Range Practice Doesn't Transfer to Course Please Help!!

I'm working on my swing basics and making solid contact.

I've been playing for 3 months and I go to the range 4x a week and play 2-3x a week.

I'm changing my  instructor soon and I'm reading Hogan's book along with Pelz short game bible and Mikelson's DVD.

At the range 75% of my shots are good to very good. (even the first few shots)

At the course it is measly 25-30% and rarely do I hit it as solid as at the range.

(I do have the occasional good run)

Yesterday was my worst day as I was rolling and shanking everything which I haven't done since I started.

Questions:

How do I transfer my swing from the range to the course?

Is there a better way to practice?

I go to the range and I hit them well but if I can't do it on the course, what's the point.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks

Wel... Here is what I do.

Assumption:

1 bucket = 90 balls.

1. Practice about 18 balls only focusing on striking (no target).
2. Play 18 holes with rest of 72 balls. Just imagine you are playing a round with 2 balls.

• Pull out your driver (or club that you hit on tee box at 1st hole) and hit.
• Then hit another one to correct/duplicate (if you hit it as you wanted) first shot.
• Then pull out your second shot club and do it again.
• That will cost 72 shots to finish the imaginary 18 holes.

i.e)  1st hole, 400yd Par 4.  Hit my driver twice and hit 8 irons twice.  Target could be vary since you may have multiple plans to attack the pin.  Then move on to 2nd hole.

This doesn't include short game and putting. To work on that, you need to find good practice green and short game area, such as at course, not at range.

Hitting from mats is very different from hitting on a course as you've found out.  Mats tend to be very forgiving on fat shots, as the club either glides or bounces off and still makes decent contact with the ball.  On grass if you hit it fat you're going to chunk up a bunch of sod and make poor contact with the ball.

Mats also always offer a perfect lie, ground is flat, there's no grass hiding half the ball and since you're just practicing there's no mental pressure to "make the shot".  I found I tended to overswing on the course which would throw off my timing, and cause fat, thin shots and shanks.

When I have a case of the shanks on the course now, I totally relax my swing.  I don't worry about  distance, I just focus on a nice smooth swing, staying down on contact and let the club do the work.

1) I hate hitting from mats, you can hit it slighly fat and not know it. Go hit off real turf..

2) I would add other readings as well, i like Jim Mclean's books. He's not afraid to take in other information, his books have evolved over the years. I like that. I personaly don't like Hogan's way to golfing. I think its how he played the game, not realy a good teaching book. I heard a few people comment the book should be titled, "How not to hit it left" I can see why when Hogan had a viscious hook early on. But for most Ams, they don't get nearly inside enough to hook it like Hogan did. All that weak grip, position at the top, ect, all it leads to is weak shots to the right. Given, some people it might work, give it a shot, but just don't go after one book. Personally i believe in what Tom Watson said about the grip, make the left hand as strong as possible for your swing (for right handed person).

I have the same struggles and haven't really figured it out either.  I don't know if there's any single answer but the fact is that the range and golf course are two very different animals.

I asked this same question to a local club pro earlier this week.  His reply was that most people hit a number of balls with the same club.  The first few strikes might be off and then you get into a groove....until you switch to the next club.   He suggested hitting balls on the range in a manner that's more consistent with the course.  Hit 1 or 2 with the driver, then 1 or 2 with a hybrid, then a mid-iron or wedge, and repeat.  I've heard that suggestion before but seemed to have forgotten it.  Anyway, I've started range work more along these lines and I'll see what happens.  Maybe you can give it a try.

assuming that you have a fundamentally sound swing......the biggest problem I see with guys I play with is that they think about way too much when they are playing.  On the practice range you initially concentrate on what you are trying to work on and then get comfortable doing it.  Sometimes this is 3 things at a time.  If you do that when you are out on the course it will cause all kinds of problems...for most people.  I had to make a conscious effort to think of only one thing when swinging on the course....for me that was tempo.  I take practice swings until I feel the correct action and then step up and replicate the overall feeling not concentrating on any one piece.  This is why ingraining is so important in a golf swing.....once ingrained it frees your mind up and lets you concentrate on generic tempo or connection.  Good luck and try not thinking about...."left arm straight....head still....cock the wrists....don't flip....turn through impact....etc etc etc....golf swing is less than 2 seconds and there is not time for a bunch of thoughts.

There was a point where I thought I was hitting them really great on the range and I was probably hitting like 75% good. I realized that when I got out on the course that meant 1/4 shots were bad, and that that one bad shot can easily lead to another and another.

That helps if the problem is related to hitting different clubs back to back but it won't fix hitting fat shots with all clubs that end up being decent off mats and are disasters on a real course.

I realized a long time ago that hitting 180 balls on the range doesn't add up to much for me.  I get one regular bucket.  I hit the first few balls with a pitching wedge at the 75 yd target with a short swing.  Then I push my wedge up to 100 yds with a full swing.  Then I'll usually go through some of my irons for a few shots each.  After that I'll play a few imaginary holes.  Then work on my fairway wood off the deck (my worst club) and then do 5 to 8 drives.  I always finish on the range though with my wedge or sand wedge on full shots.  Then I go to the chipping greens and do 10-15 yard lobs, maybe some longer chip and runs, 5-10 sand shots, then putting to finish.

All that said, I should probably just go to the course and do lob wedges, sand shots, and putt.  That would take off more strokes in my game than anything else.  I'm at the point now where I am usually in the fairway with most shots (some long, some short).  It's when I get to the green where I add on the unnecessary strokes.  A consistent two putt is priceless, believe me.

I think the main problem is you are hitting the same shot repeatedly.  Say you hit 10 drivers in a row.  Drive 1 is a bit of a shank, Drive two is starting to straighten out, Drive 3-10 are pretty good shots.  Well on the real course you have to take Drive 1.

On the course you will never (hopefully) have to hit the same club (besides putter) twice in a row.  So I would say take 5 or so swings in a row with each club.  Then take your remaining golf balls and go Driver, 7 iron.  Or Driver, 6 iron, or 3 wood, Wedge.  Just some sort of combination like that .

Also Aim at something on the rang.  Don't just assume a semi straight shot is a good shot.

And my last advice  Play more, range less.  Ranges are repetative, while a golf round is anything but.  You'll get more experience and swing feedback from the actual course then you will from (crappy) range balls and the range.

Thanks for all the replies.

I will try "playing" golf at the range.

It makes sense and I'm playing more often.

I think a lot of people trick themselves into thinking they do better at the range then they actually do.

If 75% of your shots are good and 25% are terrible, then on your average par 4 your at least a 5 and probably a 6 or more depending on how bad that 1 shot is.

If you have a bad tee shot on a par 3  you could easily end up with a 6.

That makes sense.

My numbers are far from exact but my overall point is I rarely hit "bad" shots at the range (shanking, rolling the ball etc)

but at the course it does happen  more than I would like.

I wish I could say this wasn't true.

thanks for the input.

I'm bumping this thread because it summarizes my  biggest problem as of now. I can go to the range and hit many solid shots and some pretty nice drives. And a few bad  shots too.

When I hit the actual course it's almost like the inverse between bad and good shots. I've read through some of the old posts. Is it just a truism for most golfers that our range game will never represent our course game?

6 minutes ago, gregsandiego said:

I'm bumping this thread because it summarizes my  biggest problem as of now. I can go to the range and hit many solid shots and some pretty nice drives. And a few bad  shots too.

When I hit the actual course it's almost like the inverse between bad and good shots. I've read through some of the old posts. Is it just a truism for most golfers that our range game will never represent our course game?

I don't know if it's a "truism for most golfers" or not, but I know a few  folks who have this problem. 

Just a guess on my part so take it with a grain of salt. I think some folks when on the range don't hit at a targeted landing area. They might be working on their swing mechanics, and could care less where the ball goes. When they get on the course for a score, where the ball goes is now more important. 

Another guess on my part is  rapidly swinging at balls, with little, or no time used between shots like when on the course. "Raking" balls they call it.  Lots of swings in very little time allows the golfer's swing to get dialed in....temporarily.  This is why I limit my range time to fewer balls hit over a longer period of time. Once I am warmed up, every practice shot starts over from scratch just like being on the course playing for a score. I might be working on something, but I still want a decent ball flight towards my chosen landin area. 

What I have done sometimes when on the range is treat the driving range like a fairway, with a targeted landing area everytime I hit a ball. Sure most driving ranges are much larger than most fairways, but I use different flags to hit between to make a smaller fairway. I can sometimes see 4, or 5 fairways on the one driving range. 

jmho.......

21 minutes ago, Patch said:

 

Another guess on my part is  rapidly swinging at balls, with little, or no time used between shots like when on the course. "Raking" balls they call it.  Lots of swings in very little time allows the golfer's swing to get dialed in....temporarily

Yeah probably right. Too bad it is temporary.

I have the same problem, but have come to the conclusion that in my case it's not because of something I am doing wrong at the range, but rather because of what I am doing on the course.

When I began playing golf it was with a regular group who were extremely impatient, always moaning if we were held up even for a few minutes by the group ahead. So the idea of golf being a deliberate, methodical game never really took hold. It was all about playing as quickly as possible. 

Now when I play I often find myself marching up to the ball and immediately swinging in the general direction I want it to go, without any real decision making or consistent setup routine. The result is that my game is not really improving.

I don't feel that pace-of-play pressure at the range, and am able to concentrate much better. Obviously I hit the odd poor shot, but nothing like the rank horrible ones that are all too frequent on the course!

It's a good idea to pretend that you are on the course while you are at the range, but for me it seems to be more about pretending I am at the range while actually playing on the course!