Do you practice with a purpose?
I’m sure most of you feel that the purpose of practice is to get better.
That is correct.
However, the purpose behind your practice goes a long way towards your goal of becoming your best.
Most players I observe on the practice range have a random routine that they follow. Typically, some short irons are hit before eventually finishing up with the driver.
After an hour, or so, it is usually time to move on to something else. Though there is nothing wrong with this, it may not necessarily be the best routine for you to follow.
The idea of practicing with a purpose is important because it helps to keep your sessions more efficient. I have never been a believer that you must practice a certain amount of time, or hit a certain number of golf balls, to become a good player.
In fact, it’s not uncommon to see players stay on the range for so long that they eventually work themselves into a bad habit.
The purpose of practicing is to develop that sense of confidence that things are improving. My students will be the first to say that I often take a club away from them after seeing enough good shots.
Sometimes you will ruin yourself if you keep trying to recreate a perfect shot too many times.
Once you develop some confidence in what you are working on, move on to something else. If your full swing feels good, move on to some chipping.
If your chipping feels good, move on to your putting. And if your putting feels good, then you need to move on to the first tee and double your bets with your playing partners.
Practicing with a purpose means to avoid over complicating the game. It makes no sense to practice just for the sake of practicing. Make sure that you are practicing for a specific reason, and you will be rewarded with much better results.
