Great tip. Taking a break after 5 poor practice shots is hard to do when you’re a driven person in other aspects of your life. But having a number, I.e 5, should put a limit on the level of frustration and adds an element of self control to the practice session.
Greetings coaches Great tip /i could listen to the two of you all day you are so good together / I dont practice much on the range/i dont belong to a club / i try to play two times a week and its usually by myself/ its in those times that i will hit several shots / practice i guess / on the different holes /still what you talked about today can make a difference even on the course dont you think/ Thanks Guys
What’s happened s when ur swing suffers a nervous breakdown mid round with your buddies?? Can’t just pick and leave ? Lol. That’s the worst depression you can experience if your a true golfer especially if u had high expectations for the day!
usually happens when you start swinging too hard. Slow down and focus on a very precise target in the distant example: not a tree in the distance a leaf on a tree. This way you forget about your swing and focus on the target.
Paul last Thursday evening I went over to the range to work on my swing and feeling the positions. I practiced for 1.5 hours with most of the clubs in the bag. I felt success and ready to play the next morning. I even went to the course a half hour earlier than normal continue my practice from the night before. I very seldom warm up with my driver, but this morning I did. I was hitting it solidly.
I step up to the first tee. In all likelihood trying too hard to duplicate my warm up. I miss hit the first tee shot – really, really badly. A big fad into the water hazard. It is a lateral hazard, but I decided to tee it up hit a good shot. This swing was even worse than the first one. The ball made contact with top of the driver and left a mark on the top surface from one of the identifying marks I had put on the ball. In the water again. This time only 60-70 yards off the tee. I have been hitting my driver 200 plus. Most days it is one of my best clubs in the bag. On the second hole I did it again – dead right into the last fairway I had just played. My third shot on the second hole was with a 7 iron. I pulled the ball into the water left.
It got into my head and I had the most miserable round I have played in I can not remember when. This was not practice. It was a round in which I had two partners and we were playing best 2 balls out of 3 against two other threesomes. I could not just step back and take five minutes or go practice chipping and putting. The more holes we played the more I became frustrated. I could not hit a decent ball with any club. My index is down to a 15.5. I shot a 98.
David said it is rhythm. If you lose it, you can get it back. Easier said than done. I know my rhythm was not there. I tried slowing down my take-away. I became too mechanical. I became loose and sloppy. I embarrassed myself by banging my club into the ground after a bad shot. The worst day on the golf course ever.
That was Friday. Today is Monday, and I have not swung a club since Friday. I felt I needed to give it a rest. Any comments or suggestions?
Been there. The problem was your expectations were too high. You thought you got it. Guess what? You don’t. If you ever say this to yourself it is the kiss of death. Remember interviews with Tiger. He NEVER EVER EVER said he had his A game. This is on purpose. So in the future never think you’ve got it. Always think you can get better. This way there is no pressure for you to always play great.
Also, if you go to play try to not care about hitting it well on the range. If you hit it well on the range your round will be a disaster. Go to the range to warm up. Don’t pick at target. Don’t care about where you ball goes. Hit about 25 shots and warm up. Then you will go to play with no expectations.
A”pot pourri”or “mixed grill” of some interesting considerations and some not really practical.I have always maintained that hitting balls at a driving range is a waste of time.This practice was introduced to the game by Golf Teachers who found it more “comfortable “and more financialy rewarding to teach with the pupil in front of them ,hitting from an artificial turf mat,never from grass turf,too expensive .In the early Golf Clubs ,there was no such thng as a driving range
My first golf teachers would take me on the golf course ,and we would play from there ,from different lies ,different slopes ,trees ,bunkers and water around us.
Would you “retreat ” as suggested in the video, from a golf round where you are paired with others ,some of whom you’ve never met before?
What is valid suggestion which is made by DAVE ,is to allocate yourself a finite number of misses .I read a long time ago that BEN HOGAN ,and other “greats ” would say “Now ,I ‘ve missed this many shots (3 to 5 for example ) ,let’s play seriously “and they would oblige .
I do the following :I play to a par I’ve fixed for my level of game ,hole per hole ,I know my limits .
If I beat this Par ,I ‘m happy :if I miss the par I find out why ,and in the next round ,if I am alone (It happens often as I play early 3/4 times a week ) I play two or three of the “not so good “shots (I never say to myself they were bad .)
As for contolling one’s emotions ,it’s Paramount in any activity of life .If you’ve taken long and difficult scientific exals ,been Top CEO ,you have learned this the hard way ,if not, you were “OUT “:” DO OR DIE “was the motto!
Golf is therefore no different than real life !
I am considering myself a born-again-golfer. I’ve been playing really crappy golf with really crappy clubs for almost 20 years. Last year my wife bought me a new set of clubs, and now, I am determined to learn how to play golf. From Paul, almost every part of how to correctly hit the ball, I have been doing wrong. The first thing I needed to do was to accept that I am a beginner golfer, and I will probably stay in this category for a while because “we are creatures of habit, and habits die hard!!!” I feel that I have the grip and set-up down, even though the set up still feels a little uncomfortable. I have been working on the swing, but almost everyday, I discover something new that I am doing wrong. Today, I found that I am buckling my lead knee almost immediately on the start of my backswing. That is not right. I think this buckling is making me hit both fat and thin shots and rarely a good shot. This habit is hard to break. When I go to the range, I hit the ball about 100 yards with my 7-iron. I used to hit about 150 yards. But that’s okay because I am a beginning golfer. Almost every shot is consistently 15-20 yards right of my target. That too is okay because I haven’t even started to examine what happens at impact, and I am a beginner golfer. The point of all this, I will master this game.
This game is so frustrating I’ve played to as low as 4.5 up currently to 9.5. Manic depressive swing I have , it’s getting ridiculous ,and affecting my mood ,it should be a fun game ,but I don’t feel very happy after melting down mid round and not being able to get it back,when I know the swing is there some where ,but I can’t dial it up……. It’s a sickening feeling deep down,although I pass it off among my partners as no big deal…….nothing can be further from the truth. , David’s spot on when he says emotions are much stronger than actual reality , I mean it’s only a game. Right? I guess I need a new approach to the game. As the great Albert Einstein once said ” we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that created them”.
I feel your pain. I went through this for over 10 years and that was playing every day. For years I hit 1,000 balls per day every day.
I got it back when I stopped trying to hit the ball and I made it simple. If you were a 4.5 you can easily get it back. All you need is to understand it.
For now, master the grip, setup and my follow through. At the same time turn your arms off. This means you are not trying to hit or help the shot in any way with you arms. The positions should be easily doable. Once you get that, then let me know and you can start working on the backswing.
Also, in the future tell me where the ball is going and I will tell you exactly what you are doing wrong. I don’t guess.
David, Paul, great advice for a bad golf practice session and even for other events in life, and not just sports. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thng over and over and expecting different results. This can be taken 2 ways, maybe we are doing something wrong in practice and hoping it changes for the better, but perhaps we are varying our technique just a little until it completely wears you out, and we keep plugging to try to make it better and it isn’t working. Take a break, think about yor situation and come back later and try it again. Again, great advice. As a new IG member, I am impressed with the good tips.
Glad you liked the tip and glad to have you on board. I truly appreciate the support.
Practice can be tricky especially if you only get out once per week. If this session is not going well you want to stick it out to take advantage of the little time you have.
This is another reason I want people to do tons of practice swings working on the positions at home. No ball means you are not trying to hit anything therefor you can master the positions. You can’t really have a bad practice session at home. Always time well spent.
Recent experience – testimony for this “DuoTip”!!
I arrived at course an hour before tee time to do the standard warm up routine – having had a couple “shank issues” on the range in last few weeks. So, on this range warmup, out of a small bucket of balls, I shanked ALL the balls except two! At this point, I headed to the parking lot and home. What was the use of going on the course? I arrive home, open computer to “Ignition Golf”, click on the Dashboard and search “shank”. Within 15 minutes, I watched several of Coach Paul’s video “PEARLS OF WISDOM”: what is a shank, what causes a shank, how to eliminate a shank and practice drills “for shank recovery”. I then grabbed a couple balls, 7 iron, and headed to our open “rural” space where I flushed them nicely. Never have had a “SHANK” since!!! Next time if I have an issue of some sort on the range, I’m pulling my iPhone to “get a fix” via Ignition Golf’s” Dashboard!
BTW, I’m a subscription member like all else and am not compensated for laudatory remarks!
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15 Responses to “David and Paul – Bad Practice Session – What To Do”
September 4, 2012
RonCalabreseGreat tip. Taking a break after 5 poor practice shots is hard to do when you’re a driven person in other aspects of your life. But having a number, I.e 5, should put a limit on the level of frustration and adds an element of self control to the practice session.
Thanks, Ron
September 4, 2012
David BreslowHi Ron,
Thank you!
You’re spot on…many “hard driven” folks try to take that same drive to the golf course and it backfires:)
Those skills/habits simply are not effective on the golf course!
Good luck Ron!
Keep rollin’
David
htttp://www.mentalgolfcoaching.com
September 15, 2014
johnhoyleGreetings coaches Great tip /i could listen to the two of you all day you are so good together / I dont practice much on the range/i dont belong to a club / i try to play two times a week and its usually by myself/ its in those times that i will hit several shots / practice i guess / on the different holes /still what you talked about today can make a difference even on the course dont you think/ Thanks Guys
September 16, 2014
Paul WilsonJohn,
Glad you like these tips. We will try to do more in the future.
It sure can apply. Give it a try next time you go out.
September 16, 2014
LouisChicoWhat’s happened s when ur swing suffers a nervous breakdown mid round with your buddies?? Can’t just pick and leave ? Lol. That’s the worst depression you can experience if your a true golfer especially if u had high expectations for the day!
September 16, 2014
Paul WilsonLouis,
Been there many times.
usually happens when you start swinging too hard. Slow down and focus on a very precise target in the distant example: not a tree in the distance a leaf on a tree. This way you forget about your swing and focus on the target.
September 16, 2014
PETERMCMULLENPaul last Thursday evening I went over to the range to work on my swing and feeling the positions. I practiced for 1.5 hours with most of the clubs in the bag. I felt success and ready to play the next morning. I even went to the course a half hour earlier than normal continue my practice from the night before. I very seldom warm up with my driver, but this morning I did. I was hitting it solidly.
I step up to the first tee. In all likelihood trying too hard to duplicate my warm up. I miss hit the first tee shot – really, really badly. A big fad into the water hazard. It is a lateral hazard, but I decided to tee it up hit a good shot. This swing was even worse than the first one. The ball made contact with top of the driver and left a mark on the top surface from one of the identifying marks I had put on the ball. In the water again. This time only 60-70 yards off the tee. I have been hitting my driver 200 plus. Most days it is one of my best clubs in the bag. On the second hole I did it again – dead right into the last fairway I had just played. My third shot on the second hole was with a 7 iron. I pulled the ball into the water left.
It got into my head and I had the most miserable round I have played in I can not remember when. This was not practice. It was a round in which I had two partners and we were playing best 2 balls out of 3 against two other threesomes. I could not just step back and take five minutes or go practice chipping and putting. The more holes we played the more I became frustrated. I could not hit a decent ball with any club. My index is down to a 15.5. I shot a 98.
David said it is rhythm. If you lose it, you can get it back. Easier said than done. I know my rhythm was not there. I tried slowing down my take-away. I became too mechanical. I became loose and sloppy. I embarrassed myself by banging my club into the ground after a bad shot. The worst day on the golf course ever.
That was Friday. Today is Monday, and I have not swung a club since Friday. I felt I needed to give it a rest. Any comments or suggestions?
September 16, 2014
Paul WilsonPeter,
Been there. The problem was your expectations were too high. You thought you got it. Guess what? You don’t. If you ever say this to yourself it is the kiss of death. Remember interviews with Tiger. He NEVER EVER EVER said he had his A game. This is on purpose. So in the future never think you’ve got it. Always think you can get better. This way there is no pressure for you to always play great.
Also, if you go to play try to not care about hitting it well on the range. If you hit it well on the range your round will be a disaster. Go to the range to warm up. Don’t pick at target. Don’t care about where you ball goes. Hit about 25 shots and warm up. Then you will go to play with no expectations.
Watch:
How To Warm Up Before You Play: https://ignitiongolf.com/practice-before-round
September 17, 2014
RaymondCHASTELA”pot pourri”or “mixed grill” of some interesting considerations and some not really practical.I have always maintained that hitting balls at a driving range is a waste of time.This practice was introduced to the game by Golf Teachers who found it more “comfortable “and more financialy rewarding to teach with the pupil in front of them ,hitting from an artificial turf mat,never from grass turf,too expensive .In the early Golf Clubs ,there was no such thng as a driving range
My first golf teachers would take me on the golf course ,and we would play from there ,from different lies ,different slopes ,trees ,bunkers and water around us.
Would you “retreat ” as suggested in the video, from a golf round where you are paired with others ,some of whom you’ve never met before?
What is valid suggestion which is made by DAVE ,is to allocate yourself a finite number of misses .I read a long time ago that BEN HOGAN ,and other “greats ” would say “Now ,I ‘ve missed this many shots (3 to 5 for example ) ,let’s play seriously “and they would oblige .
I do the following :I play to a par I’ve fixed for my level of game ,hole per hole ,I know my limits .
If I beat this Par ,I ‘m happy :if I miss the par I find out why ,and in the next round ,if I am alone (It happens often as I play early 3/4 times a week ) I play two or three of the “not so good “shots (I never say to myself they were bad .)
As for contolling one’s emotions ,it’s Paramount in any activity of life .If you’ve taken long and difficult scientific exals ,been Top CEO ,you have learned this the hard way ,if not, you were “OUT “:” DO OR DIE “was the motto!
Golf is therefore no different than real life !
September 17, 2014
AndrewScanlonI am considering myself a born-again-golfer. I’ve been playing really crappy golf with really crappy clubs for almost 20 years. Last year my wife bought me a new set of clubs, and now, I am determined to learn how to play golf. From Paul, almost every part of how to correctly hit the ball, I have been doing wrong. The first thing I needed to do was to accept that I am a beginner golfer, and I will probably stay in this category for a while because “we are creatures of habit, and habits die hard!!!” I feel that I have the grip and set-up down, even though the set up still feels a little uncomfortable. I have been working on the swing, but almost everyday, I discover something new that I am doing wrong. Today, I found that I am buckling my lead knee almost immediately on the start of my backswing. That is not right. I think this buckling is making me hit both fat and thin shots and rarely a good shot. This habit is hard to break. When I go to the range, I hit the ball about 100 yards with my 7-iron. I used to hit about 150 yards. But that’s okay because I am a beginning golfer. Almost every shot is consistently 15-20 yards right of my target. That too is okay because I haven’t even started to examine what happens at impact, and I am a beginner golfer. The point of all this, I will master this game.
September 18, 2014
LouisChicoThis game is so frustrating I’ve played to as low as 4.5 up currently to 9.5. Manic depressive swing I have , it’s getting ridiculous ,and affecting my mood ,it should be a fun game ,but I don’t feel very happy after melting down mid round and not being able to get it back,when I know the swing is there some where ,but I can’t dial it up……. It’s a sickening feeling deep down,although I pass it off among my partners as no big deal…….nothing can be further from the truth. , David’s spot on when he says emotions are much stronger than actual reality , I mean it’s only a game. Right? I guess I need a new approach to the game. As the great Albert Einstein once said ” we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that created them”.
September 19, 2014
Paul WilsonLouis,
I feel your pain. I went through this for over 10 years and that was playing every day. For years I hit 1,000 balls per day every day.
I got it back when I stopped trying to hit the ball and I made it simple. If you were a 4.5 you can easily get it back. All you need is to understand it.
For now, master the grip, setup and my follow through. At the same time turn your arms off. This means you are not trying to hit or help the shot in any way with you arms. The positions should be easily doable. Once you get that, then let me know and you can start working on the backswing.
Also, in the future tell me where the ball is going and I will tell you exactly what you are doing wrong. I don’t guess.
Work on:
Grip
Left Hand: https://ignitiongolf.com/left-hand-grip
Right Hand: https://ignitiongolf.com/right-hand-grip
Setup
Set Up Steps: https://ignitiongolf.com/setup-position
Follow Through
Legs Touching: https://ignitiongolf.com/touch-knees
One Of The Secrets To The Golf Swing: https://ignitiongolf.com/secrets-to-golf-swing/
Spine Angle Follow Through: https://ignitiongolf.com/follow-through-eyes-tilted
Then understand this so you can fix your own swing without guessing too:
How To Fix Your Own Swing: https://ignitiongolf.com/setup-16-things/
Watch The Ball To Fix Your Swing: https://ignitiongolf.com/watch-ball-to-fix-your-swing/
How to Cure the Direction: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-direction/
How to Cure the Spin: https://ignitiongolf.com/fix-spin-problems/
How to Cure the Contact: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-contact/
How to Cure Spin and Direction Problems: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-spin-direction-problems/
September 25, 2014
BradleyDavid, Paul, great advice for a bad golf practice session and even for other events in life, and not just sports. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thng over and over and expecting different results. This can be taken 2 ways, maybe we are doing something wrong in practice and hoping it changes for the better, but perhaps we are varying our technique just a little until it completely wears you out, and we keep plugging to try to make it better and it isn’t working. Take a break, think about yor situation and come back later and try it again. Again, great advice. As a new IG member, I am impressed with the good tips.
September 25, 2014
Paul WilsonBradley,
Glad you liked the tip and glad to have you on board. I truly appreciate the support.
Practice can be tricky especially if you only get out once per week. If this session is not going well you want to stick it out to take advantage of the little time you have.
This is another reason I want people to do tons of practice swings working on the positions at home. No ball means you are not trying to hit anything therefor you can master the positions. You can’t really have a bad practice session at home. Always time well spent.
Watch:
How to Practice at Home: https://ignitiongolf.com/practice-home
Get Addicted to Doing Practice Swings: https://ignitiongolf.com/addicted-practice-swings/
February 22, 2022
DanKueblerRecent experience – testimony for this “DuoTip”!!
I arrived at course an hour before tee time to do the standard warm up routine – having had a couple “shank issues” on the range in last few weeks. So, on this range warmup, out of a small bucket of balls, I shanked ALL the balls except two! At this point, I headed to the parking lot and home. What was the use of going on the course? I arrive home, open computer to “Ignition Golf”, click on the Dashboard and search “shank”. Within 15 minutes, I watched several of Coach Paul’s video “PEARLS OF WISDOM”: what is a shank, what causes a shank, how to eliminate a shank and practice drills “for shank recovery”. I then grabbed a couple balls, 7 iron, and headed to our open “rural” space where I flushed them nicely. Never have had a “SHANK” since!!! Next time if I have an issue of some sort on the range, I’m pulling my iPhone to “get a fix” via Ignition Golf’s” Dashboard!
BTW, I’m a subscription member like all else and am not compensated for laudatory remarks!