Playing golf is usually always easy – at least in terms of the movements you go through from beginning to end. You arrive at the course, warm up, start your turn, and then continue to punch the holes until the last putter drops.
However, practice tends to be much less structured. Most players want to get better, but there are a lot of different ideas for improvements to try, practices and practices that can be overwhelming. What should you do once you enter the course? How much time should you spend? How do you know when you’ll finish it? So many questions!
That’s why 100 golf teacher Debbie Doniger said it’s important to always do this while practicing: There is a game plan.
“You should ask your coach or teacher to write a detailed game plan on the time allocated to practice,” Doniger said at the Golf Top 100 Teacher Summit at Cabot Citrus Farms, Florida. “Otherwise, you’ll find yourself going to practice, and you’re not really working on anything, you won’t focus on anything, you won’t focus on anything.”
When making a practice plan, Doniger recommends leaning towards what you like.
“If you like drills, then your coach and teacher should be included in the drills,” she said. “For example, if you only have an hour and a half, that’s it, and your short game is the weakest part of the game and you need to work in the short game, then your teacher can also break the short game down into 10-minute increments. It’s a solid half-hour focused exercise.”
So, how much time should you spend on each practice class? It depends on many factors.
“It will depend on how long your concentration level is, how long your body can handle the hit or practice,” Doniger said. “It may be that you need more ‘play time’. If so, you can play 6 holes or 3 holes and then come back and play a short game because it’s a more focused game plan for you that can keep you in the game, which is fun.
“Or, maybe you’re a player who needs more challenges and more tasks to keep you engaged and focused,” she continued. “That’s why there are the right teachers and coaches to guide you to get better.”
But even if practice isn’t your business, your practice lessons often involve casually waving within the scope of your practice, Doniger stresses that these lessons can also be valuable and have a little direction.
“If that’s fun for you, then of course I’d say, that’s really cool, let’s do it,” Doniger said. “But maybe a hit element will be added. You can spray the club’s face to at least hit the ball and know where you hit the ball. It’s in the center, toe or heel? You can also work on the shooting shape, maybe hit some balls, some balls on the left, some balls to the right, high, low. Adding these elements will help you play better on the golf course.”
