Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Seemingly every year, Augusta National rolls out improvements meant to enhance the Masters experience for fans. This year is no different.
For the first time ever, fans can track every shot that players hit on Augusta National’s perfectly manicured range. Thanks to the new “Practice Range Tracker” on Masters.com, golf fans have at their finger tips insights like never before.
Wondering how Rory McIlroy is driving the ball? You can see data on each driver he hits. Want to see the launch angle of Jordan Spieth’s wedge shots? Click in on his profile and it’s right there. The Practice Range Tracker is like catnip for golf nerds.
With the ability to track every shot the pros hit, golf fans now get an inside look at how the pros practice. Below is one key practice habit the pros use that you should follow.
One of the features that the Practice Range Tracker boasts is a count of the number of balls each player hits each day. This can make for some fascinating takeaways.
For example, Bryson DeChambeau hit the highest number of balls on Tuesday, bashing 393(!) for the day. On the other end of the spectrum, amateur Josele Ballester hit the least at 14. The average number of balls players hit was 86.5, while the median was just lower at 79.
So, what can we learn from these findings? Pros hit far fewer balls during their practice sessions than recreational golfers do. A large bucket at your local driving range likely contains between 100 and 150 balls. And if you hit all of them, you are hitting almost double what the pros averaged on Tuesday of the Masters.
There are a couple of reasons for the (relatively) small number of balls that the pros hit on Tuesday. For one, during a tournament week, it’s important to pace yourself — and the pros know this. They aren’t going to wear themselves out hitting ball after ball on the range (save for DeChambeau).
More importantly, though, it shows that the pros aren’t just mindlessly bashing balls. Every swing they make is purposeful. They aren’t wasting their time just going through the motions. Instead, they are making each swing with intention. It is an embodiment of quality over quantity.
This is an important lesson that all recreational players can learn from watching the pros practice. Less is sometimes more — and that’s especially true on the driving range. So next time you head out to the range, don’t focus on how many balls you hit. Instead, focus on making each swing with purpose and intention. It will make for higher-quality practice and will be much more beneficial to your game.
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