How to Practice with a Purpose!

December 1, 2008

Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction at the Mel Sole Golf School, headquartered at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC. We conduct 1, 2 and 3-day golf schools, hourly golf lessons, and senior golf schools—any golf instruction program your heart desires. Give us a call at 800-624-4653 or 843-237-4993. We will be happy to book a commuter school or a package that contains accommodations, golf, and golf school.

Monthly Golf Tips by the Mel Sole Golf School.

Standing on the range and hitting balls is not practice. Unless you know How to Practice and have a purpose, and know exactly why you are there, you waste your time and energy. To gain the most benefit from your practice session, here are a few things you should always strive for.

Always have a target.

NEVER practice without a target. Instead, use alignment sticks, an umbrella, or a club. But always put some alignment aid on the ground, pointing slightly left (for right-handed golfers) of your intended target. You want your clubface aiming at the target, not your feet, hips, or shoulders.

Exaggerate.

When you are working on a swing change, there is always perception and reality. There is what you think you are doing and what you are actually doing. Unless you have a video camera of your own, take a lesson now and again to see if you are making progress. Even small changes need to be exaggerated to make them work.

Pose at the end.

Get into the habit of posing at the end. Look at most PGA and LPGA players. They all pose at the end of their swing. You need to do it for one fundamental reason. The follow-through is the result of what you are doing. So by examining your final position, it can tell you if you are doing it correctly or not. For example, if you were working on a weight shift. Hold your follow-through at the end of your swing. You can now check exactly where your weight is. If the weight is not all the way through to the front foot, put it there before you come down so your body knows what the correct position feels like. Remember, the body does not know the difference between right or wrong. It would be best if you taught what you want it to do.

Don't let bad results frustrate you in the beginning. The golf swing requires consistency and repetition, repetition, and more repetition. Because you are standing on the range, bad shots might be frustrating, but they do not cost you any shots as they would on the course. Every person I have ever worked with, including myself, starts to feel comfortable eventually. Patience, Grasshopper!

Source: Mel Sole Golf School.

Thanks for watching How to Practice with a Purpose!

What are you doing to end slow play? Comments, please.

When you practice, don’t be afraid to exaggerate!

If you want to improve your swing – Exaggerate!

Over Exaggerate – Technical Thursday #8.

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