Hitting balls pre-round?

[MiniBlueDragon]

I've always liked arriving an hour or so before my tee time and using the practice putting area and hitting some full shot balls pre-round whether into a net or at the range to loosen-up and get my rhythm cleaned-up a little before I go out on the course, however every person I've ever said this to has said that they prefer to roll-up, get their bag, pay their green fees and tee off with no warmup or practice at all.

The reason, they said is because if you hit balls badly on the practice tee then you'll approach the first tee in a bad place and subsequently have a bad round or because hitting off mats gives a false sense of security and your actual shots won't be the same.

My argument is that if I start hitting balls badly on the practice tee I can normally figure out why I'm making bad shots and start to correct it before I go out on the course. Hitting off mats I can still normally tell if I've hit ball first or mat first.

Do you like to hit balls pre-round? Why?

[michaeljames92]

Wednesday mornings before uni during winter I tee off first just before 7, so there is no light to hit balls. However in the afternoon competition i'll hit 25 balls or so just to get a feel for my swing bottom and shot pattern.

[Kieran123]

Always. Hit my GW, 7i, 4i and driver for round 30 minutes, then putt for around 20

[Spyder]

I really only like to use the putting green and lay a few balls off in the deep grass and do some chip shots to relax and putz around. I made the mistake last week of hitting a full large bucket of all Driver shots and I was exhausted by the 5th hole. I'll never do that again. No real argument for or against what you do. It's whatever makes you comfortable and prepared. The majority of the time, I prefer a hot dog and cold one as my warm-up routine.

[shades9323]

I don't hit any balls on the range.  I don't want to waste any good swings!  But seriously, I have never had hitting balls before the round benefit me in any way so I discontinued the practice.

[Ferg]

I will usually get a small bag / bucket of balls, do that for 10 or 15 min then head to the putting / chipping green.

I used to do a full bucket... but seemed like a little too much for me.

[parbreaker]

Typically I prefer to do some pre-round warm ups. It gets my body warmed up and gives me a feel for how I'm swinging.

I usually get a small bucket of balls and hit some PW's, starting with pitch shots and working up to full shots. This probably takes about 10-15 balls. Then I go to a 7 iron, starting with some half swings, working up to full swings. This is usually another 10-15 balls. After that I go to the practice green and hit some practice putts to get the feel of the greens (about 5 mins or so) and then I'm ready to go. Overall it probably takes me 20 minutes to get ready.

I don't want to hit so many that I get into a "practice" mind set because that's not what I'm there to do, but I do want to get my blood flowing and see what my tendencies are at the moment.

On another note, it isn't uncommon at all for me to go to the practice range for a good session after a round when my misses are clear in my head and I can work on what I need to.

[deasy55]

If hitting no balls on the range is good enough for Sergio then it's good enough for me.

[newtogolf]

I've heard some players say the same thing that they're afraid they will hit poorly pre-round and take the shanks on the course.  I prefer to stretch and warm up on the range.  I'll usually do some drills to reinforce my swing mechanics like holding the flying wedge.  I also find when I warm up I get a better handle on my swing distances as I tend tol be 10 - 20 yards shorter pre-warmup than post-warmup.

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

I've heard some players say the same thing that they're afraid they will hit poorly pre-round and take the shanks on the course.

All in the head.

[bradsul]

I always prefer to, though it's not always possible (tee time too early or no range or warm-up net).  It takes me about 20 balls before I feel fully loose and my swing is grooved in.  A small warm-up bucket is usually all I hit with the last couple being whatever I'm about to tee off with.  Then it's over to the putting green to get my putting and short chips dialed in.

[TN94z]

It really depends.  It helps me loosen up but so does chipping around the putting green.  The biggest reason I would hit balls on the range before a round is just to see what kind of ball flight I have that day.  I know I am nowhere near consistent enough to know exactly what I will be doing that day.  So I may go out and hit a slight fade one round, and the next round may be a draw.  So the range usually helps me figure that out.

The biggest reason I quit using the range was because if I were hitting shots on the range that I didn't want to hit, I would start working on my swing and that would continue onto the course. Or if I hit it badly on the range, it would get me to a bad place mentally before I ever stepped foot on the first tee.

My general rule is, if it's a casual round, I hit the practice green for some putts and chips and then go play.  If it's a tournament, I will hit the range and then the practice green.

[darkhunter139]

I like to whenever I get the chance but not all the courses I go to have ranges.  Sometimes I go to this terrible range near the course I usually play at just to get a few swings in and get all warmed up.  For me its not really about dialing my clubs in as much as it is about just getting loose.

[The Recreational Golfer]

I'll hit to get loose, to find my tempo and rhythm, and to remind myself of how my swing works. I like to hit at least one shot with every club so I don't have to be in the 6th fairway with a 5-iron which I'm hitting it for the first time today. I'll also practice specialty shots, like the one I have to hit to cut the corner on #3.

My scores on holes 1-5 are better with a warm-up than without one. A few courses I play don't have a range, so I bring along some plastic balls to warm up with.

[Grumpter]

Would I like to hit balls pre-round? Yes.

Do I hit balls pre-round? No.

Why? Bad back. I only get so many swings before everything goes to hell. I think I have whittled it down to I now only need 1 full day off before playing the next round.

When my back was in good shape I always like to hit before a round.

[DoubleEagle]

I don't hit balls pre-round.

I usually stretch for 5 or so minutes, swing my 9i to loosen up.

Head for the 1st tee box and hit one ball.  No matter where it goes, good or bad I play that ball

[awmgolfer]

I will hit a bucket of balls if I can, if not then I do the same thing but just on some grass, mainly it's just for stretching. If there is a range though I will hit my PW, then go to the 8, then to the 5, 3 wood, then driver. I hit around 4 to 5 balls with each club but if things feel good after 2 to 3 hits I move on to the next club. If I have any balls left at the end I will pitch to targets on the range.

[rustyredcab]

IDEAL:

Arrive over an hour early. Change shoes and check in. Arrive on the putting green one hour before my tee time. Lag long putts with one ball to the edge of the green for 5-10 minutes or until I feel I have the distance down. Hit straight 3-4 foot putts into the hole. Find some breaking, up and down hill 4-6 footers and hit them until I can make them with both line and speed. End the putting with three putts in a row into the hole -- even if they need to be 3 footers. Total time on the green is about 25 minutes.

Go to range and chip with a PW until I feel I my hands are leading the club-head and that I am making consistent contact. Sometimes this takes a while. Then I check my distance to the ball and ball position (I have sticks with marks for this), and I hit PW's to a target. I do not care about how far the ball goes because they are range balls. I want straight. Once those are really straight, I hit a few going through a whole pre-shote routine. Next I hit some 8 irons with pre-shot routine. Once those are straight, I hit either 3-H or 3-W depending upon which one I think I will use more on the course. Then drivers until I feel confident in the swing and the flight. I finish by hitting whatever I plan to hit on the first tee -- maybe two or three times well. Total time is about 25 minutes.

If I still have time, I hit a few more putts with one ball. Again, I end with three in a row in the cup before heading to the first tee.

I used to play a course with no range and an awful net set up. Used to hit first drive and adjust my game to that swing. Sometimes this was fine and other times it was a disaster. I love having a range.