Instruction
The Secret to Practicing Like A Tour Player
Practice until your hands bleed is advice often given to young players who aspire to a career in professional golf. Repeat, repeat, repeat so you play like a machine and mistake-free is another mantra preached by some parents and coaches. It’s well meaning advice, but it falls short.
The most common mistake I see young elite players making is looking to build a machine-like swing and then looking to engrain it through repetitive practice from dawn to dusk. Instead, what I’ve learned firsthand from tour players is that they look to build skill and confidence with their practice time.
So what’s the difference between engraining the perfect swing and building skill?
A mistake many golfers make is to get several buckets of balls, put down an alignment aid, grab a 7-iron and just work on trying to hit the ball perfect with the same flight to the same target every time. These golfers think that the more balls they hit, the more muscle memory they’re create. They believe they’ll be able to take it to the course or tournament and be able to play automatic, machine-like, mistake-free golf.
Why does this not work?
Let’s first understand that the emotional or psychological aspect of hitting a ball on the range and hitting a ball on the course in tournaments are poles apart. If you hit a poor shot on the range, you just take another ball and look to correct the swing in the next shot. On the course, you first have the physical challenge the golf architect of that course set – perhaps water down the left, trees on the right, a fairway bunker, etc — but then you have the mental challenge. You want to do well, you want to shoot a certain score, you’re thinking what other players are doing, etc. These two scenarios bear little relation to each other, and that’s why trying to engrain a machine-like swing on the range has very limited value.
So does that mean practice is for nothing? Absolutely not. Practice is where you can develop your skills. The critical point are: (1) How you practice, and (2) Under what conditions.
In a conversation 17 years ago with Michael Campbell, who went on to win the 2005 U.S. Open, he revealed a concept that he referred to as the one-third rule. In essence, it means dividing your practice into three parts.
- In the the first part, you focus on progressing your technique.
- In the second part, you focus on rhythm and motion.
- In the third part, you simulate competition.
So if Michael was doing a 60-minute long game session, he may divide it into the following three parts.
Part 1: 20 minutes working on swing technique, using key drills set for him by his coach. In this part of practice, it’s fine to hit to just one target with one club and use training aids like alignment sticks.
Part 2: In this part of practice, no technical thoughts are allowed. Every shot must also be different. You may use the same club for five shots, but you must aim at five different targets. Or do Steve Bann’s nine-shot drill where you hit each of the nine ball flights on different balls. It can also mean changing clubs every shot. In essence, it’s about variability. When swinging, golfers need to be focused on the shot instead of the technique.
Part 3: In this part of practice, you put yourself under pressure by introducing a “win-lose” element. This last section creates a bridge from your practice to your play. It helps you transfer your range work to hitting good shots down the stretch. Extensive testing has shown that practicing in pressurized situations is the most effective way of inoculating yourself against the negative effects of pressure. Use your pre-shot routine just as you would on the course and have a specific practice drill that creates competition
This one-third concept relates to all aspects of the game: a putting session, short-game practice, wedge training, etc. What I have found in applying the concept for more than 15 years is that it assists players in building what I call competitive confidence, or confidence under pressure. Because they’ve been tested and challenged during practice, they are better prepared to perform when they face challenge and pressure during competition. Practice this way, and you will be able to build confidence that you can hit the key shot under pressure. That’s what tournament golf is about, being able to execute the key shot at the critical time.
This summer, Jordan Spieth won the biggest tournament in golf, the Open Championship. He had the best four days of his already star-studded career. His game was far from machine-like, but he possessed competitive confidence and skill. That enabled him to get the ball in the hole over 72 holes in fewer strokes than any of the other 155 competitors, which is the essence of tournament golf and the skill we need to build in our practice time.
The video below highlights some competitive practice drills you can try in your next practice session.
Interested in building a Tour Tough Game? I’ve developed a system called the Tour Player Practice System that gives players an easy to use A-to-Z Practice System. Sign up for some free training videos at www.tourplayerpracticesystem.com.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Stephen Finley
Jan 18, 2018 at 8:26 pm
This is smarter than a lot of people are going to realize, especially for players who have reached a fairly decent level of skill. What you want is to have a good feel for the swinging motion and how variations affect ball flight, a good feel for where the sweet spot is, etc., not a “grooved” swing. You want an _adaptable_ motion that gives you the right balance between control and freedom (or freedom within a useful structure). I agree totally that this is something better players tend to know, or at least did in previous generations. People have really gotten off track in an effort to play “perfect-looking swing” instead of golf.
ken
Dec 26, 2017 at 3:14 pm
Before recreational rounds, I rarely go to the range. I chip and putt.
Pre tournament rounds, I grab a couple mid irons, my wedges and metals, depending upon the length and type of the design of the course.
I take about 15 minutes to loosen up. Then I “play” random holes of the course for about 20 to 30 mins. When its hot, I cut back on my range time.
Sam
Dec 26, 2017 at 12:27 pm
You can’t practice like a tour pro, til you are one. Does Lebron James practice like he did in high school? UH NO! Why doesn’t everyone just who wants to make it to the NBA just take on Kobe Bryant’s routine? Cause he aint Kobe!
ronny
Dec 26, 2017 at 2:49 pm
Yes, but you can experience what the pros feeel if you buy their clubs and buy their shoes and buy their uniforms so you can even look like you’re on their team.
99.99% of humanity are non-athletic dross and can only fantacize and delude and shout and scream and holler while watching their heroes on the playing field. Deplorables all !!!!
DD
Jan 27, 2018 at 9:22 am
“non-athletic dross”. Speak for yourself, hoser. Don’t project your failings on the rest of us.
Kurt
Jan 28, 2018 at 10:18 pm
Agree, and add to it VERY few of us can even practice other then putt, chip and hit drivers off mats…the difference between public golfers and Country Club golfers is as far apart as amateur and pro golfers.
Sam
Dec 26, 2017 at 12:26 pm
You can’t practice like a tour pro, til you are one. Does Lebron Jamespractice like he did in high school? UH NO! Why doesn’t everyone just who wants to make it to the NBA just take on Kobe Bryant’s routine? Cause he aint Kobe!
Joe Perez
Dec 26, 2017 at 12:10 pm
My practice session is quite simple: spend 100% of the time trying to hit the golf ball before contacting the AstroTurf. ^_^
ronny
Dec 26, 2017 at 2:51 pm
Keep on trying but don’t injure yourself on AstroTurf… gouge out the ground and frighten the earthworms… 🙂
Kurt
Jan 28, 2018 at 10:22 pm
The good thing is you can stripe the 3 wood of the AstroTurf…and you can hit an iron straight while hitting the AstroTruf before the ball…great practice…
Ron
Dec 26, 2017 at 11:30 am
Good article. These 3 sessions are surely for the more advanced player, but I think even the weekend warrior trying to break 100 can benefit from the overall theme, which is structured practice. Like purposely trying to hit the ball higher than normal, to simulate when you banana slice it into the next fairway over, and have to hit it over the trees to get back on your own hole. Or practicing a few punch shots that you’ll inevitably need when you duck hook your ball into the pine straw off the first tee. You don’t need to practice shaping your ball 9 different ways, but emulating real scenarios you’ll encounter will benefit ANY golfer.
Stephen Finley
Dec 26, 2017 at 2:06 am
People are nitpicking the “thirds” and the nature of each of those, but the basic fact that practice for a good player with the objective of “grooving” a swing has been shown to be mostly an empty exercise, except for broad principles like balance, tempo, path through the ball, plane and angle of approach, and release. “Grooving” every nuance off a level lie with infinitely more balls to hit if you’re off is just not the way to get better, especially once you reach a certain level. Adaptability, feel, and a firm, accurate idea of the very few things in the swing that actually matter are what allow you to compete better.
Jon Wallett
Dec 30, 2017 at 8:40 pm
Great comment Stephen!
Shad Goldston
Dec 25, 2017 at 10:26 pm
BTW, the Masters, NOT the open, is the biggest tournament in golf.
Patrick
Dec 26, 2017 at 12:33 pm
Lame comment. The Masters field is by far the weakest and smallest field. Yes, you get to play the same perfectly manicured venue every year. Those Open courses are always at the mercy of the weather. Notice that’s there are many repeat winners at Augusta. Makes sense providing you have a decent memory.
Finally, the Masters is the first major of the season. To a European player certainly the Open is the number one major. To an American, the U.S. Open is the pinnacle. I’d rate the Masters third best among golf’s 4 majors.
The Masters certainly has the esthetic trophy.
Mark
Dec 25, 2017 at 6:40 pm
Nice article. After reading the comments I can understand how this doesn’t apply to everyone but it hit home for me and I’ll incorporate more of this into my practice. Thanks!
Tommy
Dec 25, 2017 at 11:14 am
That’s great for single digit players but most are just trying to get the feel of simple solid contact most of the time. Working the ball….really? 90% of players hit the ground before the ball….how you going to “work” it doing that?
ronny
Dec 26, 2017 at 2:53 pm
Buy a set of PXGs… they’re guaranteed to be the bestest of the best… ask Paige 8)
Square
Dec 25, 2017 at 6:08 am
I’m not being silly here…for me at age 48 my pie chart is divided into 20 minutes to get loose, 20 minutes on the technical, and 20 minutes on the win lose element as defined in the article. I’m just not going to give part 2 of the article much time.
Rich Douglas
Dec 25, 2017 at 9:25 am
But it’s the most important part. Read Garrity and Novosel.
If your tempo is like a drunk monkey falling from a tree then your mechanics and gamesmanship are irrelevant. You wont’ be able to use the swing mechanics you’re desperately trying to implement and, when faced with real targets and hazards, you won’t be able to put a reliable swing onto the ball.
I already use this method, but I vary the proportions depending on my needs. If I’m warming up before a match, and if my time is limited, I’ll spend almost all of it on #2, rhythm. If I’m hitting a large bucket just to practice, I’ll split it up. But if I need to spend more time on one phase–like yesterday–I’ll do that. (I spent almost all my time testing out two backswing lengths, chose one, then worked on tempo. No simulating game play.) But work them all into your practice over time. And for goodness sakes, don’t stand there pounding driver after driver!
Mike
Dec 31, 2017 at 1:06 am
Explain Garrity and Novosel please?
ronny
Dec 25, 2017 at 1:32 pm
According to PGA statistics, 90+% of all 50 million golfers worldwide cannot break 100 and within the Rules of Golf.
A ‘golfer’ is defined as somebody who owns a set of golf clubs and plays once a year, probably at the company golf tournament.
For most of these ‘golfers’ golf is 90% social and 10% game, and they have no intention of learning how to swing a golf club. IOW, no commitment.
I suspect that these golf ‘deplorables’ are not fit physically nor mentally to play decent golf, but they will buy the latest and best clubs in the futile hope of improving. Most of the WITB types fall into this category too. It’s both pitiful and pathetic.
ronny
Dec 24, 2017 at 2:08 pm
Our’s is not to wonder why…. our’s is to do and fly …. kaboom!!!
Notice that the 1/3 pie chart is all about the physical part of the golf swing and nothing much about the intellectual study of the golf swing?
With so much scientific stuff available one must wonder why the physical is so all-consuming? Just leave the thinking to the coach?
If you want to swing like a robot surely you must be scientifically primed to think your way through a golf swing.
Forget the physical conditioning, the golf-specific training, the performance testing…. just whack away with your new driver that is dialed in for a high draw.
DoubleMochaMan
Dec 24, 2017 at 1:26 pm
I have one, only one, golf range observation: If you kill it on the range before your round you will hit it like crap on the course. And if you stink it up on the range you will pure most of your shots on the course.
ronny
Dec 24, 2017 at 2:16 pm
Practice? Practice? Practice?!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI
Rich Douglas
Dec 25, 2017 at 9:29 am
A common emotion for people who are less aware about the swing, physics, and their own mechanics. It seems almost random. I guess it is to them.
Early on, I used to come to the course wondering what my swing would do. That’s because if it was good or bad was almost accidental. No more. Now I note what’s happening and either adjust the swing or–more likely–adjust my expectations from it during play. That way, I “dance with the girl I brung” and play the round with the swing I have.
Awareness and knowledge.
ronny
Dec 25, 2017 at 1:36 pm
They also claim to be ‘feel’ golfers when in reality they are emotional ‘feelings’ golfers…. and they satisfy their feelings with ball impact sensation and results, and nothing much more. They don’t know their swing, plain and simple.