Eric Alpenfels
Director of Golf Instruction /
Golf Academy at the Pinehurst Resort
The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc is privileged to
have Eric Aplenfels as one of our contributers.
Eric Alpenfels is the Director of the Pinehurst
Golf Academy and Golf Instruction at
Pinehurst Resort. He is a Class A Member of
the PGA of America and has been part of the
Pinehurst family since 1985. His expertise has
earned him recognition from Golf Magazine
as one of the “Top 100 Teachers in America,”
Golf Digest as one of “America’s 50 Greatest
Teachers” and U.S. Kids Golf as one of the “Top
50 Teachers for Kids.” Eric’s activities beyond
the fairways of Pinehurst are extensive, and
include speaking engagements, contributions
to industry publications and participation
as an Adjunct Facility of the PGA of America
Education Department. In partnership with Dr.
Bob Christina, The Golf Academy is conducting
research to pioneer the development of new
practice techniques and innovative drills. He
recently coauthored “Instinct Putting” with Dr.
Bob Christina and Dr. Cary Heath.
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Effective Transfer
Practice
by Eric Alpenfels
As an instructor, one of the most satisfying
moments is when I help a student improve
his or her performance on the golf course. For
most golfers, better performance on the course
is driven by an improvement in technique
developed at the practice facility. Obviously,
other factors can help one’s performance on
the course, but in my experience, most golfers
enhance their on-course performance when
they hit more consistent and predictable shots.
Surprisingly, the challenge isn’t so much in
making the swing changes on the range, but
it is in carrying those swing changes from the
practice facility to the course. No doubt, every
golfer has had the experience of hitting the
ball well on the range and then losing the new
found magic by the first tee. With the goal of
taking technique changes made on the range
to the course, the following “Effective Transfer
Practice” guidelines are offered. The following
text is an attempt to summarize the six guidelines
with the thought that future articles will expand
on each of the factors in greater detail.
PRACTICE THE RIGHT WAY
There are two basic practice environments
you can utilize when working on your game. The
first, “Skill Practice,” is reserved primarily for
the range and utilizes repetition to help make
the desired swing changes. The second practice
environment is called “Transfer Practice.” This
highlights practicing swing changes under the
conditions that would mimic the course. Ideally,
this type of practice would be conducted on the
course. But, with many golfers, practicing on the
course is not always an option. If this is the case,
games or challenges can be used to help create
the environment of being on the course.
PRACTICE THE RIGHT THINGS
Improved performance on the course starts
with making the right changes to your technique
during practice sessions on the range. You must
have a clear idea on what swing issues need to be
addressed to resolve the undesired ball flight. In
short, if you practice the wrong things, then you
most likely will not see a positive change. In fact,
you might even make things worse. The goal is
determining the most effective swing thought or
thoughts that will help the change occur.
HAVE A SPECIFIC PURPOSE
As with any practice session, success starts
with the establishment of a goal. The goal should
be short term (for the session) and should relate
to your long-term goals. Take, for example,
someone who wants to eliminate a slice with a
driver. In this case, the short-term goal for the
course would be to carry over as many of the
swing changes made on the range as possible.
The long term goal would be to continue to see
progress in the elimination of the slice with
follow up practice sessions on the course.
BE MOTIVATED TO PRACTICE
The successful golfer (no matter the skill
level) is motivated to practice in both the “Skill”
and “Transfer” environment. Unfortunately in
golf, the golfer putting time in hitting a hundred
balls without focus and attention to the details
of their game will typically not find the effort to
be of any value. If you have pressing issues that
require your attention, it is best to come back
to the practice session at a later time. Or, take
a quick break and address the issue. In short, if
you do not feel like practicing, you are better off
not practicing. At least, that way, you will not
develop any additional bad habits by your lack
of focus.
PRACTICE THE RIGHT AREAS
This point is simple and unfortunately not
given much consideration by the average golfer
during practice. Most golfers would prefer to
hit a bucket of drivers rather than work on
their lag putting or chipping. Consider that
typically, putting accounts for 43% of a score
for 18 holes, with chipping accounting for 13%.
Combined, the two can have a huge impact on
your overall score, especially if both are “off”
on a given round. So, if lower scores are your
short-term and long-term goal, then working in
your weakest areas might be a good strategy. If
fixing your slice with your driver is the goal, then
obviously you must practice the swing changes
that will help your driver fly straighter.
PRACTICE WITH RELEVANT FEEDBACK
Practicing with relevant feedback is where
you monitor over a practice session either on
the range or on the course your results. This
monitoring should include a determination
of what specific swing thoughts are helping
improve the ball’s flight, the feel of the swings
being made, whether the results are improving
the results produced on the range, and so on.
In short, relevant feedback is monitoring what
is happening and utilizing that information to
help determine your success and missteps.☐
No. 137 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.9
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