All Play And No Practice

As we all know, golf is not an easy sport. What makes it worse, is that we as amateurs, tend to make it even harder than it has to be. Without steady practice, it is difficult to make drastic improvements. Such is the current state of my golf game. I'm not getting any worse, but I'm also not getting any better.

My schedule has it that I am not able to practice as much as I would like to. I still play at least two times a week, but the time I used to put into my game is not what it used to be. It is rare that I even warm up before a round. For me, it's from the car to the first tee with just a few stretches in between.

I am currently trending at a handicap of 7.3, which is great, but I want to go even lower. Having coached basketball at the college level, I of all people understand how important practice is to improving ones skill in any given sport. With golf being a game of inches, a week of no practice sets a golfer back 3 months.

Looking at my last few rounds, it is quite evident that I would benefit from at least twenty minutes of warm up. In a recent round at Club West Golf Club, I shot a nine over 45 on the front nine, but followed it up with a three over 39 on the back for an 84. The round prior to this one at Ken McDonald Golf Course saw me shoot a four over 40 on the front with a two over 38 on the back for a 78. The point is, it usually takes me nine holes to warm up before I start to see a little consistency in my swing.

The only aspect of my game that is keeping me from shooting in the 90's is my short game. I still struggle with my greens in regulation, but am able to get up and down at a rate of about fifty percent. Also my putting has improved dramatically, eliminating many of the three putts which used to sneak into my rounds. I'll let you know how I improved my putting in a future post.

The bottom line is that I need to find a way to sneak in some more practice or else frustration will start to set in as it did during my round today at Lone Tree Golf Club. I never throw tantrums on the golf course(see video for some classics), but I definitely thought about throwing my pitching wedge into the water after a terrible tee shot on a short par 3. I shot a 43 on the front but thanks to a chip in birdie on the par 4 10th and a thirty foot birdie putt on the par 5 18th, I was able to salvage an 82 shooting a 39 on the back.

Getting off to a good start to begin a round will make all the differences in lowering my handicap. I set a goal of getting down to a 5 but it's not going to happen if I continue showing up to the course right at tee time. I just need to get those bad shots out of my system before I step up for my first drive. If I can be consistent with this, par to the course on a regular basis will soon follow...Hopefully...Have a great round and always hit your target.