The Difference Between Technique and Performance Practice in Golf

Performance Secret from the May Momentum Newsletter. By Andy Brent, GolfTEC Atlanta Coach and City Manager.

Golfers of all levels have been asking the same question for years, “How do I take what I have learned to the golf course?” The answer is to separate your practice time into two distinct types—technique and performance. The correct combination of these two types of practice will maximize your ability to transition from the lesson bay to the golf course. Here are the keys to both.

Technique Practice

Technique practice is best done with the use of video immediately after a lesson. If you are not able to practice in a hitting bay, make sure you have some type of visual reference on hand during your practice session. During technique practice you should concentrate on the mechanics of your golf swing—not ball flight. Here are a few common swing mechanics that my clients focus on:

1. Proper spine position at address
2. Left shoulder tilt during the backswing
3. Flying elbow at the top of the swing
4. Hip rotation at impact

The specific swing mechanics will vary for everyone. The important thing is to focus on the mechanics of every swing, ensuring that you’re progressing forward and not allowing old habits to creep in. Using the video or a visual reference of some kind (mirror, etc.) will allow you to bridge the gap between feel and real. Visual confirmation is the key to improving mechanical flaws in the golf swing. If you rely only on feel to improve your swing mechanics, it will be nearly impossible to avoid falling back into your old habits. Remember, technique is all about swing mechanics, so try to avoid focusing on ball flight as much as possible.

Performance Practice

The goal of performance practice is to take the swing changes you make during lessons and technique practice and turn them into on-course results. The majority of performance practice is done outdoors. You should concentrate on a few mental and visual keys to produce the desired ball flight. Here is what I focus on in my performance practice:

1. Visualize the shot
2. Pick out a target and hit it
3. Concentrate only on making good contact

The key to successful performance practice is to not think of mechanics in the swing. Working only with positive thoughts will produce positive ball flight.

Finding the Right Balance

The correct ratio of technique practice and performance practice is crucial to optimizing performance. I personally feel that a 70/30 ratio is best—70 percent technique, 30 percent performance. This ratio will vary for every golfer. My suggestion is to talk to your Coach about finding the right balance for your game. Whatever ratio you decide on, they key is keeping the two practice types separate from each other. Trying to combine technique and performance practice is rarely effective.

Find the right balance of technique and performance practice for your game and you’ll have greater success in taking your swing improvement from the hitting bay to the golf course!

Click Here to find out how you can get started with GolfTEC.

What’s in the Bag: Dave Baltzer, GolfTEC Houston Coach

From the May Momentum Newsletter. A look inside the bag of Dave Baltzer, Director of Instruction at GolfTEC Houston.

Driver: Nike SQ DYMO STR8FIT (9.5-degree); UST Proforce AXIVCore shaft, 79-gram, X-flex

With my driver, accuracy has always been more important to me than distance. As I’ve improved my swing over the years, my typical mis-hit has shifted from a fade to more of a draw. I’ve now entered the world of adjustable face technology. My STR8FIT driver allows me to set the club head in a position to help guard against my typical misses. This has resulted in more confidence on the tee box, as well as more fairways hit and fewer penalty strokes from wayward drives.

Fairway wood: Nike SQ DYMO 4-wood (17-degree); UST Proforce AXIVCore shaft, X-flex

Because of my preferred set make up (four total wedges), I was forced to make a decision on the long end of my set to stay within the 14-club rule. Eleven years ago, I decided to dump the traditional 3-wood and 5-wood and opt for something right in the middle. My 17-degree 4-wood gives me more distance than a 5-wood and it’s easier to hit off the deck than a typical 3-wood. This has been one of my bread and butter clubs ever since I put it in the bag.

Hybrid: Nike VR 3 Hybrid (21-degree); Aldila VooDoo shaft, S-flex

Five years ago, I said goodbye to my 3-iron…FOREVER! Hybrids are so easy to hit and so versatile from many different lies on the course that anyone who is playing a 2-, 3-, or 4-iron really needs to reconsider their set make up. My Nike VR hybrid gives me more distance than a 3-iron, which helps my distance transition from my 4-wood down into my irons. It’s also a great club to hit off of the tee on tight par 4s or long par 3s.

Irons: Nike VR Forged Split Cavity (4-, 5-iron); Nike VR Forged Blade (6-PW); Dynamic Gold S300 shaft

I’ve always liked a “blended iron set” where the long irons are more forgiving and the middle to short irons become more workable. Since Nike hasn’t made a combo set for several years now, I went ahead and created my own. I like this setup as it helps continue the smooth transition from hybrid to irons. Increasing the forgiveness of your long irons, even slightly, can do wonders for your confidence and shot performance.

Wedges: Nike VR Forged Wedge (52.10, 56.14, 60.06); Dynamic Gold S400 shaft

Wedges are my absolute favorite clubs in my bag and they are also the deadliest part of my game. Because of this, I made sure that my loft and bounce combinations were spot on. 52, 56, and 60 are pretty typical lofts for a gap, sand and lob wedge. Where I really customized my set make up here is going with a high-bounce, 14-degree sand wedge and a low-bounce, 6-degree lob wedge. Around the green, I typically choose my wedge based on the optimal bounce—rather than loft—for the lie I have. Bounce has a lot to do with how effectively you are able to execute wedge shots around the green.

Putter: Kirk Currie Brazos (32.75″)

I’ve been using my Kirk Currie for about eight years now. I’ve tried a few others along the way, but have always come back to what works. My favorite thing about this putter is the adjustable head and grip weights, which allows me to customize the feel of the putter to best suit my putting stroke.

Ball: Nike One Tour D

The Tour D is the best ball Nike has ever made for my swing. It helps me control spin off the driver while still providing great feel around the green.

Accessories: None

No gadgets for me! Although I think range finders and GPS devices are very useful, I grew up stepping off my own yardages and still use that practice today when I’m playing. It’s part of my pre-shot routine and helps keep me in a rhythm while playing.

If you’re considering an equipment upgrade or just want to try out some new clubs, call or visit a GolfTEC Improvement Center near you.

Birdie Contest: Voting is Open – Cast Yours Today

Quick post today. If you’ve already cast your Birdie Contest votes on Facebook, feel free to skip over this.

Our Birdie Contest on Facebook is coming to an end. All the entries are in and the voting has started. You have two days left to cast your votes (May 19 and 20). Even if you didn’t participate in the contest, take a few minutes to head over to our Facebook page (direct link to voting page) and vote for the 10 finalists.

The birdie stories are all unique, and together, make for a great read. And as a golfer, you can certainly appreciate a good birdie story, as you’ve likely heard your fair share throughout your golfing career.

So take a few minutes today or tomorrow to kick back, read through the entries on our Facebook page, and vote for the best birdie stories.

Last Chance to Enter the Birdie Contest – Mizuno MX-300 Irons Up for Grabs

Tomorrow, May 15, our Facebook Birdie Contest officially comes to an end.

The selection process will begin with narrowing down the entries to the top 10 birdie stories. Then the voting will open up to all of our Facebook fans (or now,  people who ‘like’ GolfTEC, whatever that means exactly). At the end of the voting, the top four entries will receive the prizes.

First place wins the custom set of Mizuno MX-300 irons. Second, third and fourth place winners receive a $100 Golfsmith cash card.

Why are we telling you this? Because we want you to have a chance to win, of course. Chances are, you’ve made a birdie in your golfing career. So give yourself a nice big pat on the back (again) and a chance to be rewarded by entering our Birdie Contest on Facebook.

Haven’t ever made a birdie? Well, there’s still time left. In fact, if you get on it today or tomorrow, you could schedule a GolfTEC Swing Evaluation while they’re only $79, take your improved swing onto the course, make a birdie, and then enter the contest. A considerable challenge, certainly. But worth a shot if you’re looking to improve your golf game and get a chance to win new Mizuno irons at the same time.

And besides, wouldn’t that make for a great birdie story?

Highlights from the GolfTEC Birdie Contest

From the May Momentum Newsletter.

Our Facebook Birdie Contest is more than halfway over—only 10 days left. And so far, we’ve seen some great birdie stories. As a fellow golfer, our guess is that you enjoy a good birdie story as much as we do. So we took a few minutes to pick out five of our favorite excerpts to share with you:

1. “Somehow I pitched it on a line straight for his ball, and as the two balls collided, mine went straight for the hole. After the ball found the bottom of the hole, we called the following fist bump the ‘birdie bump’ to honor the ricochet.” – Matthew S.
2. “My friends had played their second shots while I was taking my drop. They were on the green when I hit my third shot, and they started yelling that it had a chance when I drained it from about 100 yards out. ‘It’s in the hole!’ one of them screamed. It was a true birdie, even with my penalty stroke!” – Ed R.
3. “I was golfing with my youngest sister last week on a family vacation. We come to a tricky little par 3 over a lake to a sloping green, back to front. She smacks the ball, which does not ever get more than 10 feet off the ground, and hits the green. It rolls up probably 15 feet past the hole and then, slowly just starts trickling back to the hole…trickle…trickle…trickle. It ends up coming to rest about 12 inches from the cup, exactly hole high. She taps in for her first ever birdie!” – Nicholas A.
4. “The hole was just below the undulation in the green (very similar to the 17th at Sawgrass). So I decided to try and hit the bunker shot to the top of the undulation and let it roll back down to the hole. I hit the best bunker shot of my life at that point and it rolled just like I wanted right into the hole. I won the bet and strutted off like a rooster in a hen yard.” – Mark M.
5. “The 12th is a par-3 hole that hates me. I walk up to this tee every week and talk to myself, saying ‘be calm, the hole will be kind.’ I take out my new 7-wood, tee it up and take another look at the pin. With the wind in my face, I wound up and let it go. I felt a gust of wind just as I made contact and thought ‘Oh no, here we go again.’ The ball faded slightly right and landed 18 inches from the hole and plugged. I couldn’t believe it. A short tap in and I had my first birdie on the 12th.” – James K.

We hope you enjoyed reading a few of our favorite stories. Remember, there’s still time left to submit yours for a chance to win the custom set of Mizuno MX-300 irons. Just head over to our Facebook page, become a fan and enter the Birdie Contest.