Practice like a PGA Pro…no, not Tiger Woods. Me…Brandon Evans…a local PGA Pro with a fun job which occupies 8-12 hours of energy per day, 2 kids and a beautiful wife at home who I love spending time with, an affinity for landscaping, and too little time to practice golf.
I’ve made a goal to practice golf at least 4 times per week for the next several months, and I’m going to share with you my practice objectives and methodology for each of my practice sessions. I invite and encourage you to follow along with me…we’ll both improve together!
You’ll notice a few things right of the bat about my practice sessions:
1) They have to have a specific, measurable objective. Otherwise, I have no idea whether or not I’m accomplishing anything or getting better over time.
2) Most sessions are short and concise…have to get home to my kids and my daylillies.
3) 2/3 of my practice sessions will revolve around the short game for a couple of reasons. a) the short game is necessary for lower scores and b) the putting/chipping greens is a shorter walk from my office than the driving range.
Day #3 -Full Swing Path Drill
Focus: Full Swing – Swing Path
Description: Set-Up 2 clubs or Boards (see photo below) pointing towards your target, allowing about 1 inch on either side of your clubhead for clearance. The purpose of this drill is to develop target line awareness and train your body to swing the club down the target line through impact (one of the key components for accuracy). Hit 25 balls without striking either board as your club moves through the impact zone. Increase or decrease your margin of error to correspond with your ability level and objectives. If you strike the board, start all over. This will create ‘pressure’ in your practice session to mimic playing conditions…meaning, if you make 23 swings without hitting the boards, there is ‘pressure’ on your 24th and 25th shots so you won’t have to start all over again.
Objective: 25 consecutive shots without hitting the board.
Time: Took me only 25 shots and about 9 minutes to complete the objective. I made a note to move the boards 1/4 inch closer on each side the next time this drill comes up in my practice routine.
