Progress on the range but not on the course

[McDizzle85]

A few months ago I posted about moving from a cackhanded grip to an orthodox grip.

I've been playing with my new grip for 2-3 months now. I've also taken the advice given on the previous thread and had some lessons. The lessons have been focussing on my swing for my irons up to my hybrid. I havent had a putting or driver lesson yet. I feel the lessons have really helped. I definitely hit the ball further now and when practicing on the driving range I strike the ball well the majority of the time.

On the course is completely different. I fat shots, thin them, hook them and top them. I played today and I topped almost every tee shot. The course is a short one with most holes between 140 to 175yrds so I'm teeing off with irons most of the time. I just can't figure out why I'm so inconsistent on the course. I had a warm up on the driving range before I played and was hitting all of my clubs well. Then my usual inconsistent self turned up on the course.

Does anyone have any advice or experience of how they have dealt with this?

 

[RGDave]

Does anyone have any advice or experience of how they have dealt with this?

I guess many of us went through this, so you are not alone and I/we feel the frustration.

It will come in time and even when it comes, you can't expect the same performance on the course.
The range is kind of sterile/safe in terms of many things. It also (dare I say it) doesn't quite give you the ideal conditions for hitting the ball. I learned using range mats and hit up to 200-300 balls a week off a mat and rarely more than 80 full shots a week (2 games) on the course. It also goes without saying really that half of those (up to) 40 shots are teed up... well 18 of them, anyway.

I hit balls at both range and grass practice ground these days. As mad as it sounds, I am still less confident on grass (not including the tee) and let's face it, many shots we play on the course are not totally flat, there are other considerations (avoiding trouble, hitting shaped shots) which complicate things. Let's say I could hit 20 x 8 irons at the range and then be magically lifted off that mat and placed on a fairway, I'd expect to hit that green damn close to every time... yup... that's about right.

Like I said, bays are sterile and there's lots to help you stand square, 'feel' the line of the shot (those walls between bays even help) and lastly, there is no real pressure....

My best ever scores have never come after stepping off the range to the course. I can't explain it.
My best scores have always come using the range the day before or the morning before the game.

Many folk are scratch golfers at the range... (I don't include myself)... we see it all the time... pounding ball after ball down there not missing a beat. Maybe the best we can hope for is 75% or something... maybe.

Either way, your strike and direction will catch up gradually, it simply has to. As it all settles (the grip, the swing) you will take it to the course. 2-3 months is not long....

Good luck.

 

[turkish]

It may be in your head- you may be over thinking shots on the course on a technical side. really you just want to empty your thoughts and have 1 maybe 2 max swing thoughts... overthinking causes tension which is a killer for poor shots. Everyone is guilty of it from time to time but the more you can relax and try and just have a simple thought should help. Also your pre shot and post shot routine should be looked at.

Pre shot try and look into think box and play box theory then try and get a pre shot routine nailed down.

Post shot routine- try maybe holding your position for a few seconds and also try and let go bad shots- anger or frustration tends to just lead to further poor shots

 

[Huwey12]

I must agree with Turkish. On the course we see hazards which gets us tense but the biggest age old problem is trying to hit the ball too hard which you don't experience on the range
Select the club for the distance, line up, empty thoughts of distance/hazards and make a smooth full swing. Even think of just hitting the ball 80 yards when you've selected a club to go 180
Its all in the head

 

[golfdub]

The biggest break through ive had in golf is getting a solid pre shot routine which clear thoughts.

Mine is stand behind the ball pick a point beyond the landing point of where i want the ball to start, spin the club in my hand, walk to the ball while still staring at my point i have picked, look at my ball and set up, look at point, look at ball and hit it. Sound long but all this take a mere 15 seconds.

My picked point would be for example a leaf on a tree, not the whole tree. think of it like darts, you wouldn't look at the whole board and throw a dart hoping to hit T20, you would stare down T20 and just throw not worrying about technique.

This needs to be practiced on the range just as much as the technique.

Doing this has honestly got me hitting the ball like i do on the range and my HC is dropping

 

[SteveJay]

Mine is stand behind the ball pick a point beyond the landing point of where i want the ball to start

That's intriguing as most advice suggests focussing on a target point a few feet ahead of the ball. I am wondering how you adopt your technique off the tee, especially with a driver? You must have damn good eyesight to focus on a leaf beyond the landing point!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Been working hard on the range on a couple of things. Hadn't played much but went out today and it's starting to bed in. Not perfect and the bad ones still destructive but definitely a step forward.

 

[brendy]

Thats a great post Homer, yet again, nothing of any use in this thread but awesome all the same, good for you.

A few months ago I posted about moving from a cackhanded grip to an orthodox grip.

I've been playing with my new grip for 2-3 months now. I've also taken the advice given on the previous thread and had some lessons. The lessons have been focussing on my swing for my irons up to my hybrid. I havent had a putting or driver lesson yet. I feel the lessons have really helped. I definitely hit the ball further now and when practicing on the driving range I strike the ball well the majority of the time.

On the course is completely different. I fat shots, thin them, hook them and top them. I played today and I topped almost every tee shot. The course is a short one with most holes between 140 to 175yrds so I'm teeing off with irons most of the time. I just can't figure out why I'm so inconsistent on the course. I had a warm up on the driving range before I played and was hitting all of my clubs well. Then my usual inconsistent self turned up on the course.

Does anyone have any advice or experience of how they have dealt with this?

My advice would be to be more precise at the range, it is a hundred yards wide probably so chances are a good few "ok" shots wouldn't be so great on the course. At my range there are trees in the distance and try to stay within the "goalposts", we're amateur golfers so precision needs to be realistic, the pro's say aim small miss small, I don't think that works with us that have inconsistencies in our swings and setting a margin (goal posts analogy) is probably safer and less damaging to confidence. Stick with it though, it'll get better.