Get Off the Darn Range and Go Play Golf

[chris3putt]

Well, to be fair, you didn't quite "call yourself out." You said it was boring, and the results didn't translate. And… you don't need to record your swings to practice effectively. I don't record many of my swings. Occasionally at the start, sometimes at the end, and a lot of the middle is filled with doing drills that I know will work well for me.

You likely have to find a way to make the range important enough to you. For me, knowing that I got even a little bit better that day is all I need. If I can make 50 "better" swings, I'll have improved, and that's exciting.

Due to my work, I have a LOT more time to spend on the range than I do playing golf. I'm slowly learning that the best use of that time is spent doing simple drills for making new moves that make my swing "better". The "Aha" moment when I get what a move should feel like is what keeps bringing me back.

[sgt1372]

Going to hit the fairways for the 1st time tomorrow.

It's only an "executive" 9 hole par 3 course but I'm looking forward to finally getting off the range.

[boogielicious]

Going to hit the fairways for the 1st time tomorrow.

It's only an "executive" 9 hole par 3 course but I'm looking forward to finally getting off the range.

Remember to have fun.

[sgt1372]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgt1372

Going to hit the fairways for the 1st time tomorrow.

It's only an "executive" 9 hole par 3 course but I'm looking forward to finally getting off the range.

Remember to have fun.

HAD FUN but that was because: 1) I didn't take it too seriously, 2) didn't keep score, 3) kept hitting a ball off the tee (2-3 and sometimes 4-5 times) until I got one I liked and 4) there was no one else around to see how poorly I played.  The sun was out, it wasn't too hot and course was quiet and lovely (with a flock of geese on a couple of holes) and that made playing on the course all that more enjoyable.

My best hole was 170 yards long.  I hit a 3W (yes, I'm hitting THAT short) onto the green close to the hole (after 3 tries).  Surprised the hell out of me and I actually had to repair a divot.  Putted the ball in and made a legitimate BIRDIE!

Whoopie!!!   Too bad it took 3 swings to make it to the green.  LOL!!!

What did I learn?

DIRECTION MATTERS!  Who knew?  Doesn't matter where you hit the ball on the range because there's no specific target.  I've learned how to hit the ball mostly straight or w/a draw to the left , but that's no good if you can't hit it where you need the ball to go.  Need to work on that.

DISTANCE MATTERS!  The golf sim site that I visited was way TOO generous in the distances that it mapped out for my clubs.  I was at least a club short of what I needed to hit in order to reach the greens every time and this was a flat course w/o any wind.   Made adjustments while on the course to correct this.  Only hit onto the 1 green (the one above) but got close to quite a few which allowed me to chip/putt onto the green for a lot of pars (after multiple hits from the tees).  See "Consistency Matters" below.

CONSISTENCY MATTERS!  I'm way too inconsistent in hitting my clubs -- ALL of my clubs.  I can manage a really nice hit about once out of 3 swings, which I don't feel too bad about since I only started playing 6 weeks ago. Doesn't matter since I didn't keep score and have no intention of playing w/others or bragging about how "good" I am at golf BUT, if I ever plan to do that, I'll need to be able to hit the ball EVERY time with a decent swing to justify scoring , playing w/other and/or bragging about a round well played.

NEED TO CHIP/PITCH BETTER!  Watched the videos and practiced on the chipping green but really have no control of the PW (or other clubs that I tried to use) when trying to chip or pitch from 10-30 yards away.  Ball mostly ran away from me leaving long putts.  Need as much "touch" to chip/pitch as you do to putt.  My putting was actually ok.  Didn't spend a lot of time analyzing and lining up shots but several long ones went in and/or were lagged close enough for tap-ins.  So, I'm happy about that.  No sand traps on this 9 hole; don't even want to consider that at this time.

USE A GPS APP FOR A RANGE FINDER!. Most of the marked distances for the fairways were correct but some were not.  Don't have enough experience yet to judge distances visually and used a GPS program as a range finder that helped me out several times.  Very useful in club selection.

BRING LOTS OF BALLS.!  I brought 25 range balls with me (just in case).  Lost 2 balls in a water hazard and 3 balls in trees hitting the ball the WRONG WAY (don't ask why)!!  If you're a newbie, don't bother playing w/new balls; it's just a waste.  Range balls work fine for the type of hitting (and missing) that a newbie like me will do.

PLAYING GOLF IS TIRING!   Before I started playing golf, I saw a lot of overweight pro golfers on TV  and thought that golf must not be very strenuous.  I walked the roughly 1300 yard/3900 feet (about 3/4 miles) of the 9 hole course and I was a little tired at the end.  Makes you appreciate the pros who walk around 7000 yards/21000 feet (about 4 miles) 4 times in a tournament, sometimes week after week.  Not sure how a pro can get fat doing that, but some apparently are still able to do so.

Far from ready to play a long 18 hole course or with a group, but looking forward to playing the same 9 hole course (as well as other 9 hole courses) again in order to gain experience and get better.

[saevel25]

For me it's get off the course and go practice. My game has been slipping. :surrender:

[CarlSpackler]

For me it's get off the course and go practice. My game has been slipping. :surrender:

Ditto for me.

[billchao]

For me it's get off the course and go practice. My game has been slipping. :surrender:

[quote name="CarlSpackler" url="/t/73316/get-off-the-darn-range-and-go-play-golf/60#post_1056987"] Ditto for me.[/quote]I practice all the time and I still hit the ball like :poo:.

[Aflighter]

I don't like going to the range because I don't get the excitement out of it because its hard to focus since theirs nothing on the line.The only times ill go is when theres something really wrong in my swing like the shanks.My swing is fine and the only thing I need help with is getting more distance but a pro told me that's more about getting more flexible for me than anything im doing wrong.I take golf really serious and im hard on myself if I don't play up to my standards.Ive even lost my enjoyment a lil bit just playing with friends in casual round compared to tournament play because im not playing for anything with friends and its hard to have pressure in meaningless round where a 79 compared to 80 doesn't make a difference.

[CarlSpackler]

I practice all the time and I still hit the ball like .

It was short game that let me down today. Lot's of three putts. Need to spend quality time on the putting green and short game area.

[sgt1372]

Played another 9 hole course today and had FUN again!

It was more a "links" style course than the flat, open 9 hole I played yesterday.  More challenging in terms of "strategy" and club selection.  Enjoyed playing it in my own way -- alone, without scoring and re-hitting balls whenever I felt like it.  Pulled out my driver on the 197 yard (about as far as I can hit it) 9th hole and almost made it onto the green; was just off to the left which is the way you have to play it because of protective greens in front unless you want to lay up.

Going to get off the range and tour the 9 hole courses in my area over the next couple of weeks; a couple of them have some par 4 holes and one even has a par 5.  Should be interesting.

[inzen]

My current index is 11ish, however I have what you could refer to as a "volatile" golf game I've been close to shooting even par, yet I can, on any given day, go shoot 100. I have three aces, all over 10 years ago, before I REALLY got into golf and started playing much more regularly. I am pretty easy going, I don't get too upset over a poor round, however after a Thanksgiving golf weekend that went 95,96,101, it really struck me. At what point did I stop playing GOLF and start playing GOLF-SWING?  any ideas on how to get back to see ball, hit ball, chase ball, repeat...

[Lihu]

My current index is 11ish, however I have what you could refer to as a "volatile" golf game I've been close to shooting even par, yet I can, on any given day, go shoot 100. I have three aces, all over 10 years ago, before I REALLY got into golf and started playing much more regularly. I am pretty easy going, I don't get too upset over a poor round, however after a Thanksgiving golf weekend that went 95,96,101, it really struck me. At what point did I stop playing GOLF and start playing GOLF-SWING?  any ideas on how to get back to see ball, hit ball, chase ball, repeat...

Welcome to TST!

Start a Myswing thread.

Please have a look here:

http://thesandtrap.com/t/73197/so-you-joined-tst-and-posted-a-member-swing-thread

[Jameson]

I practice all the time and I still hit the ball like .

hahaha ! I feel exactly the SAME WAY you do. I started practising seriously some months ago since I joined TST, but I´m stuck in the 20´s. My driver slice a lot, and my distances with my long irons are still a joke.

Sometimes I feel that I don´t have the hability some of you have, and I´m never going to play good golf and reach single digit. Anyway, keep training.

Regards,

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by billchao

I practice all the time and I still hit the ball like .

hahaha ! I feel exactly the SAME WAY you do. I started practising seriously some months ago since I joined TST, but I´m stuck in the 20´s. My driver slice a lot, and my distances with my long irons are still a joke.

Sometimes I feel that I don´t have the hability some of you have, and I´m never going to play good golf and reach single digit. Anyway, keep training.

Regards,

Been there. Once you fix these two little items you should be able to slip your handicap down.

[Jameson]

Been there. Once you fix these two little items you should be able to slip your handicap down.

Thanks for the encouragement !! your words bring me hope !

[Jakester23]

Thanks for the encouragement !! your words bring me hope ! :dance:

You should consider lessons either evolvr or a lesson in person if you stop seeing improvement. Before I got lessons I was practicing (or that's at what I thought) a lot also. But I wasn't really doing anything that would make me better. You need to practice with a purpose. Going to the range hitting balls IMO isn't necessarily good practice.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jameson

Thanks for the encouragement !! your words bring me hope !

You should consider lessons either evolvr or a lesson in person if you stop seeing improvement. Before I got lessons I was practicing (or that's at what I thought) a lot also. But I wasn't really doing anything that would make me better. You need to practice with a purpose. Going to the range hitting balls IMO isn't necessarily good practice.

This is really true. If you have a specific thing to practice on, then you will improve a lot faster with less practice. Getting lessons like Evolvr (I've done live lessons with Mike and he records video), or some other instructor who breaks down your needs to specific drills will greatly reduce the amount of time you need to practice.

[Bechambo]

I need to get off the darn course and go practice on the range. Lately, I have been playing 3-4 rounds per week. It's too much, and I am not able to make efficient and progressive changes to my swing on the course. Plus, it's the season, so my rounds average around 4 hours +, and that is kind of a waste of time for me. I am thinking I'm going to reduce it down to 1 or 2 rounds per week, and try to make them one of the earliest times. That way I get around the course just short of 3 hours.