Have you ever felt practice is a total waste of time? You strike the ball amazing on the driving range, only to discover the OB or a watery grave during tournaments. Many players mistakenly assume they are “head cases” when they simply have not sufficiently learned the skill in question.
Consider the following example. A player on my lesson tee is working to improve his driving accuracy. After several swings with the impact bag, he hits 4 out of 5 tee shots straight. Feeling hopeful, he schedules a tee time for the next day only to be disappointed, hitting only 7 of 14 fairways. Did he choke? No. Was his lesson a dud? For sure no! The answer is simple…performance (in practice) does not equal learning. Learning is the ability to perform a skill after a period of rest (retention) and in a different context (transfer). The critical question is what conditions of practice best support retention and transfer?
Many golfers practice in a blocked condition. They hit a “block” of shots with one club to a single target. Then they take out a second club and hit a “block” of shots with that club to a single target. This format of practice is only helpful early in learning when you are establishing an overall feel for the new motor program. Once you have a sense of your desired swing change, “transfer practice” is best. Transfer practice requires that you practice like you play…different clubs, different targets, different lies, etc. Think of all the other sports you played as a kid. What did practice look like? That’s right…you practiced baseball on a baseball field. You practiced basketball on a court with other players. Sure, there were times when you were off to the side with a drill, but most of your practice was game like. Now think about how most golfers practice. Does it simulate anything like the conditions you play under? When was the last time you hit 20 7-irons in a row from a flat lie?
Let’s return to our player working on improving his driving accuracy. A transfer practice might include the following:
- Hit 10 balls as a warm-up with a short iron. The objective is simply to warm up the body and establish a swing tempo for the day.
- Visualize a fairway on the driving range. Create a left and right boundary. Early in learning, make your fairway wide. As you progress, narrow your fairway. Challenge yourself to hit 4 out of 5 shots in your fairway. Between each shot with your driver, hit a shot with a different iron to a different target. (Driver, iron, driver, iron, etc.)
- After 5 shots with your driver and 5 shots with various irons, walk to the putting green and sink 5 3-footers in a row. Place the balls around the hole so you are not putting from the same place each time. You cannot return to your full swing practice until this goal is achieved.
- Return to your full swing practice after achieving your putting goal. Repeat this cycle until you are finished with your bucket.
The key point is to add increasing variability to your practice sessions as your skill level increases. Note, your practice session will get more difficult. You may hit fewer “good shots” than you do with a blocked practice session. You may hit fewer balls over a longer period. BUT you will hit more good shots on the golf course…where it counts!
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