The big match is tomorrow and you only have a little bit of time to figure it all out.  Let’s walk through an hour long cram session.

00:00

Stretch! Rushing into hitting balls is only going to lead to a frustrating session.  Get your hamstrings and upper body loose.  Take a few minutes to get yourself moving before you even touch a club.

00:04

Regardless of time restraints, always start your practice session small, and grow it into bigger swings. Put away the driver and grab a wedge or 9 iron.  The initial goal is to find some rhythm.  The first swings I make are with a very loose grip. These swings are based solely on shifting my weight from my back foot to my forward foot on the downswing.  After you can feel your hands following your body, grab a ball and make some half swings (just swing the club from your back hip to your front hip).  Distance is not a focus right now, just make solid contact!

00:10

I’ve taken some time finding some rhythm, now I’m feeling a lot more comfortable and ready to get to business.  Everyone has something they are working on with their swing, so this is the point in a practice session where I want to focus on that.  The new stance or swing move we learned a couple weeks ago in that lesson are still not second nature, so now’s the time to make swings with only that new feeling in mind.  Remember to stay loose and keep in mind this struggle will pay off when things start clicking.

00:35

I spent the last 25 minutes working on the drills and new moves I want to incorporate into my game.  Now it’s time to get ready for the match tomorrow.  Start working through the bag.  Hit a few short irons, then start hitting every other club in the bag up to the woods.  I always want to work my way up to the longer clubs.  This helps continue a rhythm and reminds me that the small moves I make on a wedge swing are similar to what I do with a driver or fairway wood.  Throughout this part of the session, I want to make sure I’m hitting at targets on the range and focusing on making solid contact.

00:55

By the end of this run through the bag, the hour is almost up.  Before you close out the range session, think about the shots you have to hit tomorrow in your match.  What are the challenging tee shots you need to hit?  The first hole is always a struggle, so try to create that scenario and hit a shot towards a target visualizing the first hole.  Get confident in that first shot now, so it’s easier tomorrow!

Golf is hard.  We can’t get better without some regular practice.  If all you have is an hour once a week aside from playing, make sure you use that hour to it’s fullest.  In an hour time crunch, it’s great to hit the range and get some swing confidence.  I strongly recommend getting to your match early and hitting balls for a short amount of time. The focus has to be on short game once you’re at the course.  If you are able to practice at a facility with a good short game area, take the concept of practicing shorter shots then longer shots and run through your putter and wedges in the same fashion for an hour every other week.  Be confident, stay loose, and have some fun.

01:00

Range closed