Golf Practice Plan

We all know we can be better golfers. How do we get there?

Make a golf practice plan. Get organized! So many players show up at ranges and for lessons to work on the same stuff year after year. They are in a rut. Their golf life is a rerun equivalent of the movie Groundhog Day. They don't practice effectively enough to make a difference in their game.

Sure, they show up to hit balls and get their 'swing muscles' in shape, but they are not doing their overall games any good. And for a lot of them, that's fine. For the casual golfer, they just want to have fun. For anybody who wants to get better, the method has to change. I'm one of those who wants to get better. I would seriously like to improve my game; I get frustrated because I put too much time in to the game not to want to get a better game out for the time I invest.

Call me a Type A personality if you like, but I think it's simpler than that. I put in a fair amount of golf practice time. From those practice hours, I know I can hit good shots -- I've done so lots of times on the course as proof. However, when I don't take my 'practice game' to the real game, the difference makes me want to do better. I've seen my potential and I know I can do better. I feel great when I've played well; when I pull off a shot the way I've visualized it. That is my golf validation. So, when I don't match my potential, my competitive drive kicks in and back to the practice area I go. My disappointment motivates me to do better; so does my success. The more times I succeed, the more I want to get better. This is me competing with me, and me against the golf course -- a never-ending battle.

So, I admit, that I include myself in the Groundhog Day crowd above. I'm no different that anybody else. I am on a 'development plateau' as I like to call it. The flat line of my curve represents my 12 handicap on my home course. I know I can be better! But for the past four years, despite my practice efforts, my game gets better in some areas, worse in others and the year turns out no better than the last. My handicap is the same now as it was then.

What can you do about it? What am I going to do about it? What are WE going to do about it? We are going to develop a golf practice plan, that's what. A coherent plan -- a strategic roadmap to getting better. The plan is a huge step. It sounds simple and it is, but it is also a huge difference maker on the way to game improvement. The following steps describe the practice planning process. Corporate strategists would call this a 'Strategic Framework'.

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Define Your Objective

What is your goal? Be specific. Do you want to lower your handicap to 8? By when? Describe the goal so that you know how to measure your performance as you work toward it. 'Am I progressing?', is a question you need to keep asking yourself.

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Describe Your Problem

Describe -- yes, write them down -- your strengths and weaknesses. This lays out what stands between you and the achievement of your goal.

What are your strengths?

List what you are doing right, or at least the things that are less of a problem. This list is not to be eliminated from your golf practice plan, it will just deserve less focus than the potential game breakers that are your weaknesses.

What are your weaknesses?

Lay your flaws out on a line where you can see them. Are they:

• swing flaws (e.g., over the top, slice, hook, not enough back swing, too much movement)
• wedges ( e.g., chipping, pitching, can't get the ball on the green; too far from the hole)
• putting (e.g., long putts, short putts, alignment, aiming, stroke, posture)
• mid irons (e.g., club fitting, chunking, accuracy, ball flight)
• long irons (e.g., topping, ball flight, confidence, distance)
• fairway woods/ hybrids (e.g., distance, ball flight, swing path)
• driver (e.g., club fitting, loft, distance, accuracy)
• physical conditioning (e.g., flexibility, core development, cardio-vascular, nutrition)

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Develop a Golf Practice Plan to Solve The Problem

Prioritize your weaknesses.

Focus on the problems giving you the most problems toward achievement of your goal. Fix the big ones first in a process of elimination.

How are you going to improve your weaknesses?

Be patient. Getting better is a process. Good things take time. For example, you might take out a membership at a range with a great short game area as well as the usual hitting stalls.

When you go to the range to work on something:

• determine what you're going to work on, one or two specific problems, the fewer the better, and stick to them
• have an idea of what the fix is to the problem(s)
• apply the fixes, if they work fine, groove them into your game
• if the fixes don't work, stop. Don't work new problems into your game. Quit and go home, or work on some other problem and fix it. Try another plan to fix that flaw later.
• if your plan doesn't work to fix the flaw, seek out a pro who can help you fix it. Professional help is always a good idea.

Find a Good Practice Venue

Many golf centres have programs that allow access to bunkers, chipping and pitching areas for extra fees or at seasonal rates. These offer excellent opportunities to work on all facets of your game. Look around, in your area there are probably lots of places that offer premium practice facilities at reasonable rates. In Ottawa, for example, the following places offer excellent short game areas as well as driving ranges:

• Kevin Haime Golf Centre
• Emerald Links GC
• The Marshes GC
• 19th Tee Golf Range

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Develop the Schedule to eliminate your weaknesses

• make a workout schedule: plan your workouts, leave time for golf practice
• make a practice schedule: mix your range time from long game (driver, fairway woods) with mid-irons, short irons and wedges; finally, work on bunker play and putting. Focus on the weak shots but practice everything. The emphasis should move to where there are weaknesses or gaps. Practice them the most. Charting your rounds and analyzing where your errors were or where your lost strokes come from should be your guide on what to practice.

• make a playing plan: play with better players; where you are going to play; playing lesson; course management; play in competition--with your buddies, in leagues or organized tournaments. I try to start the season on courses that I find easier, or at least from the forward tees until my game is in shape. Build the confidence before going to higher degrees of difficulty.
• allow for lessons: use your teaching pro as a resource. His or her advice will be invaluable.

Don't feel you should develop this golf practice plan alone. Go see your local golf professional and involve him or her from the beginning. In fact, a great place to start would be to take a swing lesson and have him assess your swing characteristics. Better yet, let him assess your game via a playing lesson. Let him see as many elements of your game as possible. Your course management and mental approach should be included in the golf practice plan as well. Up front, this is your best investment. Seek professional help.

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