What Can I Do To Stay Focused In Practice?

Golfer:

I get bored when I practice for more than three hours at one time and then I lose focus. What can I do to stay focused and sharp when I practice for long periods?

Dr. Cohn’s Answer:

Keeping practice interesting is a big challenge for professional players that spend as much as eight hours a day practicing and playing golf. When you feel bored that means you don’t feel challenged enough, and this causes focus to decrease. And this can be a problem. First, if you become bored, take a 30-minute break to relax and clear your mind. Put down the clubs, relax, and have something to eat or drink.

The key is to keep practice interesting and exciting. This is when practice goals are important. Use goals to challenge yourself on the range or practice green. For example, you can challenge yourself to hit 10 of 14 fairways on the range. Imagine a fairway in the driving range and see if you can hit the fairway 10 or 14 tries. Play 18 holes on the range. If you hit driver and 5-iron on the first hole of your home course, hit driver and 5-iron on the range. Then play the next hole the same way. The more "games" you can play to make practice interesting, the better. Reward yourself often for meeting your practice goals.

Creating competition in practice is another great way to keep the fun and excitement in practice. Have a putting contest with a friend or playing partner on the practice green. Play 18 holes on the practice green. Be creative with your practice, challenge yourself or play a game with a friend.

Next time you lose focus, try the "two-minute drill." The goal of the drill is to sharply focus attention on practice for just two minutes. I know you can focus for two minutes! See how keenly you can focus for those two minutes. When the two minutes are over you can relax and space out if you want. The goal is to practice with focus and intensity for short periods. Short bursts of intense focus with periods of rest or inactivity is better than practicing with 50% focus for the entire practice. What you will find is that you can stretch it out to four or five minutes instead of just two minutes at a time.

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