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The Solitude of Practice: Free your psyche to focus your mind

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You know those lonely days on the range by yourself when, for whatever reason, every little mishit and mistake drives you crazy? I’m going to help you find inner peace in these moments, and make those range sessions more productive.

For me, I can’t even begin to tell you how many hours I’ve spent beating balls on the range in an attempt to improve my game. Sometimes that “hard work” was fun; other days it felt like more of a chore. Even on those tough days when I felt like snapping every club over my knee, I always tried to make sure I reminded myself that golf was “only a game.” While that’s easier said than done, I want to discuss the “zen,” or solitude of practice that we should all strive to achieve when we are hitting balls so we can actually get better when we practice.

Look at the photo above of me hitting balls a few years ago at Bighorn in Palm Desert, California. I want you to notice several things that I would suggest you try the next time you are out on the range.

Dressed for the Day 

It’s difficult to have a solid practice session when you’re not wearing the correct attire — whether it’s the wrong shoes, or you forgot to wear a hat and you’re looking straight into the sun. Remember that you are responsible for dressing for success and making sure you have your glove, sunscreen, hat, glasses, and the proper type of clothing for golf. It’s not about wearing $1,000 shoes and matching your outfit perfectly. You want to make sure you wear things that allow you to sweat less, avoid sunburn, feel better while practicing, and generally allow yourself to make the most out of your session. There is nothing worse than trying to work on a certain shot when you are sweating like a dog, slipping around, or being blinded by the sun.

On the Far End of the Range

If you are truly practicing and working on something in your game, you must remember that it’s not social hour; it’s a time for you to focus and meditate on your feels and your goals for that practice session. It’s impossible to get better between jokes and keep your focus when your buddy is goofing around next to you. This does not mean you cannot ever practice around people. I’m not encouraging you to be anti-social, but if you truly want to step inside yourself, you must break away from the masses. Concentration and solitude is required to “be the ball,” as Ty Webb once said in Caddyshack.

Using a Solid, Level, and Grassy Portion of the Practice Area 

Now I understand that not every facility has a range as nice as Bighorn’s — or even a manicured strip of grass — but every facility has sections that are better than others. I suggest you find these areas and camp out if you’d like to really work on your game. It’s not reasonable to try and work on certain things when you are hitting off downhill, sidehill hardpan or a sandy lie. And what chance do you have to find the feel, much less your groove when hitting out of a divot or a mat with a hole in it?

Most of the time, I see people drop their bags on the range at the closest spot to the cart path. Think about it; that’s probably the most overused and worn-out section of the range. Find a less frequented spot, and you’ll have a more productive session.

One Ball at a Time 

One of my favorite things about the photo taken of me aboce is that you can only see one ball. The others are in a pile a few steps from where I am hitting. Why did I put the balls out of arms reach? So I have to stop, regroup, and go through my pre-shot all over again before every shot. This keeps me focused and in the best mindset possible to stay in the zone so I can get my best work done. How many of you resemble a machine gun while hitting range balls? I know many people who have another ball teed up and ready to go before the last one lands. Don’t be that guy!

Clear Target in Mind 

When you dial a phone, you have a specific goal in mind. For that reason, you input the correct number pretty much every time. You don’t just pick up your phone and hit random numbers; if you did, you probably wouldn’t reach the person you intended to dial. The same is true with golf. If you don’t focus on a target — an EXACT target — for every shot you hit, you won’t get much out of your session. If I ask you “What was your target?” and you answer, “I don’t know, I was just hitting the ball,” I can guarantee that you learned nothing from that shot, and you did not get better on that swing.

Relaxed and Un-rushed

If you have time to practice, then you have time to slow down. It’s never about the number of balls you hit; it’s about the quality of the balls you hit, especially when you are trying to learn a different move or swing feel. Far too often I see lunch-break golfers trying to hit a large bucket in 30 minutes. They get nothing accomplished but exercise. The goal of practicing on the range is to make a high number of correct repetitions in order to change a motor pattern, not finish a large bucket.

Focusing on Feels, NOT Results (Just Yet)

When you’re working on your swing, the range is a place to feel your new move versus an old one. It offers a low-pressure environment to work a new skill into your current game without repercussion. When you practice, don’t worry so much about the outcome at first; you only want to work on the feeling of the new move and understand just how close you’re actually coming to making “it.” Don’t ruin your zen by worrying on results quite yet… they will come.

I hope by now you have learned how to set yourself up for success by preparing, slowing down, and focusing on the task at hand. And please remember to enjoy the quest of golf and the constant strive for improvement!

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Tom F. Stickney II, is a specialist in Biomechanics for Golf, Physiology, and 3d Motion Analysis. He has a degree in Exercise and Fitness and has been a Director of Instruction for almost 30 years at resorts and clubs such as- The Four Seasons Punta Mita, BIGHORN Golf Club, The Club at Cordillera, The Promontory Club, and the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. His past and present instructional awards include the following: Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Golf Digest Top 50 International Instructor, Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor, Best in State (Florida, Colorado, and California,) Top 20 Teachers Under 40, Best Young Teachers and many more. Tom is a Trackman University Master/Partner, a distinction held by less than 25 people in the world. Tom is TPI Certified- Level 1, Golf Level 2, Level 2- Power, and Level 2- Fitness and believes that you cannot reach your maximum potential as a player with out some focus on your physiology. You can reach him at [email protected] and he welcomes any questions you may have.

15 Comments

15 Comments

  1. Labia

    Sep 9, 2017 at 12:56 am

    Find feel between the bedsheets…. NOT by hitting golf clubs….. that’s pathetic

  2. Nundie

    Sep 7, 2017 at 8:05 pm

    Just go commando in really loose pants

    • Chipolte

      Sep 7, 2017 at 8:09 pm

      and one ball at a time so you don’t stress your Fruit of the Looms.

  3. OB

    Sep 7, 2017 at 3:22 pm

    If you want to be good in sports, music, dance, it’s 99% practice and 1% performance play.
    You may be on the golf course for 4 hours (240 minutes) but you must reduce that to the time you are swinging or putting or strategizing for perhaps 10 solid minutes. You are doing nothing athletic or strategic for 230 minutes, other than socializing and taking in the scenery!
    So, if that 10 minutes of performance time is backed up by 99% practice time, you would need to be practicing 1000 minutes (~17 hours)! Sounds just about right.

  4. acemandrake

    Sep 7, 2017 at 10:15 am

    1. Use an alignment rod

    2. Stop if tired

    • Chipolte

      Sep 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm

      and shove the alignment rod for your spinal axis

  5. Solid Golf

    Sep 7, 2017 at 9:21 am

    Good points in this article. You kept it very simple and straight to the point. Sometimes I get carried away on the range and get to exhausted. Once that happens I start hitting bad shots. Then to rectify this I hit more shots. That’s when I know it’s time to leave. I am just wasting my time at the range at that point.

    • Chipolte

      Sep 7, 2017 at 8:07 pm

      same on this fine forum…. wasting time

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Instruction

Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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