Green Valley Golf Tips: How to coach yourself during practice

Time on the range and putting green are critical unless you don’t care about getting better, but it’s the quality of your practice sessions that will make the difference, says Country Club of Green Valley pro Joel Jaress.

“I see people all the time not prioritizing their practice time,” he said, describing how most amateurs have no plan.

He recommends limiting yourself to just three clubs — driver, putter, and wedge, hitting about 30 percent of your time with each, and then the other 10 percent with middle irons.

“Get good with those three,” he says, making the point that beginner golf sets are sold with just the basic clubs for a reason, so players can master the fundamentals with those most important ones first.

Most senior golfers recall the Lee Trevino tales of hustling country clubbers with just a 5-iron, so the bottom line is the equipment isn’t nearly as important as the fundamentals of a sound swing, and developing consistency with that swing.

“If you can hit a wedge, you can hit a 5-iron,” Jaress explained, recommending that players start their range practice with the most lofted clubs first.

“It helps you loosen up and builds your confidence,” he said, and that confidence will carry over into all your other irons.

Most players hit only a few wedge shots in practice, he says, but the club is one of the most important in your bag because it can save strokes.

Jaress recommends only a 48-degree pitching and 54- or 56-degree sand wedge and stay with those two and learn them well, then maybe add a gap wedge later.

Think of the variety of shots you have to learn with that one club, he points out — the flop, bump and run, bunker shot, approaches from side-hill, uphill, and downhill lies, tall grass, weeds, hard pan, etc.

“Most players don’t spend enough practice time on putting, either,” he said. “It makes a good player a great player.”

Go ahead and hit four or five lag putts, he says, but 90 percent of your time on the green should be spent on putts inside four feet.

“If you can make those, you’re going to score.”

The driver, of course, is probably the most difficult, so it obviously needs to get a lot of your practice time, too, Jaress said.

“If you can’t get off the tee, you’re done.”

Work on it after you’ve grooved your swing with the lofted clubs, establishing targets within a narrower path than the range gives you that match the fairway targets you have to hit on your favorite course, and if you begin to struggle too much, take a break and go to the putting area for a while, or hit some more chip shots, and then come back to it, going with a 50 percent swing effort to see if you can work out the problem.

“Learn to coach yourself,” he explained.

If you hit a bad shot, re-examine the grip first, then hit some more, and then look at the setup next, make corrections with that, and then hit some more, and so on.

“Focus on the pre-swing fundamentals (grip and setup) first,” he said, adding that most players want to start looking for corrections in the in-swing fundamentals (arm swing and weight transfer) right away.

Each time you use a different club, it often requires a little bit different setup, he explains, yet many players simply underestimate its importance, just as they do with the grip, which can also often unlock the secret of why you launched the shot where you did.

Once you get it worked out, he continued, craft your practice sessions to look like a round at your home course.

First, take out the driver to pretend to hit your tee shot on No. 1. Note the distance and resulting position on the imaginary fairway or rough, and what would be required for the second shot, choosing the appropriate club and repeating the process for the approach shot with your lofted club, then repeat as if playing No. 2.

Do the same on the practice green, imagining putts you always face on the real ones.

Focus on a few clubs and the fundamentals, Jaress emphasizes, and if you get stuck, see your pro.

But, learn to coach yourself and make the most of your practice time. You might be surprised how much better you get.

Mike Touzeau is a freelance writer for the Green Valley News.

Know Your Pro

With 20 years of teaching experience, 14 of those at the Country Club of Green Valley where he’s the head pro, Joel Jaress has been able to fashion a set of goals that fits virtually anyone who needs his help to be a better golfer.

Emphasizing grip, set-up, arm movements, and weight transfer on every shot, Jaress applies logic, patience, and gentle persuasion to his instruction.

Growing up in Green Valley, he combines a passion for the game with his affection for CCGV members, preferring to think of himself as a coach encouraging players of all levels.

Jaress can be reached at CCGV, 625-8831.