Junior 3 month improvement program

[Denis Dymov]

Hi everyone! 

Thanks for taking a second to read my post. I created this page to record my progress during my 3 month improvement program that I designed and structured by myself. I have been trying to figure out the best way to improve and I am doing this experiment to see if my ideas work. If anyone wants to ask any questions about me or my routine (or anything else related to golf), feel free to do so. My aim is to get from a 2,2 handicap to a +0,1 handicap. I will do updates every Friday evening, but if anyone asks I can even record my progress and share it with you more often. And I will try and respond to any questions you have. 

 

Some background information about me:

• I am 15 years old and I live in Italy

• my current scoring average is 76,25

• My Strokes Gained averages: 

Putting ——>  - 1,2

Short game ——>  - 0,3

Approach ——>  - 1,9

Driving ——>  - 2,2

Thank you again for taking your time to read this, and I hope that you will follow me on this journey. If you have any questions ask below, and I hope that many of you will also reach your goals this year. Have a great evening!

And please, if you are interested in my updates please comment so that I know if I should post more. Thanks

[Pinewood Golfer]

7 hours ago, Denis Dymov said:

Hi everyone! 

Thanks for taking a second to read my post. I created this page to record my progress during my 3 month improvement program that I designed and structured by myself. I have been trying to figure out the best way to improve and I am doing this experiment to see if my ideas work. If anyone wants to ask any questions about me or my routine (or anything else related to golf), feel free to do so. My aim is to get from a 2,2 handicap to a +0,1 handicap. I will do updates every Friday evening, but if anyone asks I can even record my progress and share it with you more often. And I will try and respond to any questions you have. 

 

Some background information about me:

• I am 15 years old and I live in Italy

• my current scoring average is 76,25

• My Strokes Gained averages: 

Putting ——>  - 1,2

Short game ——>  - 0,3

Approach ——>  - 1,9

Driving ——>  - 2,2

Thank you again for taking your time to read this, and I hope that you will follow me on this journey. If you have any questions ask below, and I hope that many of you will also reach your goals this year. Have a great evening!

And please, if you are interested in my updates please comment so that I know if I should post more. Thanks

Just listen to Tiger—she’ll get you on the right track. Most grounded golf mind on this board

[Denis Dymov]

Hi!

 

I saw that many people saw this post, but not many responded. I will continue updating this page with how my journey is going, and I hope as I go along more of you will get interested. 

 

This week was a very technical week, with a lot of my practice being inside with a mirror and lots of slo motion swings. I also worked for 7 hours on putting. To this date I have done 3 leg killer workouts and lots of stretching (every day for 30 min). Next week I will post exact times on what I have focused on during the week. Handicap is still the same. 

 

Quite a short post, but next week I will update with lots more data. Have a nice weekend!

[kcap]

7 hrs on putting!   Can you get my son to putt as well?

[tiger1873]

27 minutes ago, Denis Dymov said:

Hi!

 

I saw that many people saw this post, but not many responded. I will continue updating this page with how my journey is going, and I hope as I go along more of you will get interested. 

 

This week was a very technical week, with a lot of my practice being inside with a mirror and lots of slo motion swings. I also worked for 7 hours on putting. To this date I have done 3 leg killer workouts and lots of stretching (every day for 30 min). Next week I will post exact times on what I have focused on during the week. Handicap is still the same. 

 

Quite a short post, but next week I will update with lots more data. Have a nice weekend!

 

It is good if your practicing a lot and you need to.

 

 

I heard this from Gary Player when I met him and helped a lot.  I thought it was great advice.

 

"If something is working it will seem like you got it right away and the results will be almost instant.  If need to spend hours and hours doing the same thing something is wrong  Golf is hard but not that hard."

 

If you think about it it makes a lot sense. Still have to practice but don't waste you time on something if your just spinning your wheels.

 

 

Edited February 19, 2021 by tiger1873

[kekoa]

On 2/12/2021 at 8:46 PM, Pinewood Golfer said:

Just listen to Tiger—she’ll get you on the right track. Most grounded golf mind on this board

Not to derail this by any means, but Tiger is a 'she??'

[tiger1873]

21 minutes ago, kekoa said:

Not to derail this by any means, but Tiger is a 'she??'

 

Some people on this forum are idiots. But comments like this sort of tell me about the some the people on this forum. 

 

I choose to ignore this but this forum has pretty much become useless in the last year. This kid wanted advice and all you guys want to do is jump on here and ruin his thread.

 

Go get a life I am done with this place.

Edited February 19, 2021 by tiger1873

[Denis Dymov]

29 minutes ago, kcap said:

7 hrs on putting!   Can you get my son to putt as well?

 

Last summer I was averaging around 37 putts per round because it was the only part of the game that I wasn't particularly keen about. But then after a round when I shot 81 with 43 putts I told myself that I had to practice more. After a few days of 3 hours on the putting green, I just fell in love with it. Now it's something that I practice daily.

[Denis Dymov]

25 minutes ago, tiger1873 said:

 

It is good if your practicing a lot and you need to.

 

 

I heard this from Gary Player when I met him and helped a lot.  I thought it was great advice.

 

"If something is working it will seem like you got it right away and the results will be almost instant.  If need to spend hours and hours doing the same thing something is wrong  Golf is hard but not that hard."

 

If you think about it it makes a lot sense. Still have to practice but don't waste you time on something if your just spinning your wheels.

 

 

 

Very interesting! Another cool quote from Gary Player that I really REALLY like is : 

"The more I practice, the luckier I seem to get". 

 

And, by all means, it makes perfect sense that if you spend too much time on swomething without your 100 per cent focus, it will turn out to be useless. Quality over quantity.

 

As an example, if you stand on the range and hit 500 shots per day it will seem as if you were very productive, and you will probably go home thinking that you practeced very weel, but in reality this was unhelpful, and even counterproductive. In my practice, especially on the long game, I divide my practice into three sections. Technical, skill and performance practice. Now in the winter season I am mainly focusing on the technical aspect. I started doing lots of slo motion swings that can even be performed inside. This really speeds up the process of technical improvement. 

 

For the other two sections I have many drills. If you are interested I can share them. 

[dmecca2]

Good Luck! I'll continue to check back and see your progress. The pursuit of "better" in golf is never ending. 

 

My small input of advice: Practice does NOT make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect. 

[kekoa]

Just curious.  I read the goal of lowering your index, but are you also trying to play college golf in the states or maybe an international team?

 

Either way, best of luck !

[Denis Dymov]

10 hours ago, kekoa said:

Just curious.  I read the goal of lowering your index, but are you also trying to play college golf in the states or maybe an international team?

 

Either way, best of luck !

I was born in Russia, so this year one of my goals is to make the Russian National team by playing in their national tournaments. But because I live in Italy I am currently only ranked in Italy. 
 

As for college, my dream is to play for a D1 school with a coach that understands me and helps me  achieve my goals. But at this stage I prefer to take one step at a time. I split up my goals monthly, then per season, and lastly yearly goals. I started playing golf quite late at the age of 13 (before I was a right wing in soccer) and I got my handicap about a year and 10 months ago, so by making goals with a smaller time period I manage to stay more focused and have a better time management.

 

And thanks for supporting me! I will keep everyone updated!

[jj9000]

Denis...Keep up the good work.

 

This may be of use to you...and may suit your goals.  If not, perhaps someone will find good use (drills...etc) from it. 

 

The following was not created by me...but..I have done the practice.

 

.......……..................

 

Here's the story behind it, and the disclaimer. About 8 years ago, I had a student come to me who was a 36 hdcp - best round 110, ave round 120. His goal was to shoot par that year. I've seen the threads on here about doing this, and it is possible but it is not probable. I explained to him that it would take time, money, instruction, and a lot of work with no guarantee that it could/would be done. He was 28, not athletic at all, but had time, money, & desire. We spent 3 months working on his swing (very over-the-top, lot's of moving parts) just to develop a consistent, somewhat solid fade. Since his goal was to score, I developed a program that is scoring based - I have tweaked it some over the years, but basically it's about the same. After I created this, I gave it to 4 tour caliber players (1 PGA Tour, 2 Nationwide, 1 NCAA All-American) and asked them to run through the program and tell me how long it took them to complete & if they would change anything. It took them between 1 1/2-2 hours to complete and they felt it was great for someone looking to lower their handicap. I gave it to my student and he came back a few days later saying he'd spent over 6 hours on the program - and hadn't completed the 2nd stage (lag putting)! I knew then, it would work. We continued to work on his game, and he practiced the routine constantly. Over the next few months he became one of the best putters & wedge players at our club, and he shot 72 in October of that year. When he shot par, he didn't carry a driver or 3 wood and played a low, fade (almost a slice). He was recognized as the most improved player in the country that year - ending the year as a 6.2 handicap. Let me tell you, for a couple months, no one could touch him in a net game - it was fun to watch, and he credits this routine for allowing him to reach his goal. He worked his a** off, and he needed more than just this routine (technique, mental game, strategy, etc), but this is easily a guideline for players instead of just beating balls. This program is currently used by at least 8 NCAA golf teams as well.

The disclaimer: 1) I don't promise you'll shoot par doing this. 2) This is a good starting point. It's designed for mid-high hdcp players. I don't have tour players do this, and if you're already a low single digit hdcp, it's probably not much use to you, but you may find it helpful to identify a weakness 3) If it seems too easy, make the reps or targets match your level of play. This is designed to help you improve the scoring areas of the game.4) Go through your pre-shot routine before shots - I want this to simulate playing golf. 5) Once you've done the program a few times, add uneven lies, different shaped shots, etc to challenge yourself. The program can be done in one session or broken up into several - you must start at the beginning & can only move to the next section when you have completed a section. You cannot move to chipping until you complete putting, etc. So a player who can't lag putt will not hit full shots for a while. If you are "stuck" on putting, take a break every 20 minutes and stretch your back, get something to drink, just do something else, you can certainly hit balls, but don't skip part of the program.

It is based on a 2 week format - do program A for 2 weeks then program B for 2 weeks, then back to A, etc.

Sorry for the long intro- I just didn't want to drop the routine down without sharing the background & what it is designed to achieve. If you have questions or anything you believe I should add, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Here is the Ultimate Practice Routine, enjoy!

Program A, First 2 weeks, in this order:

Putting:
25 in a row from 3 feet
Lag Putting
20 in a row from 20 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
20 in a row from 30 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
20 in a row from 45 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle

Chipping:
8 out of 10 in a 3 foot circle from 20-30 feet

Pitching:
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 30 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 50 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 70 yards

Bunkers:
10 out of 10 out of bunker
6 out of 10 stop inside the length of a flagstick

Long Bunker shot:
5 out of 10 on the green from 30-50 yards

Irons:
9-iron 6 out of 10 land & stop on green
7-iron 6 out of 10 land & stop on green
5-iron 4 out of 10 land & stop on green

Driver:
6 out of 10 land & stop in fairway (if you're on a range set 2 targets the width of a common fairway).

Program B, Second 2 Weeks:

Putting:
25 in a row from 5 feet
Lag Putting
30 in a row from 20 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
30 in a row from 30 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
30 in a row from 45 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle

Chipping:
7 out of 10 in a 3 foot circle from 40 feet

Pitching:
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 40 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 60 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 80 yards

Bunkers:
10 out of 10 out of bunker
7 out of 10 stop inside the length of a flagstick
7 out of 10 out of bunker from uneven/buried lies

Long Bunker shot:
6 out of 10 on the green from 30-50 yards

Irons:
pw 7 out of 10 land & stop on green
8-iron 6 out of 10 land & stop on green
6-iron 5 out of 10 land & stop on green

Driver:
7 out of 10 land & stop in fairway

 

 

Edited February 20, 2021 by jj9000

[Denis Dymov]

Hi everyone!

I am very sorry for not writing last week. I had to visit a family member and so disinterested have the time. And then I forgot. It happens.

 

These last two weeks I have been focusing a lot on the range of motion and stretching exercises. Another aim was to improve my putting, and with 11 hours of putting in two weeks I am very happy with my practice. On Sunday I am also going to post my practice times for this weekend. 
 

Practice times for this week (2 weeks):

Putting - 11 hours

Chipping - 5 hours

Technique - 9 hours

Course - 54 holes total 

 

I know this isn’t very detailed, but if you want to know more, just comment below and I will answer. I am also playing a full 18 holes this weekend to start getting my tournament groove back, so I will post my stats. I also posted a video of my swing in slo motion for anyone who is interested👍

[Denis Dymov]

Update!

Played a one day local tournament this Sunday. Came in first place with a score of 71 (1 under par). Also played on Saturday and shot a 68. New Handicap: 1,7 !!!

Stats:

course length in yards:  6612 y (slope 142) 

 

score: 71

strokes gained stats

driving    -1,00

approach.   +1,01

short game. +1,48

putting.      -1,66

 

As you might see, putting is the worst. 

 

[Denis Dymov]

Hi!
This was the worst week of all. Practice time was down and I didn’t manage to follow my routine. One week wasted. Playing a two day event. First round yesterday. Putted terrible ( -4,83 strokes gained putting). Finished +11 making 4 double bogeys and 2 times 4 putts. Very difficult conditions though with wind blowing and some rain. Great experience. Waiting for tomorrow! 

[Denis Dymov]

In the end I played better golf yesterday, but the score showed otherwise. Better contact and consistency, just had many lip outs and a few unlucky bounces. Rome is now under red zone, so quarantine awaits. But I can practice because I play national tournaments, so training goes on💪

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

Decide who are you as a golfer.  Are you Ben Crenshaw or Tom Kite.  One enjoys practicing on the range for 8 hours might play less.  Other one developed more from playing.

 

Sometimes we force our kids to be a Tom Kite when really they're a Ben C. or the vise versa

[leezer99]

2 hours ago, TripleBogeysrbetter said:

Decide who are you as a golfer.  Are you Ben Crenshaw or Tom Kite.  One enjoys practicing on the range for 8 hours might play less.  Other one developed more from playing.

 

Sometimes we force our kids to be a Tom Kite when really they're a Ben C. or the vise versa

You left out option C, John Daly.  Don't practice at all, drink all the Diet Coke and smoke a pack in 18 holes.