COLUMNS ON THE BALL JUNE 2005

WORDS BY KEVIN SNOW

Four tips for Improving your game at home

If you’ve ever picked up a golf club, then you know how humbling and frustrating the sport can be. Nobody—not even the professionals— will ever be perfect. So, what’s the key to enhancing your golf game? “Good practice is so important because it can build someone’s confidence and help them create a repeatable and dependable shot pattern,” says Carl Alexander, PGA Director of Golf at The Golf Club in Purchase, NY. “Without practice, it is very hard to be consistent. And that is what every golfer wants.”

With this in mind, Alexander offers up four practice tips that can be done in the comfort of your own home. Not only should they lower your score, but they’ll make your golf game more enjoyable.

Short Game

Work on your touch around the greens by using plastic balls and chipping them over a coffee table onto your couch. Place a hat on the couch and stand back. Starting with your sand wedge, practice some quarter-swings, focusing on smooth rhythm and tempo. When you feel like you are repeating this swing, try hitting some balls into the hat.

Putting

Confidence is the key in putting. One of the quickest ways to improve is to purchase an inexpensive putting mat. Start close to the hole and work your way back. Take this practice to the golf course by making a game out of it. Starting at about three feet, force yourself to make 25 putts in a row without missing one. If you miss one, go back to zero and start again. When you get to about 20 you will find that the last five putts will simulate the same pressure you feel on the course.

Mirror Image

Stand in front of a mirror with a club. Find a setup position that looks comfortable, possibly one that you’ve seen a pro use. Slowly take the club back in the correct motion. Hold the position at the top and look at your body and club position. Your head can move slightly back but not up, and your body should maintain the same posture as you had at setup. Slowly swing the club down to impact and hold that position. Finally, swing all the way through to a full finish and hold your balance while looking in the direction where the ball would have gone. Once you are comfortable with the positions in your swing, you can take full swings while looking in the mirror. This will help you to visualize your best swinging action and repeat it more consistently.

Mental Game

Most golfers don’t spend enough time preparing their mind; close your eyes before you go to sleep and play a round of golf in your head. Picture yourself on the first hole and visualize yourself hitting the first tee ball. Hopefully you see yourself hit a good shot… but don’t make every shot perfect, be honest with yourself. The goal is to see yourself playing well and accepting all your shots, while focusing only on the next shot. This is how you want to feel and think when you play a real game.

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