3 Easy Ways to Make More Time to Practice Golf

In today’s world, finding 4-5 hours to play golf is tough. Throwing in an extra 30 minutes to practice before the round? Forget about it! So, we all find ourselves in this predicament: “I want to get better at golf but I just can't find the time to practice.”

Before I get into discussing some strategies you can implement to find ways to practice, I want you to ask yourself a question.

How bad do you want to get better?

Think back to pursuing something you really wanted. Maybe it was that expensive car you absolutely had to have, a job promotion (hopefully Karen didn’t get the job over you), or even something more relevant like going back to the gym again and working out consistently.

Stop reading for a second and think about something you obsessed over (even if it was just for a short period of time) in order to get what you wanted.

Now I want you to think about what you sacrificed to get it (or tried to get it)?

For anything that has a price tag, you sacrificed money to obtain it. When it comes to money, if you spend more on one thing, you have to take back a little on something else. So if you went after that shiny new car, you probably had to put off house hunting for a few years. For goals that aren't a major purchase, like that job promotion, impressing your significant other or getting better at golf, the sacrifice is time.

My point in all of this is that no growth or positive experience comes without sacrifice. In fact, the process of sacrifice makes the end result that much more rewarding, whether it's finally saving up for that car or putting in the hours to make yourself the perfect candidate for the promotion. No matter what you want, the real question is what you're willing to sacrifice to get it.

If time is your biggest constraint, let's look at what you can sacrifice to find more time.

Sleep

               Are you willing to wake up an hour earlier or stay up an hour later? Some of the best opportunities to practice come at times during the day that no one can bother you and your mind is entirely focused on that one thing. For golf, morning is usually the best option if you’re looking to hit the driving range or the short game area. This is also a great way to get your golf time in without taking time away from your family, by getting some practice in before work or before the kids and wife wake up. I never used to be an early morning guy, but it became my only option for playing more golf. Talk to any of the guys I play with: the running joke is how early is Nardozzi going to get to the course tomorrow?

If night is your only option, buy an inexpensive mat and net and make some room in your garage. You would be surprised by how much improvement you can make without seeing your ball take flight. Since there is no feedback after contact, you can really concentrate on keeping your head steady or keeping your head down through impact. You also learn to feel what a smooth (non-manipulated) swing feels like because you really don’t care where the balls ends up and no one is around to judge you.

Screen Time

               I don’t know about you, but when I check my screen time report on my phone, it's pretty scary to realize how much time I'm spending looking at my phone and TV. If cutting back on sleep isn't an option for you, think about cutting back on some time on your phone (why does social media have to be so addicting?) and Netflix. I realize that watching shows can be a way to spend time with your loved ones, so that may not be an option, but I do know that just about everyone can cut out some phone time. Maybe this is a sacrifice (a good one at that) you can make to help improve your golf game.

Golf

               I bet you’re shaking your head right now and calling me some pretty cool names, but hear me out on this one. For most of us, the real time constraint is not usually work, but our loved ones. I have a wife and 3 small children along with a pretty demanding day job. I had to get creative to find times to play and practice golf. For me, my sacrifice is sleep, and my practice sessions start around 5:45am, just before sunrise. This allows me to play once on the weekend, and once during the week in the afternoon/evening. But for anyone that is currently playing 2-3 times a week, cutting down 1 round a week and instead utilizing that time to really work out some kinks on the range, short game area and the putting green will no doubt improve your game. So instead of slipping out of work early to sneak in a quick 9 holes, try grabbing some beers and meeting your buddies at the driving range to help each other out to make some improvements.

Other Hobbies

               There is no truer statement than “Jack of all trades, master of none.” Now we're back to the original question I had you ask yourself: how bad do you want it? If you’re not willing to sacrifice your time at the gym, fishing, bowling or making origami, then it's going to be tough to improve a new skill, especially one like golf.

In the end, once you’ve made the decision to start practicing more, now you need to practice with a purpose and understand exactly what you need to practice. You can practice all you want, but if you don’t know what you need to work on, it will get you nowhere and leave you pretty *%!#ing frustrated!

Feel free to email me if you aren’t quite sure what you need to practice in order to get better.

Paul Nardozzi

Author of Better *%!#ing Golf