Bradley Turner, the 2018 North Florida PGA Section East Central Chapter Professional Development Award winner, is a PGA of America Golf Professional and the Executive Director and Dean of the College of Golf at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Brad Turner on Player Development: Bradley Turner on the importance of gamifying your short game practice:
One of the biggest challenges golf coaches face is motivating players to practice their short game consistently. The area from 40 yards and in is critical to scoring success, yet it’s often the most neglected during practice sessions. Gamification – defined as “a set of activities and processes to solve problems by using or applying the characteristics of game elements” – offers a powerful solution. Rather than having individuals mindlessly hit balls on the range, transforming practice into a game creates engagement, provides immediate feedback, and makes improvement measurable. This approach is particularly effective for short game practice, where creativity and problem-solving are essential skills. The key is designing practice games that simulate on-course scenarios while creating a framework for tracking progress. When golfers see their improvement through game scores, they become more invested in their practice. Additionally, gamification helps manage expectations – most golfers overestimate their short game abilities until they measure their performance in a structured game format. This reality check becomes a powerful motivator and helps golfers understand where to focus their practice time for maximum improvement.
Bradley Turner on the business impact of gamifying your short game practice:
I’ve developed a Ten-Hole Scoring Ability Game that has proven extremely effective. This game creates 10 par-3 holes ranging from 10 to 40 yards, with each hole presenting a different short game challenge—from putting off the fringe to bunker shots to pitch shots from various lies. Golfers play all 10 holes and track their total score, which provides immediate feedback on their short game proficiency. The scoring assessment correlates performance to handicap levels: 30+ strokes indicates a 25+ handicap with significant short game weaknesses; 28-29 suggests an 18-25 handicap; 26-27 reflects a 10-17 handicap with a decent short game; 24-25 demonstrates single-digit handicap short game skills; and 22-23 represents PGA Tour-level short game proficiency. This game has transformed how my players approach practice – they’re spending more time on short game, setting specific improvement goals, and experiencing more enjoyment during practice. From a business perspective, this approach has increased lesson retention, as they return to measure their progress, and has created word-of-mouth referrals as golfers share their improvement. The beauty of gamification is its simplicity and effectiveness: it makes practice purposeful, provides clear feedback, and turns the sometimes-tedious work of improvement into an engaging challenge that golfers actually look forward to.
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email bturner@keiseruniversity.edu.
