Opinion & Analysis

3 Ways to Make Practice Sessions Worthwhile

Published

8 years ago

Mar 17, 2016

It’s always interesting to see how golfers go about their practice sessions, especially when they’re implementing what they’ve learned from a recent lesson. Some machine-gun balls, while others make tons of rehearsal motions and only hit a few balls. When it is all said and done, which player is getting the most out of their session? Regardless of which player type you are, it’s obvious that implementing a new skill is as personal as golfers themselves.

My goal as a teacher is to help my students understand HOW to get the most out of their practice time. So if my players only have 45 minutes each week to work on their motion, I want them to get as much out of those 45 minutes as possible. Jack Nicklaus always said he never practiced as much as his contemporaries, because he always went to the range with a specific purpose. He focused on his purpose, worked on it and was done. I want you to be the same way.

Over the last few weeks, fellow GolfWRX Featured Writer Cordie Walker has written some fantastic articles on practice and the implementation of motor learning concepts as it pertains to golf. You’ll find them linked below. I have written this article with Cordie because I wanted to combine his expertise with mine to help you to formulate YOUR best practice plan and skill-implementation strategy so you can play better golf as quickly as possible.

When most people practice golf, they’re merely getting exercise. Little learning or skill acquisition is being done. People are creatures of habit, and most golfers have had poor role models when it comes to practicing the craft. Most of their influencers were either their buddies or professionals at a local Tour event, so they believe that going to the range and beating balls is the best way to get better.

Imagine for a moment you have only one hour per week to hit balls in order to work on your game. How do you go about it? I bet most of you follow the “normal” routine most golfers do:

You typically go to the same side of the range.
When hitting balls, you always use the same targets and swing mostly the same clubs.
When you practice, you make sure you have a good lie on level, fairway grass (and complain when the range isn’t in perfect condition).

That kind of practice doesn’t help you play better on the golf course, and it won’t help you stop hitting the ball in the water on that one hole that doesn’t look good to your eye on the tee box. So how can you practice in a more efficient manner? Below, Cordie and I are going to help you figure out how to practice, and also lessen your time on the range so you can play golf more often!

Give yourself different looks

How often have you seen someone move around to different spots on the tee box of a range? Probably not very often, right. In my opinion, this the most detrimental part of practice: giving yourself the “same look” every time you hit balls. Thus, whenever you find the opposite look on the golf course, you will tend to feel uncomfortable.

In contrast, you should practice different types of shots and give yourself views that simulate the shots you see on the golf course.

Even if you’re hitting the same club, give yourself two completely different looks with different goals and places to miss. Try setting up two different stations that require opposing shot patterns. For example, at station No. 1, a miss to the left leaves you short sided, so the goal is to hit it at the pin or miss right of it.

Station No. 2 is all about distance control. You must get the ball over the bunker, but can’t miss long because the green is narrow.

Both of these stations test two different areas of your game and push most golfers beyond how they normally practice. Force yourself to hit the correct shot, and see how many times you can avoid the “bail out” shot.

Make sure you set up shots that are demanding, but not unrealistic for your skill level. Be realistic, because it is these challenges that will help you to find ways to score lower on the course. They are not meant to frustrate you and damage your confidence.

Set up the uncomfortable shot

A golfer’s miss (a draw or a slice) usually affects where golfers aim when they’re on the range. So if you slice the ball, it’s doubtful that you choose a spot on the right side of the range and try to hit along that same right side. Why? Because you don’t want to knock balls into the houses on the right of the range and break a window. It adds an element of challenge and pressure, which in all reality you should embrace.

There are many holes out on the golf course that make you line up on the right side of the fairway with houses on the right and left. That’s why it’s important to practice like you play. And if you calm your discomfort during practice, it will be that much easier on the course.

Conditions that induce the most errors during acquisition are often the very conditions that lead to the most learning! See “Learning Versus Performance” by Soderstrom and Bjork.

In the image above, you can see a target on the range that most drawers of the golf ball would happily hit balls to. It fits their eye.

However, as a fader, I’d either have to start the ball over the bunker or aim at the hole and try to hit it straight hoping it doesn’t cut. I love to practice this way because it’s easy to bail out, but so hard to commit and start the ball left of the pin with the bunker in the way. On the golf course, you also have to deal with these kinds of situation. So if you practice them, you might make a birdie the next time around, or avoid a double-bogey.

Maybe your nemesis hole at home is a par-3 with water on the right, and as a fader of the ball you tend to miss right in the pond. If possible, go practice out on that hole. Take your nicest Pro V1s and hit shots to the green. If you come out of the shot, the ball is going in the water and you’re losing a $4 golf ball. This type of committed practice will allow you to move to the next level because if you think losing a $4 golf balls is bad, just think how bad you’ll feel when you lose in the final round of the Member Guest with the calcutta on the line.

Add pressure

There is inherent pressure when trying to perform your best. Whether you’re playing for a few bucks on the weekend with friends or trying to win the club championship, you’ll most likely have to deal with pressure, and it’s tough to recreate that feeling during practice or practice rounds.

The problem is most people feel pressure for the first time during performance. And it’s the reason why their tournament scores are usually much worse than their Saturday scores with their buddies.

If you haven’t practiced under pressure, how do you expect perform well when you need to? Most people relegate their practice as simply an activity to hit golf balls and try to groove their swing. The reality is there is far more to practice than just the physical activity itself.

Here’s are three simple steps to add pressure to your practice:

Step 1: Set a goal for your practice, and create game where you’re trying to hit a specific shot to a specific target.
Step 2: Set a dollar amount to that game. Succeed and you keep your money; fail and you lose it.
Step 3: I’m serious. If you don’t meet your goal, leave your money on the range for some lucky soul to find.

The fear of losing money is one of the best ways to simulate pressure. And if you don’t do it during practice, then you won’t be able to understand your tendencies when it matters.

Do you tend to hit the ball thin or fat, long or short when the pressure is on? If you don’t know now, then you might find out what you’re on the last hole of the Club Championship. By then, it’s too late.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

Published

20 hours ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 LIV Adelaide betting preview: Cam Smith ready for big week down under

Published

20 hours ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.

For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.

The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.

The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.

*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*

Past Winners at LIV Adelaide

2023: Talor Gooch (-19)

Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami

Green in Regulation

Richard Bland
Jon Rahm
Paul Casey

Fairways Hit

Abraham Ancer
Graeme McDowell
Henrik Stenson

Driving Distance

Bryson DeChambeau
Joaquin Niemann
Dean Burmester

Putting

Cameron Smith
Louis Oosthuizen
Matt Jones

2024 LIV Adelaide Picks

Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)

When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.

At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.

The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.

Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)

Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.

In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.

For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.

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Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1

Published

5 days ago

Apr 18, 2024

Terry Koehler

Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.

Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.

But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.

To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.

Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.

If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.

In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.

Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.

While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.

So, what about grooves and face texture?

Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.

Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.

But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?

The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.

So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.

And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.

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