Hitting two or three buckets of balls in rapid-fire order at a driving range, without method and litle concentration, is not especially conducive will give the feel of the clubs, but little more. Practice is for grooving the swing and ironing out the weak points. The first practice should be held under the instruction of a qualified professional.
Bad practice is far more harmful than no practice at all. Practice sessions should rarely be longer than one hour, never so long as to be tiresome. If a person becomes fatigued, he drifts into mistakes that become a part of the his/her swing. It is best to start with the short irons and work up through the long ones to the woods. Although good form is the ultimate goal of practice, one should always have a target. With the woods and long irons, this target should be about 40 yards or less-- with width of some narrow fairways. Although they are temting, one should not hit from the high tees provided by the driving range. It is better to walk down the line and hit from grass, which simulates actual battle condition. All clubs should be used in a practice session. None should be used excessively, even if you are having troble with it. It is best to take a few extra shots with a troublemaker club, then go onto other clubs and come back to the troublemaker.
The flaw may iron itself out with rhythm obtained from the other clubs. Try to think of the shots you will need on the course you lan to play next. Don't hit too fast and concentrate between shots just as you would on the golf course. When warming up for a round, use only the regular shots in your repertoire. Don't experiment with new ones.
Most professionals work hard on the pratice tee. Those who see them toiling either before a round or after one would dismiss the though that the tour is a life of Riley. Most newcomers on the tour work harder than the veterans because they think practice can make them a quick success. But it doesn't work that way. The newcomers only tire themselves out. Veterans learn to pace themselves.They try never to leave the best part of their game on the practice tee.
Pratice on the putting green also can be overdone. Twenty or twenty-five minutes is too much because you might work yourself out of form. High handicappers make a big mistake by not hitting a few balls on the practice tee and the pratice green before a round. The psychological impact of scoring well on the first three or four holes is significant. Yet, the high handicapper frequently rushes on the course and starts playing without even putting practice.
