97 doh !!

[freddyboyhouse]

hi guys - I go down the driving range and hit decent ball after decent ball after decent ball - i get on the course and shoot 4,7,4,7,4,7 - it's soooo frustrating to shoot a good hole and thena couple of mishits or bad contact chips - does anybody have any tips on how to take your range form onto the course ? My playing buddy doesn't seem to play better golf than me but just doesn't miss hit often so shoots about 83 !! - big difference for fundamentally a similar game, if we were playing hole play we have have drawn !!

[IrishGolfer]

hi guys - I go down the driving range and hit decent ball after decent ball after decent ball - i get on the course and shoot 4,7,4,7,4,7 - it's soooo frustrating to shoot a good hole and thena couple of mishits or bad contact chips - does anybody have any tips on how to take your range form onto the course ? My playing buddy doesn't seem to play better golf than me but just doesn't miss hit often so shoots about 83 !! - big difference for fundamentally a similar game, if we were playing hole play we have have drawn !!

Freddy

Here's a bet for you.

The next six times you are at the range, leave the driver etc. in the car. Take a 8i, PW, SW and putter. Forego the bloodlust of launching the driver and spend some time down at the green hitting chips and putts. I'll bet your score comes down by quite a few shots after those sessions.

Any takers?

[SilverUberXeno]

I agree.

Not many times in your life are you going to hole it with a driver. Maybe not even once.

If you green a par 4 in 2 ( a reasonable endevour ) and then 2 putt for par, 50% of your game is on the green.

Take a chip + a 2 putt, prolly 60% (3/5) is within 50 yards of the hole. Keep this in mind. It's better to be a little inaccurate when it's not so crucial. A little fade off the tee to put it onto the right side of the fairway? You'll survive. Gonna send a chip to the far side of the green, maybe into the rough after a nice 280 yard drive right down the line? Priorities, my friend. Putting can overcome a lot of faults in your game.

[freddyboyhouse]

my putting is actually ok - it's iron play, i'm pretty good when using 1,5,7 wood so use them whenever i can leaving only irons 8,9,pw,sw - it's these that i make my mistakes - a scuff followed by blading it then chip 20ft from flag where I should be on there in 1 from under 100 yards

[LottaBalata]

The one thing I tend to encounter when going from range to course is the fact that I never get that perfect flat grass lie on course like I do at the range. It always has a big effect on contact. So I tend to pick bad spots at the range to practice from. Uphill, downhill lies, ball above, below my feet--practicing the short game in the backyard with imperfect lies helps me make better contact when I'm actually on the course. And like IrishGolfer said above, leave the driver in the car and just hit the irons. 1/4 backswing, 1/4 swing, 1/2--etc., etc. And build up to a full swing during your practice at the range. My 2cents!!