Honing Your Golf Skills At The Driving Range

When you are at the driving range practicing your golf shots, you should always have a plan. Before your day begins you should know exactly what the intended goal is for that day.

When practicing at the golf driving range, it’s all too easy for golfers to lose their focus; with such wide-open spaces it can be hard to resist the temptation to pull out your driver and start whacking away. Many senior golfers simply don’t show up to the driving range with a plan.

Before you hit your first ball you should decide what part of your game needs concentrated practice. Think back to your last round and piece out the areas that cost you strokes. An important thing to remember is that you want to pinpoint one specific goal for your time at the driving range that day.

Once you decide on what to practice, it’s time to take some warm up shots. Nope! Don’t reach for that driver! Try warming up with some wedge shots and middle irons. Once you’ve gotten back in the groove, head directly to the club/shot/goal you decided on. While practicing, here are some other things to keep in mind to gain the most from your efforts:

Assign A Shot Target

Your ultimate goal for every hole in golf is just that… to get the ball in the hole. If every shot you hit at the driving range is just knocking balls into the air with no particular target, how can you hope to gain any useful technique from your practice? Every shot you take at the driving range must have a specific target.

Not having a target means you won’t have a clue as to your accuracy. Maybe you can make a ball soar beautifully into the sky, but can you do that and make it land next to a 4.25-inch diameter hole? Those super-shots can soar gracefully right into bushes or out of bounds, into water hazards or bunkers… not a pretty scenario in games or competitions.

Pretend that you are actually on the golf course and keep in mind that if you were hitting balls the same as you are on the driving range, with no focus or goals, you would spend the entire afternoon walking through the rough or the out of bounds area.

Boxers use bags to simulate the opponent, hitters use a machine to simulate pitches and you as a golfer must use the driving range to simulate an actual round. Pretend that you are on an actual course trying to get as close to the hole in as few strokes as possible.

Lesson Learned: When to Back Off

You may find after some practice that the technique you were hoping to improve is coming around; the shots are looking near perfect and the ball is landing right near your assigned target. This is where most senior golfers tend to over-practice.

If your technique starts becoming consistently successful, then it’s time to walk away and practice other shortcomings. At first your shots will be wonderful and your confidence will soar, but that confidence will keep you swinging until you start to fatigue. Your shots will start doing the same old thing, the same mistakes you had just fixed (so you thought) will come back. This will put you in a negative frame of mind and, unfortunately, probably put an end to your day.

Sometimes when you have achieved goals the best thing to do is just walk away and take a break, relishing the feeling of a job well done. If you use these tips each time you head to the driving range you can bet you will achieve a lot of goals, too.

Two Common Golf Pitching Mistakes

We’ve all been here before. Your golf ball is set up for an easy pitch shot… all that you have to do is swing nice and light to the green. But somehow, to your complete frustration, things go awry and what started as a great hole turns into a double bogey or worse.

There is nothing more infuriating than being set up for a stiff shot and having to watch in horror and disappointment as you lay the sod over it. How about the telltale “SMACK” of your pitching wedge as the lead edge launches your ball right past the green or the (un)-comfortable vibrations of a shank as your ball careen sideways?

Here are a couple of the most common pitching mistakes that senior golfers make and some simple tips to keep in mind for avoiding the above disasters the next time you approach that perfect pitch shot:

Clubface Aimed Toward the Left or Right

One of the most common mistakes in pitching is aiming the clubface to the left or right. Even the slightest hint of this error can result in pushed or pulled shots and exaggerating the problem can lead to those dreaded shank shots.

A good way to alleviate this problem is to aim at your target with the clubface first, before you adjust with your body. As long as it won’t shift the ball or cause penalty to do so (in a bunker or deep grass for instance), aim the clubface and place it firmly on the ground behind your ball, leaning the top of the shaft against your hand as you adjust your body. This keeps the club face fixed and on-target for the shot.

Taking the time to adjust your shot with the clubface first can quickly resolve any inconsistencies in your pitching and short-game accuracy.

Misjudging the Shift in Ball Position

The second most common mistake involves the stance you take over the ball… play the ball too far back and you are probably going to hit the ground before you hit the ball (fat shot); play the ball too far forward and you end up sending it skinny.

If you are seeing either of these results with consistency in your pitching and short-game shots, it may be time to slow down and double-check your stance in relation to the ball.

It seems all too easy, but adjusting your position over the ball can make a HUGE difference in hitting the pitch shot cleanly or not.

Now that you know the most common pitching mistakes and how to fix them, you may find that pitching becomes your favorite part of golf!

Two Common Short Game Mistakes To Avoid

Every golfer knows that it’s not your driving distance but your short game that makes or breaks your score, and that’s unfortunate because nothing can be more frustrating than trying to overcome short game shortcomings.

Here are some common short game mistakes for golfers over 50 to avoid that can take a few strokes off of your score:

Using the Wrong Club

The biggest mistake a golfer can make is in not knowing their equipment. It is important to become comfortable with your clubs on the practice green, making note of which clubs achieve what distances with how much force. This takes the guessing out of any short game challenges.

As an example, you might be comfortable and confident in using a 7 iron for a short bump-and-run chip shots. So use it on the course and don’t waver. Don’t let any book, video or other golfer tell you which club goes what distance. It’s completely personal and you can only know by familiarizing yourself with your equipment.

When Tiger Woods faces a shot from anywhere around the green he generally uses his 60 degree wedge. With simple adjustments to his technique, Tiger will use that 60-degree wedge to hit a flop shot where the ball only goes 25 feet, or he’ll use it to hit a shot from 60 yards. He doesn’t try to use several wedges. After playing that wedge for years Tiger knows it works for him; he is most comfortable with that particular club.

So you see, short game success is just as much about your familiarity and confidence with your equipment as it is about specific techniques. You can have a better short game, more fun and a lower score just by familiarizing yourself with your equipment.

Over-thinking the Shot

Golf as a sport is first and foremost about enjoyment. Every round played is a chance to build confidence, relax and have fun. This is almost impossible to do if you are over-analyzing every aspect of your short game. Odds are you will have your best days out when you let the game just happen.

Put into perspective, chances are you have a few golf lessons under your belt, additional knowledge gained from golf television and websites, and you’ve notched off hours of practice time. You might as well just take your swing and let all of that experience speak for itself.

If you spend too much time analyzing every little detail of your short game you are probably only going to overwhelm and frustrate yourself. Every golfer knows it’s impossible to play well when you have too much in your head, so a simple but big part of bringing your short game together is just enjoying golf. It’s OK to concentrate when a difficult shot presents itself, but not every mistake you make needs a solution to fix.

Know your equipment, play your favorite clubs around the green, and relax. Don’t over-think your shots on the course – leave that for the practice green.

Golf Discounts for the Senior and Retired Golfer

Retirement will bring with it additional time to play golf, but it also means that you need to be careful how you spend your money, even on golf. There are ways that you can save money and play the golf that you want to play. Golf discounts abound in many different ways, but it is up to you to find the right ways for you to save money on your golf game, so that you can play as often as you like.

One way to save money on playing golf is to see if your golf course offers special deals for certain days. Many golf courses around the country offer free greens fees, discounted greens fees, and other golf discounts on special days or if you come before a specific time. By taking advantage of these special deals you can save as much as half off of the normal cost to play golf. Always be sure to ask about a senior golfer discount as most golf courses offer a special golf discount specifically for golfers over 50 years old.

Another way for you to save a little money when you go to play golf is to take advantage of any coupons that you can find for local golf courses. Whether it is a school offered coupon book, a coupon out of the newspaper, an online coupon, or a coupon that you get from a friend or family member, these coupons can save you quite a bit on a golf game to allow you to play golf more often. Be sure to check our site for discount golf green fee program reviews and offers. We’ll pass them along as we find new coupons, sites, and programs.

Do a little research online before you play golf. You will be amazed at the price difference between different golf courses. By evaluating the costs before you go to the course, you can determine which one is best for the budget that you have for that week or day. Since the costs often vary depending upon the day, you can consider this in your evaluation as well.

Still another way that you can save a little money is to walk the course, rather than ride. Besides, the exercise will be good for you. If you are physically able, walking the golf course can save you as much as half off the cost of your golf game. This can make a significant difference in how often you will want to and be able to play golf.

If you are ready to retire, but are unsure if you will be able to afford to play golf as much as you would like, you will want to look into golf discounts. Whether you golf on certain days to cut your costs, use coupons, find golf courses that offer better prices, or walk the golf course, you will find that there are ways that you can save money. This will allow you to play golf more often, even when you have retired.

Making the Most Out of Golf Practice

Many senior golfers can be found out on the practice greens several hours a day, constantly working on improving their technique. It’s unfortunate how few golfers over 50 really understand how to practice properly.

The next time you find yourself at the practice range, take a look around. Odds are that the majority of golfers practicing seem to only be “practicing” getting rid of their balls as quickly and with as much power as possible. There certainly is a place in your practice to groove your driver but the majority of your practice time should be spent focusing on the way your swing works and learning new strategies to implement for success on the course.

Practice Thinking!

The purpose of the time you spend practicing is to develop a natural swing and a sort of “golfer’s intuition” that keeps conscious thought to a minimal on the actual course.  Practice is where you think about and deconstruct your shots, applying new techniques to real life scenarios and preparing yourself for the mental and physical rigors of a round on the course.

Remember, what you practice is dictated by your ability.  If you are a beginner golfer spending all of your practice time trying to master professional techniques you found in a magazine, you are likely to a.) Never get anywhere and b.) Get frustrated and give up.

Before you practice take a moment to reflect on where your skills are and what little steps you can take to improve upon them.  Make your practice sessions customized to you!

The Practice Routine

Analyzing your game and deciding on the skills you need to improve with the day’s practice session is the first step towards progression. Now you need to establish a routine to implement your plan.

1. While practicing, always stay focused on your set goal for the day.  Since you are only practicing, ignore mistakes except to understand how you made them. A positive outlook is essential in attaining your goals.  In practice, there’s nothing to lose or be frustrated about.

2. Don’t expect to begin each practice session immediately.  Warm your body up with some simple stretches and then start with your shorter irons with smooth, slow swings. You don’t want to take full-power swings right away, before you have re-established your rhythm and fluidity… this is a good way to get hurt either physically by pulling a muscle or mentally by hitting a series of terrible shots early on as the basis for your practice session.

3. Practice isn’t just about swing mechanics, shot power or distance.  Rhythm should be an integral part of every practice session because proper rhythm promotes coordination and timing.

4. Even when hitting for distance, it’s important to always have an intended target.  If you just practice hitting the ball 200 yards without a target in mind and come to a hole where you need to hit 200 yards slightly left, all of your confidence from that practice session is immediately negated. Hit to the practice greens or trees in the distance so you are focusing on both distance and accuracy.

Of course, do not neglect your short game in any practice session. You should spend at least as much time at the chipping green as you do on the driving range. If you are short on time, you’d be better served to only practice your greenside touch rather than pound your driver for 20 minutes.

Lastly, realize the difference between a pre-round warm up and a practice session. Use your pre-round warm up to get your blood flowing and your rhythm set for the day. The pre-round warm up is not the time to try to implement some new swing tip you read this morning in Golf Digest. However, your focused practice session is where you want to groove your swing, implement advice from your golf lesson, and ‘listen’ to your body and mechanics. There is a big difference between pre-round warm up and practice sessions – use them both wisely.

« Previous Page — Next Page »