what to look for at the driving range

[andef]

Hello fellow sand trappers,

I have a quick question regarding "what to look for" when you're at the driving range.

I was practicing today at the range, trying to work on a grip change and some other swing changes. It was kind of a windy day, with wind slightly into my face from the left and a temperature of around two degrees Celsius.

I hit quite a few shots with my 7 iron, noticing that my normal solid shot was only going about 145/150 yards. I realize that I was practicing with range balls, I lost a bit of distance with the wind into my face and about 10/15 yards if compared to a normal temperature of around 13 degrees Celsius.

All that aside, I found that I was focusing much more on my distance rather than the quality of my strikes, the trajectory or most importantly how the swing changes felt.

Long story short, should I be worrying about distance when practicing on the range or not?

Thanks for the help,

andef

[adamgoodman]

When I'm at the range, I pick out where I want to go, and decide how I want to get there.

By that mind set, I feel like everything is taken into account. Distance and direction, ball flight and trajectory.

Just my humble opinion.

[phillyk]

I'd say the range is for everything: shot quality, direction, and distance.  I'd first focus on shot quality and direction, because they are far more important than distance, especially like you said, there are many factors at the range that can shorten the distance in which you hit.  Also, if shot quality is better to you after the practice session, then distance should come with it, because that means you're hitting more square and in the sweet spot.

So, as adamgoodman said, pick out a spot you want to hit to, and go at it until you feel you've met the criteria of your practice.

[sean_miller]

Coincidentally, it depends on the weather.

If it's calm, I try to vary trajectory and work the ball either way. I try to have the ball start at one target and work it toward another target. Up to about 120 yards the range balls go about the same as any ball, and with a decent amount of spin too. I work on pretty much everything.

If it's cold out I work on 3/4 shots and crisp contact (to minimize the ouch factor).

If there's a straight on headwind, then I'm really happy. I work on hitting shots low and high with the least amount of sidespin possible. When you can pure a 3-iron into a headwind, and it doesn't balloon or go off line, then you really have confidence on a calm day.

[andef]

Thanks for the responses guys. I always try to hit to a specific target at the range but am always looking to see whether the ball is on the right direction and has the proper ball-flight.

As Miller said, I feel like the range balls are pretty accurate up to a full PW and after that they start to move round quite a bit.

I guess distance is not really a big factor due to the poor quality of the range balls and everything else. I'm thinking I should roughly have a specific distance I'm looking to fly the ball at but should be more concerned with the quality of the strike and the ball-flight.

[saevel25]

Well any shot would be good up to a full pitching wedge because its harder to work a higher lofted club. I would say, initial direction on anyshot would be good, but the ability to curve the ball at will might be off. So i usually just try to pay attention to the direction of my initial ball flight to determine the clubface angle.

[ohiolefty]

All of it, but you have to be sensible.

If it's cold, if the wind is severe, etc. you have to allow for that.

I'm mainly concerned with quality of contact on the range. That, and whatever other thing(s) I'm trying to tune up.

[bkoguy07]

I agree with what has been said but let me add - I have heard you can lose a little distance from range balls.  I'm not 100% sure if this is true or not, but I could agree that I lose 5-10 yards off my shots when on the range.

Could anyone provide a more detailed response regarding losing distance with range balls?

[golf4fun12]

regardless of weather....I have always tried to practice different shots that I know I will be using on a golf course. I especially like to imagine I am on the golf course and hit a drive, hit my approach shot, and then go on to the next hole. I also put my self into difficult situations like if I have to hit a low cut, or high draw. then I practice those shots. sometimes I goof off though, when I am on the range with friends. gotta have fun.

[phillyk]

Oh you lose a lot of distance with range balls.  The best range balls, that still lose some distance are the practice ProV1's that pros use at tournaments (i think, not really sure if that's true).  But range balls are made to be cheap, easy replaceable, and renewable. So they sacrifice a lot of distance, especially when beat up.  So, can be anywhere from 10 to 20 yards i believe.

[Zeph]

If you are hitting range balls that are made to fly shorter, no. Not only do they fly shorter, but they have different characteristics than your balls, so they will be affected differently in variable conditions. I'm not saying to ignore the distance, but you usually know how far the ball should go from experience with range balls. Should it fly a lot shorter, you can do some drills to see if you are not striking the ball well enough.