From the range, to the course....

[colu41]

How do you take your driving range mindset to the course? I can sit at a driving range for 2+ hrs and hit 95% of my shots pure when practicing something different. And then I take that practice to the course, and feels like I forgot how to golf. Any tips other than practice? 😂

[larrybud]

I'd begin by questioning your 95% value.

Find a range which has actual greens to land the ball on, and actually calculate GIR percentages using various clubs. I hit a lot of shots "pure" on the course that don't hit the green.

 

Two, don't hit the same club twice in a row. You almost never do in a real round of golf

Three, and this is the hardest, you need to somehow vary your lies at the driving range. Usually ranges are pretty darn flat, and golf courses are not.

[ShortGolfer]

Practice on Executive or Par 3 courses.  Preferably one that isn't flat.  Practice enough and you should be able to figure it out.

[sittingbull]

Pressure bust the pipe...yo

Thats what we say to a few guys that does the same thing

[acegolfer]

course and range are very different, especially with mis hits. i bet many of your 95% pure shots are actually bad shots but you think it's good. I doubt even pros can hit pure 95%. 

[nitram]

                                                                                              FOCUS

 

On every facet of the shot from the time you select the club from the bag until you finish in balance, and watch the ball land.

[colu41]

That 95% number was a number that felt good in my mind. But obviously not realistic. My range had a green for every yardage. Bunkers and all. It's like a mini course that you can't walk on.

I hit my irons very well. Hitting greens often. Etc. Then I try to implement all of those changes onto the course and I struggle. 

Usually end up going back to "bad habits" just to get that ball closer to the green.

 

The not hitting the same club twice is a good one. I've heard of people saying go to the range and hit as if youre on a hole. 

Driver, iron, wedge.

 

I was just fitted for new irons also, yesterday being my first round with them. On the Trackman, and outside on their range I was hitting them beautifully. 

Callaway Rogue ST Pros btw. Nice looking iron, and they fly high and far for me.

This isn't an every round occurrence, only when I try out some swing changes at the range, and then play a round.....

[ChipNRun]

1 hour ago, larrybud said:

I'd begin by questioning your 95% value.

Find a range which has actual greens to land the ball on

 

At the range most people set up on level ground and hit the same shot several times. Then, confirmation bias sets in and we only remember the good shots.

 

For non-tee shots played during a round, lie can be a little uphill or downhill, or maybe sidehill. Turf is not always ideal. And you may encounter a false front or a soft shoulder that will bounce the shot around more than a flat target on the driving range.

 

And right about the time you're ready to launch an 8i shot into the green, your cart partner asks if you remembered to pick up his PW from beside the last green.

 

Driving range is OK for grooving timing. But to practice actual preview shots, go out on the course on a slow day. Drop one ball each at 160, 150 and 140 yards out from green. Line up the shot and hit it into the green. Take a couple of 40-yard explosion shots from the largest greenside bunker.

[MelloYello]

1 hour ago, larrybud said:

I'd begin by questioning your 95% value.

Find a range which has actual greens to land the ball on, and actually calculate GIR percentages using various clubs. I hit a lot of shots "pure" on the course that don't hit the green.

 

Two, don't hit the same club twice in a row. You almost never do in a real round of golf

Three, and this is the hardest, you need to somehow vary your lies at the driving range. Usually ranges are pretty darn flat, and golf courses are not.

 

Amen to the above. 

 

 

 

The course isn't going to get easier but your practice probably needs to be harder. 

[elsie451]

You don't get a perfect lie and stance everytime on the course like at the range.

[Klubster]

There is no pressure on the range.  You are more relaxed when you swing.

[chisag]

... Even Tiger struggled talking swing changes from the range to the course and called himself "Ranger Rick". As others have stated the biggest factor is hitting balls on the range have zero consequences and your brain certainly is aware of that. Most golfers could probably do well replicating a range experience on the course if they could hit an iron poorly from 150 and just keep dropping balls and hitting them until it was a good shot and use that one on their scorecard. But of course you have to count every shot and no second chances (other than lost ball or OB) and that adds pressure you simply cannot replicate on the range. 

[llewol007]

It’s all feeling the right swing that hits to your target is what you are trying to accomplish. Targets are there for reference for your shot. The disconnect for some including myself was getting to remember that feeling. At practice on the range, we become numb to actually practicing on our swings because we all know we have a whole bucket of balls following the one I just hit poorly. Instead, I break up my session. After warming up with wedges up to about a 9 iron, I usually start with about 3-5 balls per club up my bag on the range. I tell myself to pick a shot, typically a slight fade, pick my target out in the distance and see if my body follows my shot. Most times it does. Sometimes it blips and I do it again. I never pick the same flag more than twice. I usually pick a target like a tree or flag stick or an old truck that happens to be at my range. The point to this is that the transfer to the course begins when you take the feeling to the course and not the driving range. Most get shook because they don’t see the same flag they picture at their driving range at the golf course. Disconnect happens and all that practice range time goes down the drain. What you need to learn is incorporating target golf and by that I mean changing target. Get your body to feel the good contact so that that same setup, swing, tempo once lined up no matter what target if swung the way you did at the range will get you to your target. Transfer to the course happens when your body swings with confidence on the golf course. Disconnect happens when your body sees something different and feels it needs to do something different.

Edited July 6, 2022 by llewol007

[leekgolf]

2 hours ago, ShortGolfer said:

Practice on Executive or Par 3 courses.  Preferably one that isn't flat.  Practice enough and you should be able to figure it out.

I wish I could find those anymore. They seem to have been plowed under and replaced by homes and shopping centers where I live.

[Valtiel]

2 hours ago, colu41 said:

I can sit at a driving range for 2+ hrs and hit 95% of my shots pure when practicing something different.

 

2 hours ago, larrybud said:

I'd begin by questioning your 95% value.

This is what I wanted to point at too, and from the angle of the previous conversations we had about your swing @colu41. I'm not sure where you're at now, but I recall from that thread that you had some problematic matchups in your alignment and swing path. You were aligned very closed to your intended target, had a very flat and inside swing, and came over the top to pull significantly left of where you were aligned to get on target. On the course this is an absolute nightmare mentally because on some level your brain knows that you're not aimed anywhere near where you actually intended the ball to go and that you're relying on multiple flaws/compensations to actually get the ball where you want. On the range this tends to matter a lot less, especially since you always have a second shot to compensate for whatever mistake you just made. Take stock of where you're at currently in terms of alignment and any swing flaws with the understanding that they will impact you on the course far more than the range. 

[colu41]

6 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

 

This is what I wanted to point at too, and from the angle of the previous conversations we had about your swing @colu41. I'm not sure where you're at now, but I recall from that thread that you had some problematic matchups in your alignment and swing path. You were aligned very closed to your intended target, had a very flat and inside swing, and came over the top to pull significantly left of where you were aligned to get on target. On the course this is an absolute nightmare mentally because on some level your brain knows that you're not aimed anywhere near where you actually intended the ball to go and that you're relying on multiple flaws/compensations to actually get the ball where you want. On the range this tends to matter a lot less, especially since you always have a second shot to compensate for whatever mistake you just made. Take stock of where you're at currently in terms of alignment and any swing flaws with the understanding that they will impact you on the course far more than the range. 

I have since drastically changed my swing and grip. Still obviously working on it but my high iron draw is slowly coming back. I just need that consistency back. This change was within the last week, so I'm sure it's just a matter of practicing that swing, and time for muscle memory. 

[Valtiel]

3 minutes ago, colu41 said:

I have since drastically changed my swing and grip. Still obviously working on it but my high iron draw is slowly coming back. I just need that consistency back. This change was within the last week, so I'm sure it's just a matter of practicing that swing, and time for muscle memory. 

For sure, it takes time to trust changes on the course. Drastic changes are really important to check up on as well though, if you have any recent video or can take some that would be the most helpful. 

[colu41]

19 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

For sure, it takes time to trust changes on the course. Drastic changes are really important to check up on as well though, if you have any recent video or can take some that would be the most helpful. 

I thought about a video update to compare the differences. My back swing has slowed down a lot, and I feel that gives me more time to turn my shoulders, and allows me to come from the inside a little better. My mis hits now are forgetting that on a shot here and there, and reverting back to a fast back swing, and coming over the top. Resulting in a low stingy slice that.

[LBB]

Walk 9 holes late afternoon with just your irons and practice with real shots on the course.  If you can find a course empty enough late afternoon, playing solo is probably the best so you can just focus on your own practice.  Drop balls all over the place.  Fairway, rough, fairway bunker, various lies, etc.  Don't focus on short chipping and putting as you probably have somewhere else that's suitable for that type of practice.  If you don't have anywhere to dial in your 30-70 yard wedge play hitting off of grass into a practice green, then focus on that as well when playing 9 holes.

[shoot4par]

4 hours ago, larrybud said:

I'd begin by questioning your 95% value.

 

Two, don't hit the same club twice in a row. You almost never do in a real round of golf

Three, and this is the hardest, you need to somehow vary your lies at the driving range. Usually ranges are pretty darn flat, and golf courses are not.

 

+1

Block practice isn't playing golf. You're never gonna hit six 7 irons in a row in a round.  Ranges are normally premium lies and not sloped.  

[colu41]

1 hour ago, LBB said:

Walk 9 holes late afternoon with just your irons and practice with real shots on the course.  If you can find a course empty enough late afternoon, playing solo is probably the best so you can just focus on your own practice.  Drop balls all over the place.  Fairway, rough, fairway bunker, various lies, etc.  Don't focus on short chipping and putting as you probably have somewhere else that's suitable for that type of practice.  If you don't have anywhere to dial in your 30-70 yard wedge play hitting off of grass into a practice green, then focus on that as well when playing 9 holes.

This is a good idea. It might be hard to find a slot at my home course that's open right now, maybe early or late season but. That's a solid idea. I might just do this regardless. My next round I'm going to drop my driver & woods and golf.

[colu41]

Also, I understand everyone saying you will never hit 20 iron shots in a row on the golf course. I get it. But when you're working on swing changes, particularly, strictly with irons, what do you expect to do to work on that?

[MonteScheinblum]

Excellent answers so far.

 

One that I didn’t see.  Focus gets too narrow on the course.  I disagree with wide to narrow focus for most golfers. On the range, solid and in the general direction is the focus and most people make better swings 

 

On the course it turns into, “I wanna start this at that blade of grass and hit a baby fade of 1.38 yards to 4’6” left of the hole.”

 

I have a 15 ask me which tree he should start it at and how much cut should it have.

 

I say, “Do you see those houses on the left?  Do you see the lake on the right?  Hit it solid in between them. ……then…….see those two bunkers on either side of the green, hit it solid somewhere between them.”

 

Most golfers have a much greater success just trying to hit it solid in the general direction.  Pros mis left and right all the time, but are almost always pin high.  Ams concern themselves with direction way too much.  It’s especially true on putting.  The right distance is WAY more important than the right direction.

 

 

[leekgolf]

2 hours ago, colu41 said:

Also, I understand everyone saying you will never hit 20 iron shots in a row on the golf course. I get it. But when you're working on swing changes, particularly, strictly with irons, what do you expect to do to work on that?

I've been working on some big swing changes for me, with a great teacher for about a year. I'm slowly making those changes. Even when working on a swing change (or several), I find it's still best to vary the club and the target on every shot. It's also really important to go make several practice swings, or perform whatever drill you are using to try to learn the changes, then go through your full routine for each and every shot. As you begin to get confident in the changes, take a few minute break after every shot. Then go through your full routine, hit the shot and evaluate it. This will help you take it to the course.

[LBB]

2 hours ago, colu41 said:

Also, I understand everyone saying you will never hit 20 iron shots in a row on the golf course. I get it. But when you're working on swing changes, particularly, strictly with irons, what do you expect to do to work on that?

The range has it's purpose.  But it's not the only place to practice if you expect to perform on the golf course.  I suppose if you were at the range to prepare for a long drive contest, then sure, you could obviously keep all your practice at the range.

 

It's no different with other sports.  In basketball, and empty gym where you can shoot and dribble all day long has it's purpose.  But you can't go from 3 hours a day of practice in an empty gym and expect to perform during a 5 on 5 game that counts.  

 

In football you can have a new QB go through the "Pro Day" style workout over and over again, or even do 7 on 7 practice while wearing the red jersey that means you can't get hit...but it's live game experience with clock management, down and distance situational awareness, crowd noise, and avoiding people trying to kill you that is needed to actually become a better QB.

 

[SNIPERBBB]

Curious as to whether some of the range to course people have issues with either you're making less or more aggressive swings on the course vs what you do on the range? Either generally isn't good.

[colu41]

All good info. 

 

A little off topic but something I've thought about. Do you practice swing before every shot on the course? And if so, how many do you take?

 

MOST shots, I pick my club, determine any wind, line up my shot, take ONE quick practice swing, then take my shot.

[me05501]

People say that pressure or being focused on results is what changes on the course. Those are mental hurdles to work on and not easily sorted out on the range.

OTOH the physical hurdles can be simulated. Those include varying visual cues, trying to get aligned properly, switching between a 45" shaft on one shot and a 36" shaft on the next one, etc. All of that can be simulated on the range. 

• Once you're warmed up, don't hit the same club at the same target ten times in a row. Choose either a different club or a different target or both. 
• Don't be afraid to change spots on the range if it isn't too crowded. Changing your field of vision is worth people thinking you're a freak. 
• It's more valuable to practice hitting a variety of shots with one club than to hit a stock shot with five different ones. 
• Find a way to punish yourself for poor swings. If you have a drink with you, pour a gulp out on the ground. If you have a limited number of balls, throw a couple downrange. Limit yourself to only five balls with any particular club, or make a pact with yourself that if you hit a really bad shot with a club you have to bench that club for the rest of the range session. Whatever gets your focus ramped up will work. 

 

Edited July 7, 2022 by me05501

[getitdaily]

Stop thinking technique in the course. Find a target and execute your swing. 

 

The range is a safe place...no penalty for a bad shot. The course adds pressure to perform. 

 

On course, think target and have 1 or 2 swing thoughts. 

[larrybud]

19 hours ago, colu41 said:

I have since drastically changed my swing and grip. Still obviously working on it but my high iron draw is slowly coming back. I just need that consistency back. This change was within the last week, so I'm sure it's just a matter of practicing that swing, and time for muscle memory. 

 

Changes take MONTHS, sometimes YEARS, not hours or days, and certainly not changed in a couple of range sessions.

And, I will harp on this forever, that unless you're changing the root cause of the problem, the change will NEVER permanently stick. Yeah, you might get into a decent round or three where your timing happens to be on that day and you think you've "got it". But