Welcome to GOLF’s Top 100 Teacher roundtable, where some of the best instructors in the business answer the game’s most pressing questions. The goal? To help your game and lower your scores ASAP.
If you want to get better at golf, you’ve got to practice. There are no shortcuts to success — and that’s especially true in this game.
When you head out to the range to groove a new swing feel or work on correcting a flaw, how long should you be out there? As it turns out, there’s not a settled consensus.
Below, a panel of our Top 100 Teachers share their advice on how long your practice sessions should be.
1. Short and sweet
If you’re not distracted, 15 or 20 minutes, is enough to show improvement over time. I prefer a lot of short practice sessions rather than marathons. People tend to get tired and then you have diminishing returns on performance. Keep it short and sweet. —Martin Chuck
2. Quality over quantity
Its not a matter of how long but the quality of your practice sessions that matter. Quality practice is measurable and needs to be done with feedback so that you know you are making the correct changes. Most of the time, feel is not real so you need feedback to guarantee you are making the improved motion. —Mike Bender
3. Measure in balls, not time
I don’t like to put a time frame on practice sessions. I prefer a ball count. I recommend groups of 15-20 balls and several practice swing for each ball. This guarantees you’re getting the most out of every swing. —Kevin Sprecher
4. Save it for the offseason
Swing changes are best done in offseason. During the season, I recommend my students go out and play aand then work on their short game and putting. —Kevin Kirk
