Sandra Gal diary: Practice like you play

Editor's note: This season LPGA golfer Sandra Galwill be writing a weekly diary for Paste BN Sports to share her adventures on the Tour.

I think it’s time to talk about practice. Everyone has their own unique methods and preferences, but I’m sure you will find something out of my repertoire that resonates with you.

Over time I have changed my way of practicing. Playing golf for the German National Team and later at the University of Florida, I was hitting balls under the motto “more balls – better practice”. Things changed as I turned professional.

I like to keep things very simple and natural. These are my general guidelines for practice:

1. I set time aside on the driving range for drills (not too long) and then spend most of my time going through my routine for every shot. “Practice like you play”.
2. Quality over quantity.
3. I set time aside to work on things that didn’t go well during the last tournament, but I also consciously work on the things that did go well to reinforce the positive feeling.
4. Don’t practice when you are tired. Chances are that flaws are going to be exaggerated and new mistakes are going to creep in.
5. I’m not a huge practicer, I’m more of a “player”. I do most of my practice on the course because it recreates lots of different lies and situations, which I can’t always mimic on the range.
6. I seek out friendly competitions in my off-weeks. You will find me having little money games with my friends.

When it comes to practice tools and drills, I like to keep a little routine to keep things consistent. I always carry a couple of alignment sticks with me that I use on the range to square up my stance and clubface. I also put them down on the putting green when I warm up to give me guideline for my putting stroke.

The other key drill for me is to put a head cover under my left and/or right armpit on the range, in order to feel connected throughout my swing.

I believe that the alignment stick and a towel or head cover under your arms is something that everyone can benefit from. Being aligned correctly and swinging from your body instead of your arms are two things that give way for consistency.

I hope my couple of tips will help you with your game as well! So don’t waste your time reading my blog and “Go play”