Who practices and who just plays?

[Bigvivec]

Who practices and who just plays?

It’s a busy world, and there isn’t much time for practice, let alone playing…I was wondering who practices their game, how and when and how much in comparison to the hours spent playing? Lately, I’ve been practicing more than playing, working on a few things…I count time on the course as practice when it isn’t busy and I am playing a few balls, dropping some in bunkers, some at 100yds, etc. and trying out things…I also go to the range for full swing and bunker practice about twice a week for 2 hours a session, practice green once a week for at least an hour, sometimes three, and do chipping and putting in my living room daily…the past few weeks have probably been two thirds practice and one third playing…

Are you a “practicer” or a “player”, or do you try to strike a balance?

[alangbaker]

Originally Posted by Bigvivec

Who practices and who just plays?

It’s a busy world, and there isn’t much time for practice, let alone playing…I was wondering who practices their game, how and when and how much in comparison to the hours spent playing? Lately, I’ve been practicing more than playing, working on a few things…I count time on the course as practice when it isn’t busy and I am playing a few balls, dropping some in bunkers, some at 100yds, etc. and trying out things…I also go to the range for full swing and bunker practice about twice a week for 2 hours a session, practice green once a week for at least an hour, sometimes three, and do chipping and putting in my living room daily…the past few weeks have probably been two thirds practice and one third playing…

Are you a “practicer” or a “player”, or do you try to strike a balance?

I'm a "balance" guy, myself (I guess).

It's not too hard to find 5 or 6 hours a week to practice; that's two or three sessions. And I probably play twice a week during the heart of the season.

I've stopped chipping in my living room, though; only putting from now on. One broken sliding glass door is quite enough.

[Golfaddict]

Put me in the player camp. I will go to the driving range if I am having a problem with a part of my game. My course's practice facility (I use that term loosely) isn't state of the art or even decent. It's pathetic. I would rather spend my time on the course playing to improve my game than practicing.

At the beginning of the season I will put in some time dialing in my wedges but other than that if there is no big problem I'm playing.

[deronsizemore]

I'm a "practicer." I just don't have the money to join a club and can't afford to pay 40 bucks a pop (or more) to play every other day or so. So, what's the next best thing? Practicing of course!

I'll go work on my short game 3 or 4 days a week as well as hit balls a couple times a week at the range.

[JPsuff]

.

Years ago, I was a big-time practicer. My shag bag as well as my clubs and a pair of spikes was always in my car and most days, after work, I'd head down to the schoolyard and empty that shag bag maybe 3 to 5 times before sunset (it held 50 balls). I'd pace off all of my yardages and depending on what schoolyard I went to, I could hit everything from wedges to full driver as well as setting up just about any lie I could ever imagine dealing with. For sand practice, I'd use the long jump pit down by the track. Other nights I'd go play nine or maybe go to a course and practice putting for a few hours and when I worked at one job and my hours were 6:00AM to 2:30PM, I was off to Bethpage for 18. Back then, I was hovering around a 2 handicap from the tips at the Red Course at Bethpage and to a 5 or so on the Black (regulation tees) and in addition to all the practice time, I'd play as much as 72 holes on a weekend and never under 36 unless it was raining.

These days, I'm lucky if I play one round a week and get out to the local driving range twice a week (usually it's just once, the day before I play). It's all artificial everything and of course there are mats, but their mats are pretty lush and I think they give a pretty good feedback. The only problem with this particular range is that they use "Limited Distance" balls. I know this because a guy I know there is buddies with the owner. The whole range is barely 250 yds. to the net at the back and if he used "real" balls, 70% of them would end up in the woods behind. So the LD balls work OK until I start getting into long irons and woods. That's when the performance falls off dramatically.
There's another range I go to that has all the room in the world and it's a grass range too. They use "regular" balls and I can immediately tell the difference - especially with the driver and long irons.

I miss the schoolyards, but these days with soccer, lacrosse and liability issues, virtually every school has banned golf practice, so all that's left is ranges. I like the "artificial" range because it's close and it's open until 2:00AM in the summer months which is very convenient. The grass range is great and their putting green is outstanding, but the course is about a 30 minute drive from my house and of course there are no night hours.

I miss the days when all I worried about was golf and practicing golf and I miss my single-digit handicap. Right now, I'm probably playing to a 10 or 12 depending on the course and I feel like I should just pencil in an "8" before I start and just add the other number after the round. But if things work out, I may be able to get out more often and practice much more often and I know that if I could dedicate at least three days (or nights) to practice and play more than just one round a week, I'd be back down where I belong in no time.

We'll see.


-JP

[PA PLAYA]

Get in 2 practice sessions each week, about 45 minutes each. Play 27 holes each week, maybe 36 holes depending on the after-school activities with the kids.

Overall, fairly balanced.

But I'm looking at a career change this fall, so all of this will be significantly impacted. It's been good while it lasted though.

[Wazmankg]

I go to the range twice a year on average, in the beginning of the season just to get the kinks out and make sure there are no serious issues with my swing before I play. The only other practice I get is short game on the course when there's no one pushing me. I don't like to practice. I find it tedious. I'd rather spend the time & money playing.

[J.D.]

My local ranges are almost worthless on account of the balls are beat up and not worth hitting. I went to one of the better ranges the other day. Decent grass to hit off of and decent targets, but the balls dont fly right even when I make proper contact. Watching balls take off and make weird turns in the air or fly half the distance you normally hit with your game balls. Its not worth it.
So Im a player.
JD

[JimSomebody]

I go to my home course about twice a month, just to use the range and putting green. I enjoy the simple act of hitting a golf ball and watching its flight, so "practice" in itself is an enjoyable and relaxing activity for me. There's also a certain kind of mental state (calm, reflective) that descends on me while I'm practicing, which I find restorative. And I'm conscious of myself as part of a tradition of dedicated golfers, working on their games. I think about Hogan, who said the secret's in the dirt. Literally and figuratively true, I would say.

In terms of golf itself: I try to work on problems (driver), get better at scoring shots (wedges, putter), and sometimes goof off (last night I was hitting intentional hooks with 7-iron; don't care if I'll ever need that shot on a course).

Finally, I'm at my home course often enough that many of the staff recognize me, call me by name, make small talk, etc. So there's some socializing, too.

Wish I had more time for this, actually.

[deronsizemore]

Originally Posted by Wazmankg

I don't like to practice. I find it tedious. I'd rather spend the time & money playing.

Complete opposite here. I could spend all day just practicing if I had the time to do it.

[Bigvivec]

My last "free" day (wife and baby went to her mother's) I played 18, hit the short game area for four hours, then drove to the driving range for another 2...I'm with you Deron; I could play all day every day...

[GenErr]

In my younger days I used to enjoy practicing. I'd go to the field nearby and hit wedges a couple of times a week for ~15-20 minutes. That seemed to keep my tempo tuned.

However for the past 10 years or so, I am guilty of never practicing. Its a combination of work, health and I guess there are other things I do that take precedent over practicing. Also the heat in the Summer here has been so awful!

Retirement may be a year away (or less), and I'm hoping to at least get out and practice a bit then. The 55+ community we plan to move to has a putting green and chipping area.

[JungleJ]

I enjoy practising and I love playing. If I'm on the course alone I quite often play two balls to add variety. I enjoy the practice range although these days the main reason I go there is to remind myself of where the ball is in relation to the club.

If I had the time I could hit balls every day, and I could definitely chip and putt for hours. Sadly I don't have the time.

[larryrsf]

Originally Posted by Bigvivec

Who practices and who just plays?

It’s a busy world, and there isn’t much time for practice, let alone playing…I was wondering who practices their game, how and when and how much in comparison to the hours spent playing? Lately, I’ve been practicing more than playing, working on a few things…I count time on the course as practice when it isn’t busy and I am playing a few balls, dropping some in bunkers, some at 100yds, etc. and trying out things…I also go to the range for full swing and bunker practice about twice a week for 2 hours a session, practice green once a week for at least an hour, sometimes three, and do chipping and putting in my living room daily…the past few weeks have probably been two thirds practice and one third playing…

Are you a “practicer” or a “player”, or do you try to strike a balance?

Hi Big,

I don't play more than weekly--usually Saturday mornings. I am too busy during the week to do more than hit a few balls some days.

But when I hit on the range I try to do what Harvey Penick made his college golf teams do-- hit the same short or medium iron over and over again. I work to develop a consistent approach to every golf shot, every detail the same every swing. I agree with Penick that only when hitting the same iron repeatedly can we learn the little unexplainable personal nuances that accrue to on-course consistency. I often hit 20 or more in a row--Each with crisp contact and good ball flight. If I flub one, I go for another 20 in a row. I don't even take my driver out there.

If I hit another club that day it is LW or SW around the practice greens. We can never get too good at those shots.

We would probably enjoy practicing together. There are only a few with our kind of work ethic! ha

Larry

[Diane]

I HATE practicing. I'd much rather play although for me most play really just amounts to practice anyway.

[Darth Fader]

I dont practice as much as i did or would like to,try to play as often as possible though.

[xnavyct]

I play about 4 times a month. Practice maybe once.

And that has a lot to do with why my average round is like a 105.

Seriously though, I understand completely that until I invest the time, I won't improve much. There is no 'magic pill'. It's all about the practice. I do plan on getting a net for my garage for this winter, we have renovated out there and the garage will be nice and warm...I'll be hitting a bunch of balls out there this winter to improve my ball striking.

[alangbaker]

Originally Posted by xnavyct

I play about 4 times a month. Practice maybe once.

And that has a lot to do with why my average round is like a 105.

Seriously though, I understand completely that until I invest the time, I won't improve much. There is no 'magic pill'. It's all about the practice. I do plan on getting a net for my garage for this winter, we have renovated out there and the garage will be nice and warm...I'll be hitting a bunch of balls out there this winter to improve my ball striking.

Even if you can't practice the full swing, practice chipping! Get some good ideas about the correct swing and then make hundreds of chips and pitches.

You can save a round where you play pretty poorly from tee to green if you can get it close for par and for bogey.

[Golfaddict]

Originally Posted by Diane

I'd much rather play although for me most play really just amounts to practice anyway.

I totally agree. During the summer months I play 5-6 days a week. Many days I'm playing more than 18 holes. So I hit a bunch of golf balls, which is indeed a lot of practice.

[coralpro]

I don't have time really for much practicing so pretty much I just play a couple of rounds on mondays and that is about the extent of my golfing for now.

[larryrsf]

Originally Posted by xnavyct

I play about 4 times a month. Practice maybe once.

And that has a lot to do with why my average round is like a 105.

Seriously though, I understand completely that until I invest the time, I won't improve much. There is no 'magic pill'. It's all about the practice. I do plan on getting a net for my garage for this winter, we have renovated out there and the garage will be nice and warm...I'll be hitting a bunch of balls out there this winter to improve my ball striking.

Few want to invest what is actually necessary if you are a typical late beginner. It is a fact that almost without exception good golfers later in life either started young, developed a really solid golf game as kids, OR found time later in life to take a LOT of lessons, play a lot, and also practice endlessly. That price is too steep for normal people with normal perspective, a job and a family. I really don't think there is any other way.

I play most regularly with a 52 year old 3 handicapper who started playing at age 40. He got that good that fast because he had immense advantages. He married a rich lady who encourages him to golf, surf, whatever-- as long he doesn't chase other women or booze. So he took (and takes) dozens and dozens of lessons and expensive golf clinics interspersed with hitting THOUSANDS of balls on the range and playing 3 or more rounds per week. When he was developing his game he would hit balls from 5 PM to midnight several times per week. AND, of course, he is in Spartan condition, runs, surfs, works out 2 hours/day.

If I hit 200 balls, I would be unable to walk the next day.

Larry