Tip of the week

Something that I often hear when coaching is that a player can hit the ball great on the driving range but still struggles on the golf course. This weeks tip is how to alter your practice sessions to ensure that your on course play gets better.

My first tip for practice is to always have a target, It is very easy to start aimlessly hitting golf balls down the range. However, always aim at something different for each shot as this gets you used to what you do when you are out on the golf course.

When on the range it is easy to get in a rhythm of hitting 30 shots with the same club in a row. However, when you are out on the golf course each shot is different and with a variety of clubs. Therefore when you are on the range, change club after each shot. You can still hit 30 shots with a 7 iron or a driver but doing them with other shots in between keeps your concentration and stops you getting in a rhythm with one club.

It is important to work on your weaknesses when on the range. It is very easy to only use the clubs that you like when practicing. However, to improve your weaknesses you need to do more work on those clubs. This will help to improve your overall game and lower your scores.

Finally, a very good thing to do on the range and something that a lot of Professionals do is to play the golf course but on the range. What I mean by this is that you have to hit the shots that you will require on a certain hole. For example the 1st hole at Hayling is 180 yard Par 3. Therefore, hit a club on the range that goes 180 yards at a specific target. Then hit your driver and imagine you are on the 2nd tee and so on. This helps you visualise the shots and also helps improve confidence as when you are faced with the shot on the course, you know that you have hit the shot required on the range.

I hope this tip helps and makes your practice more useful and results in lower scores.