Range swing vs course swing.

[goldenbare]

I'm with you Oddsocks, after a dozen 9 irons to warm up I seldom hit more than 2 with each club. Usually make 45 balls last a good hour when its not freezing.
Perhaps its me that needs to focus on the course as to where I want the ball to go, not where I don't want it to go.

 

[Oddsocks]

I'll get it out my system 9 holes Saturday morning with no woods, just irons

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm scratch at the range and definitely anything but on the course. You are disappointed with five over your handicap and in a way that is good in that you're no prepared to settle for bad rounds. However you can go out there too focussed on doing well and the game and swing doesn't flow as much as when you relax and take it as it comes.

I'm with Murph though. It takes a long time to accept a swing change will work and to trust it explicitly 100% especially in a competition. If you put the work in down the range logic says it should be easy to just replicate what you're doing. As we know though golf is rarely logical and the mind can play strange tricks on the swing

 

[Oddsocks]

Thing is homer the swing changes started in November and feel pretty ground in, I suppose the 3 rounds and few range sessions have given False hope

I was going to hit the range tonight but I feel a gap day was a better idea, but tomorrow it's back there

 

[lee_leggett]

I find my range swing is good, however this is due to matt bounce.
If you hit a heavy shot on the fairway you have a 25yrd duff, but at the range you can get away with it and it seems to go quite well.

 

[Oddsocks]

Fat used to be my wedge shots, generally my fault with irons is thin if any thing

 

[JustOne]

A few good sessions at the range doesn't translate into better golf... a few 1000 good seesions and you're getting somewhere

 

[Oddsocks]

I'm just waiting for better Christmas crackers so I can get a swing like yours

 

[JustOne]

Actually mine was free with a 750g pack of sugar puffs

 

[Oddsocks]

I would have give it back and asked for stickers or spokie dokies

 

[rickg]

OS,
The brain has to re-wire neurons in order to make a newly learned skill permanent. It could take months before the new skills become automatic and you stop reverting back to your previously ingrained swing thoughts.

The more under pressure you are, ie out on the course in a competition, the more likely the old swing will emerge.

Interesting article here....

http://www.train-to-ingrain.com/coreinsight.asp

 

[Smiffy]

OS,
The brain has to re-wire neurons in order to make a newly learned skill permanent. It could take months before the new skills become automatic

You are assuming OddSocks has a brain?

 

[Swinger]

Maybe you just get on better with range balls.

Try taking some out on the coure with you, a couple of other positive things is they are cheap or free and most of them have big red lines to help line up putts.

Good luck.

 

[Oddsocks]

Swinger, I am not brave enough to tee a range ball up pm the first, in fact I doubt I know anyone who is

 

[Oddsocks]

Well back from the range and after a warm up the first twenty wasn't right, went through the drills that I had been using over the winter and I'm sure I'd gone back on the old swing plane with the flat back swing and high follis through, and I'm 90% sure my alignment was out. The drills sorted swing plane and just concentrated on fell easy tempo swings with double checking the alignment and bingo all good.

Things clicked again and apart from a few draws on the 4i bracket 6/7/8/9/Pw/52/58 and driver & 5w were all ok.

Now that's out my head I'm playing Saturday solely with the aim of transferring the range swing to course. If it goes tits up I'll be looking online for a lightweight range Matt to strap to my bag

 

[Golferphil79]

Great thread and something I can definitely relate to.

Last season I was able to knock 6 shots off my handicap and I strongly believe a big part of it was changing my mentality at the range...

A typical session for me used to consist of hitting a dozen chips/wedges to warm up and then working my way up to the driver and back down (maybe hitting 10-12 shots per club). I'd be very technical, thinking about swing mechanics for the duration of my sessions.

One of the things my golf pro drilled into me was that I, like most club golfers, was spendeng no time actually practising the game of golf. The drill he gave me was to play an imaginery 9-18 holes towards the end of my range session. He has a video on his website explaining the drill:

http://www.free-online-golf-tips.com/best-golf-practice.html

Secondly, he also said that because I practice thinking technically over and over and over again about my swing, I'd find it very hard to let go of swing thoughts during my round. His suggestion was to spend some time, again towards the end of my session, hitting balls whilst thinking of nothing. You can do this by focusing on the ball's logo and nothing else. Video explanation here:

http://www.free-online-golf-tips.com/golf-swing-thoughts.html

At first my mind kept jumping to various positions of the club and my body as I swung but with a bit of practice you really do notice your mental focus improving.

On the course now I have the confidence to hit a shot 'cold' (i.e. 5 mins since my last swing with a comleyelt different club) and it's much easier to just let my swing happen (where before I couldn't help but think technically).

Give these 2 drills a try for period of time and see how they work for you. Like I say, I believe they are the biggest reason my scores dropped so much last year.

Phil.