The CORRECT practice makes perfect

I SPENT two weeks just before the Ladies European Tour resumed in Tenerife by going to Desert Springs for some warm-weather training.

On some days it was actually hotter in Britain than it was in Spain but it was still great to go over there because the practice facilities are so good and the course is a delight to play.

As Ive said before I really enjoy it over there, and the fact that Christine Langford runs the ladies side of the operation is a reason for that.

What, you might reasonably, ask do I do all day when Ive got nothing else to do but paractice? Actually, there are plenty of other things to do, its just Im there to practice so that what I do!

Well, theres practising and theres practising. Theres smashing driver after driver down the range in your lunch hour and then theres what I call improving your game.

People are often surprised when I tell them what my regime consists of, especially when I reveal how much time I spend on my short game.

The fact is, though, that is what makes the difference. Thats especially true at professional level, where everyone can strike the ball well, but its also true in the amateur sphere even when you get into higher handicap zones.

Put it this way, if you struggle off the tee and with your irons and take three or even four to get within 50 yards of the green on a par four, imagine how much your scores would improve if you could consistently get up and down and turn that seven into a six and six into a five?

Or if youre off 18, imagine what a difference being able to pitch, chip and putt more effectively would do to your scores? Youd be homing in on 80s rather than just trying to break 90.

Even when I do see amateurs working on their short game it is often not effective. Theyll chip 20 balls to the same hole meaning a) they all tart colliding with each other and therefore you cant see how good the shot was, and b) you get used to the same shot time after time.

Heres what I do. Ill chip no more than three balls to each hole on the short game area and often play them in three different ways, even with three different clubs! Sometimes I set myself a target of making par of two on each hole.

It keeps it interest and, most importantly, constructive. I know that saving a shot here and there this year could be the difference between winning and losing a tournament and then perhaps even getting on the Solheim Cup team.

Putting is, obviously, just as crucial if not more so. I didnt putt very well last year and it cost me at times. So Ive been working hard on it this winter.

That said, I do believe we can all get a bit too tied up in the mechanics and psychology of it at times.

Few people have the perfect putting stroke, although Tiger, probably the best around, comes pretty close.

I carry a length of string around with me and pin that down to make sure Im following the correct path.

Mickey Walker shows Lady Golfer readers how to do this in her instruction article this month. Try it, it works!

In theory, putting should be the easiest skill to master. There are no bunkers or rough on the greens to get caught up in and its the shortest swing you make.

But its not easy to be a great putter. It takes a bit of practice and the right attitude. As Christine once wisely said to me, If you can throw a ball to another person then you can putt because youe got feel.

Of course I do work on my long game, generally starting with my wedges and working up to driver. But Ill only hit 15 balls with each club and of those Ill be trying to hit different kinds of shots with them.

The final aspect of my game Ive worked on at Desert Springs might come as a surprise to some of my colleagues on tour because its my fitness.

I freely admit Ive not been a fan of going to the gym or monitoring what I eat with an disciplined eye so far in my career.

But while at Desert Springs I went to the gym most days and worked out with Jim, the instructor. It was great to have a training partner and Ireally feel the work has done me a lot of good.

I fully intend to keep it up now, as well as pay a bit more attention to what I eat. It will be harder during tournament weeks although most hotels have gyms now, but in off weeks Ill defiitely try to catch up.

Just like the short game, if being a bit fitter makes the difference between winning a tournament and just missing out, Im prepared to put in the effort.

Next time, Ill report on how my winter training translated into resuts as the LET gets underway in Europe...