# Practice amount for a beginner...



## souldoubt (Dec 19, 2006)

Again, thanks in advance to all who read or comment...i am new here and quite new to golf...so i do really appreciate the wisdom here! My question is: as a new golfer with a VERY open and flexible schedule most of the time...and also a deep seeded desire to get as good as my ability will allow me...how much should i be practicing at the range? Please note that i am taking lessons but, my instructor kinda made it clear to me he didnt think i should be out on the course until my swing was a little bit more consistent. My family (a lot of them low single digit handicaps) said "Well pros hit about 1000 balls a day" and i think that might be a little steep lol. Just wondering your thoughts...again...THANKS!


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## mkoreiwo (Jan 8, 2007)

If you're serious, listen to your pro. As a beginner, your zeal may take you to the range and you will hit a ton of balls.... But without someone to evaluate your swing, you run a very real risk of developing *bad* habits.

I hope you've enlisted in a series of at least 5 lessons... and ask your pro each time about practice. And take their advice. Golf is a lifetime project, no matter how much we may _want_ to think otherwise!


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## souldoubt (Dec 19, 2006)

yupi have knocked out my first 5 lessons and am getting ready to start again once my instructor gets back from vacation....honestly i forsee taking lessons for quite some time and am totally ok with that...i guess the heart of the matter is that most of the ppl around me have played for quite awhile and i just want to optimize my time (now that i have a good amount of free time) to improve as much as possible (up to hitting 500 balls a day or more if need be)....so thanks again for your advice!


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## 65nlovenit (Dec 8, 2006)

A good practice is to find an Ex-par 3, there very short courses, where most holes are under 150 yards. Usually the biggest club you'll use would be a 7 iron, but getting good at the short game is where the low scores are....


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## JPsuff (Jan 9, 2007)

.


Whwn I was learning this game and decided to get serious about it, I was practicing 4-5 nights per week and playing rounds all weekend - sometimes as much as 72 holes between Saturday and Sunday.

I used to go to a schoolyard near my home. This field was huge. It was big enough to hit a full driver in any direction without fear of leaving the property.

What I would do is to go there with a shag bag filled with fifty balls. I'd use a baseball field way in the back as my target. The infield grass represented the green and the infield dirt represented bunkers.

Depending on what club or clubs I wanted to practice with, (usually short to middle irons with an occasional long iron session), I would stand on the pitcher's mound and pace of the yardage I wanted to hit and I'd dump out all fifty balls and have at it.

When I was finished, I'd go to pick them up and I'd count how many landed on the infield grass and I'd use whatever percentage that was as my "must beat" target for the next round. My personal best was 42 out of 50 with an 8-iron from 154 yds.

I would usually do this from the time I got off work, (around 4:30PM), 'til dusk. I averaged about 4-5 bags per evening and I'd do this no less than three times per week.

Other evenings, I'd go play a local Executive Par 3 and play to some real greens. At least one evening per week, I'd drive over to Bethpage State Park and hit drivers at their range and then practice putting for an hour or so. Sometimes, if I was too tired to hit balls at the school, I'd go there just to putt.

Then, on the weekends, I'd play. Almost always it was at Bethpage and my favorite courses were the Black, Red and Blue. Back then, there were no reservation systems so when I'd finish a morning round, say, on the Red Course, I'd wander over to the tee on the Black and if no one was around, I'd stick a peg in the ground and off I'd go!

Those were good times and the practice really paid off as I became very good at this game. I could hit almost any shot imaginable. That's because, at the schoolyard, I'd intentionally hit balls from heavy grass, mud, hardpan, between clumps of grass - you name it. (That's something you can't get from a driving range).

So, when I'd face these lies in during a round, I knew exactly how to play the shot.


Practice is invaluable and I don't believe that you can have too much when you're just starting out.





-JP


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## white_tiger_137 (Mar 23, 2006)

Practice wedges. That's something you can do on your own, because it's all about touch and feel. Technique is a very tiny part of it.

A good drill for starting out:


Take two long irons and put them on the ground, parallel to each other, about 5 feet apart. Using a wedge, try to get balls to land in between your irons. When this is too easy, either move further back or move the clubs closer together.​


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## tkessel (Dec 28, 2006)

I'm a rookie, too.

I'd listen to your pro's advice. But if you hit 500 balls a day, make sure half of them are pitch and chip shots, and 100 of them putts!

Hitting 500 full swing shots a day is just working out, not practice, in my (novice) humble opinion.


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## MayWong (Jan 22, 2007)

ive just picked up golf a month ago.. taking my 4th lessons now. But throughout the week, i practice at least twice a week, 100 - 200 balls only. Is this too little?

my coach says im doing alrite.. now im learning my wood.. from tee and ground..

how long do i need to train in the driving range before i go to the course?


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## srothfuss (Nov 17, 2006)

My general theory was to start with the smaller clubs - like a 7 iron for example. Hit that club only for one week (while getting lessons from a professional.) Once you are comfortable with the 7, step down to a 6 or 5 iron and repeat the same things with the new club. Progressivly building up to the larger woods. After that, start hitting different clubs while practicing.

On average I would practice about 2 or 3 times a week. Each time hitting about 70 - 100 balls at the range.

Good luck!


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## Butz (Nov 17, 2006)

tkessel said:


> I'm a rookie, too.
> 
> I'd listen to your pro's advice. But if you hit 500 balls a day, make sure half of them are pitch and chip shots, and 100 of them putts!
> 
> Hitting 500 full swing shots a day is just working out, not practice, in my (novice) humble opinion.


I certainly agree with this.


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## white_tiger_137 (Mar 23, 2006)

As long as your pro says you aren't learning any bad habits, practice as much as you want. Wheter you realize it or not, you're learning something from every single shot you hit.​


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## bredies (Feb 12, 2007)

Tthe important thing about practice is quality not quantity. Practice one thing till you have perfected it.
And make notes so that you don't forget how the ball reacts under different lies, clubs, tempo etc.
And very important Have Fun


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## U Grooves (Feb 13, 2007)

As a beginner, there were a few simple procedures i followed, and they got me from a handicap of 18 down to 2 within 3 years.

1st Thing - I dont care who you are, you can never hit enough wedge shots.

2nd Thing - I dont care who you are, you can never hit enough putts.

3rd Thing - Dont Get a driver until you can hit 3wood straight all day long.

And finally..the most important one.

4th Thing - Practice in steps. By this, i mean, take a SW. Use only this club for practice for a whole week. Then, PW. Same thing. And so on and so on, until you have gone through your whole set twice. You will know your clubs back to front and feel very comfortable hitting shots on the course.

It worked for me. A long process, but i saw the reawrds.


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## bredies (Feb 12, 2007)

U Groove
That is the best advice I have ever heard from anyone. By my calculation it should take a mere 10 weeks of practice to know exactly how each of the clubs in your bag "behaves".
Absolutely brilliant but I would add that whilst practising "this week's club" end the session with 3 or 4 shots with each of the clubs practised with so far in preceding weeks.
Great advice.


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## Golfbum (Oct 14, 2006)

I am getting tired just reading about all this practice time. I would rather play 18 holes than practice. I guess that is why I can only get my index down to 5-6. I don't practice enough :laugh: But when I do, I work on 7 irons down to wedges because those are the clubs you score with. I rarely work on my putting, I feel I am a good putter after playing the game for 25 years.
One lesson in 25 years of golf, well one lesson from a PRO. Other than that I have learned by playing and getting some help from fellow golfers.
I feel you can practice all you want, but there is no pressure on you to perform on the range. That pressure comes from stepping on the first tee and being able to hit the fairway, then the green and make two good putts for an opening par.
Being able to get yourself out of trouble on the course, when you get into it. Being able to sink a 5 foot par putt to break 90, 80, or 70 for the first time.
You can not gain that experience on the range.


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## srothfuss (Nov 17, 2006)

While I agree that it's great to play real rounds, I whole heartedly believe that the short game and putting is what really pays off for people who are just starting out. 

My wife for example: She'd never even picked up a golf club until last summer. So I took her for some lessons and then spent plenty of time on the range so that she felt comfertable swinging a club. After that, we played at a Par 3 course so she could feel the pressure of people waiting behind, not hitting the fairways and the occasional heckler. From there it was back to the range and then off to a real course.... 

Maybe we look at playing golf (18 holes or 9 holes) as practice until we start playing for side bets or bragging rights? :dunno:


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

souldoubt said:


> honestly i forsee taking lessons for quite some time and am totally ok with that


You have the perfect attitude and will do very well!

The advice so far has been good, but let me add... Practice is like eating chocolate. You should do it in small amounts, enjoy it frequently, and look for one specific flavor you enjoy most, in other words, accomplish one piece of progress at a time.

The golf swing we see the pros make on television, my favorite example being Ernie Els, often appears to have been swung so easily. (Not the hugely athletic, violent swing like Tiger's) Sometimes it gives the false impression that the swing is simple. It's really anything but simple. As you work with your pro, there will be general concepts he might throw at you and from those you will usually see fast improvement. When it REALLY gets interesting and fun is when you are somewhat capaple, you have a reasonably functional swing, but the two of you start to fine tune it.

I almost envy the road you are on... just don't forget to enjoy every moment...


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## Doug (Feb 12, 2007)

Practice as much as you want to. If you really love the game then you will practice lots. Practice proves how dedecated you are to the game. Remember to make it fun though. :thumbsup:


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