Practice makes perfect! It’s a philosophy that everyone has heard before, but all too often, we’re always looking for the next quick fix to make ourselves a better golfer. It may be looking to buy the next greatest driver that will add an extra 20 yards to our drives or perhaps a new putter that promises to help you make more putts inside 15 feet. The reality is that while these may help, there truly is no substitute to effective practice. If you are willing to put the hours into improving your game, you will reap the rewards in the long term.
If you are looking to find the best ways to improve your golf game on the Gulf Coast, there are plenty of great spots to visit, including the Orange Beach Golf Center or the practice facilities at the various courses along this stretch of coastline. However, you have to be prepared to practice the right way. Here are five great practice drills you can try out the next time you head to the range and get into the routine of experiencing this each time you want to improve your game. Remember, consistency and repetition are key. Therefore, consistently practicing these drills multiple times a week will put you in a great position to break your best golf score.
Putting Drill
One of the best tips for any aspiring golfer visiting the practice range is to start and end on the practice green. Many golfers head to the range and start hitting balls, focusing their attention on perfecting their swing, but fail to put the time on the practice green to ensure they are ready to hole those all-important putts.
An excellent putting drill that you can enjoy at the start and end of your practice session is to put tees or markers on the green around the hole in the shape of a clock. Known as the “clock drill,” you will place 12 tees three or four feet from the hole and work your way around. If you miss a putt, start the drill again until you hole all of the putts consecutively.
As you gain confidence, feel free to push your tee markers further away from the hole. When you head to the course, your confidence will be sky high, and regardless of which way a putt breaks, you will be ready to find the back of the hole!
Perfect your Chipping
Although putting is undoubtedly the key to success, the other component of having a solid short game is being able to get up and down from around the green. Whether you find a greenside bunker or perhaps just miss the green with your approach shot, having the ability to chip the ball close to the hole will give you every opportunity to keep a good round going.
Start with simple chip shots from just off the green and focus on different holes to get the feel and control. Don’t always think you need to pull your favorite wedge from your bag. Try different clubs to better understand the trajectory and shot type that works from various situations around the green. There are certain situations where you will be forced into pulling your most lofted club, such as when you are short-sided and need to land the ball softly, but there are many situations where a 9-iron could be just as effective as a sand-wedge.
Practice by setting balls in approximately 5-yard intervals up to 50 yards from the green and try to hit each shot within an imaginary circle around 10 feet from the hole. Keep score of how many you can get within this circle, and each time you practice this drill, try to beat your previous score.
Short Iron Practice
Head over to the range and get ready to work on what is frequently considered scoring clubs. Your short irons, from 8-iron to Sand Wedge, are the clubs that you will likely use within 150 yards. If you have any aspirations of achieving career-best rounds, it’s critical that you have a high confidence level of hitting accurate shots with these.
Shorter irons are renowned for being easier to hit than long irons, and one of the best drills is to focus on a target on the range and hit at least ten balls with each of your clubs toward that target. Understanding distance control is another excellent quality to have, and if, for example, you target the 100-yard marker, this is something that you can likely hit with a variety of clubs.
Varying your length of swing, working on shaping the shots with a draw or fade (or, of course, straight at the target), and having the confidence to position the ball in different spots in your stance to control the trajectory will leave you in a great spot to achieve a career-best round the next time you visit the course.
Master the Long Irons
Inevitably there will be a shot that you fear when you stand on the golf course. For many, it’s those long irons where you are hitting over water, or perhaps you are trying to put yourself in position for an approach to the green. However, if you are willing to practice these on the range and understand the fundamentals of striking sold-long iron shots, you will be ready to overcome these fears.
Many amateur golfers have the inherent fear of not being able to get a long iron shot in the air. An average 3-iron has anywhere from 21 to 24 degrees of loft, and while you may never consistently hit them like the pros, you can certainly achieve a solid level of consistency.
One of the best drills to start gaining confidence is to execute half-swing iron shots. Place the ball slightly forward in your stance and get a feeling that you will be clipping the ball off the top of the grass rather than driving into the back of the ball and taking a divot. Be confident that the club will achieve the height and distance necessary to ensure you achieve better shots into the green. Don’t forget that striking solid long iron shots only comes with quality practice and repetition.
Drive for Show
Is there any better feeling than striking a perfect tee shot almost 300 yards down the center of the fairway? While technology has made life much easier for amateur golfers to achieve this feeling, it is still critical to practice hitting your driver and fairway woods to ensure you are confident standing on the first tee.
One tip many professionals recommend and one that you can try is the headcover (or towel) under the arm drill. This helps you perfect your takeaway motion with the driver. Allow the headcover to stay under your arm until you have completed the first part of the takeaway, and then allow it to fall to the ground to ensure you can generate power. Remember, the key here is perfecting the first part of the swing.
Work on achieving solid contact, and don’t forget to practice hitting fairway woods from the grass rather than teeing up the ball every time. The next time you are on a par 5, you will be ready to hit the green in two to set up an eagle opportunity!
Head to any of the 15 amazing courses on the Alabama Gulf Coast to start improving your golf game!
