Driving Range Practice

[SeanMc]

Hi folks,

Now that its getting darker earlier and earlier ive found myself playing down the range more than actually getting on the course.

Does anyone have any drills or routines I can take with me which will be of benefit, because i seem to find myself aimlessly smashing balls without a lot of thought.

God Speed.

 

[Imurg]

God Speed.

Exactly how fast is that.....?

I often play my course on the range.
Play the shot you would play on the 1st, follow it with a second shot appropriate to where the drive finishes and continue until you are "on the green". Give yourself 2 putts and move on. See if you can beat your best!

 

[Losttheplot]

I try to work on things that I've been struggling with. Recently I've really been trying to shape the ball so today that's what I did. Just to add to it I try to imagine playing into a green guarded with bunkers or try to shape around the dogleg fairway. Use the range markers for targets and obstacles.

 

[RGDave]

How straight do you hit it?

I spend most of my time grooving path and final destination.

Keeps me busy for hours. I just find a flag and/or imagine a fairway and keep tweaking.

 

[Region3]

How straight do you hit it?

I spend most of my time grooving path and final destination.

Keeps me busy for hours. I just find a flag and/or imagine a fairway and keep tweaking.

I do that but then the next time I play I can't remember what I ended up doing to make it go straight

 

[Oddsocks]

God Speed.

Exactly how fast is that.....?

I often play my course on the range.
Play the shot you would play on the 1st, follow it with a second shot appropriate to where the drive finishes and continue until you are "on the green". Give yourself 2 putts and move on. See if you can beat your best!

As above, play a virtual round one session, then the next session focus on what ever let my virtual game down, the to brake things up I'll have a driving and woods session or a wedge session,

What's funny is I find my score card always benefits from a wedge session more than anything else

 

[John_Findlay]

Instead of just raking balls over to your spot one at a time go through the usual routine you would do on the course, e.g. standing behind it to pick your target first etc and vary your club often. But use an alignment aid, like a club, often to check that fundamental.

 

[chrisd]

I went to the range Saturday and concentrated soley on not killing anyone!

There was a party of boys about 8 to 10 years old all shouting and bawling. Most of them had hit 3 balls and decided to then hit the remaining 1,000 balls utilising the Happy Gilmore method - oh did that add to the merriment. The dad who bought the party of boys ( obviously one of their lot were enjoying a birthday) was hitting further down the range so left them to get on with it. Another couple with their kids were hitting further along and dad employed a different back swing - he thought that if the club hit his son on the forehead on the backswing it might slow his downswing to just a blur! Mother gives first aid to injured boy and dad wipes blood off club and continues to practice, although kids wimpering was thankfully muffled by the "Happy Gilmore" mob!

The man next to me on the other side, employed a grip that Guy the Gorilla might have used had he been a tour pro and moaned every time he hit the ball, mainly because it didn't go where he expected it to go, what a suprise!

Given these odd distractions I hit balls with each club in turn cocentrating on just rhythm and speed - played well on Sunday as a result

Chris

 

[Evesdad]

I can never get the play my course to stick in my head when at the range, I just can't visualise it. I usually start at wedges and work my way through the bag concentrating on hitting straight and consistent. Then go back to wedges and pitching.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I can never get the play my course to stick in my head when at the range, I just can't visualise it. I usually start at wedges and work my way through the bag concentrating on hitting straight and consistent. Then go back to wedges and pitching.

I agree. I'd rather hit small batches (5-10) with each club, stepping off the mat after each and rehearsing any drill (if I've had a lesson) or going back and going through my pre-shot routine. I'm happy to switch targets and hit different clubs to different flags but I can never fully visualise the course and as it never has the same meaning should I carve one I know would have been OB it tends to render it mute.

 

[haplesshacker]

I find that I need to be structured with range practice. Otherwise I end up just trying to bash balls as far as possible. I even get 'range competitive', where the chap in the bay next to me is doing 'x', I will try to do better than him. God I'm sad! It can all end in a bit of a willy waving contest, which is not really what I'm about.

I like the play it like you would on your course approach, but it doesn't let you work on one part of your game. So I do try and go with some kind of objective. Whether it be wedge'y work or tee shots, (which it inevitably becomes).

I must admit that range practice for me is dull, boring and unexciting, which might explain the competivness with the chap in the next bay. So I have to set myself goals. Be it making a fairway on the range, or pitching practice. But at least I can also evaluate the products at the same time!