How Should You Be Practicing ?
by JOSH APPLE
Alignment practice is key when working at the driving range .
In the words of former NBA icon Allen Iverson , “ We
talkin ’ about practice !” Although he was downplaying the importance of practice in that legendary interview , most of us simply can ’ t achieve the level of success we desire on the golf course without at least some practice time .
That leads us to the question , “ How should you be practicing ?” I spend time on the lesson tee with students of all ages and abilities actually teaching them how to practice , in addition to teaching the mechanics of the game .
I have broken down this incredibly broad question into four smaller categories . Within each category is information for all types of players , whether you practice everyday or only once per month . In this issue , we ’ ll look at how to practice on the driving range and how to perform measurement practice .
Check back in the January-February 2021 issue of Virginia Golfer for two more practice topics : Best ways to divide your practice time and ways to simulate on-course pressure in practice .
I . HOW TO PRACTICE ON THE DRIVING RANGE I teach at a public driving range facility , which means I have the opportunity to watch interesting methods of practice on a daily basis . The most common approach I witness is the “ rapid fire ” method , which doesn ’ t accomplish a whole lot other than aerobic exercise . We are all guilty of this at times , but there should be more to range practice than firing at will .
A standard large bucket is 100-plus golf balls . The best approach to range practice would be to divide that bucket into three sections with about 35 balls per topic . This is true whether you are someone who practices frequently or occasionally .
Here are some examples of range topics : 1 . Specific swing changes , such as following a lesson 2 . Rhythm , tempo , or timing 3 . Routine and setup 4 . Aim and alignment / hitting to specific targets 5 . Measurement
CHRIS LANG
34 V IRGINIA G OLFER | N OVEMBER / D ECEMBER 2020
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