Should I throw the balls out on the range - not likely, I bloody well paid for them! What should I do?
I know a guy that is the only player to have won on the PGA, Nationwide and Champions. His idea of hard practice is hitting a full bucket. I think it comes down to intent, are you searching or tuning? He has told me that the only time he hits a full bucket is when he has hit a few shots left of target. A pull is a virus as far as he is concerned. Even when he practices his putting all he is trying to do is "get the roll right" He is convinced that zero loft...on the downbeat...above the equator is the way to go. He is a "player." Even though he is pushing 60 he is seldom out of the 60s around town. My point here is go to the range with a clear picture (by clear I mean realistic) of what you want to accomplish. When you come close to it...go play, or go home. Tougher said than done. Range time quickly collides with the law of diminishing returns. I have to admit that at times I prefer the range to the course...not a recipe for tapping into your golfing potential. This acquaintance of mine pretty much only hits driver and wedges on the range. The idea of getting your reps in is overdone. I think the driving range can become a crack house of sorts (Bucket explained this to me!)The real danger is that it bares little resemblence to the game of golf.
I hit all winter long at an indoor range. I find that unless I am really focusing on a target or working on some thing , 12-5 normally or playing some sort of little game in my head that it is actually detrimental to my game. Worse than not practicing actually. But Im trying to get better and your friend is fine tuning.
You have a point there OB. He is guy that tells people just to hit the damn ball!He about breaks out the garlic and crucifix when I mention TGM! He also won on the Eurpean tour. His name is Ron Streck. My point really is that prolonged practice sessions are generally ineffective. Few problems are solved by working it to death. In fact hard work is not the panacea that people tend to make it out to be. Having said that I have to quickly admit that "real" thinking is the hardest work of all! Even in our cases (looking to improve) progress is more assured with stratgic practice as opposed to a deluge of effort. But this is coming from a notorious range rat, so what do I know! I think a worthwhile thing to do is include short game and putting in EVERY practice session. This will cut down on needless seed pounding! So do you know how to tell whether you are hitting too many balls? Simple. Did you have time to chip, pitch and putt?
He is guy that tells people just to hit the damn ball!
That advice works really well for most people, doesn't it?
It's somewhat akin to sitting a novice in front of a keyboard and saying, "Just type!" Try that, and see what you get.
The truth is that this guy is an athlete who has spent his life -- even if, as he says, "just one bucket" at a time -- on practice tees and courses around the world, seeking to improve his own professional skills. Now, after hundreds of thousands of hours of his own concentrated effort, he tells us to "Just hit it!"
Gimme a break.
The incontrovertible fact is that golf is a learned skill (at any level, including his own). Those who wish to improve, and further, to compress years into months, weeks or days, will benefit greatly from competent training. Which training, by the way, excludes instruction by those who have spent a lifetime on Tour and now can only advise others to "just hit it".
Originally Posted by okie
He about breaks out the garlic and crucifix when I mention TGM!
His loss . . . a knee-jerk reaction to his own misperception. Mention 'alignments' instead, and maybe you'll strike a resounding chord. But, based on what you've said, probably not. And that's okay. 'Mechanics to Feel' is not for everyone . . . especially those who already play well and have given up on any further real progress (which, of course, is unattainable without at least a modest attention to Mechanics; or, the mental process which produces perfected Mechanics under pressure; or both).
Originally Posted by okie
So do you know how to tell whether you are hitting too many balls? Simple. Did you have time to chip, pitch and putt?
"Just hit the thing!" did not do his teen son much good either! To his credit he let me help him out without interfering. But as soon as I tried to explain to him what I was asking his kid to do he put his hands in his ears and started to say "na...na...na" My point in mentioning the story was his position that people would be better off hitting fewer balls per practice session. I have heard you use this example before Yoda where if you go to the range and work on just one or two components...say keep the left foot nice and flat. So off you go to the range and hit 25 balls working on "flat left" This has been helpful to me and those I try to help. Asking questions like "What zone are we in today?" or "What component are you working on today?" This as opposed to searching for a magic bullet of some sort. I have used the quip you use(Dave Hill I think it was) something to the effect that all you have to do to know that you are gifted, or a natural, or talented is to hit a million balls first! Of course he said "Yeah, I know Dave!" Gotta love those "naturals!"
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