Many golfers will point blank refuse to play a par 3 or pitch and putt course as they feel they are not getting the experience that they deserve. But I would like all of you that think this way to reconsider what you are missing out on. When I was training to become a professional the local pitch and putt was a regular haunt of mine, I loved the challenge of finding the small, perfectly maintained greens and trying to get up and down as often as I could, and it is this reason that I believe you should be visiting a pitch and putt at least once a month.
Pitching, chipping and putting are fundamental areas of the game which most golfers rarely practice and certainly an area where players practice with any pressure or real life nerves and doubts. Heading to the local pitch and putt means that you will face these challenges with the same sensations and nerves that you would face on the golf course. This has two beneficial implications for your golf game; 1 – you are practising in an environment that is closely related to the golf course. 2 – you are learning to deal with these emotions whilst you are putting pressure on yourself.
Heading to the local course with friends is an even better way of recreating some of the pressures, especially if you wager some beers at the end. Most pitch and putt courses are now maintained to a very good level, so you will be getting good value for money and a chance to improve your short game. Before heading out to the local P & P I would highly recommend that you try to work out what your averages are with a number of clubs (most notably the sand wedge, gap wedge and pitching wedge) and a number of different swing lengths, this will give you a great chance to check whether the numbers you have are good!!
If you do take the advice, take it seriously, after all we play most of our shots from inside 100 metres, yet practice this area far less than we should (as a general rule). If you want to see real improvement in your scores then you need to work hard on getting up and down at least 40% of the time from 100 meters. So forget working on the driver and start working on your short game.
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