Closest to the hole putting contest for time-constrained golfers
What to do:
Find someone to putt with and head to the practice green along with 1 ball and your flat-stick. The game is simple: players take turns selecting a hole to which both players will stroke a putt. After a hole is picked and both players have gone, the ball resting closest to the hole wins, say, $1.00 (put something of worth on each hole... I'm advocating gambling, only added pressure to each putt). Play as many holes in this fashion as time allows. For added gain, when playing second on a particular hole do not watch the first player's putt. This ensures that you receive no advantage by "going to school" on the first putt. (I call this the 'NO LOOK' local rule). Of course this applies to your competitor as well...
How I did:
I never lose.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Steeplechase (Repeat)
Today's Game is a repeat, as the title implies. This drill is one of my favorites and worth sharing/completing again.
Distance control on chipping... land your chips where you want
What to do:
Lay 2 clubs parallel to each other, about 2 feet apart, just on the green. They should also lay parallel to the fringe. Move off the green 1 yard. Grab the club you chip with the most (in my case a 54 degree sand wedge) and hit a chip, attempting to fly the ball over the closest club and short of the second. Do this 5 times, seeing the ball fly and land on a spot in between the clubs. Once you land all 5 in a row between the clubs you're done with that distance... move back another yard and do it again. Make it to 7 yards and you've finished!
How I did:
From 1 yds: 1 try
2 yds: 1 try
3 yds: 2 tries
4 yds: 3 tries
5 yds: 1 tries
6 yds: 3 try
7 yds: 3 tries
I love this drill. Most good chippers focus on a 'spot' on which they want to land their ball, and this drill speaks directly to that. It forces me to chip with solid contact, focusing on nothing but my target. Putting a quarter in the middle of the 2 clubs really narrows my focus.
Scaling:
Intermediate- spread club 3 feet apart, only move back 5 yards
Beginner- spread the club 3 feet apart, only move back 3 yards
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Hickory Golf and Smooth Tempo Shotmaking
Sorry for the delay. I competed in my second United States Professional Hickory Golf Championship yesterday... not the best showing for the defending champion For those who didn't read last year's post about this unique event, all players must compete with hickory shafted clubs, dressed in period clothing.
( http://eddiepeckelsgolf.blogspot.com/2012/02/chipping-line.html )
Given this was only my third time ever playing hickory, I can't get too down on myself for not playing up to my expectations... instead, I'll try to take away something from yesterday's round and move forward. Which leads into today's interesting ball striking game...
(No you won't have to use hickory.)
Improve solidness of contact, consistency, feel for the club face, and rhythm
What to do:
Grab your driver and head to the driving range. Tee up 10 golf balls in a line extending out in front of you. What you will be doing in this drill is making FULL SWINGS at DIFFERENT SPEEDS. So basically you'll be hitting each ball different distances, making a full swing.
So now you may ask, "How will I do this if I'm making a full swing on each shot?" The answer is in changing the speed and fluidity of each of your swings. The first ball in front of you must be hit the shortest distance, followed by the second ball which is hit a little father, and the third a little father still. The game ends with the final ball being hit the farthest with what should be your normal swing tempo and maximum club-head speed.
I think the easiest way to explain this is as follows: hit the first ball making a full swing as slow as you possibly can. Hit the second ball a little farther by making a full swing slightly faster than the one before, and so on until you've reached the tenth ball which should be struck with your normal full speed and acceleration through impact.
Its helpful as well to imagine a fairway, giving yourself a challenge by identifying a target to which you must hit your shot. The main purpose of this drill is to give you better feel for the club-head during your swing, however identifying boundaries will help you build confidence in your ability to hit the fairway.
How I did:
It's hard not to over swing on some of those early shots. I was able to hit every ball between my boundaries, however my distances didn't perfectly increase with each successive shot. Ideally, each ball should land incrementally father than the one preceding it, all the way up to the tenth shot.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Chipping Contest, worst shot vs. worst shot
Ratchet up your touch around the green with this partner game
What to do:
Both players need 2 golf balls and a wedge. On a chipping green, begin by picking a hole to chip to. Once you've selected a shot, both players will hit 2 chips each. Compare each player's ball resting farthest from the hole. The closest of each golfer's "worst" shots wins the hole, earning 1 point. Set a point limit, for instance '7' and play until one of you reaches this number.
How I did:
N/A, depends on who I played.
What to do:
Both players need 2 golf balls and a wedge. On a chipping green, begin by picking a hole to chip to. Once you've selected a shot, both players will hit 2 chips each. Compare each player's ball resting farthest from the hole. The closest of each golfer's "worst" shots wins the hole, earning 1 point. Set a point limit, for instance '7' and play until one of you reaches this number.
How I did:
N/A, depends on who I played.
Monday, December 10, 2012
3-under (Repeat)
Improve your focus and ability to repeatedly make 6-8 footers
What to do:
Grab two balls and your putter. Pick a putt 6 to 8 feet long and, going through your full routine first, try to make the putt with both balls. Pretend your first ball is for birdie and your second is for par. So, if you make the first (for birdie) and then make the second (for par), you are 1-under. If you miss a putt and make another you are even-par, and if you miss both you are 1-over. The object of this game is to get to 3-under par. After hitting both putts and taking note of your score, move on to a different spot, changing the break and speed for the next pair of putts. The absolute best you can do is making 6 in a row, getting to 3-under without missing one putt.
How I did:
Latest try I made all 6 in a row.
Scaling:
Beginner- Both putts are for birdie
What to do:
Grab two balls and your putter. Pick a putt 6 to 8 feet long and, going through your full routine first, try to make the putt with both balls. Pretend your first ball is for birdie and your second is for par. So, if you make the first (for birdie) and then make the second (for par), you are 1-under. If you miss a putt and make another you are even-par, and if you miss both you are 1-over. The object of this game is to get to 3-under par. After hitting both putts and taking note of your score, move on to a different spot, changing the break and speed for the next pair of putts. The absolute best you can do is making 6 in a row, getting to 3-under without missing one putt.
How I did:
Latest try I made all 6 in a row.
Scaling:
Beginner- Both putts are for birdie
Monday, November 26, 2012
Putting Reps
Improve short putting through focus and routine
What to do:
This drill requires focus and stamina. You'll need a handful of golf balls, your putter and a relatively straight 4-footer. Once you've located a straight putt and placed a marker 4 feet from the hole, your objective is to make 25 putts in a row from this spot. However, you must go through your FULL ROUTINE for every putt! This drill is not meant to test your ability to mindlessly knock in 25 putts; rather it challenges and strengthens your pre-shot preparation and mental discipline. Improve your ability to sink putts under pressure with focus on a sound pre-shot routine.
How I did:
Made all 25 on my second try... Took around 20 minutes.
Scaling:
Beginners do 10
What to do:
This drill requires focus and stamina. You'll need a handful of golf balls, your putter and a relatively straight 4-footer. Once you've located a straight putt and placed a marker 4 feet from the hole, your objective is to make 25 putts in a row from this spot. However, you must go through your FULL ROUTINE for every putt! This drill is not meant to test your ability to mindlessly knock in 25 putts; rather it challenges and strengthens your pre-shot preparation and mental discipline. Improve your ability to sink putts under pressure with focus on a sound pre-shot routine.
How I did:
Made all 25 on my second try... Took around 20 minutes.
Scaling:
Beginners do 10
Monday, November 5, 2012
BCS Ballstriking
Improve focus and practice ball-striking in this College Football themed game
This is a great game given the time of year. It is a focused practice session for any college football fan/golfer.
What to do:
On the range, set right and left boundaries, between which you will attempt to hit 12 shots with the possibility of a bonus 13th. The width between the right and left boundary marks should be about 30 yards (roughly 10 paces). Once you have clearly defined these boundaries, work your way through your bag, hitting a shot with each club just once. Each club represents a different team on your schedule. If you land a shot between your boundaries it means you've won, if not you've lost. Excluding your putter and your most lofted wedge, this should give you 12 total shots, or 12 total games for this year's football season. Keep track of your "record" as you work your way through the bag, hitting each club only once.
Once your "season" is complete, meaning you've hit a total of 12 shots with 12 different clubs, look at your record. If you won at least 6 games (landed at least 6 balls within your boundary points) then your team is bowl eligible. Hit a 13th shot with a mid-iron... land it in and win your bowl game, miss and lose. If over the course of your season you missed only once (11-1) you made it into a BCS Bowl Game. Hit a 13th shot with a long iron... miss and lose, pull it off and win. Finally, if you were flawless and went 12 for 12, congratulations... you've made it to the BCS National Championship. Hit your Driver, attempting to win a National Championship by landing the shot in your set "fairway".
Play around with this one... there are several imaginative variations, for instance if conditions were particularly difficult (e.g. 30 mph winds), maybe missing only one shot means you still made it to the National Championship. The important thing as always is to have fun and be focused on each shot.
How I did:
10-2 with a Bowl loss... narrowly missed my 13th shot with 6-iron.
This is a great game given the time of year. It is a focused practice session for any college football fan/golfer.
What to do:
On the range, set right and left boundaries, between which you will attempt to hit 12 shots with the possibility of a bonus 13th. The width between the right and left boundary marks should be about 30 yards (roughly 10 paces). Once you have clearly defined these boundaries, work your way through your bag, hitting a shot with each club just once. Each club represents a different team on your schedule. If you land a shot between your boundaries it means you've won, if not you've lost. Excluding your putter and your most lofted wedge, this should give you 12 total shots, or 12 total games for this year's football season. Keep track of your "record" as you work your way through the bag, hitting each club only once.
Once your "season" is complete, meaning you've hit a total of 12 shots with 12 different clubs, look at your record. If you won at least 6 games (landed at least 6 balls within your boundary points) then your team is bowl eligible. Hit a 13th shot with a mid-iron... land it in and win your bowl game, miss and lose. If over the course of your season you missed only once (11-1) you made it into a BCS Bowl Game. Hit a 13th shot with a long iron... miss and lose, pull it off and win. Finally, if you were flawless and went 12 for 12, congratulations... you've made it to the BCS National Championship. Hit your Driver, attempting to win a National Championship by landing the shot in your set "fairway".
Play around with this one... there are several imaginative variations, for instance if conditions were particularly difficult (e.g. 30 mph winds), maybe missing only one shot means you still made it to the National Championship. The important thing as always is to have fun and be focused on each shot.
How I did:
10-2 with a Bowl loss... narrowly missed my 13th shot with 6-iron.
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