Can you hit too much?

[bizman]

Hello everyone!
I'm in my mid twenties and just picked up the game last year. I'm a teacher, so I have summers off and the perfect opportunity to play a lot of golf. I'm pretty addicted and try to at least hit balls everyday. After playing some of the best golf of my life two weeks ago I developed a weird problem. When I go to the range I usually get a massive bucket (about 200 balls). I start with wedges and work my way up, usually hitting about 5-10 good shots per club. Lately when I get to my 19.5* hybrid I hit a couple good, then I hit some kind of wall. Every shot goes way left and low, embarrassing shots. I'll pull out the driver, same thing. I'll go down to a short iron, huge draw. Once I get to this point, I just can't get it back. My question is, can this be from hitting to much, or is this just a convenient excuse? Can fatigue start to cause chaos in your swing that much? How many balls should you realistically hit on the range?
Thanks!

[golfro]

You can get fatigued and I htink its important to always stay hydrated. with that said, its not rare for me to hit 200 or so balls as well at the range.

I try to alter clubs in a manner where I can focus a bit on short game to give it a slight rest.

Typically, my range session goes as such:

warm up: 8 or 7 iron
3-4 iron
long wedge shots
5-6 iron
short wedge shots
driver and fairway woods

Usually I'm not too tired unless I havent eaten much or I'm dehydrated but I think most people stick with 60-100 balls for range session.
You do have to be careful when hitting balls when you are tired. You're adjusting your swing and mechanics as your body gets tired, and mroe often than not, in the wrong ways. You gotta know when to put the club down.

[Robo58]

The number of balls depends on you. You want all of your shots to be hit with a good swing, good as in not slacking it bc of fatigue. When you start hitting balls when you're tired, you can form some bad habits. Hitting balls every day is excellent, just dont hit too many at one time, imho.

[The Road Dog]

Can fatigue start to cause chaos in your swing that much? How many balls should you realistically hit on the range?

Of course it can, you are showing yourself your current limit.

To prove it try try using the driver earlier in your routine. I'm betting your shots start going left with a lot less total balls hit. That's because swinging a driver is more work. But Golf is like any other exercise it requires muscles to be developed to be able to stress them. Hit the Gym guy, work those muscles, build up your stamina.

[bizman]

I'll try the driver earlier, I was always taught to work up to it, just kind of followed that blindly I guess. What worries me is that I am in very good shape, I lift weights a lot and do extensive cardio almost everyday. I don't feel like I should be getting tired from hitting golf balls, so I don't know if I'm just using the tired thing as an excuse, its just strange that I hit a wall and can't get it back. I feel myself getting fast with my arms and really flipping my wrists, anybody have tips for this?

[Zeph]

If you are practicing with a purpose, I don't think hitting a lot of balls will hurt you.

If you get frustrated or worn out however, and start shanking or just minigunning balls with no purpose, I don't think there is anything to gain.

The best players in the world hits thousands of balls, but they don't just go out to hit balls, they hit them with a schedule, always working on something. I used to just go to the range and hit balls, not getting any better. Once I started working on my swing, I always got something to work on when I hit balls on the range. I can still get exhausted and lose focus, at which point I take a break or end the session.

[sacm3bill]

What worries me is that I am in very good shape, I lift weights a lot and do extensive cardio almost everyday. I don't feel like I should be getting tired from hitting golf balls...

FWIW, I'm a fitness junkie too but I still get tired after a long range session and the shots start going downhill. You're probably taking a lot of practice swings between shots, right? That adds up too. And, any day that you lift weights or do extensive cardio will certainly affect your range performance that day (possibly even the next) as well.

I think a lot of people make the mistake of thinking the golf swing is practically effortless, maybe because the duration of the swing is so short, or the club is so light... But the fact is the golf swing uses a lot of energy (when done correctly anyway). You might want to try taking more time between shots, or taking more breaks.

[bizman]

Since I've been on my own schedule for the past couple months I usually do my cardio (anywhere from 20 min. to an hour) in the morning, then hit balls or play after lunch and lift 3 times a week after dinner. Typically, when I got this large bucket, I would chip and pitch about half and hit the rest. Of course, once I started hitting bad shots I cant stop trying to fix whats wrong, eventually getting so frustrated I feel like leaving the bag in the parking lot.
I never thought of swinging the golf club as a real taxing activity until recently. Thanks for the input, I think I need to slow down and stop the rapid fire pace as well.

[McGolf-Doggie]

At 49 with a desk job a little arthritis and herniated cervical disks, I have to pace myself. Sometimes the back gets sore, then quickly the core breaks down, and then things start falling apart. Tells me where the focus of connection and power is, and what I need to work on physically to get better.

I can't go at it with large buckets very often, so I try to do fewer balls, more days. If I'm hitting a lot and making no progress, or the neck, back, or knee gets sore, sometimes I take a short break, for example a week, maybe even two, and come back with a fresh perspective, and things often take a leap forward.

That's just one old fart's take on the question. As you know, the pros hit a lot of balls, (KJ Choi clinic). What kind of breaks they take from it I don't know. Didn't get to ask him that question.

[jamo]

If you get to tired you will not get an accurate read on where your swing is, and by then you are making compensation moves to make up for lagging muscles groups.

[JackLee]

"I feel myself getting fast with my arms and really flipping my wrists, anybody have tips for this?"

Your body movements must lead your down and through swing. If your arms get ahead of your body movements, then you have to flip and/or close the clubface or leave it open.

Cure: 1. Don't get too tired. 2. Always use a body powered swing, so that your body movements pull your arms down and through impact. I use the Master Key instruction, but there is other instruction with different keys. You may want to search Google for body powered golf swing.

[WUTiger]

You can get fatigued and I think its important to always stay hydrated. ...

If you have the same set routine all the time, you get not only physical but mental fatigue. You start not paying attention to each shot, and things start to fall apart.

Try taking breaks every 20 minutes or so. Get a drink of water or sports stuff, and clear your mind. You need to vary your routine so that you try different shots on different days to keep yourself mentally engaged. (Once upon a time, I had more time to play and shot in the low 80s for several summers.) Another idea: If the course is fairly open in the late afternoon, why not go practice on three or four holes (unless local rules say no). See if you can cut a driver, and then a 3W over the corner of a dogleg right tee shot... hit two or three sand shot from each of the five bunkers on the Sahara green... If you just mindlessly bang balls out there, you're not inproving your game. Always practice with purpose, and walk away when things start to get boring

[redranger]

Agree with most points here.

If you recently started, you have to condition yourself to hit a lot of balls.

Some main pointers about going to the range I've found, try them, or don't.

1. Practice like you're playing. Take a few practice swings, and set up like you would on the course. It gets you into a good habit and muscle memory is better as well. You don't always have to do this, but if you do this, it should help you from getting too fatigued.

2. Focus on tempo and rhythm above all things.This way you're not just hitting balls mindlessly.

3. Start out with driver or longer clubs. This is for a couple reasons. First of all, when you go on the course, most courses start with a driver shot. Also, I think this loosens you up for the rest of your range session. If you are getting tired, it is easier to hit good short iron/wedge shots than long irons/woods.

Good luck!

[bizman]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm going to take your advice to the course today. Where I play is always open in the afternoon, and I can definitely practice on the course. I play alone about half the time I'm out there, so I won't be holding up anyone.
While I have sometimes dropped another ball after hitting a bad shot, I have never tried to hit a variety of shots from the course, maybe because I didn't want to chase multiple balls, maybe because I am too focused on my score than learning new things on the course. Either way, I'll give it a go today.

[golfro]

If you have the same set routine all the time, you get not only physical but mental fatigue. You start not paying attention to each shot, and things start to fall apart.

thanks. haven't really had a problem with that. it's in your mind. when i go through a routine, i just make sure to pay attention to my swing. i'm very critical and analytical of my swing so I'll video tape things as i go, review, and immediately i know exactly why i'm doing this or that. the rest is working on consistency and ball striking.

[allin]

Since you have been doing this regularly, assuming you are eating and drinking sufficiently, I would put my money on mental fatigue, loss of rythym. When this happens go chip and putt for a bit, come back hit a few 7 or 8 irons concentrating on feel and rythym and I bet you get back in the groove. You might have a confidence issue with that club as well.

[Jay-Bird]

The problem with ripping through a bucket of 200 balls is that it's very difficult to stay focused and committed to each shot as if it were a real, meaningful, on-course shot. When you start blasting balls without purpose it gets counterproductive.

Practice like you play. play like you practice.

[soloredd]

The approach I've taken this year with the range is to go in 50-ball increments. I no longer get the jumbo bucket but the small (at my range). At the end of each bucket I assess where I am: do I feel tired, am I mentally not in it, what were some of the shots in the last 50 I could focus on, etc. This gives me a forced break anyway to go load up another bucket and I usually will grab a chair on the way and just sit at my spot for a couple minutes.

What ends up happening with this is 1) I don't just bang through the bucket, as each ball then means a little more 2) for the most part I don't stick with one club for half a bucket (I used to do this a lot when I had 150 balls) and 3) if I start feeling like I'm not having a good session (I always aim at targets and certain shots to make) I won't feel like I have to work through a ton of balls.