Range advice

[Machine528]

I am looking for some advice on practice routines and frequency of range visits.   I have been trying to get to the range 3-4 times a week but never really knew what was the right amount of shots to hit.   10 years ago I would stay on the range for hours hitting hundreds of balls but looking back i have no doubt fatigue was probably causing me to ingrain horrible habits.    My current range is somewhat crappy.  The hitting area is slightly downhill but the range does go out to about 360.   There is a small putting green and chipping area but no bunkers.  

[Dornenglanz]

I've been reading up on this, as I paid my first ever visit to the range yesterday.  Here's a summary of the recommendations I've picked up after a few hours of research online:

 

- Think about percentages, on an average round, you might use your driver 15-20% of the time.  Spending 100% of your time on a shot you use 20% of the time might not be a good investment of time

- Start small and work up.  This helps warm your body up too.  Start with a wedge, move up through irons, and end on driver

- Play a game using distance markers - hit a drive, then an iron, then a short shot; consider visualising your favourite holes

Looking forward to hearing other people's recommendations.

[Shindig]

What is your priority piece?  That's a major thing to focus on.  

Also, it isn't how many balls you hit, but how well you practice when you do.  I've had great range sessions that lasted over an hour with a small bucket of 30 balls. 

For what it's worth, a vast majority of my range time is spent with my 6-iron when I'm practicing to improve, with only a few wedges and driver shots when practicing to improve.  As I get better at the priority piece I'm working on, I'll hit more short irons, wedges, and woods (including driver) to be comfortable doing it with every type of club.

1 minute ago, Dornenglanz said:

- Think about percentages, on an average round, you might use your driver 15-20% of the time.  Spending 100% of your time on a shot you use 20% of the time might not be a good investment of time

 

Certainly you don't want to hit your driver 100% of the time, but don't get locked into what percent of the time you use a club during a round as a sign for your practice time.  You probably hit the driver -- and should hit the driver -- on 12-14 tee shots per round.  Driving well is where most amateurs can improve their score.  

As a similar sign, you probably use your putter something like 30-40% of the time, but unless you're a truly awful putter, you don't want to practice putting more than about 15% of the time. 

[Buckeyebowman]

There are all kinds of ways to structure a session at the range. Dornenglanz makes some great suggestion. Also, it might depend on what part of your game is a problem at the time. There's no set formula for a practice session. I think variety is the spice of life there. Mix things up, keep it fresh, don't let it become drudgery!

[paininthenuts]

Ultimately remember that range balls travel 30 less far than normal balls. This has always annoyed me, as you would think the manufacturers would have overcome this by now !!

[boogielicious]

21 hours ago, Machine528 said:

I am looking for some advice on practice routines and frequency of range visits.   I have been trying to get to the range 3-4 times a week but never really knew what was the right amount of shots to hit.   10 years ago I would stay on the range for hours hitting hundreds of balls but looking back i have no doubt fatigue was probably causing me to ingrain horrible habits.    My current range is somewhat crappy.  The hitting area is slightly downhill but the range does go out to about 360.   There is a small putting green and chipping area but no bunkers.  

I would recommend starting here unless one part of your game is a glaring weakness.

And try practicing like this. 

 

[nevets88]

Definitely read the above two threads - Short,  Simple, Slow... and 60/25/15.

Find your upper threshold of when your concentration wavers and body tires. Practicing past this does you no favors. 

More frequent visits of shorter duration better than fewer visits of longer duration. 

Learn to use video, proper angles, when to use high fps vs real time, "read" your swing so you're doing what pro is telling you to do. 

Vary your aimpoint, switch clubs often (I'm guilty of not doing this enough).

Make use of aides, alignment sticks, dry erase (face contact), the simple ones are the best.

 

[boogielicious]

4 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

Definitely read the above two threads - Short,  Simple, Slow... and 60/25/15.

Find your upper threshold of when your concentration wavers and body tires. Practicing past this does you no favors. 

More frequent visits of shorter duration better than fewer visits of longer duration. 

Learn to use video, proper angles, when to use high fps vs real time, "read" your swing so you're doing what pro is telling you to do. 

Vary your aimpoint, switch clubs often (I'm guilty of not doing this enough).

Make use of aides, alignment sticks, dry erase (face contact), the simple ones are the best.

 

Excellent points. For me, it is 20 to 30 minutes tops.

[jkelley9]

8 hours ago, nevets88 said:

More frequent visits of shorter duration better than fewer visits of longer duration. 

This is of utmost importance to me, persnallly.

The 60/25/15 is great.

Short, simple, slow is also fantastic but I often don't have the patience (at my own peril).

Varying targets is great. Visualizing holes is great.

I don't swing any one club more than 4 times in a row. But that's just me.

I'm also starting to vary my lie, including partially sunken, bare spots, and resting in divots (front and back).

[Aflighter]

If your going 2-4 times  week then  id suggest working on 2 clubs per visit. If you hit a club till your proficient with it then youll be dialed in.Hitting 4-5 shots with each club isnt enough.One of the reasons I feel my driver has always been solid and straight is because of since first going to range as kid  started and hit driver mostly.

[Machine528]

These are awesome tips! Thank you guys ! 

[Swungover]

I go 3x a week. Start with six balls off the PW, then six from a 5-7i. Then ten off my driver.

Lather, rinse, repeat. I take five minutes rest on a bench between each of these rounds.

[Patch]

I go to the range when I just want to hit some balls. The main thing I do when hitting my full swing clubs is that I always use a target to hit at. Doing this takes care of my alignment practice too. If I hit a good looking ball flight, but miss my target by too much, I can usually trace the problem back to my poor alignment. 

For $5 I get 80 +/- balls. 90% of the time leave 20-30 balls for the next person.

Most of my practice time is spent on short game stuff. A lot of my short game practice is on green reading before I even get into my stance. Once I hit the ball, (pitch, chip, or putt) I look to see if the ball rolls like I thought it would, based on what I saw. This helps with familiarity. 

The length of time I spend practicing is not set in stone. Some sessions are longer than others. I suppose most are around an hour or so. The other day, after a short warm up, my first 4 chips found the bottom of the cup, at 3 different locations.  I called it good, and headed for the 19th hole. 10 minutes total maybe?