Range god to hacker on course

[chasm]

help!

I have been hitting the ball as well as I can on the range recently (have you heard anyone tell you that before?) but am really struggling to take the same game on to the course. Why??!!!!

I have been having some lessons with a top teaching pro and it is really helping. When he is standing over me or when I then go to the range to practice, I strike the ball well and, more importantly, with a consistent shot pattern, being a nice little fade. I have just had my new clubs fitted (with substantially stiffer shafts than before) and can really attack the ball (on the range). Yet my last two rounds have seen me regularly pulling my irons (smothering them, if that means anything to you guys across the pond) or hitting weak, high pushes. Obviously this sounds like a swing path issue. But it is getting a bit irritating, to say the least. My driving has come on massively this year - more accurate and much longer so I really feel I am wasting opportunities to score. I don't really understand what might be causing it since I don't feel I am doing anything different on course. Any thoughts, tips suggestions gratefully received

[maxxym]

Thinking too much maybe? I have a same problem....

 

Try to think that you are on the driving range when you come up to the ball on the course...Don't think too much...relax..

 

When I do that, it really helps me hit the ball nice and straight.

[bgb]

I've had the same problem recently. I've been working hard on the range with my swing but haven't played many rounds. Well, it hasn't been pretty on the course so I decided to play a few late afternoon rounds by myself. This really helped to get me in the right frame of mind and to work on my alignment and routine.

 

During one of these sessions I stumbled across something that has become a key step in my rountine and I give it full credit for getting me back to an acceptable level of golf. I go through my rountine and as I set up over the ball I pick a dimple or two on the ball and focus as hard as I can on that spot. It must lock my brain into the right swing to hit the ball properly b/c it has led to great contact and ball flight. I almost feel as if everything about the swing that I have engrained into my head will fall into place if my sole focus is the dimple on the ball. I forget about mechanics and just focus on the spot.

 

I'm a 5 hdcp that has been struggling with rounds in the upper 80's over the last month. The combination of hard work transitioning to my version of the stack and tilt and this dimple focus technique produced a 76 from the back tees at my club this week. FYI, this is a championship course playing 7341 yds. from the tips with a rating of 76.4 and a slope of 142. It was to feel like some of my hard work is finally starting to pay off.

 

I'd be very curious to hear if anyone else has tried this focus technique or if it's just a personal strategy that seems to work only for me. Good luck with your swing chasm, I hope it comes around.

[smittysbar]

Probably between your ears. Trying to make that same swing when you just need to let it happen. Your body knows what it needs to do, let it, focus on the target not the swing.

[chasm]

Thanks to all for the tips and I suspect the latter comment "Probably between your ears" is truer than I would dare to admit. Off on my annual boys golf weekend now, hence the deperate need to fix this problem!

[USNHack]

A range technique that has worked for me is after I have warmed up and feel good and loose, I'll take the score card from my last round and replay the holes that I buggered up. I envision the hole and replay it on the range hitting the same clubs I did on the course trying to hit specific spots varying trajectory and shot shape on the range has helped me much more than just beating balls with my 8 iron to the 150 marker and so on.

[oneplanedan]

yeah stopping thinking about your swing.....the range is for working on it or warm up......if you are going to play just get loose on the range not to much thought on positions and what not.....save that for a good workout on the range when you are not playing later................when you get to the track trust what you have worked on and think TARGET...............don't hit the ball if you can't see the shot all the way to the TARGET....................expecting a good shot is getting ahead of yourself.......focus TARGET.........make a practice swing that feels right not postions feels right.......go through routine.........step up get ready one last look at TARGET...........FIRE.........yuo are only going to hit it as good as you can.............stop thinking result hope that helps

[iskysoma01]

You develop a rythym on the range by hitting one shot after another, hitting the same club, etc. On the course you will hit a shot wait to get to your ball then hit another club walk to the ball again putt, go to the next tee hit a different club it is not a shot after shot rhythem.

[strohs]

I used to struggle mightily with this problem, so I made a change to my driving range routine.

Basically, I try to do everything I would do when getting ready to play my ball on the course, which forces me to mentally go through the same processes I go through when playing - which then hopefully allows me to translate that to the course.

I no longer just stand there and hit ball after ball.

I make sure to back out of my stance, posture, and alignment.

I realign the shot, re-grip the club, get in the correct posture, etc. in between each shot.

This doesn't allow me to get in that swing rhythm that makes you feel like you could beat Tiger.

I was amazed what that did for my golf game in just a very short amount of time...

[rufus mangler]

yeah stopping thinking about your swing.....the range is for working on it or warm up......if you are going to play just get loose on the range not to much thought on positions and what not.....save that for a good workout on the range when you are not playing later................when you get to the track trust what you have worked on and think TARGET...............don't hit the ball if you can't see the shot all the way to the TARGET....................expecting a good shot is getting ahead of yourself.......focus TARGET.........make a practice swing that feels right not postions feels right.......go through routine.........step up get ready one last look at TARGET...........FIRE.........yuo are only going to hit it as good as you can.............stop thinking result hope that helps

Cool post. Playing golf, instead of hitting balls.

[rufus mangler]

Thanks to all for the tips and I suspect the latter comment "Probably between your ears" is truer than I would dare to admit. Off on my annual boys golf weekend now, hence the deperate need to fix this problem!

I'm going to guess that you got better as the weekend went on. Let us know.

[leekgolf]

For me, hitting balls on the range is like trying to hit the ocean. I suggest you spend a lot of your range time hitting real shots. Pick a target, go through your pre-shot routine, hit the shot and evaluate it. Also, vary the clubs for this. Some people like playing imaginary holes on the range.

[FlyFish]

The book "Every Shot Must Have A Purpose" has some good material on this. Don't hit the same club twice in a row on the range and aim for specific targets. By the second shot, you've probably already started to make a compensation move. The basic premise is that you should practice on the range like you actually play golf.