Practice the Right Way

[Philly Golf Guy]

A couple weeks ago, I attended a seminar at my club by a golf pro from the UK named Matt Cooke.  Cooke focuses on the most effective way to practice and the big spoiler is that it's not beating balls at a range.  

 

Doing a ton of research into sports psychology and cognitive science, it turns out that hitting balls at the range in quick succession one after the other with the same club really doesn't improve your long term ability of improving.  Instead, it's akin to cramming for a test.  Sure you can find out what 37 x 52 is and if you keep answering that question over and over, you will commit it to memory and know it, for a while.  But a week later, odds are you'll forget and all that cramming is for naught.  Repetitive beating of balls at a range is very similar and it's been shown is not a very effective way to improve.  

 

It made a big impression on me since I'm a tour pro on the range, but have a hard time taking all the shots to the course.  I thought it was due to the level lie and no pressure at the range and while it is part of it, there's a lot more to it.

 

What's much more effective is called random practice, or interleaving.  Very basically, it's perceiving each shot as its own individual problem and spending as much energy on every ball just like you would every shot on the course.  Ideally, waiting a couple minutes between shots, hitting a different club and different shot every ball, as a different type of problem.  While it's not a novel concept to simulate holes on and shoot to different flags at the range, this goes a bit further and randomizes practice even more by regimenting practice in various tasks and have you switch amongst them.  Go into a bunker and get out.  Hit a drive.  Go to the putting green and hit a lag putt.  And if you do drills repetitively, break it into 5 shots.  5 3 foot putts, 5 fades to the 150 mark, etc.  If you hit 3 of 5, you move on to another drill or shot.  Take range balls and spill them all over the place, hitting them wherever they end up.  Go to the course and advance a hole if you par or birdie, go back a hole if you bogey.  Come up with drills/games with a purpose and in that way, you're developing a much better skill set to equip you on the course.

 

The whole point is to build these blocks of real world experience for lack of a better term that you're able to rely on a lot better on the course than all the range time.  It then continues on ways to evaluate how to improve, what you actually need to improve and setting goals.  

 

I'm probably butchering a lot of this and have done more research on this, as Cooke is not alone with advocating this approach.  I do know that after a few sessions with it, I'm feeling more comfortable over a lot more of my shots, including putting.  I'm still working on it and developing different practice drills, but importantly I'm finding practice fun again with a lot more potential work on my game.  We shall see where it goes.

 

If anyone is interested in this, do some googling and next time you're on the range, try to hit a different shot for each range ball after a minute, come up with different games and stay with it for a couple weeks to see how it feels.  Chances are it'll do more good than the same old range routine.

[null]

After you told me about this during our round I did this as my next range session and had the best practice session I've had in recent memory. I felt so much better about my game after leaving the range too.

 

So much better than just hitting shot after shot without the same club

[Shankster]

Nice write up. Since I've been testing these i200's I've been doing more "practice" to get some stuff to write about. Parking at the 120, 140, 160, etc. and trying to find at least 3 different ways to get there. It's been fun, and I know my sticks a lot better.

 

Edit: I've been doing that on the course, not on the range. Right/Left side of fairway, from rough. Giving myself looks I will actual come up against.

 

I will look into Mr. Cookes stuff.

 

Thanks for putting this up!

 

- Alan

 

 

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[Philly Golf Guy]

The book, "Get Better Faster" gets into a lot of this but if you don't feel like getting the book, you can find podcasts by the authors of the book that outline a lot of their theories on practice.  

 

Spending the same amount of energy on each ball is making a big difference, especially as I try to get my swing to hold up under different types of pressure.

[Golfspy_CG2]

Thanks PGG. It all makes a lot sense. It's not too much unlike the round I had last week and started a thread on, where I played a round with 4 clubs.

 

Had to hit a 6 iron from 170 and 115.

 

@shankster. I plan on doing something very similar with the JPX testing.

 

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[mwsb1998]

Good observations. I've been working on treating each shot on the range as it's own, I wish I could say I'm tour ready, but I'm not as frustrated and physically worn out from beating balls aimlessly. Several years ago when I first went thru a fitting session the fitter focused on 3-5 shots with each club so your body doesn't adjust to it. So there's a lot to what you said in taking smaller sections of shots.

 

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[revkev]

This has become the new way of looking at practice. My guess is that ultimately it will moderate some. The math example is perfect!

 

We ask our children to memorize multiplication tables because that's the building block. You need the building blocks to engage in the type of practice routine described here. There is no way that this would be helpful for someone going through a swing change who is trying to implement a move or certain positions in his swing.

 

Once the desired change or swing fundamentals are built this becomes an awesome way to practice. In fact over the last ten years 90 percent of my short game practice has been toss three balls to the side of the green, grab a club and play them out - I have to play the shot from whatever lie with the club selected. Another time I will play it with the club I would select in a round. It really enhances ones short game skills and it's free!

 

I do the same thing on the range too - Driver, approach shot, sneak to the practice green and repeat. Bayou even has a bday practice fairway bunker and this time of year it's quiet on the back range.

 

Great thread - thanks for starting it.

 

 

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[Canucklehead]

It's a great way to practice, but as Rev mentioned, you need the fundamentals of your swing to be set.

 

There's nothing wrong with blocked practice; however, you can certainly wait too long or go too early to a random/simulated practice.

 

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[StrokerAce]

.... I go to the range A LOT... It's my escape... I can get the wife to buy into an hour (or 2) at the range but 4-5 on the course is another thing entirely; perhaps when the kids get older it will change.

 

Anyhow - I'm with you Philly - Range Superstar!... flat lie/no real consequence for a 'bad' shot...just do it again!  However, I realized this wasn't really helping... I suppose the only time I'd ever get to hit the same shot twice is if I hit a provisional ball from the tee box... which is never a good thing.

 

So...as you described...at the range I 'played' a round at a course ( or mashup ) of courses I've played; I imagine in my mind some of the holes I've played and use the range to recreate them. Par 5 - 3 balls, Par 4 - 2 balls, Par 3 - 1 or 2 balls... or some derivative of that.  BUT -- the key rule is I could never use the same club twice in a row.... no matter what.

 

Don't get me wrong, you might do this on the course... as a matter of fact I played a double-dogleg par 5 and hit 6i twice in a row a couple weeks ago... but that is uncommon (and poor course design if you ask me).

 

Range time can get really really boring if you just grab a PW (hit 5 balls) ---->> Driver (hit 20 balls) (cause we like to see them go REALLY FAR!)

 

Unfortunately I see it happen a lot.  Some ppl it makes sense as they are still trying to "groove" their swing, but they'll be completely lost once they get on the course.

 

I think it has helped me ... thanks for sharing!

[Shankster]

My course does Twilight on the weekends only. It is $22 for unlimited golf. I have been starting out playing around 12 holes then finding a spot that I end up a lot and work from there. Then go back a few holes and do the same thing. This is fairly new, but it is going to help immensely.

 

Letting groups play through. I need to do this on my Achilles holes.

 

 

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[TBT]

I need to look into this, I suck at practing...probably why I suck at golf. I usually get to the course to practice and end up just playing 9 holes instead.

[Canucklehead]

I need to look into this, I suck at practing...probably why I suck at golf. I usually get to the course to practice and end up just playing 9 holes instead.

I used to not like practising because I wasn't good, but I found a couple weaknesses I wanted to improve on and worked on them. Then once I was satisfied with them I found other stuff to work on. If you practice with a purpose you are more likely to see the results

 

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[StrokerAce]

I used to not like practising because I wasn't good, but I found a couple weaknesses I wanted to improve on and worked on them. Then once I was satisfied with them I found other stuff to work on. If you practice with a purpose you are more likely to see the results

 

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also... practice what you're NOT good at... if you know you're good at hitting an 8 iron accurately there's no need to practice it..

[chisag]

... Of course there is a big difference between practicing and trying to groove a new move or find your old swing when you are struggling. But for those actually practicing I had so many students that could groove a bad move by hitting the same club at the same target resulting in some or even great success. I always made them move their feet and their target and even using the same club gives you a different perspective and forces you to realign. 

... But per the OP, after a good warm up my favorite practice is always alternating shots like you would on the course. Hit a driver to a specific fairway width, then a long iron to a target and a short iron to a different target. If you hit one poorly, take a second shot but never a 3rd. Keep mixing up clubs and distance with 1/2 and 3/4 shots and locations to get a good feel for different swings and shots. I always liked ending a session with a wedge distance control shot as well. Pick a comfortable 3/4 swing distance and just hone in on that yardage and shot. Always nice to have that in your back pocket when you have to lay up on a par 4 or 5 and it leaves you with confidence in your game.