What is your range routine?

[KCCO]

Hi All,

Lately I have been going to the range a couple times a week but haven't had a structure to my practice.  I'm wondering what routine you all go through at the range.

I'm thinking I may start the following regiment:

1) Hit about 10-15 with driver/3-wood.  (Just to make sure I have a solid first shot)

2) Work on 7/8/9/PW approach shots (around 75 balls)

3) Gap/Sand wedge shots 100 yds and in.

Should I be spending more time on the 5/6 iron shots?  Or are those best served as "support" shots that I take in stride?

Also....What kind of drills do you guys use for developing/working on accuracy?

Thanks,

Bruce

[carpediem4300]

Do it the other way round, start with wedges and work up

I generally only work on any issues im having, if im hitting duff drives ill do a single session on it then move on etc

you didnt mention putting though? you hit 18 tee shots,....and 30+ putts,...where can you save the most shots?

also chipping, pitch and run, bunker shots,.....

Im spending 5-6 hours a week on the practice green, and consistently shooting my best ever round each time i go out, last time out i didnt 3 putt once,...didnt blade any chips over the green and didnt get stuck in any bunkers

makes a big difference in my opinion, but ill still hit 120 balls a week working on driver, irons jsut to keep fresh and get rid of niggles,....currently fighting a hook, next week ill be fighting a slice,..so on and so forth

[KCCO]

Thanks for the input.  I'll work the other way around since that totally makes sense to work on your scoring clubs a bit more.

I was focusing mainly on the driving range.  I put in a few hours a week dedicated to putting alone so I consider that it's own entity.

Thanks again.

[carpediem4300]

no worries,.... i think sometimes people get hung up on hitting tee shots, and short irons when in reality until your a really really decent player we will msotly be hitting long irons and scrambling around the greens,......for sure you need to practice with all clubs but since i switched routines and focused on short game im much better for it

it also depends on what works for you, mix things up

playing the range like a course is a good one,....pick a spot to drive your ball at, then pick a flag to hit a long iron at,...then a flag to hit a short iron at,...then something to hit a pitch at,.....do and repeat like your playing a round of golf,.......mix the imaginary holes up and play 4 par 3's of varied length etc

[GJBenn85]

I generally start out with my 7-iron since it is my "best" club (most predictable).  I then work down to my long irons and hybrids, then pull out the wedges.  Lastly, I hit about 30 balls with my 3w and driver.

Lately I've been using alignment rods.  Have had a hard time in the past making sure I was aligned to my target.

What I focus on at the range:

-Hands following a line parallel to my feet

-Hitting down on the ball

-Weight shifting left

-Swinging in-out instead of yanking inside (yanking inside is my natural tendency which results in ugly slices)

-Fully releasing club

[Golfingdad]

I don't really have a set routine, but generally it goes something like this:

- A couple warm up stretching swings (no ball) with a 3 iron.

- Start with SW, a few half swings, a few 3/4, and then a few full shots

- Next is a mid iron, sometimes 7, sometimes 6, whatever I feel like and I hit 15-20 full shots with it.

- a couple of shots with 3 or 4 iron

- a few hybrid shots

- a few 3W off the ground and a couple off a tee

- a half dozen drivers

- then with whatevers left, usually 15-20 balls or so, I pull the SW back out and start picking a different target out with each shot, and all different distances too.

That's about it.

[DevilDog21]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I don't really have a set routine, but generally it goes something like this:

- A couple warm up stretching swings (no ball) with a 3 iron.

- Start with SW, a few half swings, a few 3/4, and then a few full shots

- Next is a mid iron, sometimes 7, sometimes 6, whatever I feel like and I hit 15-20 full shots with it.

- a couple of shots with 3 or 4 iron

- a few hybrid shots

- a few 3W off the ground and a couple off a tee

- a half dozen drivers

- then with whatevers left, usually 15-20 balls or so, I pull the SW back out and start picking a different target out with each shot, and all different distances too.

That's about it.

Mine is pretty close to identical to this.

The only difference I have in my routine is that I "play" the first hole on the range twice when I have about 6 or 7 balls left. Example: Driver, 8 iron, then another Driver, 8 iron. I use the last few balls to hit driver or 3 wood (whatever I'm going to tee off with on #1) and if I hit 1 perfectly I'll leave any remaining balls on the range and go to the 1st tee confidently.

[Zeph]

I usually go to the range with the intent of working on one or two things in the swing. I've become better at staying focused on this and not start thinking about other stuff. Almost always bring my camera to see what's going on. I record some swings, review them on the camera and see if I'm doing something right. If not, I'll make adjustments and record again. I also put the swings on my computer if I want to look closer on them later. I usually hit 6 or 5 iron all the time through the session. Makes each session easier to compare. I never go to the range just to hit balls and go through the bag. I go with defined goals on what to work on and keep it at that. I'm at the range to improve and get better. If I want to hit balls, I'll go to the course.

[retexan599]

Lots of ways to do it, but two things to add:

• use 'Longshot' impact stickers on club face to get feedback about where I am making contact between club face and ball.  I can remove the stickers and restick them to a piece of paper for history at home.
• take a pen and paper and make notes on what worked and what did not.  Keep notes in a computer file and take with me to the course next time for pre-round review.  My points to remember are all on one sheet of paper, which I update as I learn.

[joeyharris]

Assuming I'm hitting the range before a round, I like to play out the first 4-5 holes until I get comfortable with my strategy going forward.  I find this not only helps me warm up; it really settles me down on the first couple tees.

[carrx]

As has been stated, there is a difference between a range practice session, and a pre-round/tournament warmup.

If we're talking practice session, I'm going to hit either 65 balls (medium) or 100 balls (large).  I tend to structure my targets based on where the range areas are in relation to the targets (many of the ranges I practice at use grass, and therefore move their locations from day to day).  I prefer to warm up with a GW or PW, swinging smoothly at a "short target" (i.e., a 100 yard shot with PW is short of my full swing).  After a handful of these, I would move to hit the shot that distance would dictate (either SW, GW, or PW depending on how far the flag actually is).  I probably hit 15 balls this way.

My next target is the intermediate flag (usually from 140 to 160, depending on the range and day).  I hit at least 15 or 20 balls at this target, giving myself a critique for each shot (i.e., green hit, good look at birdie, short sided, etc.). I definitely spend the bulk of my range time at the short and intermediate distances.

I hit 5-10 balls at the longest iron target, using 4 iron (it's the hardest to hit consistently), and usually get a pretty good gauge of where my swing really is.

Then, Driver...I probably hit 15 to 20 with driver, until I feel my swing is "grooved", meaning I am consistently hitting the ball in a predictable pattern, trajectory and distance.

From there, typically I would hit a few hybrids, and dial back to hit "punch" shots at the intermediate flag (i.e. 6 irons at the 150 flag) to really get the feel for controlling trajectory.  If I have time and enough balls I like to finish with a few half-wedges, trying to get the feel for that 50 yard mini shot.  If I hit 100 balls, 50-75 are GW/PW/8 iron & Driver.