Photo and video by Joachim Guay

By Matthew Brookes
When was the last time you hit 10 drivers in succession during a round? Unless you have a serious swing fault and this nightmare scenario collided with a hole featuring OB stakes tightly snugging each side of the fairway, I’m guessing never. Which makes you wonder why we stand on the range and belt drive after drive. 

My own short game was sharpest when I was a junior and played chipping comps around the green with my mates for hours on end. The winner of the hole would pick the next target and without knowing it we were learning and honing our games by putting ourselves in different situations every shot. Better still, practising was fun.

When learning a new move or at the start of the range session, “block practice” is understandable. If you’re really committed to improving though, you need to incorporate more random practice into your routine.

It’s something I rarely see. Fortunately, the awesome new Toptracer Range technology at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club is perfect for measurable random practice.

Being able to play some of the world’s most famous courses virtually adds excitement and you can up the ante further with a points scoring system that allows you compare yourself to others at the club or even worldwide. It’s a nice bonus to give your practice sessions a little more competitive edge. Stick at it and your scorecard will quickly thank you. — with Kent Gray

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Matthew Brookes is a PGA teaching professional and golf specific fitness trainer at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.