Practice your pre-shot routine

A pre-shot routine works by preparing you physically and mentally to reproduce on the course the swing motions and rhythms that have been developed and grooved in your practice sessions. (NB: See my earlier article on Pre-Shot Routines in the May/June 2006 Eat Golf issue.) Your pre-shot routines for every area of your game should be so well ingrained they become an automatic and instinctive response to you in competition.

Re-create intensity and context with Target and Scoring Drills

The more realistic and authentic your practice sessions are the easier you will find it to take your game onto the golf course. Completing Target and Scoring Drills will help you create a more realistic environment in your practice sessions.

Target and scoring drills will:

➲ Provide a focus for each 20- 30 minute practice session.

➲ Allow you to monitor your progress.

➲ Create a pressurised environment (e.g. where average and best personal scores must be beaten).

➲ Serve as a confidence boosting exercise as scores represent repeated success, the most important source to building confidence.

Use video footage

Video footage can be an excellent way to identify and review your strengths and weaknesses (for all areas of your game – not just your long game!) What we think we are doing and what we are actually doing can often be two very different things. Videoing yourself and reviewing best performances can be an effective use of your practice time.

Invest time

Invest as much time as possible into quality practice. It takes elite golfers 10 years to become an “expert”, practising 15-20 hours per week. The more time you invest into quality practice the quicker your development rate will be!

Get organised!

Use a weekly planner. On a Sunday evening fill out in pencil specifically, what you intend to practice, for how long and on what day. Based on your recent performances in competition and practice what are the priority areas to work on? If you are truly committed to improving your golf what should you work on? At the end of each week write over in pen what you actually practiced. It is then useful to monitor your weekly planners to check the content of your practice sessions and that you are working on all areas of your game etc.

Summary

The way you practice can make a huge difference to the way you play on the golf course. Before you set out to practice take a moment to identify what you are going to practice
and why.

Practice with a specific purpose!