If you’re someone who loves golf practice, good on you, because it’s difficult for many amateurs to truly commit to a regular routine or plan. Not only that, but finding the time to hit balls a few times a week can be tough as well, which means you’ve got to maximize your efforts whenever you do make it to the range.
So how can the regular Joe or regular Jane do that? By following my 10 suggestions below.
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How to maximize your golf practice
While playing a round is always more enjoyable, if you’re really trying to lower your scores, you need to practice off the course. When you do, and you maintain a regular routine, it will eventually pay off — as long as you have the correct practice plan.
It may feel like a grind at first, but by following the tips below, you’ll slowly see improvements and start scoring much lower.
1. Identify your weaknesses
While it might not always be the most fun, focusing on your pain points during your golf practice can make a huge difference. When you play golf, note where most of your strokes are lost and identify those areas to devote the majority of your time. Then simply work on those types of shots (with various club options) to start seeing improvement.
2. Full swing and short game
I often get asked what percentage of practice should be full swing versus working on the short game. Obviously, the answer depends on your individual game, but I always suggest breaking down the game into five basic skills: putting, chipping, pitching, bunker play, and full swing.
Now, instead of breaking things down to just short game versus full swing, how would you divvy up your practice time into each of those skill categories?
While newer golfers should spend more time on the full swing to get comfortable with fundamentals and reducing mishits with their irons, once that’s achieved, focusing on the short game is the fastest way towards dropping your scores.
3. The grip
Great players have great grips, with the attention to detail on every swing helping deliver the same clubface for each swing. So simply practicing the proper hand placement over and over can help with consistent ball flight.
There are tons of grip options out there, so find the one that’s both comfortable and successful for you.
Having solid contact with your full swing is a great goal to make during any golf practice. One of my favorite drills to help with this is to place a ball on a low tee and then stick two tees into the ground on both sides of the ball. The goal should be to hit only the ball tee and not the two outside tees — ensuring you’re making center-face contact.
5. Full swing (focus on technique – the results don’t matter)
Too many amateur golfers get frustrated when they aren’t seeing positive results during golf practice. But in some cases — like when you’re working on technique or swing adjustments — the outcome shouldn’t matter.
When you need to improve your technique, give yourself some grace and understand that it’ll take work to see the effort pay off. A good example of this would be making a grip adjustment if you’re a chronic slicer. You might hit some pulls or hooks in the beginning, but the new grip should become more comfortable (and successful!) as you commit to it.
6. Putting (short putts)
To score well, you need to master the short putts — and by short, I mean 3-6 feet from the hole.
I suggest practicing with an alignment aid to help with clubface aim, setup, and your stroke path. While I typically use a chalk line, if I don’t have time to set it up, I’ll just use my alignment ball to check that my ball’s on the proper line as it rolls towards the cup.
7. Putting (distance control)
To lower your scores, you need to reduce the amount of putts you have each round. To accomplish this, it requires dialing in you putting distance control, meaning you roll the first putt close enough to the cup that your second putt is stress-free.
Remember, your putting stroke controls distance, so this should be the most important factor.
One of my favorite practice drills is to take one ball and hit it back and forth between two different holes on the practice green, setting a goal to 2-putt or better 18 times in a row. This will help you adjust for uphill and downhill putts, as well as any opposite breaks, while also adding some pressure by making you accomplish it consecutively.
I suggest working on short game practice in phases, starting with making solid contact on the first few shots — which allows you to check your technique. Then once you’ve accomplished that, advance to working on distance control and aiming to different targets.
9. Practice like you play
Once you complete your technical practice, it can be great to practice in the order that you play. So start with your tee shot and change clubs and targets like you would on the course, which allows you to mimic your decision-making on the course.
If you struggle with a particular shot during this process, don’t hesitate to spend a few minutes working on that before moving on.
10. Try 15 minutes of focused golf practice
Golf practice doesn’t have to be long to be effective. In fact, the idea of a long practice can be hard to schedule and intimidating, with many amateurs often skipping any practice for this reason.
Instead, I suggest trying a highly focused 15 minutes of practice, picking a shot and a distance and sticking with that for the entirety of your time.
For example, say you want to practice a 30-yard chip shot with your pitching wedge. Simply focus on the right technique, making center-face contact, and controlling distance in order to successfully improve that area of your game. By repeating these things in practice, it will pay off once you have this type of shot during a future round.
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FullSwing KIT Launch Monitor
The Full Swing KIT Launch Monitor is engineered with the most advanced radar technology and a high-resolution camera to give you 16 points of data and video to see your swing in perfect clarity. Tested & trusted by Tiger Woods, made for everyone.
Machine-learning enhanced Radar paired with powerful dedicated processors for Radar and media give you the cleanest and most accurate data in the industry.
A customizable heads-up OLED display engineered to show you exactly what you want to see what happens every swing or use the free included app to see your data & video across your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and even hear your selected data through your bluetooth headphones.
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Items Included:
FS Kit Launch Monitor
Charging Block
USB-C Charging Cable
Protective Travel Case
Tracking: Patented, 24GHz Dual-Mode, ML Enhanced Radar
Display: 5.3” Ultra-bright, Full HD (1920×1080) OLED with 16.7 million colors
Camera: Full HD 1080p, 60 fps
Processor: Dual-core A9
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth® 5.0 BR/EDR/LE
Battery: Built-in Lithium-ion 8000mAh; Approximately 5 hours of use (depending on conditions)
Carry Case: Light-weight, water and impact resistant
Charging Port: USB-C
Charger: 45W USB-C; 110-240v, 50-60Hz
Charging Cable: USB-C, 3’ (1m)
Unit Dimensions: 10.23” H x 6.57” W x 2.32” D (3.74” with support leg extended); (260mm x 167mm x 59mm (95mm))
Unit Weight: 4.0 lbs (1.8 Kg)
Case Dimensions: 13” L x 8.11” W x 3.86” H (330mm x 206mm x 98mm)
Unit, Case, Charger Weight: 5.7 lbs (2.6 Kg)
Package Dimensions: 16.5” L x 10.75” W x 4.8” H (419 mm x 273mm x 122mm)
Package Weight: 8.4 lbs (3.8 Kg)
Return Eligibility
If you are not satisfied with your Full Swing device within the first fourteen (14) days from the date of delivery, the Full Swing device may be returned for a full refund or replacement device.
For users with a perpetual license for E6 Connect software used in conjunction with a Full Swing, if you are not satisfied with the E6 Connect software within the first fourteen (14) days from the date of activation of the perpetual license, the license may be returned for a full refund. This paragraph applies to users with a perpetual license only; all other subscription forms will not be eligible for refund.
Your Full Swing device can no longer be returned after 14 days from the date of delivery.
All returns involving devices originally received outside of the U.S. shall be arranged through your local sales channel.
Returning Your Device
To initiate a return of your device, you must contact Sales Support at The Net Return by telephone at +1 (973) 636 -7354 or email at sales@TheNetReturn.com. The Sales Support team will provide you with a prepaid, shipping label and Return Material Authorization (RMA) number to send the device to The Net Return. Returns without a RMA number will not be accepted by The Net Return. The unit shall be returned with all accessories, including AC adapter and cables with travel case, and in the manufacturer’s original box.
Return Processing
Upon receipt of a returned device, the unit shall be inspected by The Net Return. If such inspection reveals that any of the warranty exclusions provided hereinafter apply, the warranty shall be voided and a repair fee assessed. For purchases made through Affirm, separate terms and conditions instituted by Affirm will apply; payment options through Affirm can be accessed at https://www.affirm.com/lenders.
iPhone® (10 and higher), running iOS 14 and higher
iPad® (7th generation and higher), running iOS 14 and higher
iPad® Air (3rd generation and higher), running iOS 14 and higher
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Nick Dimengo
Golf.com Editor
