The Ultimate Practice Routine

I've had a lot of people ask me about this & I've seen quite a few threads regarding practice & lowering their handicap, so I thought I'd post this in hopes that it will help someone.

Here's the story behind it, and the disclaimer. About 8 years ago, I had a student come to me who was a 36 hdcp - best round 110, ave round 120. His goal was to shoot par that year. I've seen the threads on here about doing this, and it is possible but it is not probable. I explained to him that it would take time, money, instruction, and a lot of work with no guarantee that it could/would be done. He was 28, not athletic at all, but had time, money, & desire. We spent 3 months working on his swing (very over-the-top, lot's of moving parts) just to develop a consistent, somewhat solid fade. Since his goal was to score, I developed a program that is scoring based - I have tweaked it some over the years, but basically it's about the same. After I created this, I gave it to 4 tour caliber players (1 PGA Tour, 2 Nationwide, 1 NCAA All-American) and asked them to run through the program and tell me how long it took them to complete & if they would change anything. It took them between 1 1/2-2 hours to complete and they felt it was great for someone looking to lower their handicap. I gave it to my student and he came back a few days later saying he'd spent over 6 hours on the program - and hadn't completed the 2nd stage (lag putting)! I knew then, it would work. We continued to work on his game, and he practiced the routine constantly. Over the next few months he became one of the best putters & wedge players at our club, and he shot 72 in October of that year. When he shot par, he didn't carry a driver or 3 wood and played a low, fade (almost a slice). He was recognized as the most improved player in the country that year - ending the year as a 6.2 handicap. Let me tell you, for a couple months, no one could touch him in a net game - it was fun to watch, and he credits this routine for allowing him to reach his goal. He worked his a** off, and he needed more than just this routine (technique, mental game, strategy, etc), but this is easily a guideline for players instead of just beating balls. This program is currently used by at least 8 NCAA golf teams as well.

The disclaimer: 1) I don't promise you'll shoot par doing this. 2) This is a good starting point. It's designed for mid-high hdcp players. I don't have tour players do this, and if you're already a low single digit hdcp, it's probably not much use to you, but you may find it helpful to identify a weakness 3) If it seems too easy, make the reps or targets match your level of play. This is designed to help you improve the scoring areas of the game.4) Go through your pre-shot routine before shots - I want this to simulate playing golf. 5) Once you've done the program a few times, add uneven lies, different shaped shots, etc to challenge yourself. The program can be done in one session or broken up into several - you must start at the beginning & can only move to the next section when you have completed a section. You cannot move to chipping until you complete putting, etc. So a player who can't lag putt will not hit full shots for a while. If you are "stuck" on putting, take a break every 20 minutes and stretch your back, get something to drink, just do something else, you can certainly hit balls, but don't skip part of the program.

It is based on a 2 week format - do program A for 2 weeks then program B for 2 weeks, then back to A, etc.

Sorry for the long intro- I just didn't want to drop the routine down without sharing the background & what it is designed to achieve. If you have questions or anything you believe I should add, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Here is the Ultimate Practice Routine, enjoy!

Program A, First 2 weeks, in this order:

Putting:
25 in a row from 3 feet
Lag Putting
20 in a row from 20 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
20 in a row from 30 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
20 in a row from 45 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle

Chipping:
8 out of 10 in a 3 foot circle from 20-30 feet

Pitching:
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 30 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 50 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 70 yards

Bunkers:
10 out of 10 out of bunker
6 out of 10 stop inside the length of a flagstick

Long Bunker shot:
5 out of 10 on the green from 30-50 yards

Irons:
9-iron 6 out of 10 land & stop on green
7-iron 6 out of 10 land & stop on green
5-iron 4 out of 10 land & stop on green

Driver:
6 out of 10 land & stop in fairway (if you're on a range set 2 targets the width of a common fairway).

Program B, Second 2 Weeks:

Putting:
25 in a row from 5 feet
Lag Putting
30 in a row from 20 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
30 in a row from 30 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
30 in a row from 45 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle

Chipping:
7 out of 10 in a 3 foot circle from 40 feet

Pitching:
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 40 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 60 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 80 yards

Bunkers:
10 out of 10 out of bunker
7 out of 10 stop inside the length of a flagstick
7 out of 10 out of bunker from uneven/buried lies

Long Bunker shot:
6 out of 10 on the green from 30-50 yards

Irons:
pw 7 out of 10 land & stop on green
8-iron 6 out of 10 land & stop on green
6-iron 5 out of 10 land & stop on green

Driver:
7 out of 10 land & stop in fairway