Danny, thankfully I live on a course so it will make it a little easier but I agree I won't have near the time to worry about my game. I'm good with that.

When I went to the course on Sunday for a little practice I didn't have a ton of time and desperately needed to work on my chipping, so I decided to only spend about half an hour or so on putting. After my rough time with getting through the three footers before, I managed to get it done in just three tries (about 20 minutes). Got the 20-foot section done in one try. I added the stipulation that I had to clean up every putt that didn't go in. Made three of the putts and everything else was down in two.

My usual final game of the day when I'm practicing is "around the world." I take one ball and putt from one hole to the next on the putting green. These are usually spaced out pretty far... of the eight flags on the green I'd say there are probably two 25-footers, four 30-40 footers, and two 50-60 footers. I putt from one flag to the next moving clockwise around the green. As long as I two-putt I can move on to the next one. If I three putt, I have to reverse direction and go backwards until I two-putt (and then I can start moving clockwise again). I don't stop until I get back to where I started (going clockwise of course).

I feel like this is a good practice because not only are you working on lag putting, but you're also occasionally having to make a five footer so you get some practice at making some "pressure" short putts.

I worked this past Saturday on the chipping portion.

Although from a numbers perspective this should seem easy (8 of 10), I wasnt getting it. From all the putting practice I have some sort of feel, but for this I just dont have the feel yet. I do comprehend the rule of 12 stuff that was mentioned earlier, but its moreso the stroke itself for me.

The chip I was hitting was just of the green, 30 feet from the hole, downhill left to right. For it not to run past the three foot circle, they had to land on the fringe and release out. Anything landing on the green (even with a 60 degree) would roll past the hole.

I bought a dvd online the other day by Paul Runyan and the short game. Im hoping that over the next few days I can get a more comfortable and consistent stroke. Ive read in multiple places that it should be like a putting stroke, but it just doesnt feel the same.

Goodness. Admittedly, I have no patience for practicing putting. It's just grueling and I find myself bored as all get out after even a handful of putts. Same scenario on the range with the chipping. I can hit maybe 10 and I find myself jonesing for the driver. Invariably, I always end up trying to hit the ball hard and far. I suppose I'm just the Michael Bay of the driving range. No subtlety. No finesse.

I'm a 2 and never practice, partially due to work but mostly because it makes my 44 year old back ache after about 10 minutes, especially putting.

Saturday was humbling. Started around 8:15, finished around 12:45, and didnt get past the first pitching part from 30 yards, with a wide open practice green the size of Lake Livingston.

Sometimes I would get a streak going, and then I'd shank it into the bunker. Very, very frustrating.

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I'm a 2 and never practice

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If I was a 2 w/o practicing I think if practice and try to start making some money.

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If I was a 2 w/o practicing I think if practice and try to start making some money.

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If I was a 2, I'd dress like a total golf dewsher, play some one week old Taylormade SuperSpeedBurnerBallz Stage 6.0 clubs, talk tons of noise about how awesome my game is, then go hit a nasty slice on the driving range and see if I could bait people into playing me for money

OR

I'd show up to the course wearing dirty blue jeans, old New Balance running shoes, a Wal-Mart polo, and a 1994 A&M hat (you know the one I mean... that says AGGIES in all caps with all the obnoxious geometric shapes), play with my grandfather's old Ben Hogan irons and watch people's amazement as they get their ass handed to them by a dirty old hobo.


Lots of reasons it would be really fun to be really good at golf.

Started a little late around 8 today, but happy with the progress. Last week I couldn't get past the first part of pitching after hours of work. Today for some reason I felt alot more comfortable, and was able to get through all three distances - 30, 50, and 70 yards.

Afterwards I had lunch, was on the range for a little bit, then played a round with 4 others. Score wise, it wasn't impressive with a 98. But when it comes to the areas that I have practiced so far, I can definitely see improvement. It wasnt like I hit all good chips or putts throughout the round (at the beginning one of the playing partners observed me being pretty stiff with the chipping), but it was more of a comfortable confidence of, "I know what I need to do, and Im going to do it," and alot of the time it had a favorable result.

I look forward to getting to the full swing parts of the program so that I can get a similar comfort with that area. Also, getting through the "B" part faster and stronger than my first run through the "A" part hopefully.

Next week we have a two man scramble, but the following week I'll be back on it.

TL: DR version
3 hours practicing.
Couldn't complete 25 in a row from 3 feet.
Completed 20 and 30 foot lag putting. Did not attempt 45 foot lag putting.
Completed chipping.
Tried pitching 30 yards but never finished.


I tried this for a few hours Sunday afternoon and had a lot more trouble than I thought I would. Mainly mental fatigue from trying the same thing over and over.

I could not complete the 25 in a row from 3 feet. I would hit four from one spot, then rotate around the hole so I ended up putting from all sides of the hole. The greens I was putting on looked more like a bunker than a putting green (at least that's my excuse). Gave up after an hour and a half.

I gave up and moved to the lag putting. The 20 foot lag putts took me three tries and the 30 foot lag putts took me about half a dozen tries. I sort of "cheated" on these because I putted from the same spot each time so I got in a groove pretty quick. I never got the chance to try the 45 foot lag putts due to too many people on the putting green (I was tempted to putt from the fringe just so I could reach 45 feet).

Chipping from 20-30 feet took me about half a dozen tries. I tried challenging myself by attempting downhill chips with terrible results then switched to a flat green chip and completed it in a few tries.

Lastly I tried the pitching from 30 yards but I didn't have a true green to pitch onto other than a flagstick with a 15 foot radius of "short" grass around it. Definitely not green quality but good enough. I never completed this portion due to running out of time.

I will start back from the 3 foot putts next time I go out there.

[This message has been edited by AgHunter2011 (edited 2/17/2014 9:45a).]

On the 22/23 I had a two man scramble, so didnt get to practice. Also, had a crazy Saturday morning, so i didnt get out to get on my routine this weekend.

But yesterday I had a rush round in the afternoon. I shot a 91 with a triple and a snowman on two of the par 4's. The greens were rolling alot slower than usual, so that threw off some of my lag putting attempts. Also, aside from a few bad hooks with my driver, my mis-hits were alot less drastic as they have been in the past. While there were some definte bad shots, they were actually what I would consider manageable misses (except for the snowman and triple of course). It was like they didnt kill my chances at scoring on a hole.

My big concern now is not losing momentum, and finishing the A routine and finally getting to the B routine. Technically I've only finished the pitching on routine A. Honestly I should have been through it once a long time ago, but stuff keeps getting in the way. This weekend I have to go to Augusta, so no practice. On the 22nd we have a member-member, so that is also going to eat in progress as well. Im seeing improvement, but I dont know if its enough to meet my two major goals for this year.

On the 22/23 I had a two man scramble, so didnt get to practice. Also, had a crazy Saturday morning, so i didnt get out to get on my routine this weekend.

But yesterday I had a rush round in the afternoon. I shot a 91 with a triple and a snowman on two of the par 4's. The greens were rolling alot slower than usual, so that threw off some of my lag putting attempts. Also, aside from a few bad hooks with my driver, my mis-hits were alot less drastic as they have been in the past. While there were some definte bad shots, they were actually what I would consider manageable misses (except for the snowman and triple of course). It was like they didnt kill my chances at scoring on a hole.

My big concern now is not losing momentum, and finishing the A routine and finally getting to the B routine. Technically I've only finished the pitching on routine A. Honestly I should have been through it once a long time ago, but stuff keeps getting in the way. This weekend I have to go to Augusta, so no practice. On the 22nd we have a member-member, so that is also going to eat in progress as well. Im seeing improvement, but I dont know if its enough to meet my two major goals for this year.

You have to have time on your hands to complete this practice on a regular basis. It's not realistic for most working people, but you'll still get results and see improvement if you only do it once a week.

Gawking and fawning over a -2 HCI, but no love for the +3.5 HCI dude?


Assuming he's telling the truth, that's tour-caliber talent.

I know its been awhile, but a quick update on where I am and some of my "progress" or accomplishments so far this year:

A few weeks ago I played in my club championship. Last year I came in last place in the last flight. I was my first stroke tournament, and I did pretty terribly. One of my goals was to win my flight this year. I came up short, but I finished around middle of the pack (5th if I recall with the net). I screwed up the front 9 on the first day by shooting a 56, but I fought back on the back shooting a 42, parring the last 4 holes with 1 putts. I plan on playing in more tournaments going forward to try to get comfortable.

My handicap this year has dropped from 20 to 16.4. While that is progress, Im pretty behind on my goal to be a single digit by the end of this year. I'll have to fight summertime heat, but I need to put in major work on A program again, and move on to the B.

Ive been doing good over 9 hole rounds, just not extending that across 18 so far. While playing the back nine a few weeks ago, I came to the tee of 16 (a par 3), and counted my score realizing I had shot 28 through 6 holes. I started getting excited about breaking 40 for the first time, bogeyed all 3 finishing holes for a 42. This was a critical mental mistake that I have to start working to contain if Im going to make the progress I want - not anticipating results but focusing on getting them. What Ive started doing to put pressure on myself with this ultimate practice routine is to count out the ten balls I have to hit instead of just pulling them from the pile. That way when I have to land 6 out of 10 on the green, I can visually see how many I have left in my pile to see if I can maintain composure and make my shot (One time I made the first 4 with my nine iron, then missed 6 straight doing this).

I recently did a playing lesson with our club pro, and he noted my progress, but one of the things he wants me to focus on is making the same swing on the ball as my practice swing. My practice swings dont take heavy/fat divots and are fairly smooth - whereas at times my actual swings dont come out that way.

My driver sucks right now - Im not even hitting it. Im actually hitting off the tee with my 3 hybrid. I really need to strengthen my long clubs.

Sorry for the essay - I'll try and get more frequent.

Keep it up bud

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My handicap this year has dropped from 20 to 16.4. While that is progress, Im pretty behind on my goal to be a single digit by the end of this year.

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You're doing really well on your progress.

Moving from a 20 to a 9 in one year is a lofty goal though.

Sounds like you're putting in the work though.

Keep it up.

Where in the BCS area could some one practice like this?

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but one of the things he wants me to focus on is making the same swing on the ball as my practice swing

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If this was easy to do, there would be a lot more single digit handicaps out there. My instructor used to tell me that I swung like a Greek god until I got the ball in front of me. Easy to say "swing like your practice swing and let the ball just get in the way" but very hard to accomplish.

Something I have had some success with to promote "singing instead of hitting the ball" is not looking at the ball when I swing. I pick out a blade of grass or mark in the turf that is in front and to the right of the ball. This encourages me to come from the inside and swing through the ball rather than hitting it.



Instructor had me do this as a drill and I liked it so well that I use it on the course as well.

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Where in the BCS area could some one practice like this?

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I think the campus course has a pretty nice short game practice area.

Thank you I will try it out after work one day. I am hoping it will be pretty empty with the students out for the summer.

Very cool Jon, keep it up and I promise you'll start seeing results. I don't have the time to complete this routine anymore but I still use the same concept when I do go to the range. I've learned that golf as a single digit handicap is a lot more fun and addicting than a 20. you've been warned.

do you "eye" the 3 foot radius around the pin whenever you are chipping? Put some tees down? I don't think the club would let me spray paint a circle lol

I just use the length of my putter and put three tees around the hole.

I think finding a decent enough practice range is the problem for me, I live near downtown Dallas. Not many places where you can even find a range with grass.

I've got to wonder where you find a place you can practice this routine. The putting would be easy, but the chipping from bunkers and then 50-yards from bunkers is going to be a tough find.

I don't know of a course that's going to let you practice from that far out onto a green that will likely have folks on it putting.

Betting that there are some private clubs with the facilities for this.

However the range at Watters Creek has a 6 hole short game course that tests everything from 40 to 95 yards or so. That in combo with putting there, and the range, could give you the facilities to do this.

Only BS thing is that their range "memberships" are on a per ball basis. I'd much rather take the majority of my time elsewhere and just pound the rock as much as I can when I want to, without worrying about my quota.

Practice facilities at Waterview in Rowlett are very nice for a public course. They have a "player development" program that seems like a good deal if you like to hit on the range.

- Grass driving range with a fairway bunker
- Three par-3 practice holes (one medium, one short, and one long)
- Large putting green
- Chipping/pitching area can handle shots about 50-60 yards and in plus a greenside bunker

Thanks for the comments - and bagger for the tip. I'll make a note to try that this week.

SHORT SUMMARY: Restarted on program A, got through the putting, played with a pro and shot an 89 with two early birdies and a number of doubles, full swing with long irons is still giving me fits and Im not getting off the tee.

Long version:


Heres an update on what happened this past weekend. A little longer because its about my round and progress, but I suppose I'll give these until yall get sick of them.

Saturday marked me restarting the A program. I got to the course much later than I like to, and didnt get started until around 10 am.

This time I chose a hole that was kind of on a side hill slope, and it showed. The 3 footers took me a lot longer than they did last time, but I finally got them, and then I punched through the lag putting. I finished the putting somewhere around 1:30 (I know a number of you would have completed the whole program by then, but for me thats huge progress since the first time around I didnt get done with the putting in one session).

After that some rain clouds started coming in, so I decided to play before getting washed out. I tee'd off with two guys who work at the course, and was just on the fringe of the green, 70-80 ft from the hole in 3 as the rain started coming down. I then bombed the putt for birdie, and we went back in as it started pouring. It was funny how the birdie putt felt similar to what I had just been practicing. I just guaged the distance, chose a line, and focused on hitting the center of the putter face with a smooth stroke.

We broke for a while as it poured, and when it finally stopped, the other two guys were calling it quits. I went back out on the course, and on hole 2, grouped up with a visiting senior pro named Mike. Our club is hosting a qualifier for the senior open this Tuesday, and he was getting a practice round in. As we played I told him different nuances about the course, wind, greens, probable pin placement, etc. I also birdied number 3 (another par 5), by hitting a great wedge from 120 out to around 2 feet. Unfortunately after that it was all down hill.

Basically I ended up shooting an 89, with double bodeys on 10, 17, & 18. The problem right now is absolutely my swing off the tee or with long irons. My wedge shots were fairly straight and good contact, but there were so many tee shots where I got too steep. My swing is still over the top, with an open clubface, so I definitely have to get some help in straightening it out if Im going to continue to make progress.

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A little longer because its about my round and progress, but I suppose I'll give these until yall get sick of them.

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Most likely not going to get sick of the updates, so please keep posting them...and keep up the hard work.

It will all come together...then you'll lose it...then you'll get it back...then you'll lose it...then you'll get it back.

The cycle really never stops.

i agree keep posting updates i am thinking of starting because i am missing way too many putts that should be sinkable

Well, it has been a very, very long time since I've last worked on this. But I feel this thread is worth bumping because hopefully it will help others like it previously helped me.

This year has been kind of disappointing for me on the golf front - I injured my wrist in May and haven't been able to practice and play as much as I like. My wrist is improving, but it still isn't 100%, so today I decided to start again on the routine with the putting portion.

I got a new grip on my putter, and got to the putting green about 6:00 pm. By 7:35 I was done with all of the putting portion for part A. While this is by no means amazing, 1.5 hours is a big improvement when I consider how long it took me from my original efforts/posts. Im hoping restarting this routine, my wrist recovery, and maybe some consistent lessons will finally help me to start seeing the progress I want. One of the things that hindered me in previous attempts was time, but last week I got laid off (another casualty of the O&G downturn), so I'll have a little more time in between finding something else.

All in all, despite me not reaching my initial goal last year and this being a disappointing golf year for me, I do think this is still a great routine to improve. Looking forward to posting more updates,