So, last Tuesday I got home from another frustrating round at the local course. Shanked three balls into the pond on hole 7. Felt like smashing my 7-iron right then. My practice routine clearly wasn’t cutting it.
The Wake-Up Call
Dug through my golf bag that night and found notes from that golf clinic I took last fall. Remembered the coach talking about deliberate practice methods. Figured, what the hell, might as well try something new before I quit this dang sport.
Starting Small & Stupid
Wednesday morning, I dragged my lazy butt to the range with just my pitching wedge and putter. No driver today. Focused entirely on chip shots first:
- Placed two buckets 10 feet apart as targets
- Hit 50 balls trying to land between them
- Counted how many actually stayed in the zone – only 17! Pathetic.
- Swore at my club for being stupid (it wasn’t)
The Lightbulb Moment
After chunking five shots in a row, I actually stopped. Did something new – stood behind the ball and visualized the arc. Imagined the ball plopping softly near the right bucket. Closed my eyes even, felt ridiculous. But dang if that next shot didn’t nestle right between them. Huh.
So I started doing this dumb ritual for every single shot: walk behind, pick exact landing spot, take two practice swings feeling the motion, then step up and fire. Took forever. Guy in next stall probably thought I’d lost it. But by bucket three, 32 out of 50 balls stayed in the zone. Progress.
Bringing It To The Course
Next day, played 9 holes after work. Implemented the stupid routine religiously:
- Walked every putt from both sides like a tour pro (felt awkward)
- Picked specific blades of grass as targets on drives
- Muttered to myself “smooth takeaway” before every iron shot
The kicker? Shot 41. Normally I’d be happy breaking 50 on 9 holes. Almost cried in the parking lot. Not because of the score – because I finally understood that practicing mindlessly into nets for hours was complete garbage. Specific targets + stupid visualization actually works.
Three Weeks Later
Still doing the dorky preshot routine. Still using alignment sticks at the range. Still keeping that damn stats notebook in my bag. Broke 90 for first time last Sunday. Moral of the story? Sometimes the dumbest-looking methods give the smartest results. Give it a shot before you rage-quit like I almost did.
