What is the difference between training and practicing?
Training is the action of teaching a person a particular skill or type of behavior. If “capable” this will improve “ability”
I think everyone would agree that putting is a skill in golf!? However, to be an effective putter it requires a trained set of skills or sub skills to perform the main skill of putting.
You need to cover all these sub skills in your practice.
What are the sub skills needed?
Green reading…. Is the golfer’s ability to evaluate direction of slope as well as severity of slope to predict the needed start line and speed adjustment. Historically most learned green reading through visual prompts and signals. While this is still a widely used method, it does require a longer learning curve to become proficient. In more recent times we have been exposed to alternatives such as Aimpoint.
Aimpoint is a method of green reading that marries physics and calibrated feel to get a “read”. So, while Aimpoint does require steps to learn, it has shown to be a highly effective method that reduces the time and experience needed to become proficient. At the elite level we see players use a combination of both visual and calibrated fields.
Distance Control… Is the golfer’s ability to get a ball to travel the correct distance. We have already addressed the importance of green reading. The first sub skill needed for distance control is putter to ball contact. Our preference is to make contact on the center of your putter both east/west and north/south. This is with assumption that the manufacturer also made sure that this is in line with the COG (center of gravity) of the putter head! Once the strike is ideal, we then investigate the combination of stroke length combined with stroke time. This combination now creates the needed clubhead speed. The fine tuner of distance control is quality of the roll. The quality of the roll is a combination of dynamic loft combined with rise angle.
Start line or the launch direction …. Is the golfer’s ability to manage the initial direction the golf ball will travel along. The sub skills are “putter head path” and “putter face direction” at impact. The path is derived from the combination of horizontal swing direction and vertical rise direction of the putter heads intended strike location (sweet spot).
Once you have the “ability” …. We then need “practice”!
To practice means to perform or exercise repeatedly or regularly to improve or maintain one’s proficiency of a skill. Elite performers continually show high “capacity” of managing the complexity of change from green to green. This is done through our practice environment. Because the environment and surface in which golf is played is always changing, practice should represent this change as well!
For example, your standard ball gate drill would be better if we had multiple representations such as directional (straight, right to left, left to right and multiple break directions), distance (level, uphill and downhill) or combinations of both! Small amounts of time at each has been shown more valuable than only one representation or long periods in one representation. It is better to hit 30 putts at many different representations versus only having one representation and even better yet to hit 1-3 putts at each representation and then redo the same order of representations 10 times. You can even make that better by changing the order each time through!
More to come on specifically how to train in future articles and videos.
Thank you for reading, Alan Hodde
About the Author
Alan is a Class A PGA Member. He has been very fortunate to coach and learn from some of the best players on the PGA and LPGA Tours, including, Jhonattan Vegas, Patrick Reed, Katie Futcher, Christel Boeljon, Stacy Lewis, Bobby Gates and Craig Kanada. He enjoys the challenge of helping players learn how to play better golf and achieve their goals. He was named 2019 Southern Texas PGA Harvey Penick Teacher of the year. He has certifications in teaching, biomechanics, various golf technology tools and club fitting.