As Grey Dogs, there’re two things we don’t usually have when we contemplate practice:
- Abundant energy (strength)
- A purpose to the practice (beyond warming up)
Let’s dive in. As a basis for the discussion, we’ve often reminded you that 70% of our Grey Dog shots are taken from within 70 yards of the hole. So, with that, practice with a purpose:
- When we get to the range, we often hit more balls with our Driver than any other club. That’s exhausting…swinging the Driver full out a couple dozen time wears us out! Why?
- We’ve shown you that playing from the fairway as Grey Dogs is a key to lower scores, so, maybe spending more time with the fairway-finder clubs would also show benefit. Do we?
- On the golf course, we are always aiming at a specific spot…a target in the fairway…a leaf on the green…we often putt to a single blade of grass. Do we do that on the range, with EVERY swing? C’mon now.
- Ben Hogan was a voracious practice-range man. He also had a plan. “While I am practicing I am also trying to develop my powers of concentration. I never just walk up and hit the ball. I am practicing and adopting habits of concentration which pay off when I play. . . . Adopt a habit of concentration to the exclusion of everything else around you on the practice tee and you will find that you are automatically following the same routine while playing a round in competition. Play each shot as if it were part of an actual round.”
The best ball striker ever, Hogan also remarked that he had not hit a shot in competition that he hadn’t practiced 1,000 times. Do we do anything close to mimicking this?
- How many practice sessions are exclusively on the short game…chipping, pitching and putting? Half of our shots are short game and putting. Hmm…
- Have we taken a putting lesson recently? Why not? Also, check out our putting article.
- Do we keep a chart of our practice sessions? Heck, we track our gas milage better than our practice sessions! Joking…about the gas milage. Not joking about what our practice sessions look like.
- Next time on the range, step back and discreetly watch the best players as they practice or warm up. You’ll also notice the similarities and patterns. Emulate those.
- Practice with a pal. Work together, alternate shots, challenge each other, chart for one another, play a game on the range. This is a wonderful way to get better. It’s also fun…and can be competitive! Grey Dogs One and Two do this a lot…like when we were kids!
- Alternate your clubs! Try five shots with a club in succession. Start with wedges and move up the “bag” and then back down. That’s about a 36 minute session. A couple final Driver swings and a couple 5 wood whacks and off we go. Spending 20 minutes on the putting green makes an ideal hour! *Before a competitive round, reduce the “bag” time to 25 minutes, add 10 minutes of chipping and increase the putting time.*
- Here’s a fun one. At the end of each “structured” practice session, grab a club…any club…and spend five minutes hitting it to three or four different yardages with different shapes. We promise, it’ll make you better and possibly take you back to your days as a kid sneaking onto the course at dusk with three balls in your jeans and two mismatched irons in your hands. Never a bad thing…
Through it all remember to practice with a purpose. Keep this thought: Hit to a specific mailbox, not the zip code.
We often say “Practice like a kid. Play like a Grey Dog.” This is what we mean!