Making Practice Routines More Like Real Golf

Add consequence

When the session has structure, real golf does not let you hit seven identical 7-irons until one feels right. To make practice routines transfer, add variety and consequence. When the session has structure, change clubs, targets, lies, reads, and routines. Use one ball for the transfer portion when possible.

Play games with teeth

Try these:

1. For routine-based practice, pick a nine-hole “course” on the range.
2. Choose the shot before you pull the club back.
3. For routine-based practice, score fairway, green, or up-and-down points.
4. When the session has structure, start over if you skip the routine.

Practice the next shot

When the session has structure, if you miss the target, do not pretend the hole ended. Before leaving the range, choose the recovery, chip, lag putt, or reset routine that would follow. When the session has structure, the more your practice includes consequences, the less surprising the course becomes.