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  1. #1
    Wannamaker mjf is on a distinguished road mjf's Avatar
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    What's your range routine?

    What do you do at the driving range to make your practice useful... and interesting?

  2. #2
    Scratch Player byerxa is on a distinguished road byerxa's Avatar
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    For ball striking, it depends on what I am trying to accomplish. If something is not working with my swing (which is often ) I will work on ironing out the issue once I've identified the root cause. If I am hitting the ball half decent I will then play an imaginary round on a course in my head using various range targets to define fairways, greens, etc. I am bad at falling into a habit of simply pounding balls so this year I am trying to focus on more productive practice.

    For an hour of short game practice I will spend the first half hour working on whatever I sucked at the previous round. After that I will randomly toss out balls around a practice green and see how many up and downs I can make from various situations.
    I don't have an ulcer - I am just a carrier.

  3. #3
    Golf Padawan nokids is on a distinguished road nokids's Avatar
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    useful and interesting practice session:


    step 1: scan the range for a good looking female golfer and occupy the station next to her.
    step 2: stretch for 5 minutes
    step 3: hit short clubs before long ones. i do 9, 7, 5, 3, woods, driver.
    step 4: chit chat with female golfer and maybe get her number.
    You only get out of something what you put into it

  4. #4
    Champion goochy is on a distinguished road goochy's Avatar
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    This year so far I've been trying to do a David Pelz tip. I divide whatever time I have into three equal blocks. First Third I practice short game stuff. The middle third I putt and the final third is long game. Within each third I work on whatever I feel needs work, yesterday it was chipping, lag putts and hybrids off the deck.

    Also everything I do I make a little competition. Like during putting I did ten lag putts with an imaginary hula hoop around the hole and I tried to get as many as I could out of 10 into the hoop...then putted out.

    I'm not very good, I hope to improve but I find this routine really fun and mixes it up and I need a little competition (even imaginary challenges) just to keep me focussed.

  5. #5
    Wannamaker stevek is on a distinguished road stevek's Avatar
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    I usually bring a scorecard of a course I will be soon playing and simulate each hole. If I don't have a scorecard with me I'll try to visualize a hole and hit two or three shots as if I'm on that hole. I only hit two shots with the same club iff I screw up the first.

  6. #6
    Hybrid Gary Madore is on a distinguished road
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    I take out my 7 iron and hit balls until I feel like embarrassing myself with my driver.

    After the Big Dog whimpers, I take my 7 iron back out and try to hit the yardage markers - I rarely manage, but this is my attempt at trying to practice aim, alignment, and accuracy.

    Cheers!

    Gary

    P.S. Sometimes the driver connects and I am rewarded with that telltale "TINK(!)" of a well hit ball, and a sizzling, arcing, supersonic straight flight that hits the back net. I figure that went so well that I should try another. I promptly shank 3 in a row and meekly put the Big Dog back in the bag (where he belongs, and should stay). As if this isn't bad enough, my good hit (described above) is SO spectacular that everyone (including the hot chick that nokids is trying to chat up) on the range has stopped and turned to watch me.... (sigh)

  7. #7
    Putter steveo is on a distinguished road
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    So far, this year, I hit "chips" first.

    I find that chipping is really helping me get a better understanding of impact. While I'm chipping, I pay attention to my misses, and how similar they are to my full swing misses (i.e. how it feels). Likewise, when I make solid contact (a crisp chip) I try to map out how that will feel when I'm making a full swing. I will also practice chips with my 7,6 and 5 irons - these will skip across the green - I'm primarily trying to get a solid impact and straight shots.

    Other posters have commented about this, but I'm going to suggest something that I picked up from Rotella's book, and that is to recognize the difference between your training mind and your trusting mind. If you are working on your swing, trying a new swing thought or a particular move in your swing, then you are using your training mind. If you are playing an imaginary round, then you are using your trusting mind.

    Since it is early in the year, I'm spending almost all of my time "training". I'm working through technical aspects hitting the balls quicker, especially the chips. When switching to the trusting mind, it becomes more important to reduce or eliminate swing thoughts, and pay close attention to a very specific target and your swing routine, and to follow your swing routine on each shot.

    I practice at the 19th tee so unfortunately no putting practice.

    So in summary, since I'm working on solid impact, ideally I have time for the following:

    - Chip (30 mins)
    - Range (40 balls, PW)
    - Chip (30 mins)
    - Range (40 balls, PW, 8, 7)
    - Chip (30 mins)

    I will keep this up for a few more practice sessions and then see how it's going, and then work in the longer clubs.

  8. #8
    Habitual poster adam is on a distinguished road adam's Avatar
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    I found my best range sessions were done with a friend.
    Once you're both warm have a couple competitions like hit 5 drives and whoever gets the most of them between a set of targets (two markers maybe).
    Hit 5 iron shots to a target, wedge shots to a target etc.
    Making a competition out of it makes it fun and also simulates a bit of pressure I find.
    Even I've never heard of me

  9. #9
    Must be Single 1972Apex is on a distinguished road 1972Apex's Avatar
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    I'm just not a range guy. I know some people love it and swear they get better by practicing on the range, but it does not work for me. I seem to get too quick on the range without the walk between shots, among other things.
    I also hit very much down on my shots with irons and take a large divot, so ranges with mats are pretty much useless to practice irons and wedges. Hitting off mats with irons changes my swing completely. Grass ranges are a bit better but I still don't feel like I hit the ball there the same as on a course.
    I prefer to practice on the golf course. When I am just playing a practice round I will often use different clubs or try different types of shots to learn how to pull them off when needed. I might dry to hit draws on certain days rather than my reliable fade with the driver or try more flop shots with the wedges instead of my usual chip and runs.
    The opinions expressed in this post are mine and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of others on OG.

  10. #10
    Team Match Play Champ 2010 Singles Match Play Champ 2013 Hearzy is on a distinguished road Hearzy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1972Apex View Post
    I'm just not a range guy. I know some people love it and swear they get better by practicing on the range, but it does not work for me. I seem to get too quick on the range without the walk between shots, among other things.
    I also hit very much down on my shots with irons and take a large divot, so ranges with mats are pretty much useless to practice irons and wedges. Hitting off mats with irons changes my swing completely. Grass ranges are a bit better but I still don't feel like I hit the ball there the same as on a course.
    I prefer to practice on the golf course. When I am just playing a practice round I will often use different clubs or try different types of shots to learn how to pull them off when needed. I might dry to hit draws on certain days rather than my reliable fade with the driver or try more flop shots with the wedges instead of my usual chip and runs.
    I feel the same way. You lose all feel when off the mat. You can think you are hitting it well but in fact, you are hitting it fat all the time. If I am off the mat I now go off the hard surface on which you stand to help fight it.
    Personally I am now mainly using grass, but I find the grass to be a different feel altogether from at the course. But its better than nothing...
    I usually start off w/ a 9 and work my way down to the driver. I then start switching it up. Driver to the 7i, then a wedge type thing to simulate the course....

    Mind you at the course it is Driver, drop for 3, 7i to the bunker in which I have to use my 54* twice to get it out, then chips over the green, chip it on and 3 putt....

  11. #11
    Sleeps here davevandyk is on a distinguished road davevandyk's Avatar
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    My range time is broken up into 25% range, hitting shots and 75% around the short game facility we have. I feel my swing is now in a good place so hitting balls is solely for tempo. After the first ~20 balls, I go though my routine from standing behind the ball thru to execution, holding the finish until the ball lands.

    For the short game I like to first hit pitches/chips focusing on contact. Then I'll practice some shots I usually face like short-side in rough, chip from short of green, etc. Then when it comes to putting I first take some time to get a feel for the speed that day. Then it's 10-12footers using my "inside then down the line" to keep grooving my stroke. After I feel good I will practice 4-8 footers as these are the putts that determine whethe it's a good round or an average one for me. To finish I will work on 2-putting from various spots on the green.

    I have tried to do this about 3-4 times/week so far for about 2-3 hours, especially important at the start of the year for me. I started doing this last year and I dropped my average score about 5 shots while moving to a much tougher course. Listening to music/audiobooks also helpse to drown out external noise.

  12. #12
    Team Match Play Champ 2011 quinner is on a distinguished road quinner's Avatar
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    I am going to answer this based on being at the range prior to a round:

    1. Chip from green side. I find this helps warming up a bit and lets me find my tempo for the day.

    2. Hit some wedges, short and middle irons.

    3. Putting

    4. Middle to long irons / woods. End it with hitting what I plan on hitting off the first tee.

    If I have a little extra time before tee off I will go back to putting around. If it's at the range practicing, I have a couple of drills that I do. I do those and then practice what I felt was severely lacking from my last round. Usually my driver....can't seem to figure this bad boy out.

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