Practice with intent, not on autopilot

Raking through a bucket of balls without thinking doesn't make you better: you rehearse your own mistakes and walk off having learned nothing. What separates golfers who improve from the rest is intent. Every ball needs a purpose, and you have four ways to build it into a session: pick a specific target before each shot —no target, no useful feedback—; experiment by manipulating the ball; challenge yourself with games and scores that mimic the pressure of real play; and train skills (centering the face, clean turf contact) instead of obsessing over technical positions. You don't need three hours at the range.