Good Range Session

[Diggitydog]

**Warning!!! this is going to sound braggadocious but I want to share with people that will understand.**

After this weekend playing 18 holes and having the best ball striking round this season followed by a lunch time range session on Monday I can't think of a better feeling than smooth rhythm and unloading into a golf ball, watching the ball fly with the shape and direction you are expecting. I left the range with an extremely high level of confidence in my driver and other clubs. It's taken me a really long time to convince myself that hitting the ball efficiently, smoothly is better than ripping at it and catching the odd one long.
It's an hour later and I can still feel the satisfying vibration of club compressing ball through impact.

[geezer]

Must be nice.

If only I knew how that felt. I'm working on it though, ball striking is on the up.

... maybe there is something to be said for stack and tilt after all.

[supercow]

I have these periods every once in a while... Feels bizarre when you go back to your normal self though.

[play4him]

I think most of the better players can relate to what your saying. A lot of that has to do with hitting the ball in the sweet spot each time. The better someone becomes the more they hit it in the middle of the club. Take a look at a low handicapper's clubs and you'll notice where they've been hit most often in the sweet spot.

That it what I work on with my kids. Trying to get them not to worry so much where the ball is going, but try to hit the ball solid each time.

[Diggitydog]

  play4him said:

A lot of that has to do with hitting the ball in the sweet spot each time. The better someone becomes the more they hit it in the middle of the club.

While I've been swinging well I tested out some new irons at the indoor golf shop and the guy put duct tape on the face. I hit 15 balls with 3 different 6 irons. I could hear the guys talking and asking who had been hitting the clubs. He was looking at the marks where the ball had impacted the tape on the face. When I looked at the tape the marks in the tape were all in the middle of the club not much outside the size of a ball and a half or so. Pretty tight. I was very sure I was hitting it in the middle of the club but the tape marks confirmed it for sure.

Now if only my golf season wasn't over in 3 weeks. :( I'll have a long winter to retain this ballstriking feeling.

[Logie]

Nothing better then feeling the ball pounce off the centre of the club and hearing the ball fizzing through the air!

[play4him]

  Logie said:

Nothing better then feeling the ball pounce off the centre of the club and hearing the ball fizzing through the air!

You know when you really catch it sweet, it's almost like you don't feel it because there's no resistance. Now that's a nice feeling !!!

[DDBowdoin]

I find myself having great ball striking days on the course only to find that my range practice actually hurts my game. I do not have a grass range in my area so trying to conduct a legit practice at the range is next to impossible for me. I played a tournament about a month ago at a very nice private course here and I treated the round as if I was on tour, I spent almost an hour on their grass range hitting a number of shots. Everything was working and in order. Had a killer outfit on, caddie ready and with my extensive practice session complete shot 73 to win the tournament. One of my best golfing days.

[Diggitydog]

I am trying to strike the balance between range sessions and playing. I try to emulate playing on the range and will take an 80 ball bucket at lunch and split it between long game and practice green. Will use about 25 balls to chip and pitch around the practice green. I'm ready to play after 3 days practice but no playing. Any more and I think I would overpractice and hurt my game. Playing a scramble tomorrow. (I don't like scrambles but it resembles a round of golf so I'm playing it.) plus it beats work. :)

[fastfed]

I love the range, but don't get out to often

[hacker23]

  fastfed said:

I love the range, but don't get out to often

that might explain your handicap

i'm actually tired and scared of seeing people who don't attempt to learn how to play correctly but choosing to play 18 holes. (not directing this at you fastfed) i say scared b/c i was recently brushed by a ball on my eyebrow, it actually left a bump. an inch away and i could've been blind. and the guy that teed off after, sent his ball screaming our direction as well but missed! this could be a thread on its own

[tmoult]

Wow i am jealous of you!!!! I can never have a great range session driver always slices :(

[geezer]

  hacker23 said:

that might explain your handicap

Scary! Did they shout "FORE!!"?

[hacker23]

  geezer said:

Scary! Did they shout "FORE!!"?

nope, none of them did. i'm considering replacing my golf cap w/ hard hats and goggles next time i get out there

[WorkerOfTheBall]

I started playing in 2001 and have progressed very well. I've always had the ability to analyze new ventures, break it down and concentrate on the fundamentals. In regards to golf I spent my first two or so years trying to develop some "perfect hoganesque" swing. While the swing looked great, I wasn't compressing the ball very well at all. I have since focused my efforts on short game, shot shaping and ball compression. This was the best thing I could have done! While I do video myself at times, I really focus on the strike and "playing the game" ...for me, it has helped tremendously.

In my book, there is nothing greater than "smashing", trapping or compressing the ball solidly. Team that with a fundamental setup, grip and alignment and it makes the game very enjoyable!

[Diggitydog]

2 days ago I noticed my distance had dropped off with Stack and Tilt. I was still hitting it straight but the distance was short. I reviewed the articles again, I think the second article in the September 2007 GD issue is a better one than the original Stack and Tilt article form June 2007. at least from an instruction perspective.

Anyway, after reviewing the article I realized that I was finishing in a classic all my weight over my left foot and very upright like my conventional style swing. I spent the last session at the range working on the can crush and upward stretch of my torso and instantly my trajectory went higher where I like it and the distance returned. Just thought I would share that in case anybody else is working on S&T.;

I am still absolutely floored that my misses are very narrow, distance is the only thing I seem to lose when my swing gets wrong. On the course that is so huge, I seem to always be in play now and short in distance basically will cost me a stroke sometimes, the big number is not in play with those kind of misses. That I like, big change for me. With my other swing a big number was in play EVERY hole. I never knew when it was going to appear.