Nearly half of high-handicap golfers don’t practice. You can’t expect to improve your golf game if you don’t put some time in. Practice can be fun. You can modify the schedule to fit your goals and your playing level. If you’re a weekend warrior who wants to improve, follow this quick road map to success:
Practice your swing whenever possible. You can practice in your basement, living room, or backyard. Place old clubs in various locations around your house so that it’s convenient to swing when the spirit (or schedule) moves you.
Make imaginary swings in front of a mirror or window. Make sure that you have your arms and hands in the proper position. If you don’t have a club handy, that’s okay. Visualize and feel the correct position.
Grip a club when you watch television. You’re not doing anything else! Try swinging a club during a commercial.
Build a practice area in your house or office where you can easily work on your short game. Use those plastic practice balls. Set up a small obstacle course in your yard. (Your kids can help you with this part.)
Where and when possible, hit a bucket of balls during lunch. If it’s a hot day in July, you may want to hit the showers before you head back to the office.
Here’s a sample practice schedule:
Monday: Health-club workout (1 hour); putt on rug (15 minutes)
Tuesday: Swing a club at home in front of a mirror or window (30 minutes)
Wednesday: Health-club workout (1 hour); read a golf magazine or book, or watch a golf video or DVD (30 minutes)
Thursday: Swing a club or chip (1 hour)
*Friday: Health-club workout (1 hour); practice range, including golf drills (1 hour)
Saturday: Practice range (1 hour); play 18 holes
Sunday: Watch golf on TV; practice range (30 minutes); play 9 holes