Amateurs: Don’t keep score during (occasional) practice rounds

Professionals do this all the time.

And I’m guessing many “smart” amateurs do, too.

If you’re anything like me, though, practice rounds are (kind of) a big deal …

I have a brutal job, awesome girlfriend and a host of time-consuming responsibilities vying for my time. One of which, of course, is writing for this blog a few times a week – can’t forget that.

Six or seven years ago, without batting an eyelash, I played five-plus rounds a week. These days, if I’m lucky, I throw 18 holes on Fridays after work. And because it’s only a single round, I don’t want it to be a “throwaway” experience. There aren’t enough of these things for me to half-butt my play. I want to push myself; I want to compete; I want to put up the best score possible.

Though NOTHING is on the line, I want a shot at something impressive.

Even a new personal best is worth the self-imposed pressure.

But for you, me and any other amateur disc golfers reading this, if the end goal is to improve and achieve the aforementioned “best score possible” in a future tournament setting, there are better ways of approaching practice rounds – at least the occasional practice round, that is …

Here’s one of ‘em:

Don’t keep score.

Right off the bat, I’ll tell you this much – keeping score limits creativity. When you set aside assigning a number to the success (or failure) of a practice round, you’re more willing to do things differently. And no, on paper, it might not yield the best results – not even close …

But you won’t know unless you try.

Forgetting about scorekeeping also allows you to focus more on your weaknesses as a disc golfer, as opposed to playing to your strengths. Come tournament time, you want to do as much of the latter as possible. But during practice, the goal is to build out your body of strengths – not feed the ego of what you’re already good at. Backhand flexes, forehand approaches, midrange turnovers, jump putts and 22-footers: Whatever your game’s lacking, pound it in practice.

Furthermore, practice rounds are safe, pressure-free spaces. Yes, a friendly wager or two can help mimic the thrill of competition, but a laid-back environment aids in the building of confidence, as well. Tired of field work? Throw multiple off the tee – treat the fairway like a field of sorts.

And practice-putting is great, but take two or three stabs at an ACTUAL putt in practice. Go at it until you get it right. And when you do, forget your original lie and the final tally for the hole. Do enough of this in practice, and it’ll make finding your “flow state” easier when it matters.

There won’t always be time for this kind of practice round …

Or the space on a crowded course, for that matter.

But on occasion, step outside of your regular routine …

You might discover something worthwhile.

Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.

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