# On Practice



## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

On practice, I don't know how some of you might practice. Perhaps some of you when you go to the driving range you are more in exercise mode than actual golf swing practice mode. I read this following tip from from the English golf instructor John Jacobs. It's not word for word, and I have selected just a sampling of his subject matter. 

There are three levels of golf swing practice. First is the practice you can do anywhere, before you get to the practice range. You can practice the golf swing in your mind while doing other things. Thinking about what you need to do in your swing to get the ball to do what you want it to do. Of course this type of practice means the golfer needs to know the cause, and effect of the various ball flights. Also, in your mind is a good place to practice the various "correct" positions of a decent golf swing. You certainly can't swing a club and think about different (swing thoughts) positions the club needs to be in during the swing. 

The second level is actual time spent on the practice range, where the "quality" of practice should be more important than "quanity" of practice. The practice range is where you put your previous mental practice to good use. As for quantity, vs quality, If I can get what I want done with 40 balls, why hit 80 balls? If you are just raking balls, hitting them one right after another, then you are just getting some exercise. The practice range is good for only few swing practice concepts each time you go out. Hitting to a target is a must when on the practice range. Harvey Pinick once wrote that "if you aim at nothing, you will hit nothing" which makes pretty good since when you think about it. Again, knowing the cause and effect of various ball flights will give the practicing golfer some insight as to what caused their ball to miss their intended target. The practice range is also where personal instruction from pro might take place. The golfer should be sure to refer everything learned on the practice range back to level one. 

The third level is actual play. This is the place where you put all your mental practice, and physical practice into play. It's called playing practice, which involves all the other little things you encounter during a round of golf that you never thought about before, and/or practiced before on the practice range. Perhaps you have to hit a ball with a below the feet, side hill lie. Maybe you are in the rough, or have a very thin lie. these are situations you probably can't practice on the driving range. However these are the shots you can practice in your mind while doing other things, not related to golf. 

So, now you have spent some quality time using these three levels of practice. You now think your swing/game is ready for a test of measurement against the course you intend to play. Maybe you have entered a local tournament. Your score is your grade. You probably won't remember most of the the three levels of practice, each time you take on the course, but the more you practice, and play, the lower your scores, on average will be.


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## Heathens (Mar 11, 2010)

Thanks for this very informative post - just be glancing b=ver this I can see where my practise sessions are going wrong. I like the suggestion of practicing your golf swing anywhere, I'm going to try this in our board meeting tomorrow morning...hehe


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

I agree with your post. Let me add my opinion at level two. You go to practice the good set up, swing, direction and solid contact. I personally blieve the average golfer has the tendency to practice just the opposite after an experience on the course and practices bad golf in the areas mentioned


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

Another item about practice. When ever possible practice those tougher shots you run into from time to time on the golf course. Shots like, out of the rough, uneven lies, thin lies, tree, or bush in your way, windy, and/or wet conditions. What ever you can think of. By practicing these poor shot situations the golfer won't be too surprised when they have to play from them, when generating a score.

Yesterday, I had a wind aided long drive where the ball carried through the fairway dogleg, stopping on a hard pan, thin gravel lie. Having practiced this same type (lie) off shot before, I was not totally in the dark with it. The other obstacles were two trees I had to go between, and a green side bunker I needed to clear. All this plus a 25+ mph left to right wind. All I needed to do was pick the ball cleanly off the thin lie, get it between the trees with enough altitude to clear the bunker, and then let the wind carry it right, towards the pin. The pin was located behind the tree on my right. This left me a chip, and one putt for par which I luckily made. All of this successful scrambling was the direct result of practicing these tougher than normal shots.


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