Range Practice

[Golf Chick]

I normally start hitting with my 7-iron and then my 8,9 and then work my way up my clubs and hit with my driver last. I've read several places that you just don't want to start hitting with your driver right away. What are your thoughts on how to practice at the range with each of the clubs?

 

[JB]

Lets keep this one clean until the THP Pro has had a chance to come in and respond.

 

[amollerud]

I am a big fan of starting with the wedges and working into a full swing. Then work your way up the bag. Starting with the wedges allows you to start to loosen up the muscles and get the blood flowing. You can set yourself up for injuries if you head out and just start banging away with the big stick.

Hit the short shots and work up. Once you have gone through the bag start to play holes in your head. Hit your tee shot second shot and so on to get some game time practice in as well.

 

[Sean]

That's exactly what I do. I guess great minds think alike.

 

[Golf Chick]

Can you practice your chipping in the individual stalls or is it preferred that you practice chipping in the "chipping only" zone? Some places don't have a place to chip, only the actual range and putting green.

 

[glennQNYC]

Re: Range Practice

I want to make my range days (about three a week) as simillar to game days as possible, so I start with my driver.
I stretch out extensively; then start casually swinging my driver with a limited range of movement. I slowly extend my range of movement, and increase my swingspeed while I concentrate on my swing plane and tempo.
Once I am warmed up, I will put a ball down on the tee, hit one ball with the driver and switch to a short iron or wedge for one shot. I do this back and forth for around 10 times before I move on to what I want to work on that day.
As I near the end on my bucket, I will go through the clubs I brought, and put each away after I hit a good shot with it. I like to leave on a positive foot.

 

[derelict]

Hit the short shots and work up. Once you have gone through the bag start to play holes in your head. Hit your tee shot second shot and so on to get some game time practice in as well.

The problem when I do this is I usually drive the green in my head and simply have to putt out... :laughing:

 

[amollerud]

derelict I wish I had that problem.....I am shopping drivers right now and I don't have a clue what I am going to get when I step up to the tee. I guess in a sick way it is kind of fun because I get to work on my scrambling ability.

 

[glennQNYC]

I find the biggest challenge (besides just finding real grass) is practicing punching the ball up… Specifically getting a feel for distance on the faux-grass carpet range.

 

[Golf Chick]

I find the biggest challenge (besides just finding real grass) is practicing punching the ball up… Specifically getting a feel for distance on the faux-grass carpet.

A lot of places are using mats and def. no grass on the weekends either

 

[glennQNYC]

A lot of places are using mats and def. no grass on the weekends either

I usually can’t even hit from a mat onto real grass! :sidefrown:

 

[Bomb_n_Gouge]

I am a big fan of starting with the wedges and working into a full swing. Then work your way up the bag. Starting with the wedges allows you to start to loosen up the muscles and get the blood flowing. You can set yourself up for injuries if you head out and just start banging away with the big stick.

Hit the short shots and work up. Once you have gone through the bag start to play holes in your head. Hit your tee shot second shot and so on to get some game time practice in as well.

This is exactly what I started doing last season. I found a range that was a little further away from my house but had a lot of target greens that I could hit to. After getting the muscles nice and loose I go through 18 hole in my head with distances similar to those of the courses I tend to play. I base each shot off of how accurate my previous shot was to the target and try to play out of the rough if my tee shot was wayward and make decisions like I would on the course.

I felt like it really helped me out by practicing those course management situations that you experience each round.

 

[One-T]

Great advice, I will try that today

 

[rhinogolfer]

This is exactly what I started doing last season. I found a range that was a little further away from my house but had a lot of target greens that I could hit to. After getting the muscles nice and loose I go through 18 hole in my head with distances similar to those of the courses I tend to play. I base each shot off of how accurate my previous shot was to the target and try to play out of the rough if my tee shot was wayward and make decisions like I would on the course.

I felt like it really helped me out by practicing those course management situations that you experience each round.

That's exactly how I've been using my range time. After I warm up, I decide what course I'm "playing" and play until I run out of range balls.