I'm a Range Super Star

[HeGotGame]

I can't figure out why I can go to the range and hit the ball so well and so consistent, I mean every club in my bag, and then when I get out on the course, I just mess up the little things. I mean, I still hit the ball pretty well mostly, I shoot mainly in the low to mid 80's, but of course, I have a round like today, where I shot a 91, with my share of birdie putts, and I 3 putted 4 of them. Will also, just hit that quail shot and be like, where the hell did that come from, or Ill duff a short wedge shot which should be an easy up and down. Really gets frustrating. I know its totally different between the range and the course, but damn lol. I'm really thinking I need to work on the mental part a lot more. On the range I seem to be more focused, and I feel like I lose focus on the course. Especially with my putting. No reason to 3 putt that many greens in a round. Anyone else have this? Any advice? Do I have ADD lmao.

[Duff McGee]

The range pro thing seems to come down to a confirmation bias. When there are 100 shots at the range, one after another, you can get into a groove and hit, say 70 good shots, 20 "meh" shots, and 10 horrible shots it you forget the 10 horrible ones because, for the most part, you are hitting the ball well overall. Then out on the course you hit, say, 3 or 4 head scratchers that sink you. At the range the next ball replaces that bad shot with no penalty. But on the course, it is set in stone with no do over.

[acetoolguy]

I find on the range I'm more of a free swinger, mostly because there are no negative consequences of a bad shot, so I just swing. Its when I have to hit it 155 yards, and don't miss long or left, and the breeze just picked up, and last time I played the hole I came up short...etc etc etc that I have a poor swing. Go figure....

[Lihu]

It's always interesting, when this topic comes up. I also feel the same in regard to hitting better on the range than on the course. Driving ranges have a perfect lie, mats to add bounce, plus you probably don't switch clubs every shot. When I used the course as a range a bunch of people on this site said it was undesirable, but that's seriously the best way to get comfortable hitting on the course.

[newtogolf]

If your range is grass then it's likely more mental but if you're hitting off mats then it could be a combination of things.  I am not saying this is your problem but I spend a lot of time at the range and see a lot of guys that practice on the range without a purpose.  They just hit balls out there in rapid fire with the same club and most are really just concerned about how far they hit the ball versus how far off target the shot was.

When I'm at the range if I'm not working on a particular piece of my swing I usually try to simulate a round of golf at my home course or a new course I'm going to play.  I pick my clubs and set targets on the range just as I would on the course.  I also pause in between shots to simulate playing on the course so I'm just not hitting one ball after another.  I also use a Epson M-Tracer to capture swing data along with a notebook that tracks each shot so I can review the recorded swing data on my bad shots later on.

Practicing on the course is great when you just want to test your swing on the course but it's not a great place to work on specific problems with your swing.

[Sassafrass]

When I used the course as a range a bunch of people on this site said it was undesirable, but that's seriously the best way to get comfortable hitting on the course.

I think the rest of my season will take place on the course.  I'm way to comfortable on the range and way to nervous/timid on the course.

[Dave2512]

Perfect lie and a huge space with nondescript targets without consequences when missed equates to misleading assumptions. You are bad on the range too.

[Lihu]

Perfect lie and a huge space with nondescript targets without consequences when missed equates to misleading assumptions. You are bad on the range too.

There's some truth to this. Until I started being really critical of every shot on the range, I also thought I was hitting pretty well. Even when the range is grass, it's almost always a near perfect lie.

[Psyber]

I was telling myself yesterday that my range shots look nothing like my course shots. I think Duff is right though - it's easy to forget your bad shots. Out of a bucket of 70 I probably hit at least 20 shots that would make me cringe on the course. I usually go home thinking about all the great ones and forget at least 30% of my shots weren't that good. Add some pressure on the course and that number will probably go up.

[mvmac]

I can't figure out why I can go to the range and hit the ball so well and so consistent, I mean every club in my bag, and then when I get out on the course, I just mess up the little things. I mean, I still hit the ball pretty well mostly, I shoot mainly in the low to mid 80's, but of course, I have a round like today, where I shot a 91, with my share of birdie putts, and I 3 putted 4 of them. Will also, just hit that quail shot and be like, where the hell did that come from, or Ill duff a short wedge shot which should be an easy up and down. Really gets frustrating. I know its totally different between the range and the course, but damn lol. I'm really thinking I need to work on the mental part a lot more. On the range I seem to be more focused, and I feel like I lose focus on the course. Especially with my putting. No reason to 3 putt that many greens in a round. Anyone else have this? Any advice? Do I have ADD lmao.

Issue is probably more how you prepare to play golf than your mental game.

Are you hitting towards specific targets? Are you hitting your start lines? Picturing holes or shots you'll hit on the course? Do you play "games" in order to put some pressure on yourself?

Great book that has a lot of useful information on game planning, strategy, optimizing your practice and getting you prepared to play your best golf.

http://lowestscorewins.com/

[flopster]

For some silly reason people think "playing range" should be no different than "playing golf". Two completely different games.

[DrvFrShow]

My range has "greens" with flags. And has signs up at each station with the distances marked to them. There's a 145 flag I can aim for with my 8 iron. There's a 126 flag I can aim for with my 9 iron, and I have to control it because it's not an absolute full 9. There's a 160 flag for a strong 7 or a 90% 6i. Then there are short targets for wedges. I use them. Most people just bang away straight for distance.

The thing I'm working on is making the same basic swing every time. Set up exactly the same, use the same tempo, and weight forward and stuff like that. I'm trying to groove my swing that my pro and I have been working on. He doesn't want me playing for score yet on the course. Just practice, because he knows from past conversations that I've made adjustments on the course. He doesn't want me to do that.

On the golf course I'm just trying to make the same swing I make on the golf course for the time being. Nothing advanced. Keep it simple.

* if I have flat lies it's no different than the range.

* If I have a downhill lie here's where the trouble begins. I hit the ball fat.

* If I have a side hill lie with the ball below my feet again the trouble begins. I shank the ball.

I think I might have to get some whiffle balls and hit off the hillsides near my house since there really is nowhere else to practice them. Unfortunately hitting out into the street.

[Vinsk]

Sounds like a nice range. I have two I use. The closest uses a lake with floating greens and floater balls. The floater balls seem to have quite a difference with distance. The three greens are essentially 60yds, 100yds and 150yds depending on where they set the hitting zone. I do the same as you, I'm getting some input from mvmac right now so I'm working on my posture and grip. I believe a lot of my trouble with taking the range to the course is mental but I do know my swings' faults certainly contribute to my poor iron play. I'm working on being more diligent about filming my swing as well.

[HeGotGame]

Issue is probably more how you prepare to play golf than your mental game. Are you hitting towards specific targets? Are you hitting your start lines? Picturing holes or shots you'll hit on the course? Do you play "games" in order to put some pressure on yourself?  [CONTENTEMBED=/t/54840/simple-specific-slow-short-and-success-the-five-s-s-of-great-practice layout=inline]​[/CONTENTEMBED]  Great book that has a lot of useful information on game planning, strategy, optimizing your practice and getting you prepared to play your best golf. [URL=http://lowestscorewins.com/]http://lowestscorewins.com/[/URL]

I think u might be right that I'm probably not preparing at the range the way I should. I think I am also trying to do scenarios but I know I'm not. I do think I have mental lapses during my round though as well. I also only practice on grass. Won't hit off mats unless I have to. A lot of good advice u all have given me that I am going to start applying to both my range sessions and when I play my rounds. Thanks for all your input. Anything else to add please feel free.

[Mr. Desmond]

I think u might be right that I'm probably not preparing at the range the way I should. I think I am also trying to do scenarios but I know I'm not. I do think I have mental lapses during my round though as well. I also only practice on grass. Won't hit off mats unless I have to. A lot of good advice u all have given me that I am going to start applying to both my range sessions and when I play my rounds. Thanks for all your input. Anything else to add please feel free.

If you're not grooving your swing, play more.

When you are at the range, follow the advice in previous posts.

When you play, visualize, execute the visualization, accept the consequences, learn from the shot, forget it after 15 seconds, and move on.

On the course between shots, shoot the breeze about sports, women, etc, and have a trigger to turn off those thoughts when you plan the next shot.

Think about tempo and rhythm, not golf swing. (Think about and practice golf swing on the range).

[HeGotGame]

If you're not grooving your swing, play more. When you are at the range, follow the advice in previous posts. When you play, visualize, execute the visualization, accept the consequences, learn from the shot, forget it after 15 seconds, and move on. On the course between shots, shoot the breeze about sports, women, etc, and have a trigger to turn off those thoughts when you plan the next shot. Think about tempo and rhythm, not golf swing. (Think about and practice golf swing on the range).

Great advice! I do know that I have a tendency to lose focus during my round and that is something I definitely need to work on. I know it cost me quite a few strokes through out my round. But I do also need to work at the range on better preparing to play then just hitting balls at the range. I also think I worry too much about scoring than just playing the game and focusing on each individual shot. My goal is to break 80, and I think I focus on that more than my actual play. Again more mental than anything I think a lot of the time when it comes to my game, but again, I think I need to prepare better as well.

[Lihu]

For some silly reason people think "playing range" should be no different than "playing golf". Two completely different games.

Sure, of course. It's completely different, you can play games on the range that mimics changing clubs and such, but not the lies. The metal aspects like a tree in the way and stuff shouldn't really bother anyone as much if they watch their flights carefully on the range, but the physical variations of any shot makes a huge difference. For example, I mentioned that my approach shots and chips in my last round were really horrific. What I didn't mention is that I had some lies that left the ball at eye level, hard down sloping tight green shots, chips standing on 45 degree slopes, chips from 5" thick rough, deep soft sand in the bunkers, approaches from lots of bumps like moguls, recovery shots from hip deep natural habitat on a 40 degree slope. Great course which I felt played really short for 6500 yards, but it was really hard in every other way. I felt I should have been able to make any of those shots, but was ill prepared for them from practicing on the range. The course is totally different than any range, unless it mimics the conditions I mentioned above. . .

[HeGotGame]

Sure, of course. It's completely different, you can play games on the range that mimics changing clubs and such, but not the lies. The metal aspects like a tree in the way and stuff shouldn't really bother anyone as much if they watch their flights carefully on the range, but the physical variations of any shot makes a huge difference.

For example, I mentioned that my approach shots and chips in my last round were really horrific. What I didn't mention is that I had some lies that left the ball at eye level, hard down sloping tight green shots, chips standing on 45 degree slopes, chips from 5" thick rough, deep soft sand in the bunkers, approaches from lots of bumps like moguls, recovery shots from hip deep natural habitat on a 40 degree slope. Great course which I felt played really short for 6500 yards, but it was really hard in every other way. I felt I should have been able to make any of those shots, but was ill prepared for them from practicing on the range.

The course is totally different than any range, unless it mimics the conditions I mentioned above. . .[/quote

Couldn't agree more.