Make the most of a practice swing to take your form on the driving range onto the golf course.

One of the most popular forms of tuition I am asked to give are playing lessons on the course. Many golfers find a huge difference between their hitting on the range and their actual form when playing golf. Of course it’s easy to understand why. When hitting on the range golfers are loose and relaxed, on the course they become tight and start ‘hitting’ at the ball rather than simply swinging the club. To overcome this difference it is essential to concentrate on better preparation for the shot with a disciplined, well controlled practice swing.

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Benefits of a Practice Swing

Most golfers already have a practice swing, but rather than using it as an accurate dress rehearsal for the shot, to ‘feel’ the correct release of the club at impact, it’s just a quick swish back and forth. To narrow the margin between form on the range and the course it’s essential to start introducing more discipline into the practice swing. It must become a recreation of the shot itself, in every detail. Contrary to what many will think, this hardly takes any longer and will start to straighten out wayward drives and iron shots.

Tips to Make a Great Practice Swing

Aim at the target – this allows the hands to release the club naturally down the intended line while still conscious of the trouble left and right.

Brush the grass – this makes sure the golfer stays down on the shot and is essential when hitting irons or to stop slicing.

Hold the finish until your imaginary ball lands - this allows the body to fully turn through to the target with correct weight transfer.

Sounds too Simple

The main problem for me, when I explain this to pupils, is to get them to commit to this for a few rounds rather than just a couple of holes. It’s too easy to look for something more dramatic as a reason for poor golf shots, like a fault in swing plane, over-rotation of the arms, or a reverse pivot shoulder turn. And after checking some basic points this might be the case. But every golfer on the planet has something wrong with their action but the difference between success and failure comes down to ‘timing’.

The most benefit a golfer can get from a disciplined practice swing is the overall smooth timing of the action. If a golfer ever finishes a swing without perfect balance their form can be improved with a better practice swing.

Best Tip for Practice Swing

It is essential to pay attention to the speed of your practice swing and recreate it as closely as possible when hitting. For this reason I recommend my pupils mentally count to the speed of the backswing and downswing - 'one and two' - as they swing back and forth. When hitting the real shot I get them to count this back to themselves. A constant smooth acceleration helps avoid hitting at the ball, the main difference for poor form on the course.