Can I Practice too Much?

Golfer:

I love to practice golf. I prefer practicing to playing. I wonder if sometimes I practice too much, is that possible?

Dr. Cohn’s Answer:

It's great that you love to practice, but it is possible to practice too much. To improve, you have to train a lot and train the right way as we have discussed earlier. It seems you have plenty of motivation to train and improve. But often I see players who get too comfortable with practice. What I mean is that they enjoy practicing more than playing golf. These players are stuck in a training mentality. They are most confident on the range or practice green. When they play golf, they don't feel as comfortable because they have not developed playing confidence.

If this sounds like you, back off on the amount of practice you do and start to play more golf. A good rule is to play as much as you practice golf. Too much practice, especially beating balls on the range, can also cause you to become stale and burn out. It's hard to be fresh and excited about golf if you practice so much that you are tired and drained before you play in a tournament. You can also be more prone to overuse injuries. If you hit so many balls that a wrist becomes soar, that's not a good way to prepare to play your best in the tournament.

A good alternative to get you off the range is to practice different shots on the golf course. This requires that you play in the early morning or late afternoon when the course is not crowded and you can play a few different shots per hole. Use simulation training on the golf course. When you’re on the course, hit a drive, and then pick it up. Play a shot from a distance that is giving you trouble, hit a shot around a tree, or hit a shot from a lie that is a trouble spot. Practice your distance control using a wedge or two from different distances. Hit a few difficult chips or sand shots around the greens. This practice is more creative and specific to the shots you will need to hit in tournaments. It forces you to hit all the shots!

If you spend every day on the range and the practice green without much play, you probably practice too much. If you have a nagging injury from hitting too many balls, you probably practice too much. If you like to practice more than play, you also practice too much.

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