Gotta say thanks...

[Beezerk]

...to the mystery person who suggested practicing at the driving range like you're playing an actual round. Can't for the life of me remember which thread I'd read it on recently.
Went to the driving range yesterday afternoon with a score card from a local course, I hit the clubs I'd normally use for the holes as I went through them one by one if you get what I mean...drive,long iron/short iron, chip etc.
Probably the most enjoyable driving range practice I've ever had, really made it much more interesting and helped focus on every shot rather than just blasting away.

To who ever you are :thup:

 

[TheClaw]

Good stuff. How many putts did you have?

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

The key to a good session is to practice with a purpose rather than just thrashing away.

Hope it pays off for you

 

[Beezerk]

Good stuff. How many putts did you have?

Zero, I holed every chip

 

[Rooter]

Zero, I holed every chip

So you missed every green then?

 

[sev112]

The bunkers are a bit hard ...

 

[Deleted member 17920]

So you missed every green then?

Nope he did a Paula creamer and chipped on the greens :angry:

 

[pbrown7582]

Nope he did a Paula creamer and chipped on the greens :angry:

and a hand stand in front of the clubhouse......... :lol:


Practice with a purpose is so much more beneficial, 30 balls struck this way is far better than 90/120 drives just hit from same position one after another IMO. By changing clubs you are repeating not only your swing but also set up and stance positions alignment.

 

[Riverdale]

I seem to recall that Faldo used this strategy on the range before his final round in the masters when he won the green jacket.

He used the range to play the shots he planned to play on each hole in succession. He finished the day with a green jacket, so not a bad practice routine!

 

[londonlewis]

...to the mystery person who suggested practicing at the driving range like you're playing an actual round.
To who ever you are :thup:

Can I claim this one?
Unless I am not the only genius out there who recommends this!

You can look like a bit of a plonker at times but it definitely helps to put game pressure on you which should massively help when you get out on the course as well.

I would also strongly recommend working on your wedges; full shots and half shots. Ideally your range will have targets around 100 yards and 50 yards. If you can produce consistent results with your wedges at the range you will be able to transfer this success on the course.

The trick I use to make sure I get solid contact is to make sure that I am still looking at the original ball position until I have fully completed my wedge shot. You should be able to stare at the sole of your back foot before you look up. This will help you to generate a full and half shot as well as generate the height you are looking for with a wedge. It should prevent you from hitting the ball fat or blading it.

The second tip I use is how to control the full vs half shot. Control how fast you turn your body during the shot. For a full shot you should feel like you are turning at 40mph, for a half shot you should feel like you are turning at 20mph. The length of the shot is identical for both shots. The final key is to make sure you are accelerating into the ball, not slowing down.
If this tip helps but you want more info or clarification, just let me know.

cheers