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A Practice Tee To First Tee
Written By: Old Edwards Club | Issue: 2020/08 – August
It has often been said that the longest walk in golf is from the practice tee to the first tee.
I see players of all levels struggle to take their range game to the golf course.
Why is it so difficult?
Golf is one of the few sports that we don’t practice on the same field that we play on. Football, baseball, basketball, tennis, soccer…I could go on. We practice and train for all these sports on the same field/court that we play on. There is a sense of familiarity with the environment where we will be asked to perform.
In golf, there is a disconnect between the practice and playing environment. Anytime you are put in a new situation there will be a heightened sense of nervousness and tension, so why don’t we start practicing where we play, on the golf course! A lot of your discomfort can be eased by changing your training environment.
There is a reason why PGA Tour players have three practice-round days before an event. They are busy trying to familiarize themselves with their playing environment. They are not planning and preparing for perfection. They are preparing themselves for the challenging shots that are all but guaranteed in a round of golf, so they can perform their best. They practice from uneven lies, from the rough, and out of bunkers.
A good friend of mine would always say, “Prepare like you care, so you can swing like you don’t.”
