Driving range: Better for practice or is it better to just play 9 to practice?

[TN94z]

Are all of your fairways dead flat? Mine aren't. But every range I've ever been to is. At the range I can't practice that 135 yard shot from a downhill, sidehill lie. Or the 160 yard fairway bunker shot with the ball 4 inches above my feet. And if I miss the shot I'm trying for at the range, who cares? There's always another ball in the basket... I'll hit it better next time.

That is totally different than going to the range. I never said you were wrong...as a matter of fact I said that it is not wrong and that it is just that I don't understand it. You basically just described playing, not necessarily practicing. The way you explained it is the way most people "play" when they are not in tournaments. That is not what "I" call practicing. When I practice my ball striking, I hit 100-150 balls per session and making sure that I am practicing the correct techniques to hopefully get this into my muscle memory and it become second nature. No my fairways are not all flat, but if I am working on "ball striking" then there is almost no way to get 150 shots with the same lie on the course because they are not flat. When I am working on my ball striking, the same lie every time is one last thing that I have to worry about when I am swinging. I understand that those lies can usually only be found on the course and that you have to learn how to hit them at some point, but if your swing is off regardless of lie, then how is a different lie every time going to help you get your ball striking better? If you have trouble hitting the ball with your swing (if you want to get better) then how can you expect to hit that sidehill lie, downhill lie, bunker shot, etc...at your best potential? Once again, I am not saying that practicing on the course is wrong, I am just saying that they are two very different things and that one is not the same as the other as far as practice. My cousin used to play exclusively and never hit the range, as did I, but once I started spending more time at the range, my scores dropped dramatically because my ball striking got so much better. For fun the course is great...for improvement "I" think you have to add in some range time!!

[TN94z]

The range is the place to work on your

This is a perfect description of what I am trying to say and what I think.

[pittpanther]

I only have my HCI in my profile to give everyone an idea of how I shoot. I have never actually logged a handicap, and all my rounds are practice. Until I consistently break 110, I will always be practicing.

What he said!

[ramrockgolfer35]

I am getting some really great responses here. I have to say, I agree that the range is dead boring, but it really does help for working kinks out of your swing. I much prefer a round of golf to a 2 hr session at the range. As a side note, I work for a golf resort so I don't pay any fees for hitting range balls and I pay absolutely nothing to play the courses, not even a cart fee, but the courses I play are so beautiful that it is hard to forego a round to wack 100 balls on the range. The biggest problem I have is paying for a round and blowing my first tee shot out my ass, then the rest of the round is hard to recover mentally. I also want to mention that when I play a practice round, the course looks better when I am finished because I repair every divot and ball mark I can, not just mine. So I don't beat up my courses because I love them!

[TN94z]

I just want to say that I really really like playing a round on the course compared to the range. I don't want to be misleading. I just like to keep the swing mechanics practice at the range. To each his own and no answer is wrong. I don't want anyone to think that I am "arguing" with them because that is not what I am doing and I don't want to come across as a prick. Sorry if it seemed that way.

[Donnie_Brasco]

When I go to the range here is my routine..

I will get a large bucket of balls, take about 20 warm ups with my PW, then its practice time..

I will take the scorecard from a course that I have played recently, I keep them in my bag fo r this very reason..

After warming up I literally play the course, creating situations.

I will pull out the driver and by the way that drive looked I will pull out a Iron to hit my next shot, playing to the course always, sometimes you will hit bad shots, I will play punch shots,hooded shots ect, depending on my previous shot.

I will go through all 18 holes and then repeat.. Creating situations is a must to make the range enjoyable, and to be able to use it as a teaching tool.

After I hit the bucket, I then go to the chipping green and hit 23 x 6, thats what my practice stick holds..

Then on to the sandtrap and 23 x 3

Then on to the putting green and hit atleast 100 puts..

This all takes literally 2:30..

With every shot use your routine, breathe and play it as real as you can..

Its really helped me out a lot..

[ryohazuki222]

I stopped going to the range when it started costing me more money than playing a round. It costs me $2.50 per round of golf. I already paid a lump sum up front so the more I play the cheaper it averages out to as well.

The range is like $5-$8 a bucket depending where I go. OR I can get a membership of unlimited balls for $50.... but I don't really have time for the range AND a round... so I started just playing rounds. Playing a lot of rounds has helped me become much more consistent when it matters. I get to mess around a lot. Lately, I've been not really going for the greens (which I can't seem to ever hit anyway) and been trying to just work in the ball in a smart way -- like fade a ball in when there's a bunker on the right.

^Because of THAT practice (which is impossible for me to get on the range) my misses have improved tremendously. Funny thing is, I played with my brother when I visited him a few weeks back and he noticed and said, "you know, the biggest difference between you and me is you somehow always end up in nice places when you miss".... and I told him that's because I'm playing it safe.... I used to play like he plays.... and after watching professional golf more and more..... you don't even see them pulling off those shots often (I mean, they DO... but not often).

The biggest advantage I see for the range is for practicing the driver (I walk and I just can't really hit more than one tee off a hole). And I desperately need some driver help. But I went out to the range the other day and it was a waste of time.

I really think the range helps on figuring out those partial wedge swings. But not being able to see how they check-up on the greens gives me zero confidence in what I'm doing.

I loved the range when I was struggling to hit a ball consistently...... but now that I can hit a ball consistently enough for the most part.... the range is boring and I just don't have the direction.

And I just can't simulate more than a hole or two of golf on the range without getting bored and thinking about how I'm spending more money to simulate a round than actually play one.

[paddlefoot]

If you're a beginner like me...stay on the range until you can hit the ball straight. If you practice on a course and you can't hit the ball straight, you'll only get frustrated when you spend most of your time hitting out of the woods.

That's just my two cents...

[ramrockgolfer35]

I tried that, but the range is so freaking boring! Since I get really nice courses for free, I would rather go hack away on the course and learn from my mistakes. My game hasn't had any drastic improvement, but I only play about 3 times for every 4 weeks. I really do have fun most of the time though, and I am getting more and more wrapped up in this damn sport, I think once I move closer to the resort I work for I will be able to play more often. I also have a child who isn't even a year old yet, that is part of why I can't play that much.

[TN94z]

I stopped going to the range when it started costing me more money than playing a round. It costs me $2.50 per round of golf. I already paid a lump sum up front so the more I play the cheaper it averages out to as well.

Correct...and that is course management that you are pretty much describing here. I believe the course is the only place to work on this stuff. If I got golf that cheap then I wouldn't go to the range either...lets not get crazy

[pedarius]

Judging by these posts, I must be the only hacker that actually likes going to the range. Extremely relaxing, I find, and generally more instructive at my low level than the all-too-frequent 270-yd drive into the woods that I will uncork on the course.

I usually hit around 140 balls at a visit, which is four small buckets of 35--but there is always a plan. At least one of the four is dedicated solely to approach shots with a 8i or less, hitting at the near clump of flags (90-155). One bucket will usually be devoted to a new club (if any) or one that I haven't hit much lately to try and build confidence in it--this week that was 3W off the deck. The rest is split between 5, 6 or 7i for general swing practice and working on specific things. Usually, I take notes after every round of the things that I do wrong, particularly if I do them wrong repeatedly, and try to work on those in a deliberate way. For instance, normally I fight a hook, but last Sunday for some reason was pushing (not slicing) everything to the right off the tee. That warranted a full bucket on Tuesday until it was fixed (though, alas, "fixed" means back to a pronounced draw that likes to turn into a hook--well, there's always tomorrow!). Lastly, my teaching pro often gives me "homework" between lessons, and that gets a fair amount of time.

Regardless of whatever else I do, I always end with chip/putt.

[opie]

I use the range also and rarely hit anything higher than a 6. I really hit a lot of 75-125 yd shots (85% or more) and aim for specific points. I also practice "short" shots. 110 yd 8 irons etc. It's really helped me get a grasp and feel of my swing. I'm confident in taking a little off a club now instead of feeling like I need to ramp up on a shorter club for a certain distance. It's also a great time to work on my alignment, foot position and ball position