For golfers looking to get better, “fun” and “practice” don’t always go hand in hand. Many players regard their own improvement goals as tasks that need to be accomplished rather than ideally enjoyable processes.
So, what is the best way to add fun to your practice session? At the Top 100 Teacher Summit at Cabot Citrus Farm, Florida, Krista Dunton, a long-time golf teacher, shared a suggestion.
“I’ll do more up and down games,” she said. “People practice throwing, practice short games. They never put them together.”
Dunton’s solution? Add some much-needed varieties by creating a 9 site game for yourself and creating 9 site games within 40 holes. Put a ball at each site and draw the ball for your up and down progress.
“You might even have a 3 shot,” Dunton said. “It could be a tough shot, and you don’t always get up and down.”
The beauty of the game Dunton suggests is that you can tailor it to your skills.
“Maybe they’re all three,” she said. “And you can say, okay, can I at least be able to balance? Maybe I’m going to get up and try to get stuck in the standard.”
You can also make the game more stringent or easier with the lies you give yourself, but overall, diversity is built into the drill bit given the angle and distance of play.
“You can mix it with slightly lower bumps and runs, moderate shots, maybe bunker shots, maybe a little soft flop shot,” Dunton said. “The key is to hit some different shots – you have to put each shot together with the putt.”
Distinguishing your exercises in this way can get you involved and have the added benefit of making memory transient.
“It teaches you to let go of bad people rather than try to do too much repetition,” she said.
During your next practice, try Dunton’s advice to make your summer sprint.
