Summer time is here, and juniors are flocking to the golf course. Wether it is for a junior tournament, clinic, or a day of play and practice. But is your junior golfer practicing correctly?

As an instructor the summer is my busiest time of the year. A large part of my time is spent teaching junior golfers, and one of the biggest areas of emphasis is teaching junior golfers how to practice. I see a lot of wasted time, effort, and money by kids just banging balls without any purpose, hitting putt after putt without thought, and playing golf without a plan. This is a good way to get through a hot summer day having fun with your friends, but not really good for your golf game. I try to teach my juniors to be efficient in their practice and get the most from their time. I want them to hit balls with goal in mind, chip and putt to very specific targets, and work on improving their set up and fitness. If they practice with a plan, and have quality practice time, they don't have to practice as long, which leaves more time for play.

Let me share the practice tools I recommend for my serious junior golfers. I recommend that they all get the Dr. Bob Rotella dvd series "Practice Like A Pro" . If you have never seen this, you should, it is great. Dr. Rotella talks to his tour players about how they practice and play practice rounds. This is invaluable information. I also recommend that they get a set of Golf Rings . These are a target system that is used in the short game for chipping and putting. They give specific targets and make practice more fun. I like all of them to have a putting mirror  so they can continually monitor their putting setup. And I like them to have the GolfGym Power Swing Trainer  to improve their strength. If you have a junior golfer that is taking the game seriously, give him/her the tools to practice correctly.