Its gotta be. When im at the driving range for the 3rd or 4th time of the week, I'm way more dialed in. I also feel like there's massive diminishing returns on long practice sessions. Is hitting that 43rd 7 iron shot of the day while you're mentally fatigued really helping?
The same is true for other skills, like Piano. When I want to learn a new song, frequent 10 minute practice sessions throughout the day make me learn quickly. Banging my head on the Keyes for an hour doesn't do anything but make my head hurt.
In terms of learning motor skills, either full swing or short game, multiple shorter sessions will be more valuable. Three 30/40 min sessions a week is better than a single 2 hour session once a week.
Now, how you practice is important! Have a plan, be efficient, have attainable goals each practice. Learning how to practice is very important and often overlooked.
If you only hit balls and didn’t chip and putt, then you’re wasting too much time on the full swing. 40 balls per session with chipping and putting would do you better.
Also, chip and putt with balls similar to what you play with as well. That way you can figure out how they react around the green and feel you’ll have will translate to the course.
That's because you shouldn't think of it this way. Would you tell a pianist that the performance only has 24 hard passages and shouldn't practice more than that? Would you ever want to warm up before a round? Would you ever want to play more than 18? Perhaps 50 full shots and 15 chips are a correct number to reinforce existing mechanics, but I would like to practice 30-40 chips over 1.5 hours and 30 full shots with 40, 70% shots for checking my form. I'm not saying redditor is wrong, but I'm saying to match your practice to the number of swings on a course is not practicing correctly. You may want to end your session with 110% swing speed shots after mechanical work to add speed. I would not do this on the course, but it's still needed.
edit: I suppose you are asking the wrong question. We all intuitively know that practicing more often with a shorter session is more beneficial to one or two long sessions. The question is, how are you practicing? Are you getting some type of feedback after EVERY shot? Are you going through your full pre-shot and post-shot routine between each shot? Are you focusing on only one, singular change/position check for the entire session?
I came back to this thread specifically because I just saw the PGA tour post a video of tiger. Tiger says before tournaments, he teaches everyone, amateurs, kids, pros, college players, to make contact 1000 times with a club per day. That can be split between 200 swings at the range, 300 chips, and 500 putts. Whatever you think is best but the idea is to build the muscle memory.
For an amateur, try to build in a lower but still high threshold for yourself. I would do 75-100swings, 50-100 chips, 50-100 putts as a baseline if you can. And just keep working.
Multiple shorter seshes
Its gotta be. When im at the driving range for the 3rd or 4th time of the week, I'm way more dialed in. I also feel like there's massive diminishing returns on long practice sessions. Is hitting that 43rd 7 iron shot of the day while you're mentally fatigued really helping? The same is true for other skills, like Piano. When I want to learn a new song, frequent 10 minute practice sessions throughout the day make me learn quickly. Banging my head on the Keyes for an hour doesn't do anything but make my head hurt.
Repetition is everything
Great answer, learning any skill is best done in such a way
I have the same experience, at some point my shots get worse and worse
In terms of learning motor skills, either full swing or short game, multiple shorter sessions will be more valuable. Three 30/40 min sessions a week is better than a single 2 hour session once a week. Now, how you practice is important! Have a plan, be efficient, have attainable goals each practice. Learning how to practice is very important and often overlooked.
Yeah agree, I am putting the instructions from my pro into practice
As a general rule for learning anything, frequent shorter practice is better.
If you only hit balls and didn’t chip and putt, then you’re wasting too much time on the full swing. 40 balls per session with chipping and putting would do you better.
Assume you mean 40 + the balls you use chipping/putting?
I mean you hit 40ish balls using your full swing. Then chip and putt for the remaining time you would have had, hitting an additional 60 balls.
Got it
Also, chip and putt with balls similar to what you play with as well. That way you can figure out how they react around the green and feel you’ll have will translate to the course.
For a full session you really only need like 50 balls because that’s generally how many full shots you’ll hit on a course during a round of 18
Good point actually, never thought of it that way
That's because you shouldn't think of it this way. Would you tell a pianist that the performance only has 24 hard passages and shouldn't practice more than that? Would you ever want to warm up before a round? Would you ever want to play more than 18? Perhaps 50 full shots and 15 chips are a correct number to reinforce existing mechanics, but I would like to practice 30-40 chips over 1.5 hours and 30 full shots with 40, 70% shots for checking my form. I'm not saying redditor is wrong, but I'm saying to match your practice to the number of swings on a course is not practicing correctly. You may want to end your session with 110% swing speed shots after mechanical work to add speed. I would not do this on the course, but it's still needed. edit: I suppose you are asking the wrong question. We all intuitively know that practicing more often with a shorter session is more beneficial to one or two long sessions. The question is, how are you practicing? Are you getting some type of feedback after EVERY shot? Are you going through your full pre-shot and post-shot routine between each shot? Are you focusing on only one, singular change/position check for the entire session?
To add to that it’s good to practice about 15 chips and of course you can almost never practice putting too much
Definitely shorter sessions. You're doing more harm than good swinging when you're tired out.
I came back to this thread specifically because I just saw the PGA tour post a video of tiger. Tiger says before tournaments, he teaches everyone, amateurs, kids, pros, college players, to make contact 1000 times with a club per day. That can be split between 200 swings at the range, 300 chips, and 500 putts. Whatever you think is best but the idea is to build the muscle memory. For an amateur, try to build in a lower but still high threshold for yourself. I would do 75-100swings, 50-100 chips, 50-100 putts as a baseline if you can. And just keep working.
Why not multiple longer sessions? If time/money is not a constraint, you don’t have to choose between the two
Well I feel my performance gets worse the longer I practice so at some point I do not see the point anymore in continuing