Adjusting to Practice Conditions

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We golfers practice for one reason:  to be able to hit the shots on the course that we hit on the practice tee.  We are training our bodies to produce an automatic reaction on the course to whatever shot we are faced with.  We hit certain shots repeatedly on the practice tee and practice green until they become second nature.  When they come up on the course, the fact that our bodies have been programmed to hit them inspires confidence and we greatly increase the chances for success.

The main problem is, though, that the practice tee (unlike the practice green) is not necessarily comparable to what we’re going to face on the course.  The shot conditions out there are generally different than what we experience on the practice tee.  The key is to be aware of the differences while we’re programming our brains so that we can effectively make the transition.

Lie Quality

Perhaps the biggest difference we face between the practice tee and the course is the quality of the lies we see.  On the practice tee, we hit virtually every shot from a perfect lie.  On the course, perfect lies are a not a given, even in the fairway.  We might find our balls in divots, on bare spots, in rough of varying degrees.

It’s a good idea to try and hit some of these shots on the practice tee, if possible.  If your range permits it, try and hit some from the rough.  Hit some from divots.  Try and get out of the mindset of hitting every shot from perfect conditions.  Obviously, if you’re working on swing changes, you don’t need to create more adversity for yourself by amping up the challenge.  But if you’re out there just beating balls, then working on these things to whatever degree you can will only help you on the course.

Along with quality of the lie of the ball, we should also talk about the quality of your stance.  On most driving range tees, you’re going to have a nice level stance.  On the course, you’re going to have very few.  Knowing the adjustments to make for uphill/downhill lies and side hill lies will help you on the course.  If your driving range has any spots where you can practice these shots, it will be a big help when you face them on the course.

Surface Condition

Most of us hit off synthetic driving range mats at one time or another, especially those of us in places where the weather gets cold and the grass tees need to be closed for the winter.

These mats add a different layer of complexity to the learning process, which is why I will always hit off a grass tee if given the choice.  Logically, I know that I’m not going to be hitting from a synthetic mat on the course, so I like to replicate the types of feel I’m going to get on the course when I’m on the practice tee.

An even bigger problem is, when we hit shots, our brains intuitively learn from the feedback we get from each shot.  We see the trajectory, see the divot (when hitting on grass), feel the contact with the ball, feel the contact of the club with the ground, feel our balance, etc.  When hitting shots off of synthetic mats, we may be getting mixed signals.

If you’re hitting from a grass tee and the club strikes the ground 2 inches behind the ball, it digs in and the ball hardly goes anywhere.  It’s the classic fat shot.  Do the same thing on a range mat, though, and the outcome will be totally different because the club can’t dig into the ground.  More likely, the club head will skip a little and you’ll strike the ball thin or skull it.  You might even salvage a decent shot if you don’t hit so far behind the ball.

This is where you need to learn the feel of a fat shot or thin shot.  You can’t just look at the results and make a change.  If you let it, your brain may try to make the skulled shot correction instead of the fat shot correction that it has filed away from having hit thousands of shots over the years.  Awareness that your hands and eyes tell you that you hit a fat shot, even when the results say something else is something we need to develop to effectively practice, especially from synthetic surfaces.

Wind Conditions

This is something that’s not going to differ from what we face on the course, but when practicing it pays to be very aware of what the wind is doing. We all know there can be a very pronounced effect on the ball and it’s challenging to try and make swing corrections when the wind is magnifying or even nullifying swing tendencies.

For instance, the most unpleasant condition to practice in for me is a stiff breeze coming from the right or left.  This makes it difficult to read the curvature of the ball.  Did a left to right wind turn a big hook into a gentle draw?  Did it turn a gentle fade into a big slice?

We can’t avoid practice when it’s windy (especially for those living in windy places), we just need to learn to expect what kinds of reaction the ball will have and not make unnecessary swing corrections subconsciously to try and straighten the ball out.  The effects of wind from the right or left are fairly obvious.

Wind blowing from the end of the range back at you will both shorten the distance of the shot and magnify the curvature of the ball in every direction.  A fade, slice, draw or hook will be magnified.  A high shot will go higher.  But, a low shot will stay fairly low, which is why it’s the generally accepted method of playing in the wind and why people living in windy places are usually low-ball hitters.

When the wind blows down the target line, it has the opposite effect.  You’ll hit the ball longer, for one.  You’ll also find that the shots that curve probably won’t curve as much.

The key to practicing in the wind is understanding these things so you can read your shot results and not go down the path of correcting something that doesn’t need correcting.  The same goes for lies, stances, and surfaces.  If you gain a full understanding of what your practice conditions are, you’ll be much more effective during practice time, and that means much more success on the course.