By ANNE WALKER WITH ADAM SCHUPAK
First appeared in Winter 2023 NCGA Golf Magazine.
Almost all of the drills I have our players do since I became the head coach of the women’s golf team at Stanford University in 2012 are designed to simulate competition. Practice at the elite level consists of trying to re-create what it feels like in the middle of the round – the ups and downs, highs and lows of trying to post a low number. It’s easy to come out to our state-of-the-art practice facility for 2-3 hours and brainlessly beat balls, but it’s not necessarily productive (and can be counterproductive). We want to come out here and learn to deal with frustration, excitement, opportunity and the weight of the consequence of each shot. To do so, we try to re-create situations that they are likely to face in tournament play. We’ve found this is the best way to move the needle and take what you learned in practice into tournament competition. These games can help players of all skill level get better.
PRESSURE PUTTING
This game consists of four putts, two at 6 feet and two at 12 feet. The 6-foot putts are for par, the 12- footers for birdies. The goal is to try to get to the equivalent of 3 under before you get to 3 over. Reach either total and the game is over – hopefully you’ve made your putts. I like that this drill applies a lot of pressure to the par putt. You feel the exact same weight as you do over the birdie putt. This drill also is easily adaptable to your own skill level, so you can make the 6-footer for birdie and make a 3-footer for par.
LANDING SPOT DRILL
One thing we like to do is find ways to help our players have first-hand experiences. I can share my observations but it’s so much more powerful if the player can come to the conclusion on her own. In this drill, we mark a landing zone with tees and try to hit eight of 10 chips inside the landing zone. The target number is based on the difficulty of the landing spot. Again, the figure is adjustable based on skill set. What I like about this game is you learn quickly if, for example, you chose a club with too much loft and you can adjust.
SPEED IS KING
This game drills into you the importance of trying to be your best all of the time. You’re going to chip balls to the same hole in sets of five. All five chips must come to rest within two club lengths of the hole and at least one of them has to be a hole-out. There’s no room for a bad shot. If you let one get away you’re starting over. With each chip the pressure grows. It’s tough and really identifies who has the best short game under the gun. I’d rather you learn to execute under pressure in this environment so you feel comfortable in similar situations on the course.
BETTER THAN AVERAGE
Chip seven balls to a hole and then pick up the three closest to the hole and the three farthest away. The remaining ball is your average chip and you must make the putt to complete the challenge. In this game, if you hit a bad shot it’s not going to cost you but there’s also pressure because if you hit too many lousy shots, you’re going to be staring at a long attempt for your average putt. When Brooke did this drill from a relatively easy chip, she faced a 4-foot putt. Do you want a 4-footer to win the tournament? Probably not. Miss and you’re starting over – seven more chips. This drill is about keeping your emotions under control, staying in the present and focusing on one shot at a time. You’ll find out – for better or worse – the answer to the question, Are you better than your average chip?
WEDGE MASTERS
You want to get the most out of your ability? Improve your wedge game. They are called the scoring clubs for a reason. We call this drill Wedge Masters and it consists of hitting three balls at 40 yards, 50 yards and 60 yards. You only qualify to putt when the ball is inside 15 feet. To complete the drill, you must be 3 under or better. A missed green is automatically a bogey otherwise all shots are even par and you have to get up and down to make birdie. I want my players to look at these distances as a birdie opportunity. Another common thread of all these games: we try to keep it fun.