.
We are all different and that’s the beauty of it. We will all get there in the end. Just focus what you need to do and worry about that. You have no control over any other person.
Golf is not a game of perfect
Golf seems to get us frustrated very often when we begin to learn how to play golf. Then out of the blue we might a hit a few great shots and then you feel fantastic! The timing of this feeing is just when we need it!
Next to know is that golf is not a game of perfect to quote the title from the great book from Bob Rotella on the mental side of golf. So that means that you are not likely to hit every shot perfectly to a target. Some shots will good and some will be ok and some will be just move on and forget about it.
Quality and quantity of practice
So when practicing the quality of practice is more important than the quantity of practice. Meaning hitting the 10 buckets of ball just with your 7 iron to the same target and doing the same thing over and over. You might get good at that but this will not help you on the golf course.
There are two different games here! Practice range and golf course! We have to make out practice sessions on the driving range more game like to the golf course.
A lot of golfers are practice range professionals and can hit 50 balls to one target reasonably on target. But get them on the course when every shot is different and to various targets. So try to make every shot different on the practice range.
Pre Shot Routine
A good practice session should be maybe be hitting 30 balls in 30 mins instead of 10 minutes. A good player will go through their pre-shot shot routine on every shot. This gets them focused and keeps them
The pre shot routine is a routine before you hit every shot in golf. The next time when a golf tournament is on TV watch the players and you will see what they do before every shot. I will go more in depth on the in later posts. And a routine should include the following:
- shot selection. What type of shot is required?
- weather conditions. Will weather conditions affect my shot?
- club selection. What club is required?
- seeing the shot you want. Seeing the shot you want in your mind.
- focusing on the target. Get your eyes and and focus on the target.
- walking into the shot. Walking into the shot with a swagger/ confidence. Body language is a key.
- keeping your mind chatter quiet. Turn down the volume in your mind to any negative thoughts.
- Stay in the present by focusing on your breathing techniques.
- Then lastly just execute the shot.
- It sounds easy but its not!
Statistics
I just checked the 2018 GREENS IN REGULATION PERCENTAGE statistics from the PGA webpage and number 1 was Henrik Stenson with 73.51%. So 73% of the time Henrik hit the green in this category. And pulling up the rear was Daniel Summerhays with 56.79%.
So what does this mean? These guys are not that good! Oh yes they are. If I asked you before what percent would they have I’m sure you would have said 80-100%. Golf is hard.
Every lie and stance is different. The weather condition are always different on every shot. A one degree or a 1/8 inch mishit will put the ball off course considerably. No two shots are the same and even a pro can’t duplicate the exact same shot for every given situation.
So where do all these stats leave us beginners? It leaves us not to get mad and excited when you miss your shot. It teaches us to keep low expectations. It teaches us that anything is possible!
I could go through all the important stats in long game, short game and putting. And we will in more details in my future posts explaining everything.
Practice time
I have devised this simple table below to give you some ideas and a recommended practice timetable to improve. This should be done in combination with a few golf lessons from your PGA Golf Professional maybe at least once a month! Or more! Or less! Its better to take a few more lessons at the start of golf the a few years later.
Having golf lessons would be the best way to learn faster. The table is can be mixed up as required as its just a starting point. Wow, as I look at this competed practice table below I think why didn’t I do this 30 years ago! That’s a lot of practice!
Golf Practice Time Table
| Hours | Putting | Chips | Pitches | Sand | 50-100 Yards | Mid Iron | Woods/Hybrid | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15m | 15m | 15m | 15m | ||||
| 2 | 20m | 20m | 20m | 20m | 20m | 20m | ||
| 3 | 30m | 30m | 30m | 30m | 30m | 30m | ||
| 4 | 30m | 30m | 30m | 30m | 30m | 30m | 30m | 30m |
| 5 | 40m | 40m | 40m | 30m | 30m | 40m | 40m | 40m |
| 6 | 45m | 45m | 45m | 30m | 45m | 45m | 45m | 60m |
| 7 | 60m | 60m | 60m | 30m | 45m | 45m | 60m | 60m |
| 8 | 90m | 60m | 60m | 30m | 45m | 45m | 60m | 90m |
| 9 | 105m | 75m | 60m | 30m | 45m | 45m | 75m | 105m |
| 10 | 120m | 75m | 75m | 30m | 45m | 60m | 75m | 120m |
m: minutes
Approach: shots from about 100 yards to green, usually with SW, PW or 9 iron.
Mid Irons: 8-5 iron
If you have more than 10 hours week just add to the 10 hours table and go mad!
The table is based that as you begin you should start with the 9/7 iron and then go on to a hybrid or 5 iron. Hybrids would be easier to hit as the 5 iron in the beginning. Then as you improve start with the driver! The longer you can hit the ball from the better the better. Thi will improve scoring.
On the course
As I said if you could start golf by practicing on the course then thats the best! Because that’s where we play this game and not on the practice range. But we are not really allowed to go on a hole with 10 balls and practice! If you own your own course or your course has different rules then go for it!
Random and Block Practice
For a beginner its important to have a combo of random and block practice. Random practice is hitting balls to a different target with a different club. But at least a different target even though you keep with the 7 iron.
Block practice is as it says. Hitting a bucket of ball to the same target and with our favourite 7 iron. This is what most golfers do as I look at golfers practice. We need a mix of both random and block practice. And for golf beginners the first few times that you swing a golf club at the practice then you would need a bit more of block practice. As we are just learning the technique.
I will post more in-depth drills & practice sessions in due course.