Crossing the Bridge from the Driving Range to the Golf Course

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A few weeks ago I wrote a blog on how my son Quinten was getting coached and learning new techniques for his position as an ice hockey goalie and how the things he was doing in practice were not being done in a game situation. So this blog is kind of a part two/follow-up from that one.

As of recent my son is still not incorporating his new techniques in games situations and I have been continually puzzled by that. So I decided to ask him why and his response was “I’m not yet comfortable doing those things in games.” Ah, so it’s all about TRUST. The trust that someone needs to take what they learn and use it in game situations. And of course it’s the same for many golfers, with every aspect of their game from driving, iron play, short game, bunker game, etc.

So we can say that there is a bridge between playing and practicing, and in order for improvement to take place that bridge needs to be crossed. But we need to first explore why these places – the practice area and golf course – are so different from each other. Now granted the “playing” conditions on the range are constant – a good level lie – and it’s certainly not always the same on the course (although they are for tee shots and putting). But that’s not the main point I’m trying to make.

The biggest reason is that we place greater values on results in game situations than we do during practice. For my son, doing it in clinics and even scrimmages (which he has just started to do) is one thing – but a real game is an entirely different animal. And for most golfers it’s the same. On the range when there are dozens of balls to hit with no consequence they can swing freely, or make those 3 foots putts with ease – all because there is no fear of failure – there’s always another ball to hit or chip and another one to putt. There are a couple of things you can do to help you make the transitions from range to golf course.

The first is that you practice the way you play. Imagine playing your favorite course and going through each shot the way you would on the course. For example, you imagine the first hole, take out your driver, pick a target, go through your per-shot routine (I hope you have a consistent one, otherwise this is a good time to develop one), then hit what would be your next shot and so on, constantly changing clubs and going through your routine. You’re goal is to try and place more “value” on each shot creating more of a game situation feel.

The other way is to go to the course and just imagine it as a practice round. In other words, you can’t get caught up in results and score. It’s easier said than done, but one way you can look at it is a part of the investment you have to make so that your hard work pays off.

Update – My son used his “butterfly” goalie technique FIVE times in the last game – most times with success. He’s taking the leap – so can you.