Golf: How Much Practice Should I Do?

Most people realize that getting better at anything, including golf, requires dedicated practice. Even people with natural talent have aspects of their game that need work. How much practice is needed to improve your golf game?

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The number of times you practice golf depends on your current level and desire to improve your game. A 9-hole golf game and two practice sessions per week where your long, short, and putting are practiced is sufficient for most people to see an improvement in their golf game.

As with any other sport, what you put into it is what you will get out, and the same applies to golf. What level of practice should you put into your golf game to see some improvement rather than leaving the golf course frustrated every time?

How Much Should You Practice Golf?

Golf is a sport that has a surprising number of nuances that affect the quality of your game. Many of these come from bad habits when we first started, and we must work at re-learning certain aspects of our game to improve our scores.

From your grip on the club, your approach and setup to the ball, your backswing, swing, follow-through, and posture during the entire swing can affect where the ball goes.

Mastering these techniques requires practice so that these movements become part of your muscle memory and happen automatically rather than needing to think about them.

If you ask a professional golfer how much you should practice to improve your game, most would tell you, “as much as possible!”

This is not practical for those of us with day jobs who dream of being out on the golf course rather than being stuck behind a desk!

Golf is one of those sports where if you don’t use your skills, you lose them. This means you must practice to improve your skills and keep the skills you have already mastered.

The quantity of your practice is really determined by how much you want to improve your game and how much time you have to practice.

Is A Golf Game Considered As Practice?

Playing golf is very different from practicing golf. When you play a golf game, you are not focused on fixing techniques but on making every shot count to try and win the game.

During the game, you only get one go at the shot; you cannot take the shot again and try to fix errors in your shot.

Playing a round of golf will mostly benefit beginners, but if you are serious about taking your game to the next level, you will need to include dedicated practice sessions in addition to your golf game.

How Many Times A Week Should You Practice Golf?

The number of times you should practice golf in a week to improve your game depends on where your game is at and how badly you want to improve.

Most golf coaches recommend that practice sessions improve your game much faster than playing a round of golf but that you should play a round at least once a week.

This makes sense because practice sessions help to iron out wrinkles in your game, and playing a round of golf is where you put what you have learned to use and measure the improvement in your game.

We have developed a basic outline of what your practice schedule should look like at various skill levels to show an improvement in your game.

Current Level	Playing Golf	Practice Sessions
Beginner	Play 9 holes once a week	Practice when you can
Advanced Beginner	Play 9 holes once a weekIncluding practice before the round	Practice at least once a week
Intermediate	Play 9 holes once a week Including practice before the round	Practice at least twice a weekCoached sessions once a week will see a vast improvement
Intermediate-advanced	Play 9 holes twice a week	Practice 4 times a weekCoached sessions essential for progress.

If you are committed and serious about improving your golf game at any level, you should be practicing parts of your game at every opportunity.

Practicing your long and short games at the driving range twice a week will significantly improve your game. Putting can be practiced almost anywhere, even in your office during your lunch break.

The quantity of your practice is not the only factor that will speed up your progress and skill level. The quality of the practice is as important to your improvement as the quantity.

Not All Methods Of Practice Will Help Your Golf Game

When you practice your golf game, you need to practice the right way to improve various aspects of your game. Practicing the wrong way will reinforce bad habits, and you will see very little improvement or even degradation in your game.

How can your practice session improve your long, short, or putting game if you don’t know what you are doing wrong?

One of the best and fastest ways of fast progression in your golf skills is to hire a coach to assist you in the aspects of your game where you struggle the most.

If you don’t have the budget initially to hire a coach, ask a friend whose game is more advanced than yours to watch your swing and give you a few pointers to improve.

This will help you up to a point, but sooner or later, you will need some sessions from a professional golf coach to see your game progress!

One or two sessions a month did wonders for my game. After your coaching sessions, you can concentrate on practicing the issues pointed out by the coach. This is constructive practice where your game will progress, rather than simply practicing bad habits!

How Long Should Your Golf Practice Sessions Last?

You do not need to spend hours at the range or the chipping and putting green to get value out of your practice session.

A shorter practice session of 30 to 45 minutes is often more beneficial than a two-hour session of hitting bucket after bucket of balls.

Shorter, more focused sessions will help you cement each technique in your mind and slowly build muscle memory rather than trying to do everything in a single session.

Shorter practice sessions are also easier to fit into a busy work and family schedule without neglecting either for the sake of your golf game.

Can You Practice Golf Too Much?

If you are practicing your golf game wrong, you can practice too much. If your practice sessions are focused, and you concentrate on aspects of your game that need work under a coach’s instruction, then you can’t practice too much.

The more you practice correctly, the faster your game will improve, which will be reflected in your scorecard.

Another consideration is to take your practice sessions at a pace your body can handle. Too much practice can cause injury if you are not used to the exercise.

Recovering from an injury can also require that you take a gentler approach to your practice sessions and practice less frequently until your body has healed.

Conclusion

Golf practice sessions should be enjoyed as much as playing the game. Most golfers find there is nothing more relaxing or a better way to unwind than heading to the range after work to practice their long and short games. Putting practice is fun to do anywhere!

Work your practice sessions into your lifestyle to practice as often as possible, and you will soon see an improvement in your scorecard!

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