Practice science
Golf Practice Buddy is built on research into how golfers learn, develop skills and perform under pressure.
Many golfers leave the range hitting the ball well, only to see their progress disappear on the course.
On the range, we often hit the same club to the same target again and again. Repetition has its place, particularly when developing technique, but playing golf asks for much more.
On the course, every shot is different. Every shot counts, and pressure changes how you perform.
Getting better at practice doesn’t always mean you’re getting better at golf.
The 3-T approach to better golf. Improving your golf takes more than a better swing. It’s about building the skills to hit better shots and learning to perform when it matters.
Develop your technique
Focuses on swing mechanics and builds important foundations for your game.
Most golfers spend a lot of time refining technique, but a better swing alone doesn’t guarantee lower scores. That’s why it’s important to balance technical work with skill development and performance practice.
Build your skills
Develops the skills you need to play better golf, including feel, distance control, accuracy and shot-making.
It’s about getting the ball closer to the hole, adapting to different shots and situations, and building skills that transfer to the course.
Test your performance
Prepares you for the demands of playing golf, with shot-by-shot challenges where every shot counts.
Test your skills and measure your performance. Take on Pressure Tests and Clutch Challenges where scoring and consequence raise the stakes.
Golf Practice Buddy specialises in Training and Tournament Practice, two important but often overlooked parts of improving golf performance.
It complements swing coaching by focusing on shot-making skills, helping you turn better practice into better performances on the course.
There are three main ways to organise your practice.
Repeating the same shot, with the same club, to the same target.
Useful for developing a skill or becoming familiar with a new one. However, it’s very different from playing golf, and relying too heavily on blocked practice can limit your ability to adapt to different shots and situations on the course.
Playing different shots in a predictable sequence.
For example, hitting to 70, 80, 90 and 100 yards, then repeating. It builds distance control and adaptability.
Changing clubs, distances or targets in an unpredictable order.
This is the closest form of practice to playing golf, where every shot presents a new challenge. It helps develop the adaptability needed to perform on the course.
When you repeat the same shot, you become familiar with the movement, distance and target. Your accuracy may improve during the session, but that doesn’t necessarily mean those improvements will transfer to the course.
On the course, you rarely get to play the same shot twice. Every shot needs a new decision, adjustment and execution.
In one study, golfers practiced shots between 50 and 100 yards over 10 sessions. One group used blocked practice. The other combined blocked, serial and random practice.
The results showed a clear difference between how golfers performed in practice and how much they learned.
Golfers using blocked practice were more accurate during the practice sessions.
Golfers combining blocked, serial and random practice showed stronger learning when tested two days after the final session.
In this study, professional golfers improved shot accuracy three times faster than those following a traditional practice approach.
When you change clubs, distances and targets, practice feels harder and results are less consistent. Working through those challenges can help develop skills that are more adaptable and transfer more effectively to the course.
The aim isn’t just to hit better shots in practice. It’s to develop skills that help you play better golf and lower your scores.
Golf Practice Buddy incorporates blocked, serial and random practice structures to help you develop skills that transfer to the course.
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Golf Practice Buddy turns principles of motor learning, skill acquisition and performance into structured, measurable practice.
Develop and test skills across every part of your game.
Build skills, assess performance and progressively increase the challenge, using blocked, serial and random practice.
Can you deliver when it matters? Scoring and consequences make practice feel more like competition.
Make every shot accountable and measure your results.
Identify your strengths, weaknesses and shot patterns, and see where to improve.
Adjusts your scoring zones based on your performance once there’s enough data, keeping the challenge at the right level to optimise your learning.
Review dispersion, proximity, accuracy, shot patterns and personal bests.
Dr Nicky Lumb is a golf practice and performance specialist and the creator of Golf Practice Buddy.
Her work combines research into skill acquisition, motor learning and performance with practical coaching experience across club, amateur and professional golf.
Build your skills, test your performance and make every practice count.
Available on Android and web. iPhone app coming soon.
