How to Teach Golf, Practice Like a Pro- Golf Tip

Plan a Practice Session to Learn Golf Quickly and Improve the Swing

May 20, 2009 John Hoskison

Once a golfer has the knowledge of how to swing the club, to improve quickly they must learn to practice properly like a pro and get the most from a practice session.

In the eighth article in the series How to Teach Golf we are dealing with how to plan a practice session for maximum benefit. In the previous articles the pupil has learned the fundamentals of the swing from the grip to the finish position. Now it’s time to use that knowledge to help plan effective practise sessions to groove the action, and improve the swing.

This is the most dangerous time for a golfer learning the game. Rather like a new car driver, the most dangerous time is when their confidence starts to build and they start to get lazy with the correct procedures. Explain to your pupil how vital it is to keep discipline when practising to learn quickly.

Following is a list of the moves taught so far and a brief reminder of how to practise each one. The pupil should still be using a seven iron and hitting the ball off a short tee. Make it as easy as possible for them.

A Reminder of the Segments of the Swing

  • Grip and Stance – every time the pupil goes to the range they must check these are correct. Put a club down for the aim, go into the pros shop and ask if the grip is right. It takes two minutes, they won’t mind and you will avoid wasting time hitting with the wrong grip.

  • The one-piece takeaway – put a club into your tummy and practice the feel of turning the club and body together, two feet back and through, absolutely no hand action. Hit small chip shots with this pendulum action.

  • The plane of the swing – put a ball behind the club and swing back. Feel the wrists sling the ball powerfully away as they hinge half way back. Remember, when the hands have completed the hinge, the butt of the club should point to where the ball was at address.

  • The top of the back swing – experiment with practise swings pointing the club to the left, straight at the target, and to the right. Overdo it to make sure you can control the club at the top.

  • Rhythm and Timing – count ‘one and two’ while you swing. The ‘and’ is the crucial part which represents the pause at the top when the golfer finds the correct line for the downswing.

  • The finish position – experiment with the overall power injected into the shot while being able to hold the finish for a count of three.

Plan Each Practice Session

Every time a golfer practises the teacher should help them decide which part of the swing they should concentrate on. Ideally they would work through the segments in a routine logical way, never neglecting any department. As a teacher your job is to motivate the pupil to practise correctly.

A tournament professional will always have a plan to their practice. They will have one particular move they work on and will not be distracted until they acieve their goal. It should be the same for your pupil. And it is the teachers responibility to make sure the sessions are interesting enough to keep the pupil concentrating.

Take the 'one piece takeaway' for example. This discipline is effectively a chipping action. Get your pupil to hit twenty chip shots at a target, fifteen of which have to be within a certain distance. Do not let them move onto the next part of the swing, 'the wrist cock into plane', until they have mastered the chip.

Whether your pupil improves or stagnates is down to your ability to motivate them by keeping the practice interesting and fun. Use your imagination to keep your pupil focused.

Please read the next article in the series How to Teach the Difference Between Woods and Irons

The copyright of the article How to Teach Golf, Practice Like a Pro- Golf Tip in Golf is owned by John Hoskison. Permission to republish How to Teach Golf, Practice Like a Pro- Golf Tip in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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