If you want your practice to transfer to the course, try creating more variability.
Change clubs regularly and select a new target for every shot. Go through your full routine and imagine the situation you are facing. You could play the first few holes of your golf course on the range, changing clubs based on the result of each shot.
If your opening drive finishes in the imaginary rough, your next shot should reflect that challenge.
Adding a score or consequence can also make your practice more realistic. Give yourself ten shots to hit a target and record how many you achieve. You could also challenge yourself to hit three successful shots in a row before moving on. This creates pressure because each shot begins to matter.
Your short game practice should follow the same principle. Instead of hitting ten chips from one perfect lie, move around the green. Change the distance, trajectory and club and drop each ball. Give yourself one attempt to get the ball up and down, just as you would on the course.
This does not mean every practice session needs to feel like a competition. Technical practice still has an important place, particularly when you are making a swing change. However, technique must eventually be tested through variety, decision making and pressure.
Before your next session, ask yourself one simple question: what am I preparing for?
If the answer is playing better golf, your practice should include the skills and challenges you will experience when you step onto the course.
