While I’ve been to the range a few times this summer, todays session was the first time I would consider myself having ‘consciously practiced’ as opposed to just whacked balls. The session took considerably longer than usual, clocking 90 minutes to hit a large bucket (110 balls), 50 of which were chips. Rather than hit ball after ball, I treated each shot as if I were on the course, choosing a target, taking two practice swings, and addressing the ball with focus. I also recorded my results so that I can compare them over time to see where I’m making improvements, and where I’m lagging.
I’m a big believer in gamification, so I will look to gamify my practice sessions to make them as close to the on-course experience as possible. On todays session, I allowed a ‘breakfast ball’ with each club, meaning if my first shot was no good, I could hit it again, then recorded the next 5 shots as on-target, left, right, toe, blade, or shank for each club to determine where more work is required. Unsurprisingly, my best club was my SW which I was able to hit on-target 4 of 5 times, and my worst club was my 6-iron which I was only able to hit on-target on 1 of 5 shots. Moving forward, I will record the first 5 shots per club, as you don’t get an opportunity for mulligans when on the course.
I then went to the practice green where I chipped from 10, 15, and 20 yards out with my SW. I was happy with the contact I was making and the trajectory of my shots, blading less than 20%, but I struggled with distance control, rarely getting within 10 feet which is the range that gives me a realistic chance of one-putting. I have confidence in my putting, so if I can improve my chips to give myself a chance to get up and down on most holes, I can dramatically improve my scoring. Improving my chipping will be a major focus this summer.
Overall, I felt my results were fairly consistent with my typical performance on the course. From a scoring perspective, I hit 18 shots on-target as even, added 14 strokes for balls hit left or right, and 16 strokes for 8 bad misses, which puts me at +30, and if you add a few strokes for chipping and putting, you get around my average score of 100 to 110, or a +28 to +38. My first goal is to drastically reduce the number of bad misses as penalty strokes are a killer on the course both mentally and on the scorecard. After I’m consistently hitting the ball well, I will focus more on direction, which I often find is caused by misalignment as opposed to pulling or pushing the ball. I’m looking forward to seeing what impact conscious practice will have on my game this summer.
Breaking Ninety 