“Time Flies…”
Everyone has heard the expression, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” I think everyone has also had the experience of being on the range or the practice green and feeling like time has slowed to a crawl. These two things are connected, and they’re an indicator of whether or not you’re practicing the right way.
This Lesson Is For You If:
You feel like you’ve practiced for hours, but it’s only been minutes
You’re not enjoying your practice
You feel like your practice is stuck in a rut
You’re not getting better
Bad Practice Feels Slow
Think of the things that feel slow. It could be running on a treadmill, working, or waiting at the DMV. What do they have in common? Monotony, no sense of accomplishment, being alone.
Bad practice shares those characteristics. If you’re standing on the range hitting 6-iron over and over, you’re probably not having fun and you’re certainly not getting better.
Good Practice Feels Fast
If you watch a great junior coach (in any sport), you’ll see the opposite of what I’ve described above. The players are constantly changing tasks, they’re competing, they’re doing things together…and they’re getting better.
There’s no reason that adults should practice any differently. Most of us have the idea that we need to suffer through practice to improve, but that’s inaccurate. We get better when we’re engaged in our practice, so anything that enhances engagement will help us improve.
Make Your Practice Better
There are countless ways to make your practice more enjoyable, more engaging, and more productive.
One of the best is to make practice a competition, whether you’re competing with others or against yourself. Instead of standing on the green banging in four-footers, create a contest. Decide that you’ll putt until you make ten consecutive two-putts. I guarantee that the practice green will feel a lot more like the course, and your focus will ratchet up a few notches.
You should also change tasks regularly. This can be as simple as switching clubs after every swing on the driving range. If you’re strict about this, it will create game-like pressure because no one likes to put a club down after a mishit.
Finally, don’t be afraid to make practice social. Practicing with friends allows for competitions, feedback, and a more enjoyable experience.
For more ideas on upgrading your practice, click HERE.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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Everyone wants to hit one good shot after another at the range. Don’t we all feel a bit embarrassed after we top one or another and another. I finally made myself get over that. Working something new into your swing is like taking medicine you just have to put up with it until it feels right. I like to pick something that I need to work on and just trust that it will work if I just keep trying to do it right and after a while it will start to come even if it feels funny while I’m trying to get it down. Time goes by faster when your concentrating on something rather that just trying to hit one nice looking shot after another