Sports & Recreation
Golf Guide-3
As you prepare to start another golf season, what particular part of your overall game are you going to focus on as you seek to improve?
You’ve had the entire winter to reflect upon both the strengths and weaknesses in your game. This reflection should — and will — influence where you plan to concentrate your efforts for this year.
If a genie could magically appear and grant you a single wish that would make you totally proficient in one particular phase of your game, what would be your choice? Would it be driving, the mid-to-long irons, your short game, sand play, or your putting?
This question would probably be answered differently depending on which golfers were asked. If you were to use the practice time spent at the driving range as a gauge in answering this question, frequently the response would be driving. Many golfers spend a big part of their practice time seeing how far they can hit their drives.
Certainly this is an important part of their game because the control and distance they get with the driver sets up the second shot. But keep in mind that on the average golf course, the driver is only hit 14 times.
As an illustration, this means that if you shoot in the low-to-mid 80’s, the driver makes up about 15 to 20 percent of your shots. Does it, therefore, make sense to spend 70 to 80 percent of your practice time working on that aspect of your game? This does not mean I am downplaying the importance of the driver. However, I feel it’s important to keep in perspective the overall part the driver plays. As has often been said, “you drive for show and putt for dough.”
This certainly seems to indicate that the efficiency in one’s short game helps to minimize the number of putts required, which leads to lower scoring. Keep in mind that 65 percent of your game is played inside 100 yards. Is the driver the club of choice for this distance?
All of what has been said is meant to emphasize the importance of developing an overall game. To have a good overall game, all the individual parts must be working in harmony with one another. For this to happen, there needs to be a premium placed on quality practice time.
This practice time should include good advanced planning and organization. It should allow adequate time to be devoted toward making progress with whatever it is you are working on. You may be thinking this will involve more time than you have available, but if you really want to get better, you will find a way to make the time.
As you prepare to get into another season, take time to give some thought to what you would like to work on and how you are going to go about it. The effort you put into it will be well rewarded.
Golf Guide-3
As you prepare to start another golf season, what particular part of your overall game are you going to focus on as you seek to improve?
You’ve had the entire winter to reflect upon both the strengths and weaknesses in your game. This reflection should — and will — influence where you plan to concentrate your efforts for this year.
If a genie could magically appear and grant you a single wish that would make you totally proficient in one particular phase of your game, what would be your choice? Would it be driving, the mid-to-long irons, your short game, sand play, or your putting?
This question would probably be answered differently depending on which golfers were asked. If you were to use the practice time spent at the driving range as a gauge in answering this question, frequently the response would be driving. Many golfers spend a big part of their practice time seeing how far they can hit their drives.
Certainly this is an important part of their game because the control and distance they get with the driver sets up the second shot. But keep in mind that on the average golf course, the driver is only hit 14 times.
As an illustration, this means that if you shoot in the low-to-mid 80’s, the driver makes up about 15 to 20 percent of your shots. Does it, therefore, make sense to spend 70 to 80 percent of your practice time working on that aspect of your game? This does not mean I am downplaying the importance of the driver. However, I feel it’s important to keep in perspective the overall part the driver plays. As has often been said, “you drive for show and putt for dough.”
This certainly seems to indicate that the efficiency in one’s short game helps to minimize the number of putts required, which leads to lower scoring. Keep in mind that 65 percent of your game is played inside 100 yards. Is the driver the club of choice for this distance?
All of what has been said is meant to emphasize the importance of developing an overall game. To have a good overall game, all the individual parts must be working in harmony with one another. For this to happen, there needs to be a premium placed on quality practice time.
This practice time should include good advanced planning and organization. It should allow adequate time to be devoted toward making progress with whatever it is you are working on. You may be thinking this will involve more time than you have available, but if you really want to get better, you will find a way to make the time.
As you prepare to get into another season, take time to give some thought to what you would like to work on and how you are going to go about it. The effort you put into it will be well rewarded.
If you want to improve your game, Bob Gates may be contacted at (708) 425-8637.
About the Author:
Bob Gates is a golf instructor at
Stony Creek Golf Course and Driving Range
in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Bob Gates is a golf instructor at
Stony Creek Golf Course and Driving Range
in Oak Lawn, Illinois.