How to make good use at the range?

[timastyle]

I'm trying to make some good use of my range sessions and I just got back from one that's got me thinking a bit. I did a search but couldn't find anything that was what I was looking for.

I have been reading Hogan's "Fiver Lessons" and have gotten through the first two chapters. I was at the range trying to incorporate the grip and posture and stance. I had some really good swings where I felt as though I coiled well, led with the hips on the downswing, with a great release.

Other shots just didn't feel good at all. The backswing didn't feel right, I was using my arms more than my body and nothing feeling right. I want to make sure that each session helps me take a step to getting better and more consistent.

So here are my questions:

1. What do you concentrate on when you're at the range?
2. Would it be more beneficial to only use one club for the session so that everything is the same to build a good groove?
3. What can I do to ensure I keep a consistent swing (of course the ones that felt good)? I know practice is key, but if I'm sitting there just hacking away with some good and some bad, that does me no good.
4. What means and methods to you use to be consistent in general at the range? What steps do you take to duplicate your good swings?
5. What are your goals at each range session?
6. Last but not least, what were the keys that you feel helped you get better?

Thanks!

[CG031]

1. What do you concentrate on when you're at the range?

1. I concentrate on good tempo mostly. I focus on picking a target and hitting it at it. If I am trying to 'iron' out a swing flaw, then I work on that.

2. I like to use mostly high irons and wedges, and scoring clubs at the range...It's helped my game a lot. 3. I guess just try to repeat the good swings? 4. Good tempo GENERALLY means a pretty good golf shot for me. When my tempo gets off or too quick, is generally when I produce 99% of my bad shots. My swing is at a point where it's pretty good, but revolvs mostly around tempo. 5. My goal at each range is to work on my scoring clubs and to come out after each one feeling like I'm hitting the ball straight & solid and have developed good tempo for the course. 6. The keys were hitting A LOT of golf balls at the Range and working on my flaws. My scoring clubs and irons in generally were always my biggest weakness...after hitting 150 balls per day or so, it is no more. Hope this helps.

[timastyle]

1. I concentrate on good tempo mostly. I focus on picking a target and hitting it at it. If I am trying to 'iron' out a swing flaw, then I work on that.

To a certain extent it did. It's probably the fact that I'm not asking what I'm looking for correctly. Let me ramble a little and let me know if it makes sense what I'm looking for.

Lately, I have started using the range sessions for more purpose than just hitting some balls. I have started picking at targets, picking a spot a few feet in front of my lined with the target and go for it. What my issue is that I still don't feel in tune with my swing. By this I mean that I'm not paying much attention as to what my body is doing and I just go through the motions (some shots good some not) or I overthink all the things I need to do (distance from ball, knees bent in with the back knee a little more than the left, keeping my elbows tucked it, not starting my backswing with my wrist, keeping my spine angle, and I can keep going on, but I think you get the point). When I overthink, I end up hitting horrible shots and like I said earlier, when I go through the motions, I have my moments. It's really driving me crazy. I think about maybe getting one correction at a time, but I don't think that would do me any good really. I have been going to the range or playing a round anywhere from 2-5 times a week and don't seem to make any progress much. Every time I feel I am making progress towards the end of a session or a round, it feels like a go back to where I was the next time out. Does that shed a little more light as to what I'm looking for in the questions in my original post? Any advice to help me out, even if it has nothing to do with the questions I asked would be appreciated.

[ControlJunkie]

My time at the range can vary between 2 general routines.

The first routine is working specifically on problem areas from my round over the previous weekend. It can either be specific clubs, or specific shots. From time to time, those days may only consist of using 3 or 4 clubs, sometimes even fewer.

In the other routine, I'll try to emulate a round as much as possible. I'll pull an old scorecard out of my bag, look at the yardages of each hole, and do as much simulation as possible. For example, if the hole I'm simulating is a 350 yd par 4, I hit driver. If that shot is straight, and at the target I picked out, I'll pull pitching wedge or gap wedge. If the drive was right or left, I move to a mid or low iron, and I might put the ball in a divot or something.

The common denominator is that on ever single shot (in both routines), I'm picking a target, picking my line, and going through my pre-shot routine.

As far as getting that consistency, and being confident about a particular club, lets say I'm practicing 5 iron. I'll hit 4 or 5 in a row, and if they're all good shots, at my target, I put the 5 iron down, and pull driver or 3 wood for a couple swings. Then I go back to the 5 iron, with the intent being that my swing with that 5 iron is so grooved and comfortable, I can pick it up after hitting something else and ensure that I can repeat the first 5 shots. If that doesnt happen after going back to it, it's time for more repetition with that 5 iron.

[ControlJunkie]

When I overthink, I end up hitting horrible shots and like I said earlier, when I go through the motions, I have my moments. It's really driving me crazy.

Winner winner chicken dinner! Yes it would do you a lot of good, because trying to do too much at once is overwhelming. You want to work on that one small thing to the point that it's built into muscle memory, and you dont have to conciously think about it anymore. Then you move on to the next correction. Seriously, dont overwhelm yourself, that's what makes this game a million times harder than it already is.

[mhodar13]

I like to try new things I read about at the range. Another tip i'd give is not to worry about grip and posture and whatever else so much. Just make sure you're swinging on plane and straight, you're getting that spring affect between your hips and shoulders, and you're making solid contact. As long as you're doing those three things, you're not doing anything wrong. Everyone is different from one another. Don't be afraid to be unconventional. Jim Furyk is proof of that theory.

[alomar123]

I know alot of people say take ur time and do a practice swing everytime but i cant help to be a speed player and hit over 100 balls in a hour n a half

[timastyle]

I like to try new things I read about at the range. Another tip i'd give is not to worry about grip and posture and whatever else so much. Just make sure you're swinging on plane and straight, you're getting that spring affect between your hips and shoulders, and you're making solid contact. As long as you're doing those three things, you're not doing anything wrong. Everyone is different from one another. Don't be afraid to be unconventional. Jim Furyk is proof of that theory.

I'm not afraid to be uncoventional, but I recently posted a video of my swing here and I'm not swinging on plane and actually coming over the top. There are a few things I need to do to stay on plane. With that said, CG actually gave me a tip on how to help with the over the top and the first time I tried it, I started having a baby draw, the second time around, a dead hook, and it has gone back to how it used to be.

I know alot of people say take ur time and do a practice swing everytime but i cant help to be a speed player and hit over 100 balls in a hour n a half

100 balls in an hour and a half? To me, that's a good while. I hit just under 100 today and it took me an hour I think.

[wrx_junki]

100 takes me only half an hour and that helps me to groove my horrible swing.

Scoring Irons 60%
Long Irons 20%
Fairways wood/Hybrid 20%

I rarely practice the driver at the golf range, maybe 10 balls at most if that.

[timastyle]

100 takes me only half an hour and that helps me to groove my horrible swing.

But how do you know what to work on when your swing is off? How do you get in tune with your swing? That's the kind of thing I'm looking for.

A see a lot of people from all handicaps saying that they make adjustments to their swing. I am curious how you get to the point to make the adjustments.

[ControlJunkie]

Got a digital camera? i bought this mini tripod thing that screws into the bottom of the camera. I regularly set mine up on top of my bag, that way I can look back at it during or after practicing at the range. Sometimes you can feel where your problems are, other times, it just helps to be able to see it.

[enduro]

1. What do you concentrate on when you're at the range?

1) I concentrate on 1 thing at a time. It can be a big thing, or it can be a little thing. Often a range session will allow me to cover a few different things. But I try and focus on a thing until it is natural and I find I'm doing it without conscious effort.

2) It depends. When I'm working on things, yes. I use 1 club. I don't need the target to be moving. Now, if I'm working on stance and the like then of course I'll use different clubs. If I'm simulating a game of course I switch out. Often when I feel I have mastered something I'll try a few swings with other clubs to verify. 3) Think about every shot after you hit it. Think about what happened and figure out why it happened. If you know something didn't feel right figure out if it was that thing that was wrong or if something before it was wrong setting it up for failure. Sometimes this takes 1 second. Other times it takes a few minutes. 4) I keep notes of things I've worked on and how I did with them. I master techniques I'm working on through pure repition and concentration and analysis. 5) My goal of every session is to know I went in with a plan and executed it. Hopefully I mastered what I was working on but that doesn't always happen. Hopefully things I've previously mastered are still mastered and I don't have to relearn them, but that doesn't always happen. I don't set goals like "I need to hit x amount of good shots". I set goals that include coming up with a plan, focusing on that plan, analyzing that plan and executing that plan as well I can. I can't expect to have things work all the time. I can only prepare my best and expect I do. When I leave the range and don't feel like I focused, I consider it a failed session. And that happens. 6) Planning, practice, analysis and instruction. I plan what I want to work on and how I'll go about it. I practice it. During and after I analyze it. I work with an instructor from time to time to make sure I'm not doing things too incredibly wrong and if so to get drills and exercises that will help me recover.

[brgolf]

1. What do you concentrate on when you're at the range?

Mainly driving accuracy. I imagine a narrow fairway defined by yardage markers/mounds/greens at the range, bordered by rough, in turn bordered by out of bounds and see what my percentage of good drives are. I also take my long irons and play them towards a green to evaluate ball flight and accuracy.

2. Would it be more beneficial to only use one club for the session so that everything is the same to build a good groove?

Yes.

3. What can I do to ensure I keep a consistent swing (of course the ones that felt good)? I know practice is key, but if I'm sitting there just hacking away with some good and some bad, that does me no good.

Your swing may consistently be creating inconsistent shots due to a repeated error such as improper swing plane. Aside from bad technique a pre-shot routine with practice swings could eliminate some inconsistencies. Simulating your intended stroke with a practice swing is a sometimes neglected idea at the range and probably the difference on the course between mid and low handicappers.

4. What means and methods to you use to be consistent in general at the range? What steps do you take to duplicate your good swings?

When doing a practice swing check all the fundamentals but when setting up to the ball focus on only the one swing thought that you are testing at a time. Do not be sidetracked by infrequent mistakes. Simply because you lifted your head on one shot, dont let that dictate the rest of the session.


5. What are your goals at each range session?

When i next go on the course, replicating some of the shots I worked on at the range.

6. Last but not least, what were the keys that you feel helped you get better?

Practicing short game in my garden and approach shots at a practice area on the local course really helped me improve.

[Mizzy57]

The common denominator is that on ever single shot (in both routines), I'm picking a target, picking my line, and going through my pre-shot routine.

For me, at the range this is incredibly important. Get all your swing thoughts out of your head during the preshot routine, so when you're addressing the ball, you don't have 4-5 things running around the mellon.

If you can get to the point where you are doing the same thing on most of your swings, regardless of where the ball goes, then you can start tweaking your swing. Right now, if you are making adjustments after every swing, there's no consistancy and hard to isolate flaws. Try this, hit 10 balls using the same swing, no changes in grip, stance, etc. Do not tweak anything, find out what the ball is doing and make a single simple adjustment. Hit 10 more balls and see the result. Not only will this help swing flaws, it also lets you learn how simple adjustments affect ball flight. Anyone can tell you how to draw the ball, but until you realize and feel the mechanics of how your swing affects the ball to impart that left to right spin, you'll never really grasp it. Once done, you'll realize the reason you're slicing is because the clubface is open at impact due to: late hands, weak grip, outside-in swing and/or a combination. Very few pick up a club and hit the ball flush and consistantly early on. Most of us were where you are and had to grind to get "our" swing and no 2 swings are exactly alike. Find "your" swing that works for you and from there you can tweak. Once you do find that swing, it's very important to just keep doing that swing and get good results. Not only does the range help you tweak, it allows you to build muscle memory so later that wierd feeling swing that produces beautiful shots starts to feel natural. On that same token, hitting 1000 balls at the range with a bad swing will only ingrain you with bad habits and take you 3000 balls later to unlearn. Personally, if you aren't going to get a lesson for the basics- grip, posture, stance, and ball position, find someone at the range who's hitting the ball nicely and strike up a conversation. Let them know you're starting out and i'm sure they will help you on the basics. Ideally, you should have all these down without thought before you start tweaking.

[timastyle]

For me, at the range this is incredibly important. Get all your swing thoughts out of your head during the preshot routine, so when you're addressing the ball, you don't have 4-5 things running around the mellon.

Thanks for all the advice. To be honest, I have been golfing for close to 15 years off and on, but more off than on, and have only taken one lesson before. I am self taught. Like I said earlier, I have been reading Hogan's book to get the grip, posture, stance, backswing and downswing all down because of all the great reviews everyone on this site has put. The thing is that much of his recommendations are so different regarding stance and posture that it's causing me to constantly think about this while teeing up to the ball.

I actually had a fairly decent swing prior to trying to make changes. It just wasn't consistent and so came the trouble. So now I figure that since it's not where I want it to be, I might as well go all the way and change it. The thing is that when I am swinging and actually do hit a good shot, I am in a mindset that I don't want to pay too much attention to my swing and let it come naturally. The problem is that I just let it come naturally and don't really realize what I did that helped produce such a good feeling swing. I just don't feel in tune with my body motions during the swing to be able to decipher when I do something good or bad. The bad is easier cause things just don't feels right, but I can't say "this is what I have to do to get it right".