Range Work

[Adam14]

Any suggestions on how to actually practice at the range? I know repetition/muscle memory is good and all, but I'm wondering if going to the range and hitting a bucket of balls with random clubs is the most efficient way to practice. I don't go and whack away with the driver for the entire bucket, but I usually start with my SW, hit a few and then jump to 8, then 6, then maybe a few 3w or driver shots depending on how many balls I have left.

So I think I need to go to the range with a plan and practice with a purpose. I'd appreciate any examples of what you guys do when you go to the range. Do you just pick a target and try to hit it? Or do you go with the intention of only hitting a 2 or 3 specific clubs? I've read on one site recommending starting with the wedge, hit a ball, go to the next club and that shot should go further than the previous....if it doesn't, start over...and so on. Would you advise that?

Many thanks guys and gals!

 

[slickpitt]

Any suggestions on how to actually practice at the range? I know repetition/muscle memory is good and all, but I'm wondering if going to the range and hitting a bucket of balls with random clubs is the most efficient way to practice. I don't go and whack away with the driver for the entire bucket, but I usually start with my SW, hit a few and then jump to 8, then 6, then maybe a few 3w or driver shots depending on how many balls I have left.

So I think I need to go to the range with a plan and practice with a purpose. I'd appreciate any examples of what you guys do when you go to the range. Do you just pick a target and try to hit it? Or do you go with the intention of only hitting a 2 or 3 specific clubs? I've read on one site recommending starting with the wedge, hit a ball, go to the next club and that shot should go further than the previous....if it doesn't, start over...and so on. Would you advise that?

Many thanks guys and gals!

One piece of advice I can give that seems to help me is take your time. I go through my pre-shot routine for every shot and it seems to help. Other than that work on one thing at a time. Work on too many things at one time it'll foul you up... does me anyway.

 

[Adam14]

One piece of advice I can give that seems to help me is take your time. I go through my pre-shot routine for every shot and it seems to help. Other than that work on one thing at a time. Work on too many things at one time it'll foul you up... does me anyway.

Practice the way you play....good advice, thanks! I usually start off like that, then I hit a bad shot and without even hardly moving my feet, I'll pull another ball over with my club and take another hack. I've learned that I can burn through a bucket pretty quickly doing it like that. Thanks again

 

[eclark53520]

I do lots of different things but mainly just picking a target and hitting it three times in a row, then picking a different target, htiting it three times in a row, etc...

Play a course that you know well on the range or bring a score card and play the course. What i mean is if your first hole is a 360yard par 4 straight away, hit your driver lets say 260 which would leave you 100 in, take out your 100 yard club and attempt to 'put it on the green' and then go to the next hole. If i dont hit my yardage like i wanted, i take a 'chip shot' at the 25 or 50 yard targets.

If i'm not doing one of those two i am usually doing either drills to improve my swing in a certain way

Also, i do my pre-shot routine before every shot. I make a practice swing most of the time to get the feeling and try to re-create that same feeling with the ball. I think pratice swings can help greatly in getting the 'feel' for a certain shot.

Good luck out there!

 

[xamilo]

What I found to be very helpful specially with wedges was to get a bucket and hit every ball with the same club. By doing so I was able to understand distances with my clubs. Its a very underestimated attribute, but a lot of times I have found myself using one club less or one club more than I should have hit.

 

[Adam14]

I do lots of different things but mainly just picking a target and hitting it three times in a row, then picking a different target, htiting it three times in a row, etc...

Play a course that you know well on the range or bring a score card and play the course. What i mean is if your first hole is a 360yard par 4 straight away, hit your driver lets say 260 which would leave you 100 in, take out your 100 yard club and attempt to 'put it on the green' and then go to the next hole. If i dont hit my yardage like i wanted, i take a 'chip shot' at the 25 or 50 yard targets.

If i'm not doing one of those two i am usually doing either drills to improve my swing in a certain way

Also, i do my pre-shot routine before every shot. I make a practice swing most of the time to get the feeling and try to re-create that same feeling with the ball. I think pratice swings can help greatly in getting the 'feel' for a certain shot.

Good luck out there!

Absolutely brilliant....thanks

 

[Adam14]

What I found to be very helpful specially with wedges was to get a bucket and hit every ball with the same club. By doing so I was able to understand distances with my clubs. Its a very underestimated attribute, but a lot of times I have found myself using one club less or one club more than I should have hit.

This is another good idea..thanks. I really want to tighten up my wedge shots, but it's frustrating for me because the two ranges that are the most convenient for me to go to, both have really high tee's and the actual range is 10-15 yards below where you hit from. So it's very hard to get a feel for true distances. Depending on where they put the ropes, sometimes I can't even see my SW shots hit the ground b/c they land on that down slope out of sight. This is very good info though, thanks a bunch

 

[bames]

I have gone to the range before with only my 5 iron. You learn a lot after an entire bucket with one club. Great for practice, especially when your ball striking has gone south. If you would like to simulate the course I have found it good to hit to different locations never repeating the same distance back to back. For instance I might pick a spot in the range and go driver, then 7 iron, then PW or SW to a dry spot or flag. Then I might go 5 wood, then 9 iron, then AW. It feels like you are playing and add a little pressure to hit your spots. I do this when I feel I am already striking the ball reasonably well, and just want to work on distances and accuracy.

 

[xman1112]

Play a course that you know well on the range or bring a score card and play the course. What i mean is if your first hole is a 360yard par 4 straight away, hit your driver lets say 260 which would leave you 100 in, take out your 100 yard club and attempt to 'put it on the green' and then go to the next hole. If i dont hit my yardage like i wanted, i take a 'chip shot' at the 25 or 50 yard targets.

This is one of the best things to do at the range either by envisioning a course you play in your head, or having the scorecard in front of you.

Short game practice is always good, and whatever clubs you need work on; maybe a club or two you hit a bad shot with during your last round, to get that negative image out of your head.

And always, always, always...a few chips and a beer...I MEAN a few chips and definitely rolling some putts to keep your feel going.

 

[niblick]

"You don't practice a golf swing, you practice golf shots."

-Claude Harmon

 

[fisher]

I take a blue sharpie and make 2 dots on the mat. (The blue fades away quickly in the weather) One dot is 9 inches in front of where I will be placing the ball and the other is a foot in front of the first. I line the two dots up with the 200 flag. Now I just go thru the clubs in the bag concentrating on making a perfect take away, turn and a parfect swing and follow thru at 60%. I concentrate on hitting the imaginary line to the flag with each club. My entire goal on the range is to groove a perfect swing. Its all about tempo on the range. Forget trying to hit a bunch of different targets or trying to hit it far. I concentrate heavily on all aspects of alignment. Every swing with every club is aligned at those same two dots and along the imaginary line to that flag. This practice routine has worked wonders for me. That is exactly how I aim on the course as well except I'm aiming at a blade of grass instead of a dot on a mat. It works wonders. Try it.

If you can't make dots use 2 tees shoved into the mat.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

I hate going to the range, it's ok for working on getting distances for each club but even those are off because of the cheap range balls. I prefer to practice on the course, aiming at actual targets.

 

[nututhugame]

I hate going to the range, it's ok for working on getting distances for each club but even those are off because of the cheap range balls. I prefer to practice on the course, aiming at actual targets.

+ 1. In my case money is a factor too... I would rather pay a couple xtra & walk 9 real quick. The range seems like a waste to me. I warm up by hitting a couple crap balls (that I hawked out of the woods at the course by my house) on the range before a round and that's about it.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

+ 1. In my case money is a factor too... I would rather pay a couple xtra & walk 9 real quick. The range seems like a waste to me. I warm up by hitting a couple crap balls (that I hawked out of the woods at the course by my house) on the range before a round and that's about it.

At Vitense range here in Madison a small bucket of balls is $7. Or I can play their par 3 course for $8, hmm which one will actually do me more good? I always choose the course if it's open.

 

[retexan599]

Re: Range Work -- Take Notes

I am an engineer by training, so I like to write things down. I have a small notebook in which I record the 'results' of a session at the range. What did I learn? What was good about the session; what was bad. And then I review my notes before my next day on the actual course. I have a separate page for each club. I don't pull out the book in the middle of a round, but a review ahead of time reminds me of what I think I learned at the last session.