Shooting balls into darkness all winter is pointless. Fabian Bünker shows five exciting alternatives to boost your game.Knowing not everyone can spend much time on golf training, here are five tips for improving your long game that can be done with little time at any driving range.
1. Evaluate the Quality of Your Shots
Take 30 balls and hit each with a different club at different targets. Perform a routine before each shot, as you would on the course or in a tournament. After each shot, grade its quality from 1 (very good) to 6 (poor). You’ll notice your concentration improving as you strive for better marks.
2. Tai Qi Swing
This exercise requires high concentration and a quiet environment. Perform your golf swing elements you want to change in slow motion, feeling each movement consciously. Some find closing their eyes helpful to strengthen the internal image of the movement. Practitioners can time their Tai Qi golf swings, for example 30 seconds or 1 minute.
At home, perform this without a ball (or use practice balls if space permits). The driving range is suitable to gradually increase swing speed using the 30-60-90 rule: start at 30% speed, then 60%, and finally 90%. Avoid 100% speed swings on the course to maintain control.
Focus points for a Tai Qi tempo swing:
• Clear, precise movement instructions
• Concentrate on one movement aspect only
• Find a quiet environment (turn off phone)
• Get external feedback (coach)
• Start with swings without ball
3. Practice the Draw
The draw is a flight curve from right to left. The ball starts slightly right of the target line and curves left back towards it. To hit a draw, swing the club from inside to outside, feeling as if the club moves far right of the target line. The clubface should be slightly closed relative to the swing path. This helps players who tend to slice the ball and works against that slice.