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TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT B Y D A N PA S Q U A R I E L L O A N D L A I R D S M A L L 118 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 6 Practice Makes Perfect ractice, practice, practice! There's no way around it: practice is a must for a fun and improved golf game. The critical ques- tion then becomes not WHAT we practice, but HOW we practice. So many of us have found practice to be non-productive and, at the end of the day, so very frustrating! We can lose our motivation to keep improv- ing, become confused in our approach and then throw in the towel. Sound familiar? It's amazing how the best players in the world have a consistent practice routine that never waivers. An example of a wonderful, simple putting rou- tine was shared with me by Kirk Triplett, my student for the past 29 years. Kirk played the PGA Tour for more than 25 years — an incredible accomplishment, con- sidering the average life of a PGA Tour player is just a year and a half! "When you first arrive to the practice facility, spend 30 minutes on your putting. Break it up into the following three sections: • Spend 10 minutes on a diagnostic of your stroke. Take a club shaft or alignment rod and place it on the ground. Make some rehearsal strokes, checking to see if the putter goes straight back and through along the alignment tool. This is to acquire a feel and awareness of the movement of your stroke. Is the stroke smooth or wobbly? Does the putter face open and close too much relative to the alignment tool, or does it stay square? Just 10 minutes— not a lot of time, yet valuable to see how your stroke moves. • Take six golf balls and arrange them around the hole from 3 feet. Work your way around the hole making the 3-footers. You will miss a few, and that's ok, because as your skill improves you will make more. Why is it so important to practice the 3-foot putt? You will need these putts in order to com- plete a long lag putt, a good chip, a pitch to save par or from a wonderful approach shot for a birdie. • Final 10 minutes will focus on distance control. Take three golf balls and putt one ball to a different cup. You don't need to finish the putt – you are now working on dis- tance control. The proper distance on the putts you strike will lead to more two-putts from long distance and will help lower your score. The vast majority of all three-putts is because the first putt wasn't the right distance. This is a simple, fun routine, yet it's structured, organized, very specific in each skill and absolutely ensures improvement. You'll be surprised at how good you can become at putting by practicing these drills. You will also appreciate how much discipline is required to stay on task. This same approach can be used for chipping, pitching and bunker play." Come visit us at the Pebble Beach Golf Academy to learn more tricks to make your golf game fun and enjoyable. For questions or to book a lesson, please call (831) 622-8650. Why is it so impor tant to practice the 3-foot putt? You will need these putts in order to complete a long lag putt, a good chip, a pitch to save par or from a wonderful approach shot for a birdie. P