My home golf course as a junior golfer didn’t have much of a practice facility. You could only hit up to 170yds on the driving range and there was just a small practice green for chipping and putting. When I look back I actually think it was a benefit because I learned how to play golf on the golf course.

My dad and I would go out late in the afternoons and spend time practicing on the golf course. This didn’t just mean hitting an extra shot here and there or rolling a few putts. We would actually practice on the course. I would learn how to hit shots out of trouble, get up and down around the greens and practice my wedges from inside 100yds. I know many courses may not have the access or allow you to do some of this but if you can I promise it will help your game.

We would take a shag bag and throw balls down in the woods learning how to hit punch shots, work the ball around trees and hit off bad lies. I knew when I got in trouble that I had several different options for getting myself out of it. I learned how to hit off sidehill and downhill lies and how that would affect the ball. Around the greens, I would practice different short game shots, off different lies and make myself get it up and down. I learned creativity and how to execute the tougher shots. I worked endlessly on my yardage inside of 100 yards. I used the clock system so I knew what I carried each wedge if I took it back 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full. To avoid hitting into the green each time and leaving ball marks we would just find an open fairway and my dad would step off the distances and I would aim for him. He gave me feedback on how close I would land to my distance (this was before lasers). Some of my best practice sessions as a junior golfer came from late afternoon practice on the course.

If you are able to get on the course when it’s not too busy try out some of these drills. If you can’t then do some other drills that add creativity to your game. Play two balls but play the worst ball each time. Play 9 holes with only 3 clubs. Every time you don’t get a ball up and down around the green keep trying till you do. Having a great practice facility is a nice benefit but make sure you don’t get good at practicing. The goal is to get good at playing golf on the course.