We all want to improve our golf scores but we are all very busy and don’t have a lot of time to practice so this month I want to let you know the fastest way to improve your scores. Practice your short game! Most of the shots we play are either chips, pitches, bunker shots or putts. The better you get at these types of shots, the lower your scores will become.
It is part of the game that many players don’t practice enough but it is much easier to find 30 minutes to drop into Burnley for some chipping and putting practice than it is to find time to hit balls at the driving range or play nine or eighteen holes on the course. We have a perfect little practice area for your use at Burnley and I don’t see nearly enough golfers using it to improve their short game.You need to ensure you practice properly when you are practicing your short game. It is very easy to just drop all your practice balls in the one spot and hit the same chip, pitch, bunker shot or putt over and over again. This is not a very good way to improve your short game skills. When you are on the course, you only get one chance to hit each shot. If you mess it up, you have to go and play it from where it went. Hitting the same shot over and over in practice does not simulate on course play. You need to only take a few balls to the short game practice area and play lots of different shots and never play from the same place twice. This will make your practice more like playing on the course and improve your ability to play the shot under the pressure of being on the course.
A simple way to make your practice like your on course play is to build some pressure into your drills. Some simple ideas are to play closest to the hole with a friend (you can have a friendly wager), chip and putt out every shot until you get in the hole and keep score (you can then try and beat your score), try and chip 3 shots in a row closer then 3ft (punish yourself with sit ups if you fail) or complete a series of skill tests and try and improve your scores over time. You can find some great short game and putting skills tests under the newsletter archive tab of my website at www.brentdavisgolf.com. If you complete these tests and email me your scores (bdavis@pgamember.org.au) I will calculate your short game handicap so you can try and improve it.
Remember, the fastest way to lower scores is to have a good short game.
Until next time,
Brent
