I’ve always been fascinated by professional golfers‘ practicing routines. If you’ve read any of my articles on it, you know that I’m always keeping a lookout for individual players’ routines when at a Tour event. In addition, whenever I see their practice sessions, I’m usually amazed by how different they are from mine.
As GOLF Top 100 Teacher Sean Foley explained during our recent interview, the graphic below is anecdotal. Still, it illustrates the difference – something GOLF Top 100 Teacher Sean Foley described in our recent interview:
According to Foley, “golfers go to the range and whack a series of seven iron shots without wind and then wonder why they don’t get better.” Why does this happen? It’s because they’re not practicing the same skills.
The average golfer works their way through their bag equally, concentrating on mid-irons, using a warm-up session of 50 balls as a guide. However, the most crucial clubs in a golfer’s bag, wedges, and drivers tend to be the primary focus for professionals. They practice a wide variety of shots with their wedges and their driver to improve their game.
So, the next time you’re at the range, refer to the information provided below as a guide. Focus on your scoring clubs and cut back on your 7-irons a tad bit.
Improve your pre-game warm-ups with these suggestions.
Know your task completion time.
Time is not an issue for some golfers, and others require more. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to warm-ups. Plan your day based on your time requirements, and prioritize your tasks based on that.
Find the right sequence for you.
For the most part, golfers begin their swings with their smallest clubs and progress up the bag until they reach their longest club, the driver. There are, however, golfers who begin their swing with their driver and work their way down the bag to their shorter irons and wedges. Hybrids are Tom Watson’s preferred method of warming up.Neither method is preferable to the other—experiment and stick with what works.
Both short-game shots should be practiced.
Chips and pitches are two of the most common short game shots. Therefore, it’s important to practice both. Before I warm up my full swing, I prefer to warm up my pitch shots. With my most lofted wedge, I start with a few pitches to force myself to get my club down to the ground.
After a few successful pitches, my entire swing warm-up will be completed with chips, bump, and runs. Before putting green and first tee, I make adjustments for those strokes because of their unique setups.
