Range Question

[bladeplayer]

Sorry if this was asked recently & i missed it .. was at the range at lunch time to hit a few balls ..start with wedges go through the clubs & finish with wedges .. just wondering .. ya know the clubs you would take divots with on the course .. say p/w .. smack a wedge say 100-120 on the course up pops your divot . you cant replicate this off the mats, so is it of any use practicing these shots??? .. does the fact im picking it off the matt but driving through the ground on the course mean im altering my swing for the range .. hence harming rather than helping my course play ?? what ye think??

 

[gripitripit]

I for one cannot hit my irons off the mat very well and I find it a false economy anyway for the reasons you stated. I go to a grass range if I am practicing my irons or pitch & putt for my short irons & wedges. Tend to only use Hybrids and Driver on the range with the mats.

 

[Dave1980]

If you are hitting your Irons & Wedges correctly you would only take a divot after hitting the ball, so being on a range mat should not make too much difference to you swing. It will only knock the lie & loft of your clubs out after a while!!

 

[Piece]

Shots on range and course should be very much the same. As poster said, lofts do get knocked a bit, particularly wedges on mats.

 

[Superdan]

i've seen places offering to check and 'fix' the lie of your clubs... Does this actually make the situation any better?

 

[BoadieBroadus]

i think the mat plays on one's (well mine anyway) subconscious when hitting off it with lofted clubs, encouraging you not to properly bottom out after the ball. Like the OP i don't think it helps my game to work with wedges off the mat, though in reality it shouldn't make a difference...

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have no problem using a range and in the winter it's pretty much the only effective practice you can get. Mind you at this time of year I'm grateful my club has a grass parctice area so I can get some realistic practice. If you are hitting down and compressing the ball properly I don't see range mats as being too much of a problem. Where it does become an issue is when you hit it a little fat (if you were hitting on grass) and the club skids and gives something resembling a decent strike

 

[BluenoseGolfer]

Sometimes for me a really bad strike with longer irons hurts the hands too

 

[Mattyboy]

I dont see much point in practising wedges at the range as wedge play is all about a smooth swing to replicate the same distance each time. The general state of range balls, including the fact they are often distance limited, means you cannot guage how far they are going.

 

[chrisd]

I dont see much point in practising wedges at the range as wedge play is all about a smooth swing to replicate the same distance each time. The general state of range balls, including the fact they are often distance limited, means you cannot guage how far they are going.

But you can still replicate the feel of a good swing and my range has pretty much balls that are of even quality so I do practice chipping off the mats and only factor in distance control when I do some chipping before a round at the course - the swing remains the same

Chris

 

[palindromicbob]

I practiced my wedge's at the range last night (had been playing well on the course and wanted to groove the feeling). Needless to say it failed miserably. I was hitting them sweet on the range but when I hit the course today I was all over the place. Took 9 holes to get them back on track. Feeling of mat and soil are too different. Lesson learned for me anyway.

 

[bobmac]

I find as long as the mats aren't old, bare and brick hard, I can still hit down on them without breaking or hurting anything.
Learn to feel the wedge thump into the mat after the ball and you will improve your ball flight and contact.

 

[Smiffy]

Learn to feel the wedge thump into the mat after the ball and you will improve your ball flight and contact.

And also run the risk of giving yourself tennis elbow

 

[bobmac]

Learn to feel the wedge thump into the mat after the ball and you will improve your ball flight and contact.

And also run the risk of giving yourself tennis elbow

Only if they swing swing it like you do

 

[Smiffy]

Learn to feel the wedge thump into the mat after the ball and you will improve your ball flight and contact.

And also run the risk of giving yourself tennis elbow

Only if they swing swing it like you do

Thumping into the mat is thumping into the mat....however you swing

 

[RGDave]

I find as long as the mats aren't old, bare and brick hard, I can still hit down on them without breaking or hurting anything.

Not known for hitting down on the ball I sometimes remember to not sway and hit a decent wedge.

I went to an auto-tee range once and slid a few balls onto the "mat" for a few wedges. First shot out, I hit the ground and nearly broke my wrists. It wasn't a mat....it was a cloth covering over a concrete slab.