course open but range closed!

[Sourpuss]

love golf in general but even more during this covid fiasco. local course open but driving range is closed. to be really honest how in the hell can you play w/o a proper warm up, i mean really. i tried stretching, for 10 minutes, took some motrin, applied CBD's but the golf swing needs more than that.  i played 18 yesterday and drove the ball like blind monkey.  no rhythm, stiff, humping the ball and so on. finally ended up on hole 5, par 5 playing my 8 iron and bogey the hole. back loosened up, hips were clearing nicely and so on, so my question is for u guys is, how important is it for u to warm up? i'm 56 years old and the older i get the i need more warm up time. i played many different sports growing up but being young made it easy i was flexible, this old s*** sucks...

Edited March 1, 2021 by Sourpuss

[GSDriver]

Warm up?  We play out of the trunk every weekend (weather permitting)...might waste a good swing on the range 🤠

 

Try a club weight to help you loosen up, then play away!

[monkeyboy]

I actually like going out cold.  I have not seen a direct correlation to good or bad overall scores.  Sure I feel more dialed-in when I hit a bucket prior - but I can also spray them on the range - then will be a mental case for the first few holes on the course.

 

I do know people who 'must' hit a bucket prior, if they don't - they are mentally derailed for quite awhile.

 

 

[LeoLeo99]

One guy in our gang is 75 and warms up on the range.  The rest of us younger folk warm up on the first hole.  Amazing how many times the first drive of the day is one of the best for me.  Occasionally, the first drive is the worst one all day.  I'm happy if the course is open this time of year.  

 

[Guy In Lyon]

Bring a load of crappy balls to the first tee and spend 20 minutes just hitting them way out there?

The club will hate that and ban you after the first time you try it but you will have made your point.

[Abh159]

What is their reasoning for having the range closed?

 

I would think they could easily just open up every other spot and have everyone spaced out appropriately if virus concerns are the reason.

[LukeDonaldsTiger]

I for one cannot understand how people are able to play without warmup. Maybe I’m just not talented enough, but I need at least a small bucket to feel the low point for each club, and to not pull a muscle on the first drive. 
A friend of mine (51 y.o.) is the type that shows up 2 minutes before our tee time, he just has bad time management. 
He‘ll either be in the groove around hole 5, or have a terrible round because his slow start gets in his head. 
I can not understand how that can be enjoyable at all, but he doesn’t change anymore, I guess. 

[Celebros]

38 minutes ago, Abh159 said:

What is their reasoning for having the range closed?

 

I would think they could easily just open up every other spot and have everyone spaced out appropriately if virus concerns are the reason.

A local range where I'm at (Dayton, OH area) is closed right now because they are out of balls and it is too wet to retrieve them.

[Medson]

I prefer a proper warmup. In addition to have a better score, it is more out of injury prevention. I once played back 9 in a cold weather without warmup, I literally could not turn my body for the entire round. It was miserable. 

 

If you try to post a score, it might be worth to go somewhere else to warm up, then hit the course. The only alternative I can think of is to chip the balls with different clubs for a bit before the round. Not ideal, but it is better than starting out cold. 

[jah7838]

I'm 37 with a tight lower back and tight hips.  If I'm playing really early, and I know the range will be closed or I won't get there in time to hit balls, I'll do a couple of things to help loosen up.  

 

I'll get up a couple of hours before my round and do a light cardio workout, and then get a good stretch in.  I'll also swing my Orange Whip for a bit when I get to the course near the chipping area, and then work on short game shots.  After that, I'll swing the Orange Whip some more.  All I'm worried about is loosening the back up with the swings.  I'll then putt for a bit. 

 

I can do all of this in about 20 minutes before a tee time.  I also walk a majority of the time, so with the right layering, I can stay pretty loose during my round.  In an ideal world, I will be there 45 minutes to an hour before the round, but on days where we are one of the first groups off as the sun is rising, I know the range isn't always going to be an option.  

[Abh159]

18 minutes ago, Celebros said:

A local range where I'm at (Dayton, OH area) is closed right now because they are out of balls and it is too wet to retrieve them.

 

That's pretty common. My club's range was closed this weekend for the same reason (i.e. too wet to get a picker out there). I played anyway, but I could definitely feel my back starting to tighten up on the back 9 due to a lack of a warmup.

 

The OP's post seemed to indicate the closure wasn't due to weather so that's why I was asking.

[Baitkiller]

10 balls. 

2 pw

2. 8i

2 5i

2 3w

2 driver.

Any more and I start thinking and we all know that never ends well.

Normally play straight out of the trunk. 55yo

Edited March 21, 2021 by Baitkiller
Bad math

[Hot Rod 71]

The course where I work part-time is open but the range is closed.  The range doesn't drain nearly as well as the course (which doesn't drain great) so when we get tons of rain, as we have over the past two months, this happens quite often.  The range balls just plug when its this wet, sometimes 2-3 inches deep, making it almost impossible to pick the range.

 

I used to be the "I need to hit a small bucket before my round" guy, but over the years I don't really need to.  I often play better when I start off cold.  I think it keeps me from over swinging, resulting in better accuracy. I don't usually hit errant shots until I get to the 5th or 6th hole, once I've warmed up a bit 😆.  

[the bishop]

1 hour ago, Abh159 said:

 

That's pretty common. My club's range was closed this weekend for the same reason (i.e. too wet to get a picker out there). I played anyway, but I could definitely feel my back starting to tighten up on the back 9 due to a lack of a warmup.

 

The OP's post seemed to indicate the closure wasn't due to weather so that's why I was asking.

It could be a mechanical issue with the picker.  The course I practice at has that problem frequently.

[Gsea]

3 hours ago, Sourpuss said:

love golf in general but even more during this covid fiasco. local course open but driving range is closed. to be really honest how in the hell can you play w/o a proper warm up, i mean really. i tried stretching, for 10 minutes, took some motrin, applied CBD's but the golf swing needs more than that.  i played 18 yesterday and drove the ball like blind monkey.  no rhythm, stiff, humping the ball and so on. finally ended up on hole 5, par 5 playing my 8 iron and bogey the hole. back loosened up, hips were clearing nicely and so on, so my question is for u guys is, how important is it for u to warm up? i'm 56 years old and the older i get the i need more warm up time. i played many different sports growing up but being young made it easy i was flexible, this old s*** sucks...

Seriously u can play and you're whinning wow

[Sourpuss]

weather is great here in california, santa barbara. our range is closed due to the fact the owner is a **ick( ty warner, beanie babies). he has also chosen to close 1 of the best courses in socal(rancho san marcos) entirely, why nobody knows why, he just does what he wants to do. he claims out of safety but come on it's out doors and they have to clean the balls after the range anyways. that being said w/ a warm up i'll shoot in the high 70's-low eighties and with out warm up, i'll shoot 50 on the front and 37-40 on the back. ouch!!!!!!

[rondre3000]

I haven't been to the range in about 13 months. I may putt for 5 min if I arrive early, but all of my golf during COVID has been from the parking lot to the #1 tee. The range is where you go to work on your swing but the course is where I go to practice scoring. If I'm working on my swing on the course it is usually a bad combination. Hahaha.

 

I'll take some practice swings with weighted clubs to warm up, but for the most part my swing is my swing and a range session before hand didn't change it too drastically.   🙂

[95124hacker]

My typical pre-round routine is show up 45-60 minutes prior to tee time, dynamic stretching 5 minutes (SuperSpeed routine w/o the sticks), small bucket 50% tempo 6-iron/full swing 6-iron/hybrid/driver/wedges/(3W if time), chipping (if time), putting. If range closed or short on time, I lower my expectations on first 3-5 holes. Hit ball, find ball, hit ball again...

Edited March 2, 2021 by 95124hacker

[Typhoon1992]

Hahahahaha.... range to warm up... seriously?  Hoi pilloi!  I’m older than you, I hit a few putts stretch a little and play.  Maybe you have more issues needing to take a bunch of Aleve and rub cbd oil on ya.

[Sourpuss]

played tijeras creek this past weekend, no warm up and shot 15 over. played strawberry farms warmed up and shot 8 over, i still don't see how you guys do it. every single pro i know warms up on the range, in most instances almost all the pros i know in different sports warm up unless their late to the game. that includes, surfing-skateboarding-snowboarding-football-volleyball-basketball. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2021 by Sourpuss

[Guacbuster77]

Some ideas

warm up with orange whip lightspeed to get the joints and muscles working. 

then wedge a few plastic balls  next to the parking lot  to check swing path. 

 

[GroverC]

On 3/2/2021 at 11:26 AM, 95124hacker said:

My typical pre-round routine is show up 45-60 minutes prior to tee time, dynamic stretching 5 minutes (SuperSpeed routine w/o the sticks), small bucket 50% tempo 6-iron/full swing 6-iron/hybrid/driver/wedges/(3W if time), chipping (if time), putting. If range closed or short on time, I lower my expectations on first 3-5 holes. Hit ball, find ball, hit ball again...

I also do the SuperSpeed dynamic stretching before I start playing.  Comparing swing speeds with the swing speed radar before and after stretching I can see how much pre-playing stretching actually helps.  (Too bad it took me 20 years to figure that out 😞 ).

[deadsolid...shank]

I need at least a couple swings before the first tee, because typically that first swing hurts so bad. And is so bad. 

[azmx]

2 hours ago, deadsolid...shank said:

I need at least a couple swings before the first tee, because typically that first swing hurts so bad. And is so bad. 

I prefer it as well.  Little bit of arthritis (that's been around since I was in my late 20s!) in a couple of my finger joints so I like to loosen up my fingers, especially if cold.  I've been an avid weight lifter for almost 35 years and if I've learned anything about it I would say that it is a warmup is essential to being my best.  Same goes for golf.  If I can't do it then I can't, but I always will given a choice.  If I don't, that first mid to short iron of the day almost always feels like it is rattling my soul, even if I pure it.

 

One thing that helps, almost without exception I run 3-5 miles before I play.  Even if I have to do it before the sun rises.  That alone loosens up nearly all my joints and is short enough that it isn't physically taxing.  Learned this from a friend of mine that didn't even start running without being forced until his 30s but he was a college baseball player and felt that really got him going.  If I don't get a run in before I play I feel stiff.

[cristphoto]

Our range occasionally closes after heavy rains or periodic maintenance.  Been that way for years.  

[ryu123]

one of the guys in our regular groups is cheap & brings a dozen old balls to hit as a warmup.  A maintenance fellow saw that one morning & patiently told him that the range balls are a slightly different size than regulation balls, so his old balls can clog up the range machinery.

 

The guy then bought a dozen wiffle golf balls to hit near the practice area, & that worked fine (they only travel 20 - 30 yds).

[RSinSG]

1 hour ago, ryu123 said:

one of the guys in our regular groups is cheap & brings a dozen old balls to hit as a warmup.  A maintenance fellow saw that one morning & patiently told him that the range balls are a slightly different size than regulation balls, so his old balls can clog up the range machinery.

 

The guy then bought a dozen wiffle golf balls to hit near the practice area, & that worked fine (they only travel 20 - 30 yds).

 

Being a highly professional range picker myself,  IMO your buddy was given bogus info. The balls are all the same, however when I put them in the ball washer it takes some effort to pick out the shags. As hole #1 and #9 are adjacent to our range I also pick out a lot of brand new ProV's and other premium balls. The picker and washer are in no danger.

[ryu123]

RSinSG,  thanks for the information.   (I won't tell the cheap guy because before he brought the old balls then the wiffles, he used to walk out onto the range & collect a dozen range balls to use as warmup.  The rest of us would tell him he was essentially stealing, but as a member he felt entitled.)

[darom86]

If no range, some type of a dynamic warmup for 5 to 10 minutes is a must.  Don't want to get injured.  Dynamic stretches, some jumping jacks, and swinging an orange whip should do the trick when the range is closed.   Also like to do a breakfast ball or auto par on the first.

[Slona]

As much as I like a dozen or so balls on the range before a round, I'm finding more and more it's about the stretching for me personally. If I don't get there 20 minutes prior and really take time to limber up, I really regret it halfway through.