Many golfers grow up believing the old saying, “Practice makes perfect.” I certainly did. As a young golfer, I would hit thousands of golf balls every day, convinced that more practice automatically meant better results.

Unfortunately, I eventually discovered that this wasn’t always true. If you practice the wrong things, all you’re really doing is reinforcing bad habits and ingraining faults into your swing. The real lesson is:

Perfect practice makes perfect.

Effective practice should be purposeful, focused, and structured. Rather than spending hours on one area, I encourage golfers to work on a specific skill for no more than 20 minutes before moving on to the next. This keeps practice fresh, improves concentration, and allows you to develop all aspects of your game.

Prioritise the Short Game

The greatest gains in scoring usually come from improving your short game. A large portion of your practice time should be dedicated to:

• Putting
• Chipping
• Pitching
• Bunker play

Use drills and exercises that create challenges and provide feedback. Practising with a purpose will always deliver better results than simply hitting balls without a plan.

Finish with a Challenge

A great way to end every practice session is with a Three-Ball Up-and-Down Challenge.

Choose four different locations around the green and play three balls from each spot. Your objective is to get each ball up and down in two shots or less.

Keep track of your score and record the total. The next time you practise, try to beat your previous score. This creates pressure, adds competition, and helps transfer your practice performance to the golf course.

Keep It Fun

Practice should be enjoyable. When golfers make practice engaging, competitive, and measurable, they tend to improve much faster. Focus on quality rather than quantity, challenge yourself regularly, and remember:

It’s not how many balls you hit that matters. It’s how well you practise.