It’s finally finished! Once again, drives are flying; irons are looking for a safe landing on the greens, and putts are hole seeking. Yes, my home course, The Kansas City Country Club, reopened on July 23 after being renovated by Andrew Green for almost two years.
Now that I think about it, not only is our course open again, so are the practice areas. Since late September 2024 when the course fully closed, we have been golf gypsies.
(Photo taken on Sept. 21, 2024.)
While it took some getting used to, many KCCC golfers were able to keep their yearly round- count up by joining other area clubs, playing our local public courses or heading out of town.
On the other hand, I think it is safe to say that for many of us our practice time was greatly reduced – no hopping in the car and heading to the club for 30 minutes of hitting, chipping or putting.
To be sure, there is a BIG difference between pre-round preparation -- 15 minutes of warming up on the range and another 10 minutes of putting -- and actually practicing on a regular basis.
Our members are now getting reacquainted with “normal” again – and that includes the ability to get a bit of practice in on a regular basis.
And the truth is that a golfer needs practice to either “maintain” or “get better.” Yes, good to great golf requires practice.
“There is nothing in this game of golf that can’t be improved upon – if you practice.” --PATTY BERG (1918 – 2006), who had 60 LPGA Tour wins, which ranks fourth all-time. Her 15 Major wins ranks first all-time.
“Practice is essential to good putting. Unfortunately, there is no alternative.” -- JULIUS BOROS (1920 to 1994), the winner of three Majors – the 1952 and 1963 U.S. Open and the 1968 PGA.
“Practice puts brains in your muscles.” -- SAM SNEAD (1912 – 2002), winner of seven Majors.
“The formula for success is simple: practice and concentration then more practice and more concentration. – “BABE" DIDRIKSON ZAHARIAS (1911 – 1956) won two track & field gold medals (hurdles and javelin) and one silver (high jump) in the 1932 LA Olympics. As a golfer, she won 10 Majors.
Okay, got it. Practice is important. So now the question is how to approach practice and what to practice. For that take, here is KCCC’s Head Pro, CAMERON CHHIM.
Practice is therapy. It’s truly one of my favorite things in the world. I love playing golf just as much as the next golf pro, but I love practicing … any time … any weather!
Practice is important because it gives you the chance to try things out, but that’s the key -- be okay with hitting bad shots and trying things out. Don’t keep making the same swing and expecting different results. You have to really work hard to make a drastic change in your swing. What feels like a massive change is typically very small. Be okay with those changes and hitting plenty of bad shots. As we all know, growth and improvement come from bending, stretching, and cracking what feels natural.
You hear pros talk about how they break down their practice between putting, short game, wedges, irons, long game, and more. I like focusing on Form Practice vs. Random Practice.
Form Practice is exactly what you think it is, working on your core drills that make you better … find a local pro to narrow that down, we have some wonderfully talented instructors to assist you with that!
Random Practice is putting your Form to the test. Pull aside 5 range balls to end your session. Can you pick out 5 different fairways targets and hit 4 out of 5? It’s ok if you only hit 2 out of 5 today -- now you’ll know what to work on tomorrow.
For example:
• What about making a left-to-right, right-to- left and downhill 5-footers before heading off to the first tee?
• Take 4 balls and pitch them all within a certain distance before heading home?
Whatever your drill is, make it random, make it simulate a shot on the course, and change each shot instead of hitting the same shot over and over.
My Favorite Drills
Pause Drill: When I’m swinging it well, I know I can take a full backswing with a 4-iron, pause at the top, wait 10 seconds, and hit my shots. I will do this with wedges all the way up to a 7-iron to warm up. Helps me turn correctly, feel the bottom of my swing, and turn through in the proper sequence.
Bonus Drill: I have a 2x4 piece of wood that I use to help me with contact.
Putting Drill: I have 2 primary start-line drills I use. I use a ruler rail and a Pelz Putting style training aid.
Of course, there is always a contrarian in the group!
“The practice tee is way overrated. On the whole, my advice is to play more and practice less.” -- BILLY CASPER (1931 – 2015), who won three Majors – Masters, 1970; U.S. Open, 1959 & 1966. He had 51 PGA Tour victories, ranking him 7th all-time.
Back On The Range,
Allan Stark
Photo credits: Allan Stark
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