Range or 9 holes?

[SiberianDVM]

For a 16 handicapper, who was a 12 last summer, what would be the best spent time in the evenings? 2 hours at the range or 9 holes of golf?

Last summer I walked 9 holes most evenings. This spring I have been mostly hitting the range, and I have seen very improvment. It could be that I just suck at golf.

Off the tee I'm usually OK. From the fairway I suck with fairway woods and long irons, OK with a hybrid. Mid irons vary from really good to really bad. I'm OK with my wedges. Chips and pitches suffer from accuracy. My putting is hopeless.

I'm really trying to win my flight in a couple of tourneys. Last week I had 4 pars, 6 bogies, and the rest were "others", including 3 disaster holes. If I can just get rid of the disaster holes, I'll win.

Help!

[Stanters]

Personally I'd go for playing 9 holes most evenings and have the odd one working on hitting your fairway woods and long irons at the range. I'd also get on the putting green or buy a practice mat. There is no substitute when it comes to the flat stick.

The range is good for grooving your swing but there is no substitute for playing the course to give the idea of how you are playing and where you feel confident and not so confident. It also creates that little bit of pressure that is absent on the range. Plus it's more fun....hopefully.

[SCGolfer]

I would think a mix of both would be pretty good. A little range action to keep in the groove and some play for feel around the greens. That is generally what I try to do. A trip to the range and then 9 in the afternoon usually gets me ready for the weekend.

So siberian how was the weekend?? I played another course I had never seen before. Shot 84...but it was a rough one....only hit 6 fairways. 3 with the 5w and 3 with the 3w. Couldn't get my driver in play...bogeyed all 4 par fives cause of the old driver. Just scrambled around and got some help from the flatstick.

Jason

[clemsonhacker]

yea i played a course that i have never played before....i had 3 snowmen on the front and a 7 and a 9 on the back...7 pars and the rest bogeys...but i had a great time

[sandwedge]

If you have something specific you are working on then do it on the range. Otherwise if you are just beating balls on the range your time is much better spent and more enjoyable playing 9.

[SiberianDVM]

Played in a tourney Saturday at Bartram Trail, only played the course once before. Only a couple of wayward drives, but they were bad enough to give me the max triple bogey. Then, on a couple of tough par 5s, where your 2nd has to go over "environmental areas", I managed to top or chunk it, thus leading to a couple more max triples.

So I ended up with a 97. Which, surprisingly enough was good for 3rd in my flight and $20. Turns out quite a few people had never played this course, and the hazards got them too.

Yesterday, I played a casual round at Forest Hills, and was not driving well at all. Shot a 94.

I couldn't buy a putt all weekend. Missed an ace on a 175 yard par 3 by 3 inches, ball rolled 8 feet by, missed the birdie putt too.

Guy I was playing with yesterday told me in a nice way how f***d up my putting stroke was, and I spent the rest of the day trying to fix it. That only made things worse. I started missing by yards instead of feet.

So, back to the drawing board.....................

[warbirdlover]

Play 9 holes. Range time is just not the same. Best to practice actual course conditions IMHO. And sometimes the harder you try the worse things get as it tightens you all up. Relax and do your best and all will be well!

[SiberianDVM]

Like in most things, I'll probably compromise and do some of both. This evening since the weather is nice, I'll see if I can get in 9. I have a new putting stroke I want to try out. I'm gonna bend over more at the waist like David Duval. Seemed to work on the putting strip.

[ezra76]

9 holes. I got a lot better when I played more and more last summer. Now I find I'm just screwing around with so many things at the range I don't know what to do at the course.

[JEFF4i]

Both, obviously. Just depends on your intent that day.

And on the guy who told you are your putting stroke sucks, well, do this...Ask him if that is friendly advice or a pro tip, because it's a lot easier to ignore advice and you can't afford a pro.

[cabinessence]

Play nine holes, it's more fun and better exercise.

If there aren't many people around, you can scatter some balls around the green after you're done with a hole to get some 'real life' practice as well. I like to put three or four balls in a spot and hit the same shot with a different club each time (e.g. chipping once with a LW, SW, and PW). Great drill for working on touch IMO

[footballking732]

i have always found that hitting balls HURTS my swing, unless i am actually working on some swing thought... whenever i got to the range i dont think about alignment, or some other important things, and i can mess my swing up very easily...

therefore, id suggest 9 holes on most days... range if you really need to work on something..

[AaA]

9 holes for sure, but range is good here and there. The range has always restored or certified my confidence. Once that happens, I'd rather be on the course. Nothing beats actual course play. Plus when you hit a good shot it's far more rewarding. Besides, you're likely to practice the ever so crucial short game a lot more than at a range (if your facility has a short game area). I never practice short game because of the lack of a facility nearby and it shows on the course.

Good luck.

[limpalong]

9-holes, if for nothing else than working on course management. Playing nine, you will not hit nearly as many balls. But, you will play much nearer to the actual conditions you meet week in and week out. Let's see... take 15 to 20 putts out of a normal 9-hole score of 45 and you are splitting your other 12 to 13 clubs between 30 strokes. Take this opportunity to find some hidden secrets.

18 at home is a long par 5. Nice drive leaves you 250 out. At 100 out, the fairway narrows and turns slightly to the right. Invariably that second shot is with a fairway wood. Sure enough, if you miss it just a tad, I'll either bend it a tad too much into the trees on the right or double cross with a hard pull into trees on the left. By experimenting, I've learned a smooth 5-iron will still put me well inside of 100... and in the fairway. Certain par rather than leaning on a 3-wood for a double or worse.

Where you normally use a driver to tee off, use a 5 or 6 iron. Begin to work the holes from the green back to the tee. Short irons work? Rather than get in trouble with a driver off the tee, you may find you will actually score better hitting irons off some of the tees. The point I'm trying to make is this...

Get better with what you already do well. Bench the clubs that seem to have an 'attitude'. I'd bet you will score better using the clubs you are confident with rather than forcing those that leave a bad taste in your mouth. Once you can hone your confidence with what you do well, you can begin reintroducing the other clubs one by one. The good attitude of the 'trained' clubs will accept, and usually assist in the transformation of, a single "bad" club. If you are only hitting 2 or 3 shots with a club you don't handle well, you'll never get better.

Golf is a game. We're supposed to have fun playing this god-forsaken, smutty addiction that has grabbed us by the 'nads. We're not supposed to fight it. Go out evenings and play 9 holes. Enjoy the clubs that give you the most enjoyment. Smell the fresh air. Inhale... exhale.... ENJOY! Your game will come around.

As for the putter????? Take 1 evening every 2 weeks and spend the entire 2 hours with your putter. I still like the idea of placing 6 to 8 balls in a circle, surrounding the hole, approximately 18" out. Continue until you make all 8 balls twice from that distance. Back up 2 feet. Putt until you make all 8 balls twice from the longer distance. Back up another 2 feet.... By the time you are 5 to 6 feet from the hole you will begin to get a feel for where your putting stroke is breaking down. Just where do you begin to have trouble? Missing left? Missing right? Missing long or short?? Jerking putts? Until you can define the breakdown, it is difficult to give it first aid. I would bet that it won't take you an hour to begin to find just what the problem is. Once defined.... there are answers... I promise!!!!!

[cabinessence]

Originally Posted by limpalong

As for the putter????? Take 1 evening every 2 weeks and spend the entire 2 hours with your putter.

I don't think I've spent 2 hours putting in my life. My back would start to hurt. Much better to mix it up and practice chips, pitches, bunker shots, etc. But hey, whatever works for you...