Positive Range Session Experience

[bmartin461]

I have read many posts about how to recover from a bad range session, but today I have a really good one.  A lot of what I have been working on came together and I was hitting the ball very well.  Went the short game area and had similar results.  I really wanted to go out to play a round just to see how it would translate onto the course; I didn't want to lose it by waiting a day or two.

Unfortunately I did not have time today, so I begrudgingly went back to work.  

Anyone have an experience like that on the range, not intending to play, but ending up going out because of how you felt?

How were the results?

Brad

[9wood]

I've had good days at the range, and then not so good days on the course the next day.

Edited March 15, 2016 by 9wood

[pumaAttack]

I have felt that before and actually went out and played nine.  Didn't translate very well.  Played poorly.  

[Fairway_CY]

For whatever reason, if I have a good session at the range, it almost never translates to the course... and vice versa.  

2 weeks ago, I went to the range on Monday to work on keeping my back elbow in closer to my side.  Almost everything I hit was garbage.  I wanted to break my 6 iron, which was the only club I brought with me.  

2 days later, I went to a local 9 hole course to get out and play a bit since it was a nice day.  I felt like everything was so simple.  I shot a 47 for the 9, which included a 12 on the 3rd hole.  I made par or bogey on the other 8 holes.  I was extremely happy with that.  I went back on Friday and shot a 40 for those same 9 holes.  

I didn't touch my clubs that weekend because we were busy, and then I didn't get to do anything golf related until the following Wednesday.  I went back to that same course and hit balls on the range because I couldn't get out for about an hour.  I was killing it on the range... and then I shot a 51.  The next day, I went out again and hit another small bucket before I played.  Again, I was spot on.  I ended up shooting a 56.  

This game is mystifying... and aggravating... and amazingly addictive.  

CY

[bmartin461]

41 minutes ago, Fairway_CY said:

This game is mystifying... and aggravating... and amazingly addictive.  

CY

This about summarizes it for me as well, thanks for sharing.

[LeftRightLeft]

Some posts just catch your eye.   Over the last 20 years, I only played around 12-15 rounds a year.   Some years far less.   I was getting worse and worse from lack of play, but more from lack of intention.  Essentially, I "lost" my game, but I would go to the range and stripe it.  Over the last couple of years, I've tried to be more thoughtful in my approach, even if I don't get to play as often as I would like.  The problem with the range is I can easily get into a groove, but it does not necessarily translate.  All us mid to high 'caps seem to have this in common. 

I've added a pretty common range game.  If I don't have time to play, but feel I'm on the right track with my swing/practice, I play "mind golf" on a course I'm familiar with.  I go through my normal 10-12 ball warm-up (yes, that's my usual).  Then I tee it up "for real".   It takes about 45 minutes to play 18.   It's also great for instilling a solid pre-shot routine.  Mine is imagine the shot, one rehearsal swing based on what I'm trying to do, pick the line, step in, waggle, go, then accept.   I call my waggle "goldilocks", but that's another post.  

For example, my home course starts with a shorter dogleg right par-4 that begs a slight fade.  I need the driver to get past the big tree guarding the right side, but if I hit it left I will go through the fairway.  I pull the driver and make a practice swing that I think will deliver the baby fade.  I try to be true to my pre-shot routine.  If it goes on my intended line, I pull an 8-iron.  If not, say I hit it left, I pull a 6-iron, or even a 5-iron.  I can't duplicate rough, but I do my best to "play golf".   The key is to be honest with yourself.  I even play punch outs.  For me, accepting unintended outcomes is really important.   Thoughts like "I didn't used to do that" are not productive.  Then when I get to play, I at least have some feel for hitting shots on demand, and don't get down if a shot doesn't come off.

I think this is helping me get over the range to course thing and my handicap has dropped 7 points over the last two years.    

[Lihu]

4 hours ago, bmartin461 said:

I have read many posts about how to recover from a bad range session, but today I have a really good one.  A lot of what I have been working on came together and I was hitting the ball very well.  Went the short game area and had similar results.  I really wanted to go out to play a round just to see how it would translate onto the course; I didn't want to lose it by waiting a day or two.

Unfortunately I did not have time today, so I begrudgingly went back to work.  

Anyone have an experience like that on the range, not intending to play, but ending up going out because of how you felt?

How were the results?

Brad

I usually walk on the course and just go on the course. However, at Brookside, there's really no excuse but to practice before going out. Not sure why I don't. Most of my range sessions end up being good with only a few exceptions. Usually when my muscles are really tired.

In general, if I hit well on the range my course performance is good. That's mainly because I'm warmed up.

Were you at Brookside or Almansor?

[bmartin461]

2 hours ago, Lihu said:

Were you at Brookside or Almansor?

I was at Brookside, that is my normal practice spot, I like the new short game area, but I don't think it will be nice for long. 

 

 

2 hours ago, LeftRightLeft said:

Then I tee it up "for real".   It takes about 45 minutes to play 18.   It's also great for instilling a solid pre-shot routine.  

I like this in concept, it's hard for me to keep the focus necessary to do it though.  I know @Lihu does this also and finds benefit too.

 

[Lihu]

11 hours ago, bmartin461 said:

I was at Brookside, that is my normal practice spot, I like the new short game area, but I don't think it will be nice for long. 

I like this in concept, it's hard for me to keep the focus necessary to do it though.  I know @Lihu does this also and finds benefit too.

 

Cool. What times do you usually go there? We can meet up some time.

Yeah, switching up clubs is good practice after my 5 minutes working stuff out with my wedges. Then my swing is whatever I did with the wedges for the day.

[Dave2512]

I rarely hit a bad shot at the range. Kind of tough with perfect lies, huge landing area and vague targets, flat stance, no time constraints or pressure etc. Haven't found a way to take that to the 1st tee.

[Lihu]

28 minutes ago, Dave2512 said:

I rarely hit a bad shot at the range. Kind of tough with perfect lies, huge landing area and vague targets, flat stance, no time constraints or pressure etc. Haven't found a way to take that to the 1st tee.

I guess I'm still in the learning phase, because I can hit a ton of fat shots (masked by the mat) and thin ones at the range.

With woods I can certainly hook and slice quite a few as well, but that's likely just me rushing the shot. Possibly from trying different setups as well...don't ask 

[iacas]

3 hours ago, Dave2512 said:

I rarely hit a bad shot at the range. Kind of tough with perfect lies, huge landing area and vague targets, flat stance, no time constraints or pressure etc. Haven't found a way to take that to the 1st tee.

I rarely hit a great shot at the range… because I'm usually working on something, and the process matters a lot more than the result. There's no score on the range.

That said, if I'm using the range to warm up, I'll hit my normal golf shots and a good number of them are acceptable.

[bmartin461]

23 hours ago, Lihu said:

Cool. What times do you usually go there? We can meet up some time.

It varies depending on my meeting schedule for the day, I usually aim for Tues or Wed between 10 and 1.

 

[jkelley9]

The effect of my range sessions followed by playing 9 are typically random, or at least based on other factors. For example, sometimes I start the 9 after hitting a small bucket and because I think "boy did I do so great at the range..." I think to myself how "I'll cry myself to sleep tonight if I hit this first tee shot in the woods!" Or, I hit one bad shot and I instantly start to reduce my back swing rotation and back to older swing thoughts (bad! I know!), which leads to a lot of pushes or weak slices (power fade... maybe), or even more chunks... but mostly keeps it in play albeit with a much higher score... 

Another example is that I know I hit two great scores in my last 2 rounds and I don't want to "sully" my streak ... so again I "revert" back to old swing thoughts again. So bad!

Now I'm doing (I think) what @iacas said above. At the range I focus more purely on my technique and the feels of my body and swing than where the ball actually goes. Then when I get to the course I force myself to have all of those same feels. Typically this works better anyways... I also hit fewer balls at the range now (small bucket only) before a round. And even during most of my practice sessions because I write down what each shot did, and have a very strong swing thought going on that I want to qualitatively and quantitatively be able to evaluate SWING progress over time (not exactly score progress though). At least at the range. Two different things for me.

[Lihu]

40 minutes ago, bmartin461 said:

It varies depending on my meeting schedule for the day, I usually aim for Tues or Wed between 10 and 1.

 

Nice. I usually take "lunch" a bit later than that, but might try to take out earlier one of these days. The afternoons and mornings are really packed, and I can see why you go at lunch. I've had to wait half an hour before getting to hit at times.

I haven't been to the range that much this past week, because I am experimenting on some stuff. Plus, I was sick with some virus that made moving around much harder. I didn't want to be one of those people who waits around while people are piling up at our range.

[mcanadiens]

Heck. I'll hit my warm up bucket and either blast everything only to not hit a thing on the course or the exact opposite. I've found absolutely no correlation between the range and anything I do on the course. Of course the big ole number on display to the left probably says that much anyway.