8 Golf Practice Mistakes Better Players Never Make

Spending more time practicing isn’t enough. If you’re not paying attention to how you practice, you might just be getting better … at doing it wrong. Most golfers go to the range hoping to improve but often walk away after reinforcing the same mistakes that hold them back. Knowing how to practice lets you monitor feedback, simulate pressure and on-course conditions and ensures you aren’t wasting your time. Here are eight golf practice mistakes better players never make.

Practicing only before a round

One could argue that practice before a round isn’t practice, it’s a warmup. Better players block out range time during the week and sometimes even after a round, never before it.

Post-round sessions are where these better players address what went wrong and fine-tune their swing or short game with less pressure and more focus.

Skipping setup and alignment checks

I know you are tired of hearing this one but I still see the majority of mid- to high-handicappers practicing without alignment sticks (or clubs) on the ground to create a practice session.

Practicing with poor alignment trains poor aim and forces compensation in the swing.

Set up a station for yourself when you get to the range and ideally make sure you have:

• A ball target line
• Feet line
• Ball position guide

Hitting balls too fast

I’m guilty of this and have had to deliberately work on slowing down my practice sessions. I play fast and I like to fix things fast but practicing fast isn’t the way to go about it.

Rapid firing not only creates tension but prevents you from analyzing your shots. You end up reacting but not learning.

Better players hit a few balls and pause. They take some practice swings and then return to hitting with complete focus. For me, the solution was to put the basket of balls a few feet away. I have to walk to grab each golf ball instead of just pulling another one up and hitting again.

Not switching from training to playing mode at some point in the session

I don’t fully buy into the idea that every practice session should feel like a round of golf. Yes, that’s part of it, but sometimes you need to dig into your mechanics. That work has a place and it should be built into your routine.

What better players do is both. They know when to work on mechanics and when to switch into performance mode.

That switch to performance mode can mean randomizing clubs, shot shapes and targets to simulate real on-course decisions. Mentally playing a few holes from your home course is a great way to test yourself. Hit a drive, an iron, a chip and then visualize the next hole.

Avoiding problem clubs

If you top your fairway woods on the course, don’t be afraid to take them out on the driving range. Some golfers fear hitting bad shots on the range but let that go.

Better players spend more time on clubs that hurt their game the most. When they are warmed up and engaged, they build familiarity with their weakest clubs. They look for swing thoughts and feelings that they can then take with them the next time they play these shots on the course.

Not using feedback tools

Not every range session must be filled with launch monitors and training aids. However, some basic feedback tools are smart to have with you while you practice.

These might include:

• Clubface tape or foot spray
• A towel or foam piece to monitor low point
• Video from proper angles (not ground-level shots that distort the swing)
• Launch monitor data

Not practicing under pressure

Why do some golfers fall apart in major championships while others thrive? It’s the pressure, plain and simple. The same happens to amateurs who hit the ball great on the range but fall apart on the first tee.

You need to know how your swing holds up when it matters. Build pressure into your practice by hitting one shot with one ball to a defined target (with consequences). If you miss, maybe you have to repeat it or hit five extra balls.

When I was a kid, I had a coach who let me choose between push-ups or a lap around the range if I sliced two drives in a row. (It only just occurred to me that this may be why my miss is a hook!)

Letting the final ball dictate the entire session

Hitting one bad shot (the last one) shouldn’t erase all the work you just put in. A perfect ending tells us nothing about the practice session as a whole.

Take notes on your phone after a practice session and write down what worked and what didn’t. You may think you’ll remember but life gets busy and these swing thoughts can get lost. When I was teaching golf, I would write a recap for students after the lesson and they kept these notes in their golf bags. It made a difference.

Final thoughts

The hardest part about golf practice is finding time to fit it in. If you have the time, make sure you are not making any of these golf practice mistakes. Shorter and efficient range sessions may be just what your game needs.