I was stuck. Thousands of range balls for months on end, and nothing. Not even half a stroke improvement. My game had simply stopped improving.
Since all else had failed, and frustration was setting in, as a last resort I took the Taoist approach: I quit trying. Sort of.
Instead of hitting range ball after range ball, focusing on various parts of my swing, I concentrated instead on ‘peripherial’ activities like shotmaking, trick shots, hand-eye coordination, and practice games.
That’s when it happened. My drives got longer. My irons became more precise. My putts started dropping. My scores improved.
How could this be? I wasn’t working as hard…wasn’t sweating as much…wasn’t toiling away for hours on the range.
Truth is, I hadn’t really stopped working as hard. I was simply working smarter – working on things that actually led to an improvement in my scores rather than simply an improvement in my swing. The new ‘games’ I was using on the range was stimulating my creativity and allowing me to transfer my swing improvements into scoring improvements.
My realization: Changing the practice/training approach is the trigger for blasting through a frustrating scoring plateau.
Since then, I’ve experimented with dozens of rut-busting methods. Here I list five of my favorites. I invite you to give them a shot. For maximum benefit, use only one technique at a time, and give it enough time – perhaps rotating every 4 weeks. If you’ve been golfing consistently for a year or more, you’ll change the look of your game—and your scores.
Identify Your Weaknesses
Every golfer, regardless of handicap, has probably experienced a sticking point: a time in which your scores simply aren’t improving. In all liklihood, you’re only practicing or reinforcing your strengths. Find your weaknesses and strengthen them, and you’ll be able to shoot lower scores. Your weak link is easy to locate: It’s usually the area of your game you enjoy practicing the least. After all, it’s human nature to avoid uncomfortable situations, or situations where we’re more likely to fail. Unfortunately, the game of golf always finds a way to expose your weaknesses, ofter at the most inopportune time.
The fix: Once you indentify your weaknesses, practice them in towards the middle of a practice session. Always start your practice sessions with something fun, so you look forward to starting and mentally get ‘into’ the practice early on. Then, switch to one of your weaknesses…bunker play, flop shots, chipping, 3 foot putts. End your practice session with one of your strengths or something you feel more comfortable with to regain your confidence and leave the range with a sense of accomplishment.
Example: One of my weaknesses is distance control on 10 -20 foot breaking putts. Two of my strengths are short putts and lag putting from 30 – 40 feet. Therefore, I’ll often begin a practice session hitting some long putts to get a feel for distance control without the expectations of making the putts, merely getting them in the vicinity of the hole. Then, I’ll play 2-3 ‘games’ that test my abilities and performance in my weak zone – those 10 – 20 foot breaking putts. Then, I’ll end the practice session by making 25 3-foot putts in a row to regain my confidence after it’s inevitably wained after struggling through my weakness.
Think Small
Most golfers try to increase too much too quickly. The improvement and adaptation process should be gradual, especially as your ability levels increase. A psychotherapist might call it taking baby steps. I prefer the old adage ‘one shot at a time’. In order for this to be effective, however, you have to establish a benchmark for improvement. But once you do, it’s the simplest way to see both immediate and long term gains when you’re stuck in a rut.
The fix: Establish a benchmark, then spend a month trying to improve upon the baseline score. Psychologically, increasing your measureable performance is tangible proof that you’re making progress, and that can avoid mental ruts, which are much more common than physical ruts.
Examples: On day #1, measure a 30 foot chip. Hit 25 chips to the target one at a time, trying to convert the putt for an ‘up and down’ after each chip. Record your success. For example, on day #1 you may get 5 of the 25 ‘up and down’. Practice your chipping for a week, then repeat the test. In week #2, you may get 7 out of 25, in week #3 you may convert 10 out of 25, and so on. It may not seem like much, but consider in the example I just used that you just increased your chipping 100% in 3 weeks, results not atypical from those I often see in my students.
Avoid Swing Thoughts – Practice ‘Feel’
When we’re concentrating on the individual movements of our swings, it’s often unrealistic to expect an improvement in the quality of our shots. To improve your scores, you have to eventually convert swing improvements into shot improvements. Better players often refer to this as ‘feel’. Stimulate this process by practicing in a manner your typically not accustomed to…a process I refer to as ‘shot practice’.
The fix: I always tell my students…Imagine Michael Jordan practicing his jumpshot alone in the gym. He may work on getting more flex in his knees, more snap in his wrist, squaring his forearm to the target. However, when Michael got the ball in a game with 3 seconds on the clock and the game on the line, defenders running at him from all angles, I bet he never once thought to himself “all right, lets make sure I really bend my knees this time.”. Yet that’s how many of us play golf…it doesn’t make sense. Shot practice will increase your feel and actually tell you if the swing thoughts you’ve been working on are ingrained enough (or effective enough) to allow you to perform a variety of shots when necessary on the course.
Examples: Divide your bucket of range balls into groups of 5 balls. Focus on a particular type of shot for 5 balls at a time without focusing on a particular swing thought. For instance, hit 5 hooks with a 5-iron as if you had to work a ball around a large oak tree. Hit the next 5 balls with a pitching wedge as if you were hitting into a 30 mph headwind. Hit the next 5 balls with a lob wedge as if you had to hit it over a large bunker and have the ball land softly on the green. Hit the next 5 as if you had a wide open par 5 and you had to get home in two.
Lie to Yourself
In my opinion, confidence should be manufactured, not acquired as a result of a performance improvement. If you wait too long to see your performance improve, your confidence will be lacking. On the other hand, if you enter a situation with a high level of confidence, you’re likely to plow through obstacles and ultimately find success. So, where does confidence come from? The space between your ears…and you can ‘invent’ it whenever you want. I often do it by lying to myself initially until I believe it to be true, then one day it just seems to come to fruition.
The fix: Repeat a mantra to yourself at the beginning of any practice session. Do it every day for 30 days until you truly believe it. In no time, you’ll actually
Examples: When I arrived at St. Charles Country Club for my 1st assistant golf professional position, I probably wasn’t in the top 10 players in the entire club. I lied to myself every day for 30 days…”I am the best golfer at St. Charles Country Club. I can beat anybody”. After about 4-5 months of hard work and ‘believing’, I could hold my own against anybody in the club. I often have my students repeat things like: “I’m the best putter in XYZ Ladies League”. “I’m the best player in my high school conference.” Not only does this keep someone in a positive frame of mind, but it often inspires them to achieve things they otherwise didn’t believe was initially possible. Don’t be afraid to set your goals high.
Play Practice
When you only practice one area of your game, your body and mind quickly adapt and will figure out the path of least resistance to perform the required task. Instead, practice golf like you play golf…move around and don’t try the same shot more than once in a row. After all, on the course you may hit a driver, followed by a punch out from under the trees, followed by a 9-iron to the green, followed by a chip shot, etc. Practice golf in this same manner.
The fix: Take all of your clubs out of your bag. Vow to spend a couple of practice sessions in the next month using your imagination to play your favorite course on the driving range.
Examples: On the driving range, I’ll imagine standing on the 1st tee at Village Greens. I’ll take out my hybrid and try to hit a gentle fade around the fairway bunker I’m imagining 220 yards away. Next, I’ll hit a 9-iron with a slight draw to a pin I’m imagining on the left front of the green. If I hit a bad shot, I’ll next imaging the chip shot I have to hit close to the pin. Etc.
Note: Sometimes you need to overhaul your routine to get your game to the next level. I wish you the best of luck in your game improvement program.
