New Study Finds Hitting A Quick Bucket 20 Minutes Before Playing Actually Doesn’t Help At All
- Updated: November 16, 2017
(TIS) — The USGA recently released results of their latest study aimed at the widely popular myth that going to the range prior to your round will actually help your game at the amateur level.
The results: negative!
“We know amateur golfers are lucky to get out and play once, maybe twice a week … and that’s factoring in zero practice,” said USGA CEO Mike Davis. “So the common response is to hit balls 20 minutes before tee off as if they think that’s actually going to help.”
While many golfers will use rationale such as that they “need to get loose” or “want to see how they’re hitting it today” … or in some rare cases want to work on a swing tip they saw on Youtube … the study saw zero positive impact when grabbing a quick bucket. In fact, in most instances, it actually made the golfer’s game worse.
Results range from striping it on the practice tee and then blowing a sleeve of balls OB off the first tee to leaving your swing feeling like an unfolding lawn chair.
“Evidence clearly indicates that when you don’t practice, all consistency goes out the window,” said Davis. “Sure, it’s nice to think you can rekindle the magic you had three weeks ago, but when you haven’t swung a club since that tidy 93, the odds are usually against you. It’s science.”
In order to resist this false sense of hope, the study recommends drinking several beers prior to your tee time and maybe hitting a few putts if you have time. When you play to a generous 25, does it really matter?
