Hitting balls pre-round?

[meenman]

I usually arrive 1 hour early, partially to BS, but if I dont hit the range, I will struggle for the first 5-6 holes. I hit about 10-15 shots with a 6 or 7 iron, another 10 with my driver and maybe 5 with a hybrid. Then I will putt for 5-10 minutes to get a feel for the green speeds that day.

[ggolokin]

i hit about 40 balls before i play in my local comps,

15 warm up pitching wedges

5 160yd 9i

5 160yd 8i

5 160yd 7i

5 of whatever club im using off the first tee

5 cooldown 110yd 52*'s

gets your distance control dialed in everything within 160yds...

and gives you confidence on the first tee cause you just hit it on the range

[RC]

I warm up hitting practice balls at least 99 percent of the time.  After stretching and swinging about freely, I start out hitting a five or six iron and most of my small bucket is a 4, 5, or 6 iron.  Then a couple of 3 woods off the deck, maybe three drivers, and finish up with a few wedges and pitch shots of 50 to 70 yards -- then it is off to the putting green before the round starts.

I use the mid iorns the most because a touring pro and multiple tournament winner once recommended doing that years ago and it is a formula that seems to work for me.  If I am hitting nice five irons, I know my swing is in good shape.  This routine helped correct a problem I had previously when I would hit the short irons a lot more then a few drivers.  When faced with the first long iron shot, I did not feel 100 percent ready.  Now I do.

After playing, if something was wrong, I will hit another bucket working on corrective things.

[x129]

Originally Posted by deasy55

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

I am pretty sure that was a one off happening. 99% of the tour pros are out there hitting balls before the hit the course.

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.  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.

I have always wondered what these people do if they shank the first tee shot.

[Long Ball Larry]

I like to hit a small bucket, starting with my PW and working my way up to my driver. A standard bucket of 60 balls or so is too much right before a round for me. The people who don't want to take range shanks out onto the course should do what Tom Watson does and start out hitting three-iron. Set the bar low.

[GJBenn85]

I rarely hit the range before a round but my first and second hole scores typically reflect it too.  Usually by the third and fourth hole my swing has cleaned up and I begin contacting the ball as desired.  Primary reason I do not hit the range beforehand is my schedule usually only allows me to play late in the day and I am rarely able to leave early enough to arrive 45 minutes beforehand to hit a bucket.

[garrettdennert]

Originally Posted by 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?

If I have the time, I definitely hit range balls, if only to get in a rhythm.  For me, it's a necessity because I honestly don't get out as much I'd like to, and sometimes go weeks without picking up a club.  For that reason alone it's essential for me to start swinging.  If I don't do that at the range, I definitely find some time to take a couple swings at home before I hit the road.  That being said, I think that if you golf with some regularity, you can get away with not hitting range balls, though I believe practicing your putting and chipping is a must for everyone.  Especially if you've never played the course before, you may be able to maneuver your tee shots and iron shots to "safe" spots on the course, but if you have no idea of how fast and firm the greens are, you may SOL for the first few holes.  I don't think one should spend hours on end before a round "warming up," but hitting a small bucket will, like you said, at least tell you what to expect from your swing in the upcoming round.  If you're slicing the ball on the range, chances are you should be playing that slice all day to the best of your ability.  Unless you play every day, and even if you do, your swing is not going to be exactly the same the next time you're out on the course, so therefore I think it's best to get the "bad" shots out on the range before you go on the course.  Just think about it... if you take the first 2, 3, or 4 holes to get warmed up, your scores are going to show it, and it's going to be in your head that you have to fix whatever is wrong while you're on the course, which takes your focus away from shots that actually need it.  My pre-round warmup routine usually goes like this:

10-15 minutes of putting, starting with short putts and working my way back.

5-10 minutes of chipping/putting, working my way back.

(if time) 5-10 half swings hitting range balls with my lowest wedge just to get the bottom half of my swing in order.

Then I work my way up to my full swing, and hit at least a few balls with every club, working my way up and ending with the driver.

[tristanhilton85]

I like to hit a few balls before I start my round to loosen up and also to see what my shot pattern seems to be for the day... some days it's pretty straight while others for whatever reason I might have a little fade or draw so it'll give me an idea of how to position myself on the course...

[Inebriated]

I only hit balls once before a round. Interestingly, I hit great on the range, but the first hole was miserable. I think it's a waste of energy if you're doing anything more than warming up. Except maybe putting/chip shots.

[gloomis29]

I usually bring 6-10 "junk" balls and hit them into the range with my 8iron, hit 3 or 4 half swings and then work up to the last 2 being about 85%.  I walk a lot of rounds by myself and have a few 5gallon buckets of junky balls I will never use, but they work as range balls!  I wish I could have 45min-1hr to warm up/putt for 30 min before each round, but with a 1 yr old and a wife at home, if I add an extra hour to being gone, she wouldn't be very happy!

[NuclearMike]

I'll get there early, hit a small bag (20-30 balls).  PW, then 6 iron, 3 Hybrid, a couple with the driver, and back to the short clubs 3H, 6I, PW.  I'm usually loose by then and if something's off I know about it before I get to the first tee so I can fix it more quickly.  Then 10 min or so on the practice green, and I'm ready to go.  When I was younger I could just show up and play, but now I need to warm up the muscles and 30 swings or so will usually do it.

[Yukari]

I used to be one of those, roll-in, pay the fees, and hit the links.

Then about 3 years ago, I started to chip and put for 15 minutes before teeing off, which helped a lot in getting up and down.

Then this year, I've added warming up with full shots.

I can definitely tell the difference when I warm-up with some pre-round shots.