Driving Range vs Course

KhalJimbo

KhalJimbo

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HI Guys

I've had my second golf second last weekend and I can say I am already seeing major improvements.

So far we have worked on my Stance, Swing and Grip. I had a pretty bad Slice\Hook?? to the left, this was corrected with my grip and I started sending balls flying straight ahead. It went from about 20% going straight to about 80% going straight, was very very happy with the results.

Anyway, I went into the pro shop afterwards to book my next lesson when my wife text me and said she was going out, so I went straight back in and paid to play the 9 hole Par 3 academy course.

What a surprise, I sucked!!! From off the first tee I hit the ball everywhere but center! It was a Par 27 course and I hit a 54!! I felt like crying I was doing so bad! I was topping the ball and going about 20 feet, some would just go OOB to the right. What a horrible time.

The next day I went to the driving range again, and low and behold. Almost every ball went dead straight with nice flight!

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Any tips to take onto the course? I tried taking everything I had learned with me to the course but I just couldn't get it right.
 
KhalJimbo said:
I tried taking everything I had learned with me to the course but I just couldn't get it right.
Click to expand...

I would say that this is half of the problem. Work on your technique etc on the range, but once you get on the course, just hit the ball.

Otherwise, your head will be full of 'do this, now do this, dont do this' and you will end up being way too technical.

Also, experience. just keep playing. you will learn to score the more you play.
 
Where are you having your lessons ?

If possible I would ask your pro if you could have a playing lesson, so he can watch to see if you are still doing exactly the same on the course as on the range.
 
I'm currently working on my swing with my Pro and am just resigned to the fact that on the course my golf will be crap(pier) until the changes have bedded in.

I'm really lucky that my Pro will come out and check FOC I'm still doing it right when I'm on the range.
 
I think on the course a lot has to do with your expectation of yourself.

On the range, there is no real pressure so you are likely to be more relaxed. As soon as you get on the course, you desperately want to do well and that is immediately counterproductive.

Anyway, that's my excuse!!!!!
 
What hat you've learnt will take time to bed in. Any good pro giving you lessons will generally leave you time with some balls to hit so that what you've just been taught/learnt can be practised and honed in immediately. Alternatively go to a range immediately after your lesson and hit "some" balls so that you can ingrain it in.

I've generally found that pros giving lessons would say that they're not concerned about where the ball is going initially, its more amount getting the technique right then bedding it in and that it will take a bit of time for that to happen.

If you go to the course right away then you're looking for results right away and your main judgement is based on how you're doing with getting the ball to the hole. Hitting "some" balls at the range may allow you to concentrate on the technique and the strike rather than the outcome.

I've mentioned "some" balls as it's different for everyone but hitting a big bucket of balls after a lesson didn't always work for me, 50max is what suited me - but different strokes for different folks.


KhalJimbo said:
HI Guys

I've had my second golf second last weekend and I can say I am already seeing major improvements.

So far we have worked on my Stance, Swing and Grip. I had a pretty bad Slice\Hook?? to the left, this was corrected with my grip and I started sending balls flying straight ahead. It went from about 20% going straight to about 80% going straight, was very very happy with the results.

Anyway, I went into the pro shop afterwards to book my next lesson when my wife text me and said she was going out, so I went straight back in and paid to play the 9 hole Par 3 academy course.

What a surprise, I sucked!!! From off the first tee I hit the ball everywhere but center! It was a Par 27 course and I hit a 54!! I felt like crying I was doing so bad! I was topping the ball and going about 20 feet, some would just go OOB to the right. What a horrible time.

The next day I went to the driving range again, and low and behold. Almost every ball went dead straight with nice flight!

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Any tips to take onto the course? I tried taking everything I had learned with me to the course but I just couldn't get it right.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks guys, all advice is really appreciated!

I do have a playing session included in my lessons so I guess we'll still get to that.

The pro giving my lessons is not really concerned about where the balls are going at the moment, he says we'll work on that later. After the second lesson though almost all my balls were flying straight ahead so we had worked on that. I usually have about 150 balls during the lessons, with the pro I'll shoot about half, then he'll leave me with the other half to hit after the lesson has finished.

As suggested above, next time I do play a course I'll try keep a bit more relaxed.

When he changed my grip to open my club face a bit more it was really really uncomfortable, now however its starting to feel more normal. So at least thats good.

If I could only play as well on the course as I do on the driving range!! One day I'll get there, I'm determined!
 
I'm a 10 handicapper at the range, 22 on the course. If you crack it please let me know. Actually, I know what it is. At the range there are no consequences to a bad shot so you stand there, shoulders loose and you swing freely and without tension. Guess what? You tend to hit the ball cleanly and straight. On the course you know if you give it everything but get the timing wrong it could go left or right and your card is wrecked. Consequence? You hold back, you squeeze the grip too tightly, your shoulders tense, you don't swing cleanly through the ball and so contact is not as regular. Frustration guaranteed.

The only good thing is you know a good golfer is in there. You just have to transfer the good shots from the range to the course. The psychology of golf. You, me and a few thousand others need to work on it. Good luck, genuinely.

(okay, I'm not really a 10 handicapper anywhere but a bloke can dream can't he?)
 
As someone who spent 5 days a week at the range with one round a fortnight in my first year of golf, I feel that I might be able to offer an insight.

-When you hit a ball fat at the range, it will generally move down the range- maybe not as far, but a lot farther than if you were on the course. Learn to LISTEN to the contact. Do you know what it FEELS and SOUNDS like to properly compress a ball? Not to be patronising, but I only felt this in year 2. Use the range mats for feedback using your ears more than your eyes.

-Pressure/No pressure. At the range, you do not have 'the fear' that you'd have on the course. The worst you can do at the range is hit the roof or shank. On the course, you can duff, shank, hit bunkers, thin through the green, miss a 2 foot putt, drive out of bounds, leave the ball in the bunker 4 times in a row, lose balls and top your drive short of the ladies tees, amongst other things. You need to get this same feeling at the range. There's many ways to do this and you can decide. A common one is to 'play your course' in an honest fashion. Note where the ball has gone, take the required club for your second, third etc shot and give yourself a score. Target golf at the range is as close as you'll get to the course.

-Pre-shot routine. Practice one. It doesn't have to be OTT. Mine is standing behind the ball, pointing at my target with my club head, looking at the first 6 feet of that 'line', set up to that target and play my shot. This is important as you'll be overly concerned about target on the golf course that you'll do damaging things like trying to hit the ball too hard, looking at target before you've hit the ball etc. The golf swing is all about trust. If you don't trust what you're doing at the range, you'll struggle on the course.

-Alignment. Range bays are a cheat. They aren't circular. They aren't skewed. They help you line up square. Try to hit targets at 10 and 2 o'clock from where your bay is naturally lined up to. You won't be sued for putting alignment sticks down on the course (as long as you don't dilly-dally) and it's something you really need to consider

-Tension. IMO the number one killer of high handicappers (Check my sig, I used to be a struggling 24 handicapper). Make sure you are gripping around 4/10 in terms of tension. You might duff shots still, but at least your hands, shoulders, neck and back won't ache after a round.

-Don't give a hoot. Expectations, particularly after good range sessions or lessons make you think that you're going to shoot scratch the next time you head out. You aren't going to do that, certainly if you're tense, aren't keeping your expectations in check and are overly concerned about where your ball is going to go. Swing easy, into a balanced finish.

-Club up. Twice. So, you're 100 yards from the green, pick a PW or even 9 iron. Bet yourself that you can't hit ball, then turf with such an easy swing that it only goes 100 yards. You'll be surprised the amount of times you'll get to the back of greens, rather than duff it into the green side bunker.

Good luck, from someone who must have hit approximately 5,000 range balls in his first 2 years of golf.
 
virtuocity said:
As someone who spent 5 days a week at the range with one round a fortnight in my first year of golf, I feel that I might be able to offer an insight.

-When you hit a ball fat at the range, it will generally move down the range- maybe not as far, but a lot farther than if you were on the course. Learn to LISTEN to the contact. Do you know what it FEELS and SOUNDS like to properly compress a ball? Not to be patronising, but I only felt this in year 2. Use the range mats for feedback using your ears more than your eyes.

-Pressure/No pressure. At the range, you do not have 'the fear' that you'd have on the course. The worst you can do at the range is hit the roof or shank. On the course, you can duff, shank, hit bunkers, thin through the green, miss a 2 foot putt, drive out of bounds, leave the ball in the bunker 4 times in a row, lose balls and top your drive short of the ladies tees, amongst other things. You need to get this same feeling at the range. There's many ways to do this and you can decide. A common one is to 'play your course' in an honest fashion. Note where the ball has gone, take the required club for your second, third etc shot and give yourself a score. Target golf at the range is as close as you'll get to the course.

-Pre-shot routine. Practice one. It doesn't have to be OTT. Mine is standing behind the ball, pointing at my target with my club head, looking at the first 6 feet of that 'line', set up to that target and play my shot. This is important as you'll be overly concerned about target on the golf course that you'll do damaging things like trying to hit the ball too hard, looking at target before you've hit the ball etc. The golf swing is all about trust. If you don't trust what you're doing at the range, you'll struggle on the course.

-Alignment. Range bays are a cheat. They aren't circular. They aren't skewed. They help you line up square. Try to hit targets at 10 and 2 o'clock from where your bay is naturally lined up to. You won't be sued for putting alignment sticks down on the course (as long as you don't dilly-dally) and it's something you really need to consider

-Tension. IMO the number one killer of high handicappers (Check my sig, I used to be a struggling 24 handicapper). Make sure you are gripping around 4/10 in terms of tension. You might duff shots still, but at least your hands, shoulders, neck and back won't ache after a round.

-Don't give a hoot. Expectations, particularly after good range sessions or lessons make you think that you're going to shoot scratch the next time you head out. You aren't going to do that, certainly if you're tense, aren't keeping your expectations in check and are overly concerned about where your ball is going to go. Swing easy, into a balanced finish.

-Club up. Twice. So, you're 100 yards from the green, pick a PW or even 9 iron. Bet yourself that you can't hit ball, then turf with such an easy swing that it only goes 100 yards. You'll be surprised the amount of times you'll get to the back of greens, rather than duff it into the green side bunker.

Good luck, from someone who must have hit approximately 5,000 range balls in his first 2 years of golf.
Click to expand...

Lots and lots of good advice there! Thanks for all of that.

Interesting what you say about tension, I really was aching after Saturday. My shoulders and upper back were killing me. I guess thats something to keep in mind just to relax my muscles a bit more.

Going take all of the above on board.
 
I was told that there really are at least four levels of golf:

1) Range golf
2) Social golf
3) Club Medals etc
4) County golf and beyond.
.......
.......
.......
100) Tour golf (but let's not worry about that yet!)

Each level gets 10x more difficult and mentally challenging.

So, yep - it is trickier but it will slowly come together.

Simon
 
Its worth noting that if you play off mats at the range the club will slide under the ball whereas on grass you'd have a divot in front of the ball !
 
The range is for working on technique and drills from the lessons and making it feel natural in the swing. The course is for trusting and just playing with a clear head and letting the hard work come out
 
The
virtuocity said:
As someone who spent 5 days a week at the range with one round a fortnight in my first year of golf, I feel that I might be able to offer an insight.

-When you hit a ball fat at the range, it will generally move down the range- maybe not as far, but a lot farther than if you were on the course. Learn to LISTEN to the contact. Do you know what it FEELS and SOUNDS like to properly compress a ball? Not to be patronising, but I only felt this in year 2. Use the range mats for feedback using your ears more than your eyes.

-Pressure/No pressure. At the range, you do not have 'the fear' that you'd have on the course. The worst you can do at the range is hit the roof or shank. On the course, you can duff, shank, hit bunkers, thin through the green, miss a 2 foot putt, drive out of bounds, leave the ball in the bunker 4 times in a row, lose balls and top your drive short of the ladies tees, amongst other things. You need to get this same feeling at the range. There's many ways to do this and you can decide. A common one is to 'play your course' in an honest fashion. Note where the ball has gone, take the required club for your second, third etc shot and give yourself a score. Target golf at the range is as close as you'll get to the course.

-Pre-shot routine. Practice one. It doesn't have to be OTT. Mine is standing behind the ball, pointing at my target with my club head, looking at the first 6 feet of that 'line', set up to that target and play my shot. This is important as you'll be overly concerned about target on the golf course that you'll do damaging things like trying to hit the ball too hard, looking at target before you've hit the ball etc. The golf swing is all about trust. If you don't trust what you're doing at the range, you'll struggle on the course.

-Alignment. Range bays are a cheat. They aren't circular. They aren't skewed. They help you line up square. Try to hit targets at 10 and 2 o'clock from where your bay is naturally lined up to. You won't be sued for putting alignment sticks down on the course (as long as you don't dilly-dally) and it's something you really need to consider

-Tension. IMO the number one killer of high handicappers (Check my sig, I used to be a struggling 24 handicapper). Make sure you are gripping around 4/10 in terms of tension. You might duff shots still, but at least your hands, shoulders, neck and back won't ache after a round.

-Don't give a hoot. Expectations, particularly after good range sessions or lessons make you think that you're going to shoot scratch the next time you head out. You aren't going to do that, certainly if you're tense, aren't keeping your expectations in check and are overly concerned about where your ball is going to go. Swing easy, into a balanced finish.

-Club up. Twice. So, you're 100 yards from the green, pick a PW or even 9 iron. Bet yourself that you can't hit ball, then turf with such an easy swing that it only goes 100 yards. You'll be surprised the amount of times you'll get to the back of greens, rather than duff it into the green side bunker.

Good luck, from someone who must have hit approximately 5,000 range balls in his first 2 years of golf.
Click to expand...

This is as concise a summary of the beginnings of golf as I've read on this forum - it should be made a sticky!
 
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