Golf Lessons

Even if you take lessons, view instructional videos and other aids, your golf game will continue to be the way it's always been if you don't have time to practice regularly and effectively.

Being consistent helps because practice sessions involve exercises meant to develop your muscle memory. Being efficient is also needed because you're pacing your energy to the types of exercises youl do, which is important as well.

As simple as this sounds, it's something that can be easily overlooked. Too many golfers think that if they they spend enough time on the practice range, their score will improve.

Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. If you're going improve your game, your practice sessions should be as regimented as the way you play the game itself, if not more so.

Before you groan about how boring practice can be, it helps to remember that practices are the key to building good playing habits when you hit the course.

If you approach your practice sessions as more than a chores and make them another fun part of  your game, the results will make the game that much more fun and challenging. Consider your practice session as three parts consisting of:  * the warm-up,  * the fresh stage  * and the fatigued stage. In each stage you'll perform different sets of exercises that, when completed in the right stages will make your practices more effective, providing you with the results you'll be able to see on the fairways and greens as you play. Warm-up: Many golfers are deceived into thinking golf doesn't require any strenuous physical activity, since the game mainly involves swinging and walking. Nothing could be further from the truth. The simply act of swinging causes your muscle groups to work in ways not common to your normal everyday routine. Your upper torsos, arms, as well as your lower back muscles are the muscle groups worked the most when playing golf which shows why it's important to warm up with some stretches. Start from the top of your head and work your way down to your feet. Flexibility and getting your muscles' full range of motion is your goal. If you're not familiar with stretches, you should consult with a trainer or instructor at your club for some tips. Fresh Stage: After your warm-up, start working on exercises that will build on a skill you haven't yet mastered, or on areas of your game that are causing you to take higher strokes -- anything from putting, to chipping and driving. What you're trying to accomplish is when you work on these problems when you're still fresh and limber, your body is more likely to respond in a positive mannet to the exercises. Many golfers have the idea that golf practice is just spending time at the driving range without considering whether or not driving is the area of their game that actually needs practice. If it's your short game that's giving the most problems, then you'd be better off hitting the greens to work on your putts after you've completed warming up. (As an aside, it's been observed that more than 60% of a player's strokes happen on the green. Unfortunately, many golfers aren't aware of this resulting in poor practice habits.) Fatigued stage: When you start feeling winded, get busy and work on the aspects of your golf game that need reinforcement. Since your body already knows the motion, this stage in your practice serves as maintenance to your form. If any corrections are needed, your stressed out body isn't as pressured to master a difficult form. As in the previous example, only after working on your problematic short game can you then go to the driving range to give positive reinforcement to your drives. Finally, here are some more observations and suggestions when practicing: * To be able to see continuous improvement, a good practice-to-play ratio is about 2:1, which means giving twice as much time to practice than how much time you spend playing a round. * However, take enough time to rest between exercises and between stages. While it's a work out, you should not be winded down by the activity. Doing so may actually do more harm than good. Your game should begin to improve as you give your sessions a more defined structure. Be consistent and take note of the results of your exercises to keep stepping up your game one stroke at a time.

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