Golf Round Substitute

[Patch]

I play a lot of golf. Not as much as I use to, but I think at 2.5 rounds a week, that's probably above the average. 

However, here's the deal. I am beginning to find that, just practicing various shots  on the practice range, seems to be an alternative "fix" to my desire to play actual rounds of golf. 

Perhaps it's an age related thing, since I am getting up there in years. I am beginning to think that maybe in another 10 years, just hitting balls on the practice range will be most of my golf game. Heaven forbid, that I might eventually become that guy who sits at the range, watching others. 

[David in FL]

I'm just the opposite.  Always have been.  The only time I spend "at the range" is to warm up prior to a round.  I enjoy playing golf.  Not hitting golf balls.

[DaveP043]

I'm in between you two.  For a long time, I played on weekends, played very little during the week, and practiced only a few times each spring.  As our Tuesday Men's night at the club has taken off, I play 9 holes almost every Tuesday.  Starting about 3 or 4 years ago, I get to the range almost every Friday for 45 minutes or so of practice.  I honestly enjoy my time on the range, and I've played better because of the practice, but its no substitute for actually playing.  

[chilepepper]

I enjoy the range. Not as much as an actual round though. 

[jsgolfer]

26 minutes ago, David in FL said:

I'm just the opposite.  Always have been.  The only time I spend "at the range" is to warm up prior to a round.  I enjoy playing golf.  Not hitting golf balls.

Ditto  

[NCGolfer]

The last couple years I spent more time on the range than I did on the course.  For the simple reasons that I didn't have a lot of time to spend 4 hours at a time with everything going on family and work-wise and also that I enjoy hitting balls and working on my game.  It ended up being counterproductive.

I found myself tinkering quite a bit and not working towards anything in particular.  This year I've been playing more golf and working on specific things on the range to fix a few flaws.  While it hasn't shown up completely in a lower handicap I've had some really nice rounds (even if they are 9 holes).  I also feel like I'm a lot better at taking what I've done on the range to the course and implementing changes.

If you have the time for the game, I think a good balance is a couple hour-long sessions on the range a week with a couple rounds...one full 18 and the other can be 9 holes.  I probably average about only one full round per week during the summer but I can live with that if I can squeeze in another 9 here and there.

[Yukari]

In the beginning, I hated range time.  Not evening warming up before the round.  I always preferred playing.  Then I got serious with the game.  Started going to the range to work on my swing.

Now, I always warm up before a round.  If my swing goes south during a round, I would often hit the range right afterwards to figure out what went wrong.  More often than not, I would fix the flaw on the range after a round.

I enjoy range time as more I try to improve my swing.  

[Kalnoky]

30 minutes ago, NCGolfer said:

If you have the time for the game, I think a good balance is a couple hour-long sessions on the range a week with a couple rounds...one full 18 and the other can be 9 holes.  I probably average about only one full round per week during the summer but I can live with that if I can squeeze in another 9 here and there.

This describes my experience perfectly.

I play a couple of 9's, analyze myself, and go to the range a couple of times. Rinse, wash, repeat.

I like to practice though. As I get better my practice is more focused on very specific things. I imagine I will always practice a lot. 

[mcanadiens]

When I've got the time for it, I want to play. It's a 15-ball warm up bucket, a bit of chip and putt and then a round. Then you have practice sessions. Those are invariably when I don't have the time to play a round. Usually I manage one hour after work per week. I try to work on specific things, but know the quality is still lacking there. It's still too much about the result and not the swing.

At best, the range sessions are pleasant, confidence-inspiring things. At worst, they may confuse and demoralize me. It's always just geared to prepare for what happens on the course.

 

 

[Let it Fly]

After my first year on TST, I've learned to make it a point to "practice with a purpose."  This, in turn, has made practice sessions much more enjoyable for me...not burned out on it yet since it's still somewhat new to me (as opposed to machine-gunning balls down the field).  I could definitely squeeze in an extra 9-hole round or two after work, but sometimes it's just more soothing to slowly work through a small bucket or pitch/chip/putt around our practice green until the sun goes down.

Far be it from me to judge how anyone decides to enjoy the game...just as long as there's something going on to keep dust off the clubs.

[NJpatbee]

As a 17 HCP I need and fortunately enjoy the range.  I play at the most about 25 rounds per season, just enough to get an occasional birdie and shoot in the mid 80's every so often.  An hour per week at the range along with 50-60 balls before a round makes a big difference.  I get my best practice when the course is empty and I practice on the course re-hitting tough shots and intentionally giving myself challenging lies.  I have not been able to play an 18 hole round this season but did play 9 after killing the ball at the range.  I was terrible and need the course practice time.

[WUTiger]

It depends on one's goals.

A high school classmate of mine played golf for a mid-major university back in the 1970s.

He's now retired and still plays scratch golf, although he's bothered by past injuries. To avoid excess body strain, he mainly plays golf and minimizes practice time. Most of his practice is pre-round warm-ups.

[Jack Watson]

Ideal for me in season would be one 18 hole round and one 9 holes weekly.

If you told me I couldn't play on course I would be maybe 60 balls on the range biweekly.  I get bored fast on the range,  plus I want to limit injury potential.

Edited May 4, 2017 by Jack Watson

[Killa]

I'm mostly on the driving and practice range. It's much easier for me to go to the range for an hour than even for a 9 hole round that takes 2,5-3,5 hours. It doesn't hurt that I live 0,5 mile from the range either.