Range to Course - The Transition

[RollinThunder]

I've been hitting the ball the best I have been doing on the range, but I'm having some trouble transferring this to the course. This is particularly apparent with the irons, and occasionally the hybrid.

I've been using the range as my main mode of practicing, but I'm noticing some major discrepancies between hitting a ball on the range, and on the course. The contact is never as good as on the range, and I am prone to thins, as well as low, weak, tinny flights. I attribute this mainly to the inconsistencies in the ground surface and lies, whereas on a range, the surface is always the same. I am also prone to low, weak slices, which also feel thin, so that's another thing to address.

I've been told that to hit a ball well on a range mat, you have to swing quite shallow, and what would translate on the course as taking a small divot (I do!), meaning shots are more prone to being thinned, which is the position I think that I am in. I was also talking to somebody who claimed he couldn't get on with ranges because of the mats, but struck the ball beautifully on the grass, which cemented my idea of what's happening with me: too much range time, not enough game time.

My club is pretty much empty on a weekday afternoon and evening, so I was considering some solo practice rounds to get used to taking shots from the grass more, rather than just hammering the range and getting into more of a habit of hitting thin. Providing there isn't anyone behind me, I would also use multiple balls for even better practice. I would still use the range for long game practice, just not my sole form of practicing.

I know that by removing the disaster holes on my round, I could knock around 10 shots from my handicap, as pars and bogeys have become commonplace, but my scores are still being destroyed by a few terrible holes and No Returns. Weeding out the thin shots and leaks to the right is definitely the way to go, I've looked at the stats :thup:

Does anybody have any advice as to whether it's good practice to play a course, and things to look for to ensure my striking on the course improves, as well as any other tips?

Many thanks, and your help will be appreciated

 

[duncan mackie]

1. Most people hit the ball slightly fat on the range which squares off the club face as well as centering the ball on the face etc etc doing the same thing from most on course lies will not produce the same result and can lead to subconsciously adjusting and then thinning.
2. On course practice is good, biggest issue is the tendency to come up and see what you have achieved too early. On the range it's much easier to stay down through the shot and see the club hit the ball - this is often the biggest difference for most handicap players.

 

[apj0524]

Like yourself I tend to use a range for grooving my swing, as I am a high handicapper, but found a number of issues with this:

1) Firstly as you say the lie usually is not flat like a mat even on the fairway which do not find off the too much at the moment.

2) On the course I can be a bit fat but does not shot up on matts as the club skids into the ball.

3) At the range you tend to hit at least 3 balls with the same club before changing (Well I was) which is not reality

So whilst range time has help me work out my swing, what has really helped my golf is play the course when its quite so you can try your swing in all sorts of conditions

That's how it has worked best for me

 

[RollinThunder]

That sounds like me, lifting my head up to see where it went.

I know what you mean by hitting many balls at the range, as opposed to only having one chance on the course. You can hit 5 balls on the range, one very good, one good, one OK, one bad, and one very bad, and for a high-handicapper it's a lucky dip as to which one you'd get on the course.

I'm going to the club tonight for a practice round, or 9 holes depending on how I feel

 

[Craigg]

I take a load of rubbish balls to the course in the evening. To me it's a transition stage between the range and serious play. Yes it's not too important if I lose a ball, but I am faced with the same tee shots/drives etc that I would be in serious play, and I keep score. I will sometimes hit 3 or 4 balls off the tee with the driver to try and groove a nice shape. Not as easy as the range with all them trees about, but not as crucial as the monthly medal.
Through course practice I am managing to groove a nice draw with my driver. Sometimes it manifests into a hook, but I'm keeping 4 out of 5 in play at the moment.
The cheap balls tend to keep me loose and relaxed, which hopefully in time will become the norm on the course when staring down at a shiny Pro V 1!

 

[the_coach]

thing to consider is how you practice at the range mostly folks just use one club for an amount of time & reach drag & hit - repeat

best if you look at doing different practice - there is the 'block technique' practice - one club for a time practicing something technical - whatever that is

but you get more out of doing this if you step away between each ball & go through the aim to target, set-up & alignment each time - so you are repeating what you would do on the course to an extent

with technical practice something you need at the range is say a ratio of 3 practice swings at 50% to really be able to feel what exactly you're trying to achieve - then through a ball but at only 60%/70% speed maximum - it's a ways impossible to groove a feel a change swinging at normal speed -

so say given what you think your issue is put a bag towel 4" behind the ball, feel you get your weight to your lead side then you get solid strike ball first mat second - otherwise you'll hit the towel - would say it's unlikely you lifting your head, head only comes up because the rest to the body is moving up in some ways.

likely you leaving to much weight on the trailside plus possibly leaning back some to help the ball up
having the weight trialside puts the low point of the swing arc trailside of the ball - clubhead moving up into the strike to either fats or you miss the ground leading edge traveling upwards so contact low of the face

you have to swing down some with an iron to get solid contact to do that the weight has to be on the lead leg before impact, you also got to turn & rotate hips & upper body - not laterally sway off the ball trailside

whilst the club into the ball with an iron should never really be steep (unless in deep rough etc.) it isn't super shallow either
so that info you got isn't exactly correct - someone who's a steep chopper would need to be shallower but it's relative to whats actually happening

bit like the guy who says he hits it perfect off the turf but can't off a mat - all that's happening is with the ball sat up some his swing arc which again will have the low point trailside can get the face to ball because it's sitting up some- on a mat he'd hit the mat first

but as well as block technique practice folks need really to do 'random target practice' at the range - you pick a different target for each shot from back of the ball, line up set-up then as you would on the course with the intent of hitting the ball to target
you use a different club each time, to a different target (across the range so you don't always lie up square to the mat) never hit 2 balls the same, never drag & hit without aiming from back of ball
this ways you create more the experience out in play - memorize the course you play - play each hole to the pin from the range mat give yourself small defined targets - imagine the ball flight you trying to produce with each shot

if you practice on the range say scoring clubs wedges 9i 8i to target give yourself 3 points for within 20' radius , 5 points within 15', 7 within 8' use 5 balls each club keep best score for the 5 balls with each club then you have something to beat each practice session - once you get that down better make the targets smaller

you can do that with each club, with metals & driver define a fairway width say 40' see how many of the 5 you can hit the fairway at a reasonable average distance with the club for you - get's easier narrow the 'fairway' then see if you can hit all 5 right of center 'fairway', left of center 'fairway' - come in real good next time you face a dogleg hole

 

[RollinThunder]

I take a load of rubbish balls to the course in the evening. To me it's a transition stage between the range and serious play. Yes it's not too important if I lose a ball, but I am faced with the same tee shots/drives etc that I would be in serious play, and I keep score. I will sometimes hit 3 or 4 balls off the tee with the driver to try and groove a nice shape. Not as easy as the range with all them trees about, but not as crucial as the monthly medal.
Through course practice I am managing to groove a nice draw with my driver. Sometimes it manifests into a hook, but I'm keeping 4 out of 5 in play at the moment.
The cheap balls tend to keep me loose and relaxed, which hopefully in time will become the norm on the course when staring down at a shiny Pro V 1!

That's pretty much what I intend to do. Turn the course into a "normal" thing, and remove the pressure aspect from it. I couldn't make it last night because I had a hypo, but I have some dirt cheap Dunlops at the ready

 

[RollinThunder]

Thanks The_Coach

My practice regime probably isn't the best, although I think that it has stemmed from very bad periods of the shanks, an the desire to ALWAYS finish a session on a high.

I normally take 6 clubs to the range: PW, 8I, 6I, Hybrid, 3W and Driver. I warm up with the PW, then hit balls until they're straight and consistent, then move up the clubs. When I'm satisfied with all of them, I'll just pick a club at random and try to hit particular shots, or targets with them. I don't tend to have the best results with hitting the targets, but I think that's more to do with alignment issues, as I get a bit confused when my body isn't aligned with everything else at the range, and end up with some very strange ball flights. It's so obvious that the hitting targets part is the most important thing you'd want to bring to the course, and I've been neglecting it, so thanks for bringing it up!

I've always had a bit of trouble hitting down onto the ball, and I weeded a lot of it out when I had lessons, but I think I've slipped back into it again, as results have been very good at the range and I've been trying to replicate it on the course, with bad results. It's definitely coming into my game, with the low, weak flights, often with a slice, and it's costing me strokes. I have noticed that one some of my practice swings I don't take a divot, or even hit the ground, so that is certainly something to address.

I will admit that I can fire through balls very quickly at the range, particularly when I'm playing badly, and just want to get the ball flying well again. Taking more time, and giving every shot a purpose would definitely be the way to go. I really like the idea of mentally playing my course when practicing, it's so simple but makes so much sense, and adds the pressure that you'd have on the course. Adding some pressure to the range sessions is something I feel is important to do, as at the moment a bad shot is just discarded, rather than avoided, which is something you have to do on the course. The only problem is that the main range I use doesn't allow golf bags, so I'd have to dumb it down to a few clubs

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I know where the OP Is coming from. Had some excellent practice sessions (even off grass at the practice ground at my club) but struggled all year to take the quality of ball striking and the good shots onto the course. I understand totally that practice and a one shot, one chance ball in play on the course are different beasts but there has to be a way to move the work I do to improve onto the course with me.

In practice I usually hit 20-30 balls through the bag to loosen up and go briefly through the bag and then hit five balls per club at specific targets or trying to move it or hit a certain shot. I always step off the mat after a shot (at range) or away from the balls (practice ground) so I don't hit ball after ball, especially if the previous one was bad.

Trying to work more on shots from 120 and in going forward. If I can get better in that area it should help and stop me hitting ball after ball trying to groove a swing that perhaps doesn't need as much work as I think and would benefit from more time out playing instead

 

[RollinThunder]

Homer, there's always the added pressure on the course, and you can always expect a drop in quality. It's like when people used to watch Willie Thorne practicing snooker, and say "How on earth does this bloke ever lose?" . My problem is a BIG drop of quality when on the course, such as poor contacts, weak slices and thins, which I never normally do on the range, and my scores suffering because of it.

I had a practice round at my club last night, well, 11 holes anyway, and it went remarkably well.

What I noticed I've been doing, is trying to physically manipulate the angle of the club face to aim in the direction I want it to, rather than genuinely releasing the club and letting the face square up naturally. As a result, accuracy, distance and contact suffers. I focussed on releasing the club properly, and the results were amazing! Solid, crisp iron shots, and long, straight wood shots. I also noticed that my shoulders were naturally quite open, so I squared them up, or even slightly closed them, which resulted in nice, straight shots, and even some slight draws. Such simple fixes gave such good results!

I'm confident that more sessions like that, and shots will drop off my handicap. If you can hit fairly straight, and know roughly how far your clubs will go, hitting greens is easy, and for me, that's the hard work done. If those approach shots improve, then that's where the shots will drop off, and after yesterday, I could be well on my way.

My aim is to have one or two of these course sessions per week, as I can easy fit one in after work when the course is dead, as well as a range session, to complement my Sunday morning comp. Thanks for your help everyone, and I hope all goes well

 

[woody69]

Thanks The_Coach

My practice regime probably isn't the best, although I think that it has stemmed from very bad periods of the shanks, an the desire to ALWAYS finish a session on a high.

I normally take 6 clubs to the range: PW, 8I, 6I, Hybrid, 3W and Driver. I warm up with the PW, then hit balls until they're straight and consistent, then move up the clubs. When I'm satisfied with all of them, I'll just pick a club at random and try to hit particular shots, or targets with them. I don't tend to have the best results with hitting the targets, but I think that's more to do with alignment issues, as I get a bit confused when my body isn't aligned with everything else at the range, and end up with some very strange ball flights. It's so obvious that the hitting targets part is the most important thing you'd want to bring to the course, and I've been neglecting it, so thanks for bringing it up!

I've always had a bit of trouble hitting down onto the ball, and I weeded a lot of it out when I had lessons, but I think I've slipped back into it again, as results have been very good at the range and I've been trying to replicate it on the course, with bad results. It's definitely coming into my game, with the low, weak flights, often with a slice, and it's costing me strokes. I have noticed that one some of my practice swings I don't take a divot, or even hit the ground, so that is certainly something to address.

I will admit that I can fire through balls very quickly at the range, particularly when I'm playing badly, and just want to get the ball flying well again. Taking more time, and giving every shot a purpose would definitely be the way to go. I really like the idea of mentally playing my course when practicing, it's so simple but makes so much sense, and adds the pressure that you'd have on the course. Adding some pressure to the range sessions is something I feel is important to do, as at the moment a bad shot is just discarded, rather than avoided, which is something you have to do on the course. The only problem is that the main range I use doesn't allow golf bags, so I'd have to dumb it down to a few clubs

Regarding the bolded text... not sure you really want to be taking a divot on a practice swing do you?

 

[banacek303]

This sounds familiar. I wish I could add something of any substance but I think it's all mental. There's no pressure on the practice ground as compared to the course and so tend to relax whereas on the course, tense up.

 

[RollinThunder]

Regarding the bolded text... not sure you really want to be taking a divot on a practice swing do you?

Of course not. What I was referring to was that on my practice shots, at the range and on the course, the club often does not touch the ground, showing a problem getting under the ball.

This sounds familiar. I wish I could add something of any substance but I think it's all mental. There's no pressure on the practice ground as compared to the course and so tend to relax whereas on the course, tense up.

My plan is to make playing a course so commonplace, that there isn't any pressure anymore. At my old club, the first tee was surrounded by the pro shop on the right, the bar behind you, and the restaurant on the left, so you always had an audience when you were teeing-off. The first couple of times I was nervous, then you get used to it, and now I can handle anyone watching me, it doesn't matter where I play It just takes time to adapt.