How Fast Do You Practice?

[NuclearMike]

I went to the range today and found, again, that I'm by far the slowest guy there when it comes to practice.  A little background- I took a decade away from the game when my wife was taken ill in 2001.  I was a 10 hdcp when I stopped and started up again about 16 months ago.  Part of why I'm slow is that I have psoriatic arthritis and neuropathy in my legs and feet that I didn't have before I quit and have to step back and sit down every 15 minutes or so. During the break I'll clean the clubs that I just hit and wait for the pain to subside so that I can go back out and hit some more.  When I go back out I still take a minute or more to hit each ball as I try to think about the next shot, visualize what I want the ball to do, and set my grip (I'm working on my second grip change of the year).  I then approach the shot as if I was on the course in a situation where it might have some significance.  It takes me about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to hit a 100-110 ball bucket.

That's what I do at the range, but while I was there today five people showed up as much as an hour later than me.  Every one of them was done well before I was.  One guy finished his large bucket of 100-110 balls in less than 45 minutes.  That's about 2 1/2 balls a minute, or one every 25 seconds or so, in 95 degree heat with high humidity and no shade.

How do you practice?  Are you fast, to get a little exercise and just go out to hit some balls, or do you approach hitting at the range as an opportunity to work toward improving your game?  Am I just too serious about how I practice?  My game is improving but I don't really have a lot of fun while I'm at the range since I'm always trying to better my game.

[Beachcomber]

I usually get 50 to 60 balls (medium bucket) and take my time.  I really focus on feels and positions for the first 20 to 30 minutes.  So it takes awhile to get through the first half of the bucket.  But then once I really have found that 'feel' or position I was trying to reach... I'll bang the rest of the shots out in a little quicker frequence.  Typically an hour or a little more than an hour to finish the bucket.

I have my iPhone with me and listen to music.  So I don't even hear or focus on anyone around me.  I kind of just go into my own world which is awesome.

[RPMPIRE]

I usually take my time hitting balls going through a routine similar to Tiger's - SW, 8i, 4i, 3w, Driver. I usually hit about 10-15 balls with them, but I take my time between each ball and make sure I hit each club well before moving on. If I have extra balls left, then I just pick whatever spot to aim at on the range and hit it there with whatever iron that gets there. Then I just practice hitting half wedge shots. Usually, 50-60 balls can last me 1 hour.

[Motley01]

Geezus poor Mike having to practice in that heat. I usually wait until after 7pm to practice, when it starts cooling down.

Yesterday we got some clouds, so it cooled down to about 88 when I went to the range last night.

I go very slow like you. I hit a full bucket of balls, practiced chipping, sand shots, and putting.

I was there for just over 2 hours.

[newtogolf]

Depends on how much time I have, but I typically take about an hour for 40 balls (small bucket).  I typically warm up then work with my wedges, 7i, 5i, 3h, 3w.  I'll usually finish the practice with some pitches and chips to the 50 yard target.

If I go for a 2nd small bucket it's usually a simulated round where I use my home courses distances and select my clubs as I would on the course based on the distances I hit and yards that would remain on the hole.

[dsc123]

I'll spend about 75 minutes hitting 110 balls.

[Bastid]

I'm more of the Carlos Franco type...I'm not a big range rat. I grew up on a course without a range so I learned how to play and practice by simply going and teeing it up. It is still weird for me to just sit on the range and beat balls, I don't feel like I'm getting great practice out of it. However, when I do warm up before a serious round, I tend to hit wedges until I feel my tempo is where I want it. Then I'll work on hitting a few cuts / draws with the 5 iron--just to get a feel for my alignment. After that I'll hit a few shots with the hybrid, I should be 100% warmed up by now so I'll let these fly. Then I usually hit the 3 wood off both the tee and the deck, just to get a feel for it. Then comes a few swings with the driver. After all that, I'll finish out with a few more wedges in the 75-90 yard range. All in all, maybe 25-30 balls that takes roughly 45 minutes. But I rarely hit the range before a round unless it's a tournament or something.

[Chas]

Used to hit 80 or 100 in about an hour.  Now I hit a small or medium bucket in about an hour, then do some chipping and putting for another hour or so.

Slow is good when you're practicing, at least it is for me.  What did I just do?  How did it feel?  What should I do next?  Maybe I'm slow but this takes a bit of time to ponder.  Important to address the ball as if you were on the track.

Also, it's a lot more interesting to do this than to just bang away.  It's more like the real thing in a way.

[NuclearMike]

Originally Posted by Motley01

Geezus poor Mike having to practice in that heat. I usually wait until after 7pm to practice, when it starts cooling down.

Yesterday we got some clouds, so it cooled down to about 88 when I went to the range last night.

I go very slow like you. I hit a full bucket of balls, practiced chipping, sand shots, and putting.

I was there for just over 2 hours.

I don't mind practicing in the heat since I don't just rush through the balls like the guy I was talking about.  If I was just there swinging away I'd probably tire out 1/2 or 3/4 of the way through the bucket.  I take breaks under a tree and drink Gatorade when I think that I need to and always finish the bucket.  Like a lot of you, I hit the shorter clubs first, work my way to the driver, and then back to the wedges.

[nevrino]

I usually hit 2-5 full buckets, think that's about 200-500 balls(i got free rangeballs) in roughly 2-4 h. I'm a range maniac but I don't think it helps so much, I just have a hard time stop hitting before I realise i'm totally exhausted.

[NuclearMike]

Originally Posted by nevrino

I usually hit 2-5 full buckets, think that's about 200-500 balls(i got free rangeballs) in roughly 2-4 h. I'm a range maniac but I don't think it helps so much, I just have a hard time stop hitting before I realise i'm totally exhausted.

500 balls would likely kill me in the Texas heat, but at least I'd die doing what I love.

[Teamanglerx]

Being slow is okay.  When I go two the range I do one of two things:

1) I play a "practice" round in my head according to what ever course I am practicing for.  I go from the "tee" and base my next shot on what the results were.  As an example, if I hit a poor shot right I play the club I would for a recovery shot.  I even practice pitches and chips back if I feel I didn't hit the "green".

2) I run a series.  I start with my 9I, then go to my 6I, a 4 hybrid, then my super hybrid (which I tee off with most of the time because I have driver issues).  I then work on certain clubs I have been having trouble with (driver, hitting accurate middle irons, etc).  Recently a lot of my range practice has been devoted to chips, pitches, and sand shots (my range has a bunker where you can hit short to full sand shots).

Regardless of what I am practicing I always do my pre-shot routine before each shot and practice my mental disipline to include keeping my frustration level down with bad shots.  I always seem to be there longer than other people who seem to "machine gun" there range sessions but I feel I get more out of my practice time.

[nevets88]

You should see people at ranges with automatic teeing machines. Literally machine gunning balls like crazy. A ball every 7 seconds? They get so tired, they have to sit down and it is distracting being next to one of these people. It's almost like a jackhammer.

I vary my pace. I can take 1.5 hours for 50 balls or less than an hour. I mark my balls so I can see impact location and always take a moment to remember what the swing felt like.

[Tuflehundon]

Originally Posted by Teamanglerx

Being slow is okay.  When I go two the range I do one of two things:

1) I play a "practice" round in my head according to what ever course I am practicing for.  I go from the "tee" and base my next shot on what the results were.  As an example, if I hit a poor shot right I play the club I would for a recovery shot.  I even practice pitches and chips back if I feel I didn't hit the "green".

2) I run a series.  I start with my 9I, then go to my 6I, a 4 hybrid, then my super hybrid (which I tee off with most of the time because I have driver issues).  I then work on certain clubs I have been having trouble with (driver, hitting accurate middle irons, etc).  Recently a lot of my range practice has been devoted to chips, pitches, and sand shots (my range has a bunker where you can hit short to full sand shots).

Regardless of what I am practicing I always do my pre-shot routine before each shot and practice my mental disipline to include keeping my frustration level down with bad shots.  I always seem to be there longer than other people who seem to "machine gun" there range sessions but I feel I get more out of my practice time.

This has helped me a ton on the course. I used to just bang away, but I wasn't practicing the way I played. Now I step away between each shot, pick a target each time and aim for that target. I also broke my right foot a few years back, that's why I stopped playing golf for a couple of years. If I just go and bang away at them now, my foot will cramp up and I'll have to step away and walk it off. By stepping away each shot, it keeps that from happening.

A small bucket of balls can last me 2 or 3 hours. (or more if I have the time) Usually start out at the chipping range, chip the whole bucket twice, but at varying ranges. Then I will go to the putting range and hit the bucket once there. Then finally I will go to the range and hit there. I work through SW, 9I, 6I, 7W, 3W, then driver. Tend to work more on my wedges and irons at the driving range. My driver and woods are pretty good right now. If I have a few left over at the end, or if someone gives me a few more cause they have to leave, I'll work on my partial wedge shots.

[Motown88]

It depends on the day...I prefer to spend a lot of time practicing.  I often approach a day at the range like a round of golf.  I like to hit golf balls for about an hour and a half and then practice some short game.  I don't see the sense in going to a range to just play whack a ball!  I tend to take my time, analyze my swing to the best of my ability and further improve my game.

[nevrino]

Originally Posted by NuclearMike

500 balls would likely kill me in the Texas heat, but at least I'd die doing what I love.

Haha yeah, it's another thing for me that is still young. The problem is I set goals on the range like hitting 18 on my "fairway" in a row with driver and sometimes that can take 200-300 balls, really stupid thoughts.

[brettski01]

I usually stop by on the way home from work and hit a medium or large bucket. Just hitting each club in the bag, picking a spot with each club and trying to land 5 or so balls around that spot. 30mins to an hour. On weekends when i have more time i could stay there all day...then play golf after that...then go home and practice swing inside while browsing the sand trap

[Elvisliveson]

When I go to the range, which isn't often, it's very quick as I have already would have worked out the swing thoughts at home and am just trying to get a feel for them and the results.