If you want to become a good golfer you must realize that you will have to spend a great deal of time on the practice range. Just like anything else, good practice habits mean that your time at the range will be spent more efficiently. Most beginners make the mistake of spending their time at the range just hitting golf balls. In the end, other than stretching your swing muscles, you really haven’t done your golf game much good. Instead of going to the range just to hit shots with every club in your bag, just take one or two to work with. This will force you to concentrate on only one segment of your game. If you take the Pitching Wedge and the nine iron you will be automatically working on your short approach shots. If you just bring your 3 and 4 irons you will be working on long approach shots. By only bringing one or two clubs you are forced to concentrate on just one particular segment of your game. By using these kinds of golf drills the time you do spend at the range is time well spent.
There are all sorts of good golf drills that can be done, however, choosing the right ones can contribute to a successful practice session. Here, once again, I suggest concentrating on certain parts of your game. A great drill that Phil Mickelson uses to increase his putting skill is to start from a distance of three feet from the cup and hit ten puts. If one misses, start from the beginning. Once you’ve sunk ten consecutive putts increase your distance to four feet and repeat the same procedure. As you practice this drill you will notice that your putting improves dramatically. The next time you stand up to that “three footer” to win your golf match, you’re knees may not be shaking.
For balance, distance and control I suggest hitting iron shots with your feet close together. This is an especially good drill for those golfers that tend to swing too fast. Remember golf is a game where timing is critical. Hitting shots with your feet together will slow you’re swing down and improve your timing. You will notice that your shots go much straighter by using a lot less energy. Golf drills are not hard to learn but it does take a great deal of perseverance to make them a permanent part of your practice schedule.
