Playing vs Range Time For a New Player

[klineka]

Hey everyone, pretty new member here, reading through all the great information on this site. I have been golfing for fun the past 4-5 years but never really practiced or worked on my swing specifically. This year I am wanting to get better and lower my scores (have been in the 85-95 range for the past few years) 

I had a 10 year old box set of clubs where some of the clubs had broken so I recently purchased a new iron set 4-PW, Nike covert x, a used Taylormade RBZ 3 wood, an Adams XTD 3 iron, and an off brand 56 wedge. Basically entirely new clubs except driver and putter. I rarely, less than once per round, hit driver. I typically used 3 or 4 iron previously for tee shots, now I will be giving the 3 wood a chance. 

I have been to the range 5+ times so far with the new clubs, and a par 3 course once so far. I know the distances roughly within 5 yds or so.

My main question is will it be worth my time to continue going to the range for practice with the new clubs, or am I better off playing as many actual rounds as I can to get used to the clubs and lower my score?

[Jakester23]

12 minutes ago, klineka said:

Hey everyone, pretty new member here, reading through all the great information on this site. I have been golfing for fun the past 4-5 years but never really practiced or worked on my swing specifically. This year I am wanting to get better and lower my scores (have been in the 85-95 range for the past few years) 

I had a 10 year old box set of clubs where some of the clubs had broken so I recently purchased a new iron set 4-PW, Nike covert x, a used Taylormade RBZ 3 wood, an Adams XTD 3 iron, and an off brand 56 wedge. Basically entirely new clubs except driver and putter. I rarely, less than once per round, hit driver. I typically used 3 or 4 iron previously for tee shots, now I will be giving the 3 wood a chance. 

I have been to the range 5+ times so far with the new clubs, and a par 3 course once so far. I know the distances roughly within 5 yds or so.

My main question is will it be worth my time to continue going to the range for practice with the new clubs, or am I better off playing as many actual rounds as I can to get used to the clubs and lower my score?

Welcome.  Theres a ton of good information on TST so stick around and read through as much as you can.  Now back to your question.  For me personally I didn't really start improving until I made a dedicated effort to practice.  Its definitely more fun to go play a round but you don't have a chance to hit shot after shot with one club or working on a correction.  I suggest to read through this thread. https://thesandtrap.com/forums/topic/54840-simple-specific-slow-short-and-success-the-five-ss-of-great-practice/?do=findComment&comment=756790.  Also if you aren't taking video of your swing at the range I suggest doing that. Take a down the line and face on.  There are thing you can see from one view that you can't see from the other.  What you think your doing and what is actually happening typically aren't the same.  If you are having problems around the green this thread was a life saver for me https://thesandtrap.com/t/39411/quickie-pitching-video-golf-pitch-shot-technique.  Feel free to ask questions and good luck.

[klineka]

Awesome, thank you for the links I will certainly read through those.

I enjoy range time, and I do video my swing and watch in slow motion. I have mainly been focusing on keeping my right elbow tucked which has helped shallow the shaft, and also not wrapping the club way behind my head.

On the range I struggle with quantifiable data that lets me know how good/bad I am doing. 

I am kind of at a crossroads, if I took lessons that could lead to big swing changes on top of the pretty much entirely new club set, or I could play for this spring and into the summer to fully know the new clubs while keeping track of my stats and then deciding on lessons/swing changes from there.

One of the biggest issues I have is determining my weaknesses. I dont seem to have a consistent miss, but when I do miss I am able to feel why (hit it off the toe, heel, etc) and since I havent kept any real stats before I am not entirely sure about gameplay weaknesses either, although Im pretty sure it is on approach shots. I can usually hit tee shots 200+ and be on the fairway or in play, and I rarely 3 putt, but pretty much anything over 75 yds I rarely get on the green, even when aiming for the middle of the green and not right at the flag

[roamin]

On 2/16/2017 at 9:17 PM, klineka said:

My main question is will it be worth my time to continue going to the range for practice...?

My two cents? ... Absolutely!! But not just the range, at home too. Like @Jakester23 said, read the 5Ss post. Then commit to practicing properly and often, and join the 5 Minutes a Day Practice Challenge.

I've been on this site for about 8 months and committed to serious practice for about 5 or 6 of those. My HI has dropped 3 points since I got here last year and, coincidentally, I shot my best round ever (by 3 strokes) today. I play a lot of golf, but I believe I've gotten better because of 6 months of good practice, not 6 more months of "experience". 

Knowing what to practice is important. For this, I'd make sure to get a My Swing thread started and then start comparing video of your swing against the 5 Simple Keys on your own. If video shows that you don't have key 1, 2, or 3, down... start there. Lots of drills and info here: TST Instructional Content Post

On 2/16/2017 at 10:27 PM, klineka said:

One of the biggest issues I have is determining my weaknesses. I dont seem to have a consistent miss, but when I do miss I am able to feel why (hit it off the toe, heel, etc) and since I havent kept any real stats before I am not entirely sure about gameplay weaknesses either, although Im pretty sure it is on approach shots. I can usually hit tee shots 200+ and be on the fairway or in play, and I rarely 3 putt, but pretty much anything over 75 yds I rarely get on the green, even when aiming for the middle of the green and not right at the flag

I feel your pain, friend. Sounds like something I could have written six months ago. Hang in there, the tools to get better are available on this site. One more recommendation (not to be a salesman for the site's owner (or a suck-up )), but bite the bullet and spend the $30 bucks to get the LSW book now, instead of waiting six months. I got mine a week ago and wish I wouldn't have waited.

No matter what path you choose... Welcome!! 

[tristanhilton85]

If you commit to practicing properly, time on the range will be well spent. You'll see good improvements and it'll make the time on the course more enjoyable. If you're just going to go to bash balls, it'll be time wasted (unless you enjoy just hitting balls).

[chilepepper]

Do both range and on course play. I use the range to work on things I have issues with. Example.....I had issues with a 3 wood so I worked on that until I had CONFIDENCE I could hit it from fairway and shorter rough. You may want to work on your driver swing there. Mindlessly hitting through the bag does little for my game except as a warm up.

 The course gives me many different lies to hit from I can't recreate on the range. Uphill, downhill,sidehill etc. 

[Patch]

I say practice and play as much as you can. In that order.  However, when you practice, make sure you practice with a purpose, and always aim at something.

Practice time is where a golfer prepares on course play for a score. . It's where a golfer can  eliminate on course surprises. Of course, time permitting, playing a practice round, using on course conditions, is always a good thing too.

If possible, when playing, keep a pocket note book handy to list stuff you may want to recall later to work on. That same note book can also double as an on course "helper" as needed when playing. 

Myself, I practice more than I play. Probably 55% practice, and 45% play. I try to make it a point to do something positive with a club every day. Even if it's just a few dry swings, or just stepping into my address position a few times,  checking my alignment. TST's monthly "5 minute practice challenge" is a good practice drill. I have done it a couple of times myself. 

Staying familiar with one's own game helps with consistancy, especially when playing for a score. 

[Blackjack Don]

8 hours ago, tristanhilton85 said:

(unless you enjoy just hitting balls).

Never underestimate the pleasure in just hitting balls. My wife loves it. Sadly, the balls are sometimes mine, but that's a whole 'nother story.

Hang in there. If you have the right mindset, and willingness to be bad for awhile, you'll get there. Most people give up before they improve. They just can't stand being bad, so they quit trying to be good. Becoming good takes an enormous amount of time, effort, and diligence. I practice five times as much as I play, because the only way to break a hundred is with a good swing. Since I still have driver issues, but everything else is doing much better, I start holes from 200 yards out. This way I can practice playing on the course, practice short game, sand escapes and putting, without having to find my tee shot in the desert. When I can hit the driver with a degree of confidence, I'll be even more prepared to play rounds.

As said above, this forum has all you need, and a lot more. Good people. I'm an iconoclast, but they still accept me. Keep working.

Best wishes.

[uitar9]

On 2/16/2017 at 8:27 PM, klineka said:

One of the biggest issues I have is determining my weaknesses. I dont seem to have a consistent miss, but when I do miss I am able to feel why (hit it off the toe, heel, etc) and since I havent kept any real stats before I am not entirely sure about gameplay weaknesses either, although Im pretty sure it is on approach shots. I can usually hit tee shots 200+ and be on the fairway or in play, and I rarely 3 putt, but pretty much anything over 75 yds I rarely get on the green, even when aiming for the middle of the green and not right at the flag

I hear you. I'm trying to fix that 75 yards and in this winter by hitting my irons and wedges at specific targets. I'm seeing improvement in contact consistency, increasing distance per club and most important for me-I'm hitting the targets. Last year I was 20 to 30 yards short on many GIR's. I gotta try something different to get a different result.

 

8 hours ago, tristanhilton85 said:

If you commit to practicing properly, time on the range will be well spent. You'll see good improvements and it'll make the time on the course more enjoyable. If you're just going to go to bash balls, it'll be time wasted (unless you enjoy just hitting balls).

As said above, Unless you just enjoy hitting balls LOL

[Blackjack Don]

18 minutes ago, uitar9 said:

Last year I was 20 to 30 yards short on many GIR's. I gotta try something different to get a different result.

From the back tees? What do you think are the causes for this? How's your analysis?

[b101]

I'll buck the trend a little here and say that, based on what you're saying, I think that playing is more important. As a new player, you'll have days where the range is just so frustrating and you need to get out there and hit 'that one shot' that will keep you coming back. Additionally, it'll force you to think more about what you need to improve and keep your practice useful. As @Blackjack Don is suggesting, play from tees that are as far forward as you can. I'd also recommend going out on your own really early or really late when the course is empty so that you have a little time to pitch and chip around greens or practise a few extra 50 yard pitch shots. 

Yes, the range is vital when you know what you're trying to do with your swing and have a clear blueprint. For that reason, I'd also recommend you do get lessons - as you're keen on video-ing yourself, I'd strongly recommend evolvr (evolvr.thegolfevolution.com). I've been having lessons from there for about 2 years now and they are far better than any individual lesson I've ever had. Happy to talk more if you're interested, but the other thing worth doing is checking out people's my swing threads and starting your own.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Edited February 19, 2017 by b101

[uitar9]

Causes: Not hitting the ball consistently far or straight enough. I am a 22 hcp.

Analysis: I had to  stop analyzing and start feeling-started 5 years ago, late in life, took lessons, full swing, grip, ball position, all great stuff. It got me below 100. Then I felt like my head was full of mechanics. Stayed like that for two seasons.  I had to do something different, I found it with that little red book, at least my interpretation of it, the one comment about using different clubs against the same target. No mechanical explanation, just go do it.

The back tees: I'm a 22 hcp-Where I live most guys play off the blues, cus we are real men ha ha. Most course score cards I play suggest I should play the whites. I don't have the length/strength to play the tips. I was paired with two guys last year. They played the tips. I played the whites with my wife. Most of their tee shots did not make the same fairway as we were playing. No control. Their approach shots were the same. They didn't  have a short game. Bogey, double bogey throughout. At one point they asked to play through on their own because we were too slow for them. We shot low 90's. We ended up catching them. The one guy told me he was sitting at 96 after 18.

Yesterday at the dome: tried using my target/finesse short game swing on driver and hybrid on the 75 yard target before full swing. Full swing ended up with a slight draw bias. Consistently. Felt real good. Don't care why. But I remember how to repeat it.

Gonna stick with this feel this season. Trying something different to get a different outcome, hopefully a reduced handicap. 18 by October would be thrilling.

 

[klineka]

Thanks for the help everyone looks like a decent mix of practice and playing. Shot a 32 on 9 at the local par 3 course, 44% GIR and 2 putted every hole so not too bad at all. Finally starting to get the distances down with thew new irons. Playing a full 18 tomorrow, just have been keeping one swing though in mind, keeping my right elbow tucked close to my body. Ball striking has been much more solid when I keep my elbow tucked.

Edited February 19, 2017 by klineka

[1badbadger]

6 hours ago, chilepepper said:

Do both range and on course play. I use the range to work on things I have issues with. Example.....I had issues with a 3 wood so I worked on that until I had CONFIDENCE I could hit it from fairway and shorter rough. You may want to work on your driver swing there. Mindlessly hitting through the bag does little for my game except as a warm up.

 The course gives me many different lies to hit from I can't recreate on the range. Uphill, downhill,sidehill etc. 

I agree with Pepper...it's important to practice AND play.  The range is great for working on your swing and the basic fundamentals which is important, but you can't learn to score on the range. This is why both aspects are important.  

If you only play and don't spend time on the range it's easy to slip into bad habits. Plus you can hit way more balls in 5 hours on the range than 5 hours on the course.  I think a mix of both is best.

[Blackjack Don]

3 hours ago, klineka said:

Thanks for the help everyone looks like a decent mix of practice and playing. Shot a 32 on 9 at the local par 3 course, 44% GIR and 2 putted every hole so not too bad at all. Finally starting to get the distances down with thew new irons. Playing a full 18 tomorrow, just have been keeping one swing though in mind, keeping my right elbow tucked close to my body. Ball striking has been much more solid when I keep my elbow tucked.

Honestly, I'm not sure this is as big a swing key as I had been led to believe. I have even gone so far as putting a belt around my waist and upper arm. I have shoved a towel and club covers into my armpits. I've been working on an inside out swing, and have improved. Believe it not, I give more credit to doing a lot of stretching exercises and yoga. As I've become more flexible, I'm able to get the club higher, without as much left arm bend, and without raising my elbow. 

I let the club drop into the slot, bring my elbow down and in and turn. Keeping my shoulders in front of my hips is another of my mechanics to often time leads to me lifting. This is probably due to my head not staying steady. One thing feeds into another. Whenever we make a mistake in the swing, we have to pay for it someplace else, and mistakes are costly to the whole swing package.

I'm just not sure the flying elbow is that big a deal, since arguably the best golfer ever was known for having it. If he could have such a big swing flaw, and be Jack, then how much attention should we pay to it alone?

Just askin'.

[iacas]

41 minutes ago, Blackjack Don said:

I'm just not sure the flying elbow is that big a deal, since arguably the best golfer ever was known for having it. If he could have such a big swing flaw, and be Jack, then how much attention should we pay to it alone?

It came down pretty quickly. Many ams who let it "fly" at the top don't get it down again.

[1badbadger]

On 2/16/2017 at 9:27 PM, klineka said:

One of the biggest issues I have is determining my weaknesses. I dont seem to have a consistent miss, but when I do miss I am able to feel why (hit it off the toe, heel, etc) and since I havent kept any real stats before I am not entirely sure about gameplay weaknesses either, although Im pretty sure it is on approach shots. I can usually hit tee shots 200+ and be on the fairway or in play, and I rarely 3 putt, but pretty much anything over 75 yds I rarely get on the green, even when aiming for the middle of the green and not right at the flag

This is an important aspect that is invaluable.  Keeping stats on your round can be a real eye-opener.  The key is to be specific. Here is what I mean...

A lot of guys will record fairways hit, greens in regulation, number of putts and maybe up-and-downs.  It's a start, but doesn't paint a picture.  I'm going to make a suggestion that will show your weaknesses and can be done quickly without holding up play.

This is what I do.  I use the scorecard to keep track of the four main areas I mentioned before, but with one important difference.  You will notice on fairways and GIR the dots.  When a fairway is missed, I put a dot to indicate if it was missed to the right or left.  For GIR, I note every approach whether it hit the green or not.  A "1" is a green hit, a "0" is a miss. The dot is where the shot landed. So hole 1 was a hit green front/center. Hole 2 was missed short/left. Hole 3 missed mid/left.  Hole 4 short/left, etc.

What this shows is not just that Joe missed 3 fairways, but he missed 2 to the left, 1 to the right. He missed 6 greens, all to the left, 4 of those were short/left.  Now a picture is starting to emerge.  If he din't plot where the misses are, all he knows is he missed 6 greens.  He might figure he need to practice his irons more.  But again, that's too vague.  He needs to know what is it about his irons that needs improvement.  By knowing that he is consistently missing shots to the left, he can pinpoint what to work on.  Maybe he is lining up to the left and didn't realize it. Maybe his lie angles are too upright.  We can also see most of his misses were short, and the 3 greens he did hit the ball was on the front portion of the green.  We can figure that there were at least a couple holes with back pin locations and several with pins somewhere in the middle, but 7 approach shots were short or front edge. Yes, it could be because there were some front hole locations, but there is a definite pattern. Is it due to underclubbing?  Is it poor contact?  At least now he knows what to work on when he practices.  If the stat just shows missed greens, hitting an extra bucket of balls with his irons won't help if it's an alignment issue but he doesn't realize it.  

All of these markings can be done in between shots and takes very little time.  Don't try to remember it and fill it in after the round, but save the analysis for when you're done.

*The character and incidents portrayed in this answer are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (like the author), should be inferred.  In other words, I am not Joe Golfer.

[klineka]

27 minutes ago, iacas said:

It came down pretty quickly. Many ams who let it "fly" at the top don't get it down again.

That was exactly my problem, which I was able to see with a slow motion video app, when the right elbow flared out, the shaft steepened and never dropped back down. Since focusing on keeping my elbow tucked, I am at least giving myself a chance to come inside to out. Still not as good of a path as I would like, but much better and more consistent strikes with the elbow close to my body. 

I am also 6'4 with long arms so it was really easy to get them away from my body. 

 

Interesting thing has came up recently though, with the RBZ 15 degree 3 wood and the matrix ozik xcon5 shaft I am averaging 219 carry, 243 total distance, with the highest 2 being 257 and 260 total. I have tried a variety of used drivers at golf galaxy, variety of lofts and shafts, havent been able to get one over 250, most were like 225. They were pretty name brand driver too, m2, m1, r15, aeroburner, etc. Any insight as to why this might be happening? Clubhead speed average with the 3 wood was 108, launch angle was only 7.9 average, so i thought increasing the loft of a driver to 12 degrees might help, but didnt seem to make a difference. 

Im hesistant to get custom fit for a driver and have it end up being shorter than the 3 wood which I wasnt fitted for.