DON'T go to the range.....

[golferdude54]

There’s a process to this, I liken it to performing music on stage.
 

If you were a professional musician, you wouldn’t go “on stage” (play the course) if you didn’t have any sheet music or knew the right notes by heart (proper mechanics).
 

Unfortunately, finding the right notes to play (knowing what to do in your swing) and playing the right notes are two different battles; you could know what to do and you FEEL like you’re doing it right, but you’re not.

 

The process goes: find out what’s wrong, practice on fixing it in the “recording studio” (the driving range), THEN you go play “on stage” (the course).
 

You won’t be able to make any positive changes stick if you skip the driving range as it’s the only place where you can do drills and get feedback; everyone on the course would look at you crazy if you set up alignment sticks and a camera on every shot.

[phizzy30]

It's definitely beneficial for me to go to the range as much as possible.  I got my handicap down to 2 playing on my college team by practicing 4-5 days a week and playing 2-3 times a week.  I own my own business now so I don't have nearly as much free time to practice although I make it a point to go the range and play at least once a week.  Currently a 4 cap, but I know for a fact that if I practiced more, I could get my handicap down. 

Edited May 14, 2023 by phizzy30

[Double Mocha Man]

16 hours ago, MonteScheinblum said:

Whenever i respond in threads like this I’m never picking on the OP, I’m citing facts about all golfers.

 

Golfers ALMOST NEVER look in the right place when trying to improve.

 

Range time is necessary to improve and retrain poor motor patterns ingrain good ones.

 

The problem is golfers adjust their swing AFTER EVER BAD SHOT..

 

Using that method, yes, the range is a horrible place, but then golfers do that on the course as well.

 

No pro, college or rec basketball player adjusts their shooting mechanics after every missed jumper.  That would be stupid.  QB’s don’t change mechanics after every incompletion…..I could go on ad infinitum.

 

Mechanics are changed/adjusted when there is a systemic issue causing a long period of failure.  Then the effort is to make a change and stick with it until the new pattern is formed.  They also dont talk to their friends and relatives about how to change.  They consult experts.

 

If golfers would just follow the pattern that is used in EVERY other sport, they’d improve.  However, there are three inherent problems.  1.  Golfers have an insane idea they should never hit bad shots or have bad days.  2.  Golfers have an insane idea that permanent change should take place on the next shot.  3.  They have an insane perception that golf is the only sport where gaining knowledge  doesn’t take years of study and experience to understand it.  Which is crazy because it’s the least intuitive sport.
 

 

 

Well said.

[MonteScheinblum]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

 

Not only that, but a "bad shot" to a  golfer is often just a pretty decent shot that's perfectly within an expected distribution of shots.

 

The range can be a great place or a horrible place… it all depends on how you use it.

Yes

[Double Mocha Man]

19 hours ago, z3bracakes said:

I'm curious what others think, do you feel range time is beneficial?

 

I play 2-3 days a week.  The other days I look forward to hitting the range, the practice sand trap, chipping and the practice putting green.

 

I experiment... please don't judge me because these are wild, crazy experiments with certain swing keys I think might work.  Every once in awhile one is golden.

 

Otherwise, on days I play I hit 7-12 balls on the range to just get the feel and stretch the muscles.

 

But the range time is good in that I am seeking the near-perfect swing and it reveals to me it is almost not achievable.  😄

[Double Mocha Man]

10 hours ago, z3bracakes said:

If I hit a bad shot (or not a shot I was envisioning), drop another ball and do it again.

 

Oftentimes your playing partners aren't happy with that approach.

[Double Mocha Man]

6 hours ago, iutodd said:

I just don't think a ton of range time is very beneficial to most golfers because they don't know what they need to work on (or how to work on it) and they just seem to kind of hit balls to hit balls.  If you're going to practice you need to practice with INTENT. 

 

And I think that golf is a sport where the mental aspect is so important that you HAVE to learn how to actually play the game and not just learn how to swing.  How many times has it happened?  It's a meme at this point - you stripe your last four drivers in your warmup and then you stand on the first tee and....slice it off the planet.  Range golf doesn't necessarily translate into good golf on the course unless you practice correctly.

 

I guess - like maybe practice shouldn't come first in the case of golf.  You have to learn what you do on the course and then figure out what to practice on.  

 

I suggest going to the range and NOT hitting driver!!!!  At least every other time.  Can't tell you how many guys I see on the range with only one club... the driver.  If you're a major league baseball player you don't practice only hitting home runs.

[z3bracakes]

17 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

Oftentimes your playing partners aren't happy with that approach.

Luckily I play with a static group of guys who are of like mindset. (Which is actually one of the reasons for the post).

 

Also, I keep pace of play, nobody has called me P Cantlay....yet 😂

Edited May 14, 2023 by z3bracakes

[golfinbrad]

I think a lot of people don't know how to practice with a purpose.  When I struggle it is usually an alignment, set up or ball position issue.  Throwing down some alignment sticks gets me back.  If playing well I work on hit different shots.  Important to change targets, clubs and go through a routine.  Just hitting balls does nothing.  Hitting wedge shots not just to signs, but at specific balls or playing some competitive games work and make it more enjoyable.

[Double Mocha Man]

4 minutes ago, z3bracakes said:

Luckily I play with a static group of guys who are of like mindset. (Which is actually one of the reasons for the post).

 

Also, I keep pace of play, nobody has called me P Cantlay....yet 😂

 

Hey, may I join your foursome?  😆

[Albatross Dreamer]

[PhillipG78]

The only world class golfer who doesn’t spend a lot of time on the range perfecting their craft is John Daly who may not actually be a human but a robot that operates on beer Diet Coke and cocaine. 

[rainkingjr]

3 hours ago, PhillipG78 said:

The only world class golfer who doesn’t spend a lot of time on the range perfecting their craft is John Daly who may not actually be a human but a robot that operates on beer Diet Coke and cocaine. 

Bruce Lietzke was famous for not practicing. 13 PGA tour victories.

[PhillipG78]

21 minutes ago, rainkingjr said:

Bruce Lietzke was famous for not practicing. 13 PGA tour victories.

But he’s dead now 

[naval2006]

The driving range is the swing repair shop of golf. I’ve never heard of a car not going to the mechanic’s unless it’s junkyard material. 

[Double Mocha Man]

5 hours ago, rainkingjr said:

Bruce Lietzke was famous for not practicing. 13 PGA tour victories.

 

Our former teaching pro at the golf course, who used to play on the mini tours and was number one man on his college golf team, instructs his students on the practice range and suggests they practice swing changes on the range does not, himself, practice golf at all. He once told me, "James, everything I learn I learn on the golf course."

[naval2006]

5 hours ago, rainkingjr said:

Bruce Lietzke was famous for not practicing. 13 PGA tour victories.

It was the rule for decades until the 80's or 90's.  But no pro from the old times ever tells about the thousands of balls they hit during their formative years until they no longer "needed" the driving range.  

[iutodd]

I think there are significant differences between what it takes to be a PGA TOUR Player and what it takes to be a sub-5 handicap.

 

You can look to the pros for ideas - but I think the last thing I would take and apply it to my overall golfing life is the amount of time they spend practicing.  I just think there are a whole host of other things that pros do that amateurs can take and learn from that are a lot less time consuming and have a bigger positive impact on your game.

[bluedot]

1 hour ago, naval2006 said:

It was the rule for decades until the 80's or 90's.  But no pro from the old times ever tells about the thousands of balls they hit during their formative years until they no longer "needed" the driving range.  

Bingo!
 

And I’d add these:

1. The exception proves the rule.  Naming two guys known for NOT practicing is a remarkably small sample size, isn’t it?  What do you suppose the Tour average is for practice time?

2. We only know what Daly and Lietzke did, not what they MIGHT have done had they chosen to approach things differently.  Maybe better, maybe worse, but assuming that they accomplished what they did BECAUSE they didn’t practice much is a heavy duty logical fallacy.,

3. The fact that there might be a few Tour pros who don’t seem to practice much is meaningless to me; professional athletes are touched by god.  I have to work at it.  

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

16 hours ago, golferdude54 said:

There’s a process to this, I liken it to performing music on stage.
 

If you were a professional musician, you wouldn’t go “on stage” (play the course) if you didn’t have any sheet music or knew the right notes by heart (proper mechanics).
 

Unfortunately, finding the right notes to play (knowing what to do in your swing) and playing the right notes are two different battles; you could know what to do and you FEEL like you’re doing it right, but you’re not.

 

The process goes: find out what’s wrong, practice on fixing it in the “recording studio” (the driving range), THEN you go play “on stage” (the course).
 

You won’t be able to make any positive changes stick if you skip the driving range as it’s the only place where you can do drills and get feedback; everyone on the course would look at you crazy if you set up alignment sticks and a camera on every shot.

The music reference made me think of this quote, ostensibly from Jascha Heifitz, but I think it antedates him:  

 

"If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it."

 

I've also heard, 'one day, I hear it; three days, the conductor hears it; one week, the audience hears it.'  Disciplined life, being a symphony musician....

 

I really like the distinction in this thread between work you do on the course, and your mindset there; versus work you do on the range or in the sim booth doing drills, and the different mindset in those places.

[Is Golf Fun or Work]

From a reformed range rat, who hasn't been to a range in over 15 years....when first learning swing, I was a range rat for couple of years, once I got it figured out, no need to rat anymore.

 

One of our regular foursome range rats 4x a week, when he comes to the course he has a zillion swing thoughts, and you can see he now overthinks every swing....he asked me why I don't go to the range anymore, I told him when been playing as long as I have, there's not much to be learned at the range, unless accompanied by a swing teacher.

[bluedot]

16 minutes ago, Jayjay_theweim_guy said:

The music reference made me think of this quote, ostensibly from Jascha Heifitz, but I think it antedates him:  

 

"If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it."

 

I've also heard, 'one day, I hear it; three days, the conductor hears it; one week, the audience hears it.'  Disciplined life, being a symphony musician....

 

I really like the distinction in this thread between work you do on the course, and your mindset there; versus work you do on the range or in the sim booth doing drills, and the different mindset in those places.

It’s funny you mention Heifetz; I, too, thought of him.

 

A friend who was a accomplished singer was touring with a group and went to Chicago for a performance in which Heifetz was going to be featured.  They went to the venue where the performance was to be that evening just to see the place, and there on the stage playing simple scales was Heifetz.

 

There are many, many such stories about elite performers in the arts and athletics, vastly more than stories about outliers like Leitzke and Daly.  

[iacas]

Don't let doing a bad job at the range stop you from going to the range. (Not directed at anyone in particular.)

 

The range is a great place to get some good work in if you know what you're doing.

[bluedot]

7 minutes ago, Is Golf Fun or Work said:

From a reformed range rat, who hasn't been to a range in over 15 years....when first learning swing, I was a range rat for couple of years, once I got it figured out, no need to rat anymore.

 

One of our regular foursome range rats 4x a week, when he comes to the course he has a zillion swing thoughts, and you can see he now overthinks every swing....he asked me why I don't go to the range anymore, I told him when been playing as long as I have, there's not much to be learned at the range, unless accompanied by a swing teacher.

This isn’t about the range or practice; it’s about your friend not knowing HOW to practice.

[Texasaggie2016]

I only use range time to warm up or work on new shots. I'm much better off hitting in with a launch monitor/simulator if I am trying to make a swing change because you have data on the club/ball. Drills are only as good as the information you get from them. You can hit a great shot on the range that is not a good swing because everything timed up perfect...next 5 shots are crap. 

 

I know the "golf is about feel" crowd is going to jump in here, but you are not going to the range to work on feel shots...you go to the range for full or 3/4 swing shots. 

[phizzy30]

16 hours ago, golfinbrad said:

I think a lot of people don't know how to practice with a purpose.  When I struggle it is usually an alignment, set up or ball position issue.  Throwing down some alignment sticks gets me back.  If playing well I work on hit different shots.  Important to change targets, clubs and go through a routine.  Just hitting balls does nothing.  Hitting wedge shots not just to signs, but at specific balls or playing some competitive games work and make it more enjoyable.

Practice with a purpose.  That's what my college coach taught me.  My father's CC had small greens with pins so I would aim at those and hit balls.  When we had official team meetings at the range at our home course, we would often play games at the range and short game area.  Kept things interesting and productive. 

Edited May 15, 2023 by phizzy30

[golfinbrad]

1 minute ago, phizzy30 said:

Practice with a purpose.  That's what my college coach taught me.  My father's CC had small greens with pins so I would aim at those and hit balls.  When we had official team meetings at the range at our home course, we would often play games at the range and short game area.  Kept things interesting and and productive. 

Competitive practice games are important.  Work on a skill with some pressure translates to the course.  It amazes me how many people go to the range and don't pick out specific targets.  Just hit balls or to a general area.  You don't shoot baskets, throw a ball, shoot an arrow, etc. to just anywhere.  Sounds like you had a good college coach.

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

1 minute ago, Texasaggie2016 said:

...You go to the range for full or 3/4 swing shots. 

Completely agree on the drills are only as good as the data you get from them part.  But the data from drills often isn't a numeric outcome, it's your body learning the feel from a different motion and seeing what different positions that puts you into, or sometimes---and this where your LM comes in---seeing what that different movement does to contact and speed.

 

I chimed in though mainly for the quoted phrase.  Certainly, it can be expensive to build a wedge matrix at the driving range.  Not to mention that range balls are going to behave differently than your game balls. 

 

But I use a range near my home (a pipeline right of way), and build out my carry distances and windows there with my four wedges, and other clubs I feel like using for feel shots.  A shag bag helps immensely.  Much shorter trip too, as I don't live near any range besides TopGolf, and...yeah.  Plus the ranges here shut down at seemingly any rain, and it rains a bit in SE Texas.

 

If you don't have that space though (and chipping greens, depending on the course/practice facility, don't really allow for this, IME), then a driving range is better than nothing, IMHO.

[Double Mocha Man]

22 minutes ago, iacas said:

Don't let doing a bad job at the range stop you from going to the range. (Not directed at anyone in particular.)

 

The range is a great place to get some good work in if you know what you're doing.

 

Also a great place to boost your confidence by watching other grotesque swings/results.

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Also a great place to boost your confidence by watching other grotesque swings/results.

 

Indeed.