Judging from this past weekend’s Masters, it is clear that there is one clear characteristic of any great golfer: the ability to adapt to unexpected situations.  Phil Mickelson was a perfect example in his victory on Sunday for the Green Jacket.  He was able to adapt to some difficult lies due to poor tee shots, and he did so remarkably well.

While you may not need to drop a shot on the green from one hundred fifty yards when your ball is behind a tree, as Mickeslon did, there are definitely spots in a round where learning to deal with adversity will significantly help.  By being confident in your stroke and your ability to get a ball up in the air or keep it lower, you will be able to look at a shot and figure out whether you can take a risk or not.

The best way to do this is to practice.  With practice, you will gain a smooth and confident stroke that will give you an edge on the putting green, fairway, or in the tee box.  Through the use of a great golf practice mat, or another useful golf training aid like a set of limited flight balls, this practice can even be had in the backyard.

Although it may seem frustrating, tedious, or repetitive, practicing golf is a necessary habit in order to try to become successful as a golfer in the future. Without practice, it is obvious in your game, and often your swing is not as consistent as it should be.

“If I miss one day’s practice I know it; if I miss two days the spectators know it, and if I miss three days the world knows it.”-Ben Hogan

The more time spent off from practicing, as Hogan suggests, the more your game will struggle. A professional without practice will suffer, and it is likely that an amateur will struggle as well. Without consistently using golf training aids like realistic, quality driving range mats or quality putting greens, your game will not be at its peak. That is why it is important to keep at it while practicing, and maintain quality regimens with proper techniques being practiced.

The best way to lower your golf score is to cut away wasted strokes on the green due to missed putts. While putting is frustrating at times, it is essential to being a good golfer, and by three and four putting you could be ruining a great round due to a mere lack of concentration on the greens.  The great thing about this type of practice, however, is that it can be had right outside of your house!

“I had 38 putts. It hurts. Deep down it hurts. Those three putts killed me.” -Tom Watson

“It really looked as if the ball knew better than to disobey him.” -Bernard Darwin

Most golfers will admit they spend more time at the range with their clubs in their bags and not the putter. By using a putting training aid or even a backyard putting green, three putting could be changed to two putting with consistent practice right in the backyard.

While this site is devoted to speaking about golf ball retrievers, it is important to also realize the benefits of type of practice that, while not unique in nature, is often underutilized by golfers and is considered a commonality in the game of golf: putting.  When you practice putting, you only need to contain yourself to the indoor putting green or outdoor putting green you are putting on.

When you do this, you end up with an efficient way of shaving strokes from your score without the headaches and backaches that other forms of practice may require.  Becoming a sound putter is a crucial element of the game, and by doing so it is much easier to clean up holes that may in many other instances seem lost.

The average golfer will have a practice regimen that consists of either going to the range when they have free time, or hitting a few balls immediately before a round.  Both of these options are better than going into a round cold, but I ask you one question: Why strive to be “average”? Any above average golfer will tell you that it is essential to practice often in order to maintain a high level of play.  The most cost efficient way to do this is to get a home golf set up and realize how easy and effective practice can be from right out back.

There are plenty of training aids on the market that can serve this purpose.  Some of the best I have come across tend to be composed of either golf mat and golf net set ups or golf driving mats and limited flight balls.  If you have the room and would want to put in a putting green, this could serve as an additional great way to practice.  The best thing about this type of practice is that it is a convenient yet effective means of practice that can be had everyday.  By using other training aids like golf ball retrievers, the stress on your back when practicing can also be relieved, which is an added benefit to backyard practicing.

With winter approaching quickly (although you’d hardly know it this week here in Philly) it’s time to consider setting up your own “home golf practice range”.

All you need is a golf mat and net.    

Golf Nets

You typically need a 10-foot ceiling height to swing driver, but  you may be able to get away with 8 or 9 feet depending on how tall you are, and what clubs you want to swing.

I keep my full cage net up all year out side and purchased a shed that would accomodate a cage net attached to the ceiling.  Most people use their basement or garage for their golf practice room, but I’ve had people tell me that they use their bedroom or living room, because that’s the only place that was large enough for a golf net.

If you have a large garage, a cool design idea for a cage net is to attach the  net to a 10×10 square that you can make from heavy duty pvc pipe or metal conduit.  If you use some ingenuity, you can add pullys to raise and lower the net for space.

Pop up nets are okay, but not nearly as durable as the cage netting.  All nets are effected by the UV Rays so if you are not using your golf net, keep it out of the sun for longer wear.

Golf Mats

The Best Golf Mat available and the one I own is The Real Feel Golf Mat. Made with a “long-dense-fiber-system” it’s actually thick enough to take a real tee.  But what I like best is the “true divot action” when I strike the ball – this golf mat  lets me swing down and through the ball at impact. 

So if your looking to Buy A  Golf Mat you owe it to yourself to vist RealFeelGolfMats.com

During a round, there are often times when a hazard may be in play.  Hazards present two distinct features, the first of which, obviously, is a challenge for the golfer not to hit into the hazard.  The second, however, is more beneficial to some golfers.  This benefit that a hazard presents is that balls may be able to be retrieved from the hazard with a ball retriever.

Using a ball retriever to get some extra golf balls is an extremely beneficial aspect of golfing.  Not only does it allow golfers to stay fairly loose during a round, or simply pass time while waiting for a slow player ahead of them, but it also gives golfers an opportunity to store up on practice balls.

While this may seem like it’s not that great, consider the money that could be saved if no extra balls need to be purchased for your practice concerns.  Saving any money these days is without a doubt a benefit to anyone, so by doing it on the golf course is even more beneficial because you are, hopefully, enjoying yourself.  So, the next time you are out on the golf course, bring a golf ball retriever and test your luck.  Who knows, maybe you will find some balls you can even use in play regularly.

During a round of golf, it is essential to stay focused on what you are going to do next, and how you may approach a shot.  Unfortunately, many golfers tend to try to stay too focused during a round and often become to tight when they begin to shoot.  They don’t realize that it’s equally important to have a level of looseness during a round that will allow them to go through their shots without tension.  This allows the shot to stay rhythmic and smooth, and will actually reduce errors in a round.

Of course, the question arises of, “what should I do to try to stay loose if I’m playing alone?”  The answer to this question is truly a matter of personal preference.  One route that could be taken is to bring a ball retriever and attempt to grab some extra balls in between shots, especially if you are waiting due to a group of slow players in front of you.

There are other things that you can do, but it is always beneficial to gain something in the process.  By collecting golf balls, your mind can go off of your next shot momentarily, and it can relax you.  It also can help alleviate the costs of getting balls to practice with, or, pending the condition of those you find, those you can play with!

So, if you are ever playing alone, or even with someone, consider using a ball retriever to pick up golf balls on the course.  It could turn out to be beneficial to both your scorecard and your wallet.  With that combination, I don’t know what else could be better!

I was playing Broadrun in West Chester, PA last week and they let an outing go out right before us (yes we had a tee time). It was very slow play and if it weren’t for my golf ball retriever I would have had a lousey time.

But finding free balls is always fun and kept my mind off of the slow play.

I came out plus 17 on balls and as luck would have it plus 17 on my score with 89.

Broadrun is really a beautiful course in Chester County and has some breath-taking views and elevation changes.  It used to be called Tattersall and was over one hundred dollars to play. Now you can get some great deals in the summer and play for half that or better.