No driving range to warm up for round

[shortstop20]

My local course doesn't have a driving range and I feel it hurts my scores. It's not that I feel the need to go out and pound a bucket of balls all with the driver, it's just that it seems like it takes me 4 holes or so before I can even get my swing warmed up for the day.

Is anybody else like this or am I just making excuses for myself?

I always stretch for a couple minutes and make a bunch of practice swings before my tee time but that doesn't seem to be enough but I don't know what else I can do. Putting isn't much of a problem so I don't spend much time on the practice green. I'm usually happy with a 43 my first nine and if I shoot over that for my second nine I'm not that happy with my score.

[MSchumacher]

I use to think it hurt my game, but its just another superstition that I can blame a poor round on. Now I don't even really think about it any more. Some of my best rounds have come with no warm up.

[Drennen13]

my course doesnt have a range either but i has some good practice greens and it has a hitting net that i warm up on for about 15 minutes and it seems to do just fine. Ask to put put one in, in your course or just set one up at home before you go out.

[microcrayfish]

You're probably best off hitting chip shots. It'll help get your muscles ready to make full swings and it'll help with your touch once you get out onto the course. My home course doesn't have much of a range either but I'm pretty used to not hitting full shots before a round so I don't think it affects my score.

[Drennen13]

You're probably best off hitting chip shots. It'll help get your muscles ready to make full swings and it'll help with your touch once you get out onto the course. My home course doesn't have much of a range either but I'm pretty used to not hitting full shots before a round so I don't think it affects my score.

Also chipping helps you not rotate your hips so much during the backswing of your driver. Practice chipping, then try to incorporate the same swing method of your driver to warm up with.

[shades9323]

My local course doesn't have a driving range and I feel it hurts my scores. It's not that I feel the need to go out and pound a bucket of balls all with the driver, it's just that it seems like it takes me 4 holes or so before I can even get my swing warmed up for the day.

I think you are making excuses for yourself.

[TheWarHound]

My home course doesn't open (driving range or course) before 8am, so I usually get there around 7:30, walk over to the 9th green, and chip and putt around for 15-20 minutes. Before I go sign in, I usually take some shitty balls (Ram, TiTech, Wilson, Top Flite, old crappy found balls) and hit my driver a few times, knocking the balls into the woods. When the guys show up, I am usually warmed up. It seems to help me get ready for the round.

[TheNatural]

My local course doesn't have a driving range and I feel it hurts my scores. It's not that I feel the need to go out and pound a bucket of balls all with the driver, it's just that it seems like it takes me 4 holes or so before I can even get my swing warmed up for the day.

Dont listen to the peanut gallery. If your like most NORMAL golfers, you dont get the time to play every other day. I havent even logged a 100 rounds in my life, and the trips to a range have been less than 20. It can take me 9 holes to finally warm up and its obvious with the posted scores. 50 front nine and low 40 on back nine is usually the norm. Gee I wonder why the pros go to the range before they play? I notice a difference in my play when not warming up If you dont feel comfortable on the 1st tee for that reason, then its going to affect you. The only solution is to play a different course with a range

[enis750]

Dont listen to the peanut gallery.

why do the pros warm up on the range?

#1-because they can and its available #2-they are playing for about a million bucks & have sponsors that expect them to perform just a couple reminders for you shortstop20 the "peanut gallery" are why you come to this website, so I would listen to their advice - there are some very knoweldgable dudes on this site take everything in you want and ignore the rest my opinion - i RARELY hit balls before a round i will arrive approx. 45 mins early and chip and putt and repeat no offence - but as a 14hcp, you do need to improve on both hell i am a 6-7 and still need to improve - everyone does grab your 3 AND 4i and take a bunch of 1/4 to full swings, then swing w just your 4i it will warm up your shoulders, hips, wrists etc.. this is pretty much my routine and seems to work for me to each his own i guess though

[roflslice]

I usually go to the range before my round to get a little "heads-up" if you will on how I'm hitting them that day. For example:

I played Saturday at a local muni, and their range picker was broken so the range was closed. I chipped and putted and tried to get my tempo down, etc. For some reason on the front 9 all my approach shots were slightly fading with a weak traj (I usually play a draw), and were hit slightly thin. I inspected my divots and it seemed as though I was hitting the ball too early and I need to play it further ahead in my stance. Shot 5 shots better the last 9 with my draw :).

I've heard many pros talk about "I was hitting a fade on the range this morning, so I didn't fight it." or "My misses were to the left on my practice session, so I compensated." etc...

I also like seeing what the driver is up to before the round as well.

[Amused]

If there's no range at the course I'm playing at, I do feel a little uncomfortable for the first hole or 2. I like being able to work on my tempo and ball position pre-round (nothing more than hitting a few balls with each club). Otherwise, it takes me a few shots on the course to hone my swing.

[bogeyhitter25]

I'm too cheap to play the nicer courses with driving ranges, so I get used to it.

[trog2233]

Some rounds i'll hit some balls at the range before and most of the time i dont hit any and i play the same no matter what. I think its more of a head game.

[pjsnyc]

I know what you mean. Sometimes it'd be nice to know if you're fighting a hook or slice. Noone likes to hit OB on your first tee shot.

Still not an excuse to blame poor scores though

[sp33d]

Every course I play on has a driving range, and I rarely hit balls before a round, maybe 1 out of 50. I just stretch,

[bunkerputt]

My local course doesn't have a driving range and I feel it hurts my scores. It's not that I feel the need to go out and pound a bucket of balls all with the driver, it's just that it seems like it takes me 4 holes or so before I can even get my swing warmed up for the day.

I've often wondered about this. I'm early 30s and have started noticing that my body is quite different on the back 9. I'm sure it has some effect, but I'm not sure what it is. Curiously, this weekend I played without a range, fought a pull for the first 4 holes, started turning it around and finished with a front nine +13 and a back nine +1 for an 86. My putting gets better as the round goes on, too. My arms feel "heavier" than early on. I think it's largely the "pump" effect from having muscles filled with blood. The added mass smooths out my stroke. I tend to run things by the hole early on.

I really don't know, but it'd be curious to find out what your front-9 handicap is vs. back-9 just to compare. I'm sure someone will make some geeky comment that there's no such thing or that that concept is completely irrelevant, so I'd suggest just taking it with a grain of salt and thinking about it for yourself rather than pay attention to the posts that will surely follow such a suggestion.

[tjy355]

My local course doesn't have a driving range and I feel it hurts my scores. It's not that I feel the need to go out and pound a bucket of balls all with the driver, it's just that it seems like it takes me 4 holes or so before I can even get my swing warmed up for the day.

I like to hit a few balls to loosen up. If I can't do that because there is no range or I am late, I try to stretch out as best I can then go play golf.

Sometimes the weather is not too good. Wind and/or rain can affect my play and I feel like it hurts my scores. Sometimes the conditioning of the greens is not to my liking. They might not be as fast as I'm used to or sometimes they are bumpy or grainy or whatever. I feel like that hurts my scores. Sometimes when I play, I find the bunker sand is not consistent with what I am used to, sometimes too hard and sometimes too soft and I feel like that can hurt my scores. Sometimes I get paired with people who are annoying and I am not able to play golf in my comfort zone and I feel like it affects my scores. All this sounds silly, I know. This is the game of golf. To become a better golfer, you have to deal with adversity and unpredictable conditions and don't make excuses.

[shortstop20]

I'm not complaining, I'm glad I have a course close to me considering I live in a rural area. Just wondering if I'm the only one.