PRACTICE WITH A PLAN
Once you have put the best equipment in your hands then it’s time to go back to planning your work and then working your plan EFFICIENTLY!
Let’s say that my teacher and I have decided that my shoulders are not turning enough to the top due to the fact that I tend to lift the club during the takeaway; my shoulders never make a full turn to the top, and the result is that I tend to come over the top during my transition. As you can see I have a few “issues” but since I don’t have the youth and time necessary to spend all day on the range hitting balls, I need to solve this issue as quickly as possible.
So what would be the best way to work on my swing, and what would be the EASIEST on my body overall?
The first thing I would do is build a practice station that helps me to work on several of my issues at once.
In the accompanying photos you can see that I have practice sticks all over the place, but wait — there is a method to this madness.
The stick on the ground shows what my body alignment should be so I can ensure that I’m aimed where I think I am for the shot pattern I desire.
The angled stick is placed just behind the ball and on the same angle as my clubshaft to let me know if I am lifting the club. If I do, I’ll hit the stick on the way back. If I miss the stick, the better takeaway will make the shoulders turn the proper amount to the top and put the club in a better position for my transition.
This same stick (as used for the takeaway) behind the ball forces me to come down from the inside or I’ll hit it coming down.
The vertical stick in front of me is directly in line with my target, showing me where I should begin the ball.
Now you can see that this “practice stick station” will force me to make a higher number of correct repetitions when practicing, eliminating the need for me to hit balls for four hours. If I make practice swings and hit balls in this manner I can get four hours of work done in 1 hour! And this, my friends, is how you practice to play golf SMARTER, not HARDER.
Tom Stickney III, PGA, is Director of Instruction at Punta Mita Resort, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico. Visit him at www.tomstickneygolf.com
