I'm so irritated!!!!!!!

[Bullitt5339]

After practicing for over a week with my new irons, and hitting them amazingly well on the range, I went to play a round on Thursday, and played the worst round I've played in 5 years. So I go to practice more today, and I'm absolutely hitting the ball wonderfully at the range again..........I was taking dead aim at points, and hitting very close to them today, but on Thursday, I couldn't hit anything but trees.

Why can't I translate from the range to the course with these new irons? I played with hybrid irons for so long, is it just muscle memory to get on the course and forget what I was doing on the range?

[danieldrieberg]

I feel your pain.----Been there/done that.


When you practice at the range do you switch it up with clubs as you would on the course.

I find this helps with my confidence and really grooves my swing.

[Bullitt5339]

I typically hit 10-15 shots with each club, but you bring up a good point. Maybe I should start hitting on the range like I play. Driver out, 6 or 7 iron, pitching wedge and then rotate through to 3 wood, 5 iron, 9 iron, wedge...........

That way I get used to swapping out clubs, and not hitting the same one over and over again, since it's easy to replicate the same swing over and over again, and then getting on the course, and only having one shot with each club at a time.

Thanks man, you may have just helped me out quite a bit on my practice routine, and making it translate to the course. I never thought about that, and I should have.

[jurban05]

I like that idea of range practice like you play... never thought of it. im going to try it

[DBeane]

Not trying to sound sarcastic but play more. Practice on the course, then take that to the range, not the other way around. Its easy to get into a groove on the range even if there is a flaw present. On the course a flaw cant hide.

[B Keller]

Not trying to sound sarcastic but play more. Practice on the course, then take that to the range, not the other way around. Its easy to get into a groove on the range even if there is a flaw present. On the course a flaw cant hide.

I usually only use a third to half of my range balls for warmup. I keep them for working on stuff after my round...usually a nasty driver slice or hosel rockets on chip shots.

[RCF]

Not trying to sound sarcastic but play more. Practice on the course, then take that to the range, not the other way around. Its easy to get into a groove on the range even if there is a flaw present. On the course a flaw cant hide.

Not sure about your "not the other way around" statement, but you are so right about practicing on the golf course. If you can hit the course on off hours ask pro shop for permission to go out alone to practice. Last summer, I asked the pro shop if I could go out alone to practice and what was the best day and time. I was only asked to not practice off the tees.

[DBeane]

Not sure about your "not the other way around" statement, but you are so right about practicing on the golf course. If you can hit the course on off hours ask pro shop for permission to go out alone to practice. Last summer, I asked the pro shop if I could go out alone to practice and what was the best day and time. I was only asked to not practice off the tees.

I have been around the game for 15 or so years and people talking about trying to bring their driving range game to the course is an old complaint. The problem is people dont practice correctly. They machine gun a bucket of balls down range and think they are doing something. Jack called it "practice with purpose". To clarify my statement I would say try and take your on course frame of mind to the range. Focus on a target, make sure the shots are flying the way they should, use allignment aids to make sure your not picking your target after you hit the shot, etc...

-Beane

[RCF]

The problem is people dont practice correctly. They machine gun a bucket of balls down range and think they are doing something.

I agree. At the driving range, I do the whole routine: place the ball; walk behind it; take a practice swing; etc; and, then strike the ball.

I'm very slow at the driving range so I can be very fast on the course.

[Bullitt5339]

I do the same. I pick my intended target, stand behind the ball and look at the line, go through my normal preshot routine and take the shot.

The problem is, I'm doing it with the same club 10 times, so I'm quite sure after the first couple, I subconciously adjust my line to make up for mis-swings.

[Boyder]

I feel lucky enough to play on courses that at least during the week there is very little pressure, so practicing on the course is pretty easy to do. I often play at least 2 if not 3 balls a round, trying different shots for various situations, etc. While I do make time for practice on the range, I really get a lot out my course practice.

[Yukari]

After practicing for over a week with my new irons, and hitting them amazingly well on the range, I went to play a round on Thursday, and played the worst round I've played in 5 years. So I go to practice more today, and I'm absolutely hitting the ball wonderfully at the range again..........I was taking dead aim at points, and hitting very close to them today, but on Thursday, I couldn't hit anything but trees.

That is a typical problem for many golfers. On the range, there is no pressure because you know you can hit another ball. But on the course, you don't have the luxury of "reloading" w/o any penalty if you hit a bad shot. While you don't realize it, the pressure that you subconsciously feel tightens your muscles thus making your swing different from that on the ranges.

You need to practice on the range to groove your swing, but also need to play more to get comfortable with your subconscious pressure. Once you begin to relax on the course, you'll be hitting like you do on the range. That is why you always hear pros saying "forget the last shot". For majority of golfers, if they have one bad shot, they brew over it and get angry. That only causes spiraling down making your entire round miserable. On the range try to have a frame of mind where each shot counts so you can practice hitting with pressure.

[B Keller]

I do the same. I pick my intended target, stand behind the ball and look at the line, go through my normal preshot routine and take the shot.

I don't know your range setup so it may not be possible, but wouldn't an answer to that be making each shot a different target/flag/point?

[ajohnson161]

Man we have all been there!

Beyond the mental thing, remember your lie is the one thing that is VERY different from range to course. Even the slightest difference in elevation or grass conditions can effect your shot and in turn should effect how you set up your swing. Once I started to really take the lie into account on every shot, ball striking on the course vastly improved.

One thing I like to do when my swing is not translating from Range to Course is to choke up on my irons (clubbing up if need be) for control. It sometimes helps to get my confidence back by feeling more in control, and I usually strike the ball well with less mistakes.

[Bullitt5339]

OK, so even though the conditions were not good today, I forced myself to go back out and play again. Same course, same new clubs. Hit about 10 balls on the range, and then hit the course. There were still even patches of snow in the rough, so conditions definately weren't good.

While I didn't shoot great, it was a redeeming round. I shot a 50 going out, which wasn't very good, but a 46 on the way back in, which is typical for me, and the back 9 is a lot tougher than the front, so I was definately feeling a lot more comfortable. I was hitting my new irons well today, had a few bad shots, but not like Thursday, where I couldn't hit anything. I'll get back out there next weekend and give it another go, and hopefully once I really get the feel of hitting with not as forgiving clubs, my handicap will come down this spring/summer.

I even had a birdie on #10 today, a 158 yard par 3, I stuck a shot 2 ft. from the pin off the tee. That boosted my confidence, and set the tone for the back 9, although I kind of fell apart on 17 and shot a double bogey.

Still, the round is very much within what I consider acceptable for my skill level, especially fighting the mud and snow on the course.

[ajohnson161]

Glad today was better... confidence can sometimes be everything.

[USA 79S]

Try to hit the range with a partner, competing for accuracy of drives and proximity to yardage markers with irons. Adding a competetive element may expose your on course tendencies and give you something to work on. Just a thought, good luck with the new sticks.

[walk18]

Here's something you won't hear often, but its worked very well for me. When you are on the course playing, imagine you are at the range. Go all out with your imagination, see the hitting station dividers, see divots all around, even the subtle sounds of people on either side of you hitting, and imagine your foreground like a driving range, with multiple greens littered with range balls. The idea here is to completely relax, just like you do at the range. Stay loose, and make your swing like it's just another range ball, with more regard for the process and less for the result.

It takes some imagination, but if you keep at it it will get easier each time. Try it and I know you'll be able to bring your range game to the course. Good luck!