Practice Golf Like You Play and Practice Playing Golf Holes

Practice Golf Like You Play

Hi, Dave Cahill here with Cahill Golf. I am at the Cimarron Golf Resort in Palm Springs, CA. Today I will talk about a practice method so that you practice the way you are going to play. After you learn a golf skill and integrated it into the golf swing, move to incorporating the skill into playing on the course. You can practice incorporating the skill into play on the golf range. One tip is to practice focusing on one ball at a time. Move the range bucket 10 – 15 paces from your immediate practice area so the remaining golf balls are out of reach.

Having only one ball available for a practice shot will help you more easily behave as you do on the course. Go through your preshot routine. Visualize the shot from behind the ball. Take a practice swing to get the feel of the golf motion. Then step up and hit the ball at the target. After you are done hitting the shot. Start all over again. Go back to the range bucket. Get one ball. Walk back and go through the entire routine every time.

Practice Playing Golf Holes on the Range

In this next practice method we are going to imagine a golf hole we know or even an entire golf course and we will play it during the practice session. I am going to imagine playing the number one hole here, at the Cimarron Golf Resort. I am imagining the boundaries of the fairway and where I want to hit the ball. I only have one ball in front of me. I come back behind the ball and pick out my target spot. I relax a bit focusing on my target. Next I take my practice swing to feel the motion and then take my swing.
I hit that one exactly where I wanted it to go. I know in this case that I have about 140 to the pin. So, I am going to go get my other club and continue going through the routine as I would on the course. You will see I do not have a pile of range balls next to me so that I can rapidly go through practice. One by one I go through the whole sequence playing the number of holes I want. This practice method will prepare you to bring your golf swing to the golf course.