For those of us who do not play golf for a living, finding a spare hour to spend practicing our game is invaluable. Given how precious these 60 minutes are, it makes sense to spend them as wisely as possible.
Not wasting a single ball with a well-structured routine to prepare you for the course could help you reach a new level of performance , and that’s why we frequently ask the world’s best players how they warm-up and prepare for competition.
In this article, four-time DP World Tour winner Rafa Cabrera Bello explains how his pre-round practice routines are structured to help him get the most from his game in the heat of competition. We’ve combined his insight with some expert advice to help you better prepare for the challenge of competition golf.
THE PERFECT GOLF PRACTICE SESSION
Rafa Cabrera Bello
Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello won his maiden DP World Tour title at the 2009 Austrian Golf Open. He moved in to the top 100 on the OWGR for the first time in his career after winning the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and he now has four DP World Tour titles to his name.
Putting: 15 minutes
Once I’ve finished stretching, I begin on the putting green. I start by laying down my putting mirror (see best putting aids) to make sure I am setting up correctly and the line of my stroke is right. Then I move on to hitting a few longer putts to get the feel for the greens that day.
So far as putting tips go, it’s important to hit uphill, downhill, left-to-right and right-to-left putts. After that I’ll create a circle, anywhere from three to seven feet from the hole.
I’ll hit between 20 and 40 of those putts, because missing one out on the course is a shot gone. Knowing that you have just made ten or 15 putts in a row boosts your confidence.
Pro tip:
Always add an element of pressure to your putting routine, as Rafa does with his circle drill. From longer range, you can try hitting a series of putts from over 20ft into a box marked out by tee-pegs around the hole.
Create a scoring system to quantify your practice and take note of your scores. These can be the yardstick against which you can judge your improvement through the year.
Rafa Cabrera Bello relies on a putting mirror to check his stroke
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Short game: 20…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Latest from Golf Monthly in Tips…