How Often Do You Have to Play Golf to Get Better?

Golf is a sport of precision. The shortest answer is, the more you can play, the better. However, as with every single regard of life, there are deeper nuances to consider. Your physical traits, level of fitness, body mechanics, natural abilities, mental predisposition and fortitude, and several other factors will influence the amount of practice you will need to get better, as well as the periodicity.

First and foremost, you must have fun. At the end of the day, golf is a recreational sport—at least for the vast majority of practitioners—so try your best to enjoy it. If your goal is to become a professional golf player, then you’ll have to train accordingly. Yet, what applies to universal cases is that you have to strive for making the most out of every practice session, as each one counts. Here we are going to tell you how often you should be playing to get better at golf.

How Often Should You Be Playing?

As stated above, this is relative to your golfing goals. If you wish to play recreationally with groups of friends on sporadic occasions, you can train once a month, and that will be sufficient. 

If you want to at least achieve an amateur level, you have to be thinking of practicing from 3 to 5 times a week, with extensive practice sessions that cover the aspects of golf you must be proficient at to succeed, let alone if eventually you want to become a pro. For the Average Joe who wants to see results, once or twice a week is plenty of practice to get going.

Regardless of the periodicity of your training sessions, the number one element that sets apart those who attain results from those who don’t is consistency. It will be no good to practice like a maniac for a full week only to leave practice by the wayside altogether by the next month. Any progress you can make will be lost if you follow this pattern, as you will leave behind the ability to micro-adjust your shots efficiently.

Given that golf is a meticulous sport, consistency, and perseverance will take you farther than any sort of natural skill or talent you may have. You have to remember at all times that golfing is a journey, not a destination, so always place entertainment first before anything else!

Best Practice Sources

As you may have guessed by now, practice per se will only get you so far. How you practice, where you practice, and the people you practice with will also shape your results. As a bonus, we will also tell you some of the best resources you can employ to get better faster.

Golf Course

Yes. Sometimes the simplest answer is the most suitable one. The golf course is your playing field. You can emulate your environment as much as you want to, but nothing will ever replace “the real thing”. 

Go to the golf course as much as you can. Experience different terrains, elevations, slopes, types of grass, and weather conditions you can. All this experience under your belt makes you adjust more easily to all the contrivances golf poses to players during matches.

There is one caveat though. Going to the golf course daily can be impractical to many, both because of time reasons—an average golf match can take hours on end at any regular golf course—and for budget reasons, so you have to analyze rather viable alternatives.

Driving Range

The driving range is the top alternative for many practitioners worldwide. Driving ranges are particularly useful if you are a beginner, as taking multiple shots can give you the repetitions you require to get a solid grasp of basic long-range techniques. 

Besides, you will save up much of the in-between-shots walking that needs to be done when navigating a regular course, since at the range all you need to care about is only driving the ball.

Driving ranges are fantastic tools for increasing progress, and you should be using them continuously.

Practicing at Home

Putting mat

The putting mat is an amazing tool to train from home. It is foldable, versatile, and you can practice very convenient exercises. If you are a person who is both short on time and short-range skills, the putting mat is precisely what you have been longing for. You can get one here.

Driving net

In addition, the driving net can come quite handy as well. You are free to swing as hard as you want, that the ball will be stopped safely. The only hindrance to driving nets is that they demand more space than a putting mat. However, the driving net is a great tool to perfect your long-range game without having to recur to a driving range.

Hiring an Instructor

Sometimes it is needed to get egos in check and self-assess the skillset in the most objective manner possible. Many times you may face difficulties you just cannot sort out by yourself. Either because you lack the proper fundamental know-hows, or because you have reached a point of stagnancy you cannot seem to sort out. 

Hiring a golf instructor is the best resort for this matter. You will receive additional perspective delivered in the most professional form possible from an insider that has the knowledge you do not have yet. Before you know it, those sticking points will be something belonging to the past.

What You Should Be Practicing or Doing

-Technical fundamentals (both long range and short range shots)

-Accuracy instead of relying on power

-Getting hours of practice

-Being patient, visualizing success, and setting small, attainable, consecutive goals

Why Do Some People Take More Time Than Others to Get Better?

Once again, this varies from person to person. Some people can adapt better than others to golfing techniques, and to feedback. Fitness is not to be disregarded either. Golf is a type of discipline that consists of long walks, and serious core activation. Always take care of your physique.

In addition, you may also be employing inadequate equipment. Look for a helping hand, and ask a person that knows their way around equipment if what you are using is beneficial for you. In case it’s not, you can find the best golf elements that suit your needs at https://back2basics.golf/collections/all.