Bringing range consistency to the course

[Bobby19]

Been playing for around a year but really struggling at times to bring my game which is reasonable at the range onto the course.

From the time I do a good confident warm up to the time I get to the first tee it’s almost as if my brain goes into overdrive and I start overthinking everything.

Just wondering is there any good books out there that would be recommended to try and improve this or any other tips/advice?
Thanks in advance

 

[patricks148]

don;t go to the range and just play.

range Vs course are two very different things... range massive target with no consequence for a wild or bad shot, not to forget hiiting the same shot over and over again.

learn to play golf and score on a golf course would be my advice, no book required

 

[Karl102]

Course is always better practice than the range but on the rare occasion I go now I try to pick targets on the left and right of the range. It's easy at the range to align yourself the way the mat or Bay is pointing you which rarely happens on the course.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Try reading a copy of The Practice Manual by Adam Young.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Range work doesn't come close to course play. On the range we all look like superstars as we have no expectations of hitting a specific target we just blast away and on the course you can't do that .it's very target orientated and that gets into your head wether you want it to or not ,the range dosent do that it doesn't matter if you hit a bad one one the range but the course is a one shot job and get it wrong you pay for it. Play the course .you will learn a lot more and have more fun than the range

 

[Yant]

don;t go to the range and just play.

range Vs course are two very different things... range massive target with no consequence for a wild or bad shot, not to forget hiiting the same shot over and over again.

learn to play golf and score on a golf course would be my advice, no book required

Agree with this. They are two completely different things.

 

[TreeSeeker]

can tell a couple of you guys have very different range practice to me, I always set targets and try to work in changes / thoughts that i'm working on. Gotta say i think a range session is as good if not better than on course practice, given that its 1- targetted, and 2- doesn't need to be in place so you can actually work on improvements. I always feel the course is awful practice, but you've got to make whatever you've got on the day work, while if you're on the range you can work through it and try to leave with a better swing than you started.

As for range to course i try to think of it the other way around and take the course to the range. I.e. if i had a 130 yard shot to a nicely placed pin and messed up onthe course, i'd go to the range with that as a target, work on it and know next time i've got that situation i've got the tool in the box, or if i didn't get the right amount of draw or fade i'll work on those etc. Do you have ideas on what shots it is that you can't hit on the course but can on the range?

 

[Backsticks]

I think you are chasing the end of a rainbow OP. I dont think 'range consistency' that one cannot transpose to the course is really a thing. I think most people's golf on the course game is much closer to their game on the range than they realise.

The range is perfect conditions for a start - perfect lie, perfectly flat, no hazards or trouble in sight. No bad lies, no shots from the semi rough even. No side hill, down hills, bare lies, etc.
Then, the wide target that is the range. Yes, we pick a point target, but dont really have sight of what a miss is from that target. There is no rough to remind us that the pretty well hit shot, while a bit left or right, would actually have missed the green or fairway. We focus on the positive and feel it was well hit. So a far higher proportion of the shots we hit seem to have done 'OK', that on a real course, with the same error, would have been penalised and had us cursing a poorly played shot.
And lastly, the fact that we can hit a lot of balls on the range compared to a round, and tend to forget the few poor ones. Overall, we have the sensation of hitting it well. Blanking the couple of bad ones from our minds. But on the course, those few bad ones ended up OB or in the drink, and are the ones that spoil the card.

 

[bobmac]

Do you have a pre shot routine or swing thoughts on the range?

 

[garyinderry]

Place a towel a couple of inches behind the ball on the range mat and that consistency is likely to disappear.

Your welcome.


Also the best and cheapest ball striking aid on the planet.

 

[patricks148]

can tell a couple of you guys have very different range practice to me, I always set targets and try to work in changes / thoughts that i'm working on. Gotta say i think a range session is as good if not better than on course practice, given that its 1- targetted, and 2- doesn't need to be in place so you can actually work on improvements. I always feel the course is awful practice, but you've got to make whatever you've got on the day work, while if you're on the range you can work through it and try to leave with a better swing than you started.

As for range to course i try to think of it the other way around and take the course to the range. I.e. if i had a 130 yard shot to a nicely placed pin and messed up onthe course, i'd go to the range with that as a target, work on it and know next time i've got that situation i've got the tool in the box, or if i didn't get the right amount of draw or fade i'll work on those etc. Do you have ideas on what shots it is that you can't hit on the course but can on the range?

great if you think you can achive perfection, playing situations will make you a better player, miss the green, make sure you still score by getting up and down.

if you are in a comp playing for your handicap, being used to scoring and getting out of situations will make you a better player the range has its uses of course, but playing golf will make you better at playing golf

 

[Capella]

Everyone is always talking about "consistency". Actually, golf is the most inconsistent sport there is. No two shots are ever the same. On the range, you can hit 20 balls and it gives you a good feeling, because 19 of them were decent or even very good. Just that first one, where you needed to get dialed in first ...

Do you get what I mean? On the course you always only have that very first shot. And you will never face the same or even a very similar shot twice in a row. You need to constantly adapt and change. You can't bring your range game to the course. The best way out of that dilemma is to practice playing golf holes on the range, so not hitting the same shot 20 times, but rather visualizing a hole, hit your tee shot, then, judging on roughly your "tee shot" went, play what would be your next shot. All the way to the green. Similar for putting practice. If you practice the same putt 5 times, chances are you will get the line and pace right eventually. But you have to learn to get the first one right or at least right enough.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Golf is hard, really hard. Consistency in flight is something really hard to get in golf and there is not many people I have ever played with, who have that.

You can become more consistent in scoring for sure, and the only way to learn how to score is out on the course(assuming you can hit the ball to a degree, which it sounds like you can), with all the different lies, elements, greens etc. And all of that takes time and practise on the course.

Relax on the course, it really isn't important, some people are dying in life, thats important. The score is irrelevant and will only follow your shots and mental approach to the game.

We all have plenty of bad days, best of luck tho and enjoy the game.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Plain and simple, you can’t.

The range is the range and the course is the course.

What you can take between the two is routine, confidence and technique.

Consistency, no you can’t take that as it’s defined far to much by the ground in front of you, number of repetitions and size/distance of targets.

 

[Orikoru]

I don't go to the range anymore, I find it a waste of time. But if you still want to, maybe you could replicate course conditions on the range. So rather than hitting 20 drivers, followed by 20 irons, which is a bit of a waste of time since you never get into that sort of rhythm out on the course - why not try hitting, driver, then a long, then a wedge, then repeat. And do your full on-course shot routine for each one.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I far prefer the practice ground and hitting off grass and a sloping lie as none of it is dead flat. Doesn't mask the fats as much as a club skidding on a range mat and while the balls are 80% distance and so hard to be subjective over distance I find it more realistic when hitting to a target and can judge by the width of a miss where that would be in relation to bunkers/rough etc on the course itself. Can't use it so much once the clocks change so a range a necessity to me for then keeping the swing ticking over

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Everyone is always talking about "consistency". Actually, golf is the most inconsistent sport there is. No two shots are ever the same. On the range, you can hit 20 balls and it gives you a good feeling, because 19 of them were decent or even very good. Just that first one, where you needed to get dialed in first ...

Do you get what I mean? On the course you always only have that very first shot. And you will never face the same or even a very similar shot twice in a row. You need to constantly adapt and change. You can't bring your range game to the course. The best way out of that dilemma is to practice playing golf holes on the range, so not hitting the same shot 20 times, but rather visualizing a hole, hit your tee shot, then, judging on roughly your "tee shot" went, play what would be your next shot. All the way to the green. Similar for putting practice. If you practice the same putt 5 times, chances are you will get the line and pace right eventually. But you have to learn to get the first one right or at least right enough.

Yes, that's what I do, after warming up. I play the course holes in my minds eye.
What is frustrating is how you hit the balls differently ,depending on the venue.
On the range I strike the ball reasonably well. On the course, it all goes to rats...t.
I've worked out that on the range I swing through the ball, on the course I try to "hit it"
On the course I've started pretending I'm on the range. I.e, I line up the target etc, and then at address tell myself that nothing can now be changed for what I've done so far...All that remains is to swing right.
I say to myself, "you are on the range, just swing like you're on the range."
It works........sometimes 😂