Playing and practicing golf are two very different actions. Most of us would prefer to play a round of eighteen holes with our buddies than spend a boring afternoon hitting balls on the range. Unfortunately, it is rather hard to focus on practicing your game while thinking about the last joke that was told. When a golfer is out for a morning round with friends or other golfers they are joined with, focus can be difficult to attain when working on practicing specific areas of your own game. If the purpose of the day is social, do not plan on practicing.
Make it Fun.
Although very different, play and practice are possible at the same time if the appropriate environment can be found. First, it is possible to make an afternoon at the range more like play than routine practice. Make your practice time fun, use your imagination. Some great ideas include setting up drills or goals to push yourself or the use targets and flags as markers to aim at and hit consecutively. For those who do not wish to practice alone, this can also be done as a family activity or with friends.
Practice, play alone.
Another great idea to fit practice in with play is to go out for ‘a single round of four ball’ where one golfer plays four balls at the same time. This is not always an idea the Pro Shop will like and do not attempt this one on a busy Sunday morning. A great idea is to make a phone call to some of the courses close by and see if there are certain times that the tee sheet is rather quiet. If you ask nicely, sometimes they will allow you to head out alone. It is best to choose two to four differently marked golf balls to play as four different scores on your score card. This is a great way to optimize practice time in an environment with minimal distractions. While you are out there alone is a great idea to take the opportunity to track specific areas of your game. Naming only a few ideas about parts of the game to measure, to be included could be: number of putts per hole, how many fairways were reached in regulation, sand shots taken, out of bounds shots, penalties and any greats shots that are worth jotting down.
After a summer of focused practice and effective play, scores should begin to drop and the game found easier.