Newb Driving Range Questions....

[MountainBum]

Only golfed 3 times in my life and picked up my first set of clubs recently. I have a few pretty lame questions if you guys dont mind as I know pretty much nothing about golf still.

-Which clubs should I take to the driving range with me?

-If I should use more than just my driver at the range, do I hit my hybrid and irons off the tee along with my driver and 3 wood, or hit off the ground? I have a driver, 3 wood, 3 hybrid, 4-PW.

-Should I where a glove? Im right handed and wasnt sure if I should buy one, and didnt even know which hand to where it on......

-I assume I should where my golf shoes as that is what I will be playing in yes?

-Any general Etiquette I should be aware of so I dont screw up other peoples days?

Thanks

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by MountainBum

Only golfed 3 times in my life and picked up my first set of clubs recently. I have a few pretty lame questions if you guys dont mind as I know pretty much nothing about golf still.

-Which clubs should I take to the driving range with me?

i bring them all unless I'm specifically working on things.

-If I should use more than just my driver at the range, do I hit my hybrid and irons off the tee along with my driver and 3 wood, or hit off the ground? I have a driver, 3 wood, 3 hybrid, 4-PW.

warm up with wedges and progress down through driver.  I usually only hit driver off a tee.  but sometimes if i'm making a swing change you can tee an iron shot up just so it will be slightly easier to hit. but for the most part i only tee up driver

-Should I where a glove? Im right handed and wasnt sure if I should buy one, and didnt even know which hand to where it on......

some people dont, but i do.  I like wearing one.  I wear one on my left hand and put a little peice of tape on my right index finger below the knuckle

-I assume I should where my golf shoes as that is what I will be playing in yes?

yes they help with grip.. sometimes i spin out or slip if im in the wrong shoes. i wouldnt say they are necessary yet, but they definitely help me

-Any general Etiquette I should be aware of so I dont screw up other peoples days?

on the course or range?  im not super aware of any at the range other than being quiet dont make loud noises or talk on the phone but on the course there is quite a number.

dont walk between peoples ball and the hole on the green.. dont talk when putting hitting or anything.  dont hit into people ... there is a ton out there hahah just google that though

Thanks

[carpediem4300]

Hi Mountain welcome to the boards, a newbie just like me :)

Im not new to golf but I am new to taking it seriously so Ill tell you what i have read and been told, but beware I am only jsut putting it into practice myself!!

1) take all of them, never hurts unless you are struggling with a certain club then only take that

2) As you are new i would use all of them to get use to them, start from your pitching wedge and work up (This is a general rule for when you are better also,) once you are better I would look to hit low irons and practice putting the most, I only hit my driver 20 times at the range, i hit hundreds with everything else,....remember during a round of golf you will probably use the driver 14-15 times but hit just as many wedge/chip shots and 32+ putts,....we dont practice putting nearly as much as we should

3) A glove is presonal preference, i wear two gloves sometimes if its hot to help stop friction, generally a glove (for your left hand as your righty) can help grip etc and be more comfortable, but its more personal preference really

4) You dont have to wear your golf shoes, but it will be beneficial, no point hitting shots and slipping around

5) Same as golf course etiquette, only people talking loudly should be pros doing the lessons and the customer asking the pros questions. If your mates wanna go but they are loud and playful, leave them behind, nothing worse than a group of noisy people putting you off. If your walking to your bay and someone is lining up a shot its nice to stop and let them play it, after all they are all their for practice which takes immense concentration

[MountainBum]

Excellent, thanks for the info.

[rustyredcab]

I've been luck enough to attend several golf schools. When working on our swings (instead of our "game") we used one club on the range. We mostly used a 6-iron and set up a station by laying a club down to show your foot line and maybe a club perpendicular to indicate ball position. If the ground was hard or beat up, we used a tee. Remember that you are working on your swing and worry more about what you are working on than you do about ball flight. For example, if you're trying a new slower take away, judge success based on if you were slow in the take away. Remember that practice is practice.

If you are working on your game or getting ready to play, the advise for others to start with a wedge and work up is good advise. I hit PW (starting with chip shots then full swings), 8-iron, hybrid, 3-wood, driver and finish back with a wedge again. If I'm playing a round, I end with the club I play to use on the first tee and then my expected club for the second shot on that first hole.

[saevel25]

Bring your whole bad, its just easier

Warm up with what ever you feel comfortable with, i like actually hitting some wedge shots first. Then i go to full shots. I really never hit my driver at all.

You don't have to wear a glove, i alternate between wearing one and not wearing one. If you have good grips on your clubs and correct grip pressure, you don't need a glove to help there, but thats just me.

[Topper]

-Which clubs should I take to the driving range with me?

[I usually bring them all but don't use them all.  Sometimes I focus on my long game (driver and hybrids) which is terrible. Other days it's all irons.  Other days it's all wedges.  If I go through the full range I usually will start with a SW (or PW), 7i, 23*h, 17*h, and driver.]

-If I should use more than just my driver at the range, do I hit my hybrid and irons off the tee along with my driver and 3 wood, or hit off the ground? I have a driver, 3 wood, 3 hybrid, 4-PW.

[Driver  - Hit off the tee.

Woods and Hybrids - Hit off the tee until you're making consistent contact.  You can gradually lower the tee height until your directly on the ground.  The 3-wood is a difficult club to hit off the ground.  Most people will use it as a backup to their driver when then value control and accuracy more than distance.

Irons - When you starting out, there is nothing wrong with starting off a tee especially for longer irons (4-6) but don't be afraid to hit your 7-PW off the ground at the start.]

-Should I where a glove? Im right handed and wasnt sure if I should buy one, and didnt even know which hand to where it on......

[I wear a glove since I will normally wear one while I'm golfing.]

- I assume I should where my golf shoes as that is what I will be playing in yes?

[I wear golf shoes since I wear them when I'm golfing.]

-Any general Etiquette I should be aware of so I dont screw up other peoples days?

[Common sense goes a long way here.]

You will find out soon enough, but there is a huge difference between hitting of matts and grass.  Go to whatever type of range is available, but use grass driving ranges if they're available and you're hitting balls off the ground.  Grass gives more feedback about how well you're swinging.

[MountainBum]

Thanks for the advice. I went the past 2 days and hit 300 balls. I didnt start off to well but kinda kept my eyes and ears open and watched other people (who appeared good) quite a bit to see what they were doing. I plan on taking some lessons down the road when i can afford them, doubt my wife will let me spend any more money on golf atm. For now its watching others and youtube vids lol.

The biggest thing that helped me was watching the guy next to me consistantly drive 300+ yards like it was nothing, and i noticed how his backswing started rather slow. Years of baseball dont help with a golf swing I have found. My goal is to just slow down atm, and hit the ball straight as i found trying to mash it does nothing. I had some very consistant (straight, no shanking) 200 yard drives today, 150 with my 3h and 5i, and around 120 or so with my 6i. Some good pitching wedges also that were starting to get pretty accurate as i was finishing up.

The advice of starting with the wedge was a big help i think. Had some calluses on my hand yesterday after 200 balls so i picked up a glove before i started today and it felt much better (my grip, not the hand...) so i think ill stick with it. Thanks again all, looking forward to having a new awesome hobby and hopefully down the road ill be able to contribute something here.

[carpediem4300]

Glad its going well buddy, i wouldnt concentrate to much on hitting balls at the range though (As daft as it sounds)

what we often forget is that a duff shot on the range is quickly replace by a good shot,.....however on the golf course a duff shot can ruin a round!!!

i usually get no more that 90 balls, and i quickly knock 20-30 of them with various wedges just getting warmed up,.....then i decide "what am i trying to do today?",......hmmmm mid iron approach shots,.....so i set a ball up and take my stance and choose my target, a green if applicable at your range,.......and i act as if im on a golf course, actually taking a shot, ill stand behind it and line it up,....guage the green and where is best to land it etc, and then take the shot. so normally half a minute or so for the shot including practice swings???

means your there for ages but i think is a good way of practicing and also mentally practicing aswell, a golf round can take from 2-5 hours depending how good you are and how busy it is, so 2 hours or more at the range will do you good.

[mobosecomin]

If lessons are out of the question at the moment I would recommend picking up Ben Hogans book 5 lesson's. It's cheap and if you follow the instruction in it you would be getting off to a decent start. Also if you have a digital camera you could video yourself swinging so you can see what you are doing. It's said here quite a lot "feel is not real" and that is definitely true in regards to the golf swing. Quite often you will feel like you are going something when you are not.

I recently got a full size mirror and put it beside my practice net. I thought I had a good setup but it turns out I was way off. The mirror has been a great aid in fixing it. I would take my address position and then just look up to see if it was any good. I would have wagered money on me having a decent setup before I saw it, it sure did feel good but alas I was way off.

Good Luck

[rustyredcab]

Are you working on your swing or are you working on the game? I suggest that it is best to choose one and do it.

When working on your swing at the range, worry less about where the ball goes and try make the swing "changes" you want to make. Lots of chip shots and slow-motion swings are my M.O. Video is your best friend. Set up a camera and record a shot. Review that swing against what you are trying to do (Hogan's book or some other model is helpful.) Then record another swing. For example, if you are working on a good turn, worry about the turn and ignore the ball flight. What you actually do is often not what you feel. I work on a pause at the top of my backswing that feels very pronounced and is not visible on video. The resulting shaft position at the beginning of my downswing is visible and better when I feel the pause. If your swing is over-the-top as most of us were or are when we start, the video will help you see what you are actually doing.

If you are working on your game, worry more about making the ball go where you want. Try and get extra swing thoughts out of your head. Hit it high. Hit a fade. Hit it low. Work on ball flight. Mix up clubs more often -- hit a wedge then a 3-wood, then a 7-iron. When working on your swing, stick with one club for a bunch of shots in a row. Aim at targets. Try and hit three "good shots" in a row. Create your own contests against yourself. This is all best done once you "have a swing" that you can sometimes repeat.

As a newbie, I would advise you to work on your swing until you have "your swing."

And when you are really ready to lower your scores, get of the range and onto the practice green.

Originally Posted by carpediem4300

Glad its going well buddy, i wouldnt concentrate to much on hitting balls at the range though (As daft as it sounds)

what we often forget is that a duff shot on the range is quickly replace by a good shot,.....however on the golf course a duff shot can ruin a round!!!

...

[DemonicZeus]

Originally Posted by MountainBum

Only golfed 3 times in my life and picked up my first set of clubs recently. I have a few pretty lame questions if you guys dont mind as I know pretty much nothing about golf still.

-Which clubs should I take to the driving range with me?

I usually bring my driver, iron (4 Hybrid, 5, 7, 9) Lob Wedge and Putter (to practice short game)

-If I should use more than just my driver at the range, do I hit my hybrid and irons off the tee along with my driver and 3 wood, or hit off the ground? I have a driver, 3 wood, 3 hybrid, 4-PW.

I suggest you use all of them, you have to know your club(s)

-Should I where a glove? Im right handed and wasnt sure if I should buy one, and didnt even know which hand to where it on......

Yes, i personally use glove even i'm chipping. To avoid, scratch on my hand, especially my fingers

-I assume I should where my golf shoes as that is what I will be playing in yes?

Yes, for your grip on uphill or downhill ground.

And to avoid injury (yes this happened to me)

-Any general Etiquette I should be aware of so I dont screw up other peoples days?

I think, stay calm, even your score/shot is bad

Don't use any other club beside putter on green

After you hit the ball, and there're divots, put it back and give sand ( i think this is caddy's responsible)

To find more, just google it or something else, ask pros.

Thanks