How Much Golf Practice Are You Doing?

How Much Golf Practice Are You Doing?

And is it enough to actually get better at golf?

Be honest for a second. 


When someone asks how often you practise, do you answer with:
  • “Well, I play most Saturdays…”
  • “I hit a few balls after work when the weather’s decent…”
  • Or the classic: “Not as much as I should”?

At Outtabounds Indoor Golf in Beeston, we hear it every week. Most golfers want lower scores, more consistency, and fewer big numbers on the card. But very few have a clear idea of how many hours of practice they’re actually putting in – or how much they should be doing for their level.

Let’s fix that!

This guide breaks down realistic weekly practice targets for three types of golfers:

  • Beginners
  • Intermediates (roughly 10–20 handicap)
  • Advanced players (single-figure and scratch)

Then we’ll show you how to turn those hours into a simple weekly routine – and how an indoor simulator like Outtabounds can make it both easier and more enjoyable.

Why practice time matters more than you think

There’s a myth that golf improvement is all about swing tips and equipment. In reality, most club golfers don’t get better because they simply don’t practise enough, or their practice is:

  • Infrequent (one giant range session every few weeks)
  • Unstructured (“I just hit until the basket is empty”)
  • Overly focused on full swings with driver and 7-iron

The secret is a consistent, focused block of practice every week, spread across:

  • Full swing (range or simulator)
  • Short game (wedges, chipping, bunker play)
  • Putting
  • Some form of “playing” – on the course or on a simulator

You don’t have to live at the range. But you do need a minimum dose of quality practice time if you want to see noticeable progress.

So how much is that?

How many hours should you practise?

1. Beginners – roughly 3–5 hours per week

If you’re new to golf or still trying to break 100, you don’t need to grind like a tour pro. Around three to five hours per week of purposeful practice is usually enough to see steady improvement.

Your priorities:

  • Build a repeatable basic swing
  • Learn consistent contact with irons and driver
  • Start to understand distance control with wedges
  • Develop a simple, reliable putting stroke

What a week could look like:

  • Two 60-minute sessions: full swing on the range or simulator
  • One 60-minute session: split between chipping and pitching
  • 30–45 minutes: putting (this can be at home on a mat)

That’s it. Stick to that for a few months and you’ll feel like a different golfer.

2. Intermediates (10–20 handicap) – around 5–7 hours per week

Once you’re in the 10–20 handicap bracket, your swing is functional, but your scoring is inconsistent. You probably hit enough good shots to play to your handicap – but you throw in too many loose ones, plus the odd card-wrecker.

Here, five to seven hours per week is a great target.

Your priorities:

  • More structured full-swing work (distance control, shot shaping, dispersion)
  • Short game variety from different lies and distances
  • Putting from 3–10 feet plus lag putting
  • “Playing practice” where every shot counts (on course or on the sim)

A realistic weekly structure:

  • 3–4 practice sessions in total
  • One session focused on wedges and 100 yards in
  • One full-swing session with clear drills and targets
  • One putting and short-game session
  • One playing session – 9 holes outside or simulator golf where you keep a proper score

This is where an indoor golf facility shines. With UK weather and work/family commitments, it’s much easier to bank four one-hour sessions across the week indoors than to squeeze in multiple full rounds.

3. Advanced players (single-figure and scratch) – 8–12+ hours per week

If you’re chasing single figures, or already there and trying to go lower, the reality is simple: you need to practise a lot – but smart.

A good rule of thumb is eight to twelve hours per week, blended across drills, skills tests, and competitive play.

Your priorities:

  • Precision with wedges and scoring clubs
  • Shot-shaping and trajectory control
  • Pressure practice (skills challenges, ladder drills, games)
  • Regular on-course or simulator scoring rounds

A strong weekly template might include:

  • 4–5 practice days per week
  • At least two sessions heavily focused on wedges and 9-iron down
  • A dedicated putting routine most days (15–20 minutes is plenty)
  • One or two simulator or on-course rounds where you play a proper card
  • Ongoing tracking of stats (fairways, greens, up-and-downs, putts, etc.)

If you want “plus” golf, your practice needs to start looking and feeling like training – and data from a launch monitor or simulator becomes incredibly valuable here.

The real problem: life, weather, and daylight

All of this sounds great on paper. But you live in England, not Florida.

From autumn to early spring, most golfers face:

  • Dark evenings – it’s pitch black when you get home from work
  • Unreliable weather – wind, rain, frost, and closed courses
  • Busy schedules – jobs, kids, partners, and everything else

So that neat practice plan often turns into:

“I’ll get a few holes in… when it’s nicer.”

That’s where Outtabounds Indoor Golf comes in.

How Outtabounds helps you hit your practice targets

Outtabounds Indoor Golf in Beeston is designed exactly for this problem: you want to practise properly, but the real world doesn’t always cooperate.

Here’s how our indoor bay and Protee VX simulator make those practice hours realistic – and more productive.

1. Year-round, weather-proof practice

Rain, wind, frozen greens? Doesn’t matter.

Book a bay and you’ve got a guaranteed hour of golf in a warm, dry space with perfect turf and a premium hitting screen. No wiping mud off your grips. No guessing how far that 7-iron really went into a 25-mph headwind.

2. Data that actually speeds up improvement

Our simulator uses a Protee VX launch monitor, giving you proper feedback on:

  • Ball speed and club speed
  • Launch angle and spin
  • Carry distance and total distance
  • Dispersion, shot shape, and more

Instead of “that felt okay”, you’ll know:

  • How far each club actually carries
  • Whether a swing change is doing what you want
  • Where your misses really are – left/right, short/long

That means you can squeeze more value from a 60-minute session than from an unfocused two hours outdoors.

3. Make practice fun with real courses and games

Let’s be honest: standing on a cold, open range pounding balls isn’t always inspiring.

On the simulator you can:

  • Play world-class courses with friends
  • Run skills challenges and combines
  • Set personal bests for closest-to-the-pin, fairways hit, and more

For beginners and intermediates especially, the fun factor is huge. When you enjoy practice, you actually do it – and consistency is half the battle.

4. Structured sessions with PGA coaching available

If you’re not sure how to spend those hours, we can help you plan them.

Instead of wandering into the bay thinking “I’ll just hit some”, you’ll have a clear objective:

“Today is wedges from 60–100 yards plus 15 minutes of putting drills at home later.”

A simple 4-week challenge

If you’re reading this thinking “I’m nowhere near those hours”, here’s a straightforward challenge:

  • Pick your category

    • Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced. Be honest.

  • Choose a realistic weekly total

    • Beginners: 3–4 hours

    • Intermediates: 5–6 hours

    • Advanced: 8–10 hours

  • Book your sessions in advance

    • Reserve your simulator slots at Outtabounds for the next four weeks

    • Block out a couple of short at-home putting windows too

  • Have one clear focus each week

    • Week 1: Contact and strike

    • Week 2: Wedge distances

    • Week 3: Putting and short game

    • Week 4: Scoring and pressure

  • Review your progress

    • Note average score on a favourite course (outside or on the sim)

    • Track dispersion and carry distances with a couple of key clubs

    • See how much more confident you feel standing over the ball

You’ll be surprised what four weeks of real commitment can do for your game.

So… how much practice are you actually doing?

If you’re serious about getting better, your improvement isn’t a mystery – it’s a maths problem:

  • Are you putting in enough hours for your level?
  • Are those hours structured and focused?
  • And are you able to maintain that rhythm all year, not just in summer?

Outtabounds Indoor Golf exists to make all of that easier, more fun, and more reliable – whatever the weather’s doing outside.

So next time you catch yourself saying “I just need to be more consistent”, remember: consistency starts long before you stand on the first tee. It starts with your practice diary, not your driver.

Ready to find out what your game looks like with the right amount of practice?

Book a bay at Outtabounds Indoor Golf in Beeston, set your weekly target, and let’s see what happens to your handicap when practice becomes a habit – not a hope.

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