Anyone give up on the range?

Silenthighlite · July 17

I feel that the more I hit the driving range, the more my swing suffers on the course.

i have went weeks without a dedicated range session and those weeks I play some of my best rounds. I play consistently 2-3 times a week.

lately, im trying to improve my swing after some lessons. I have seen some great improvements right after the lesson but I have so many swing thoughts on the course I s*** the bed.

I also love a good warm up on the range (30 balls max and that includes warm up chips and pitches) but that’s about it. I feel like I’m getting fatigue, overthinking, and ingraining bad habits when I go to the driving range.

I guess what I’m asking is, has anyone given up on the range completely for full swing and just focus on putting and chipping if they do practice?

for reference, idk my actual handicap but I can shoot mid to high 80’s on a good day and low 90s on a normal day or harder course. Last few rounds been over 100. My first two rounds after my lesson were both 88.

Rbsiedsc · July 17

12 minutes ago, Silenthighlite said:

I feel like I’m getting fatigue, overthinking, and ingraining bad habits when I go to the driving range.

If this is the case, you aren't doing the things that your lesson told you to do

13 minutes ago, Silenthighlite said:

lately, im trying to improve my swing after some lessons. I have seen some great improvements right after the lesson but I have so many swing thoughts on the course I s*** the bed.

How do you practice after the lessons? Did your coach give you drills? Do you do the drills? Do you do them slowly? Change in the golf swing is not linear and is very slow. Some changes take months to implement, some years. Also when you play, you should play golf, not golf swing. Have one feel and stick with it.

15 minutes ago, Silenthighlite said:

I guess what I’m asking is, has anyone given up on the range completely for full swing and just focus on putting and chipping if they do practice?

If you do this you will max out your ceiling, but your floor is unchanged. To move both up, and really shoot lower scores, you need to focus on full swing (Lowest score wins is a good resource for this). This will push your floor higher and eventually your ceiling will do higher.

16 minutes ago, Silenthighlite said:

i have went weeks without a dedicated range session and those weeks I play some of my best rounds. I play consistently 2-3 times a week.

Sounds like mentally you get in your own way with too many swing thoughts.

joedizzy1978 · July 17

I havent used the range as a significant tool for improvement for over five years. Ive built and maintained a swing by hitting foam balls in my living room, no launch monitor. Ive also navigated swing changes and helped significantly lower handicaps during Covid, where access to facilities was non existent. How much an individual can accomplish without it will highly depend on the individual. Eg, their ability to focus, be disciplined. Nevertheless, going without can produce and retain high level results.

slytown · July 18

I'll never give up on the range, but I've ended my tinkering for now. I had 2 or 3 swings on the course this year, and it screwed up my ballstriking, which was great over the winter.

At the moment I'm just using the range for warmups and keeping the one swing in shape. Going from a large bucket to a small bucket.

vandyfan · July 18

In the minority but I would be more likely to give up the golf course than the range. Love a good range session. When you are playing well you get more of the best feeling in golf, a center strike. When you are playing poorly....well who wants to be out on the golf course then?

leojax · July 18

If you are trying to make changes to full swing, you need the range. Improvement is often not linear, and in my experience, my scores got worse before they got better when making swing changes. If you trust what you coach is telling you, and it sounds like there are reasons to, then trust that process. Depending on how significant the changes and how much you play/practice, it can take months.

We can only work on 1 or 2 things max at a time at the range. And if you are trying to make changes, most swings should be less than full swings and drill based with an iron, with regular swings mixed in to connect that the the movement. Then you can focus on making the correct movement and a good coach should be able to evaluate your progress and let you know when you are ready to move on. Video can help.

naj959 · July 18

I "kind of" gave up the range. At one of the courses I play there is an eighty yard pitching green between the 1st, 2nd, and 18th holes. I regularly walk out there and work on everything inside 80 yards. I find that hitting partial to full wedges is more beneficial to my full swing than trying to work on things at the driving range. I love hitting knockdown irons shots now because it's the same feel as a partial wedge for me.

Also, I tend to lack focus when the range is crowded. I think it's an anxiety thing but I feel confined when I have people in both stalls next to me.

ShortGolfer · July 18

I prefer to practice in my back yard with foam balls. I have an old Big Bertha driver to practice with as I don't want the ball to travel too far. I found a cheap muni beginner course that is great for driver practice. I can also experiment with different ways of dealing with thick rough just off the fairway. It also has some high rough areas that are just like hitting out of tall fescue.

I hit my irons well enough that other folks on the course have noticed. I've decided to set a good example with my practice rounds, picking up those duffed tee shots and trying again from the Senior Tees, rather than trying to hack the ball out of the rough between Tee boxes. I was helping the group in front of me find their balls in the rough between holes, and let them hit first when one of them put their ball in front of my Tee box. The other guy told him about being in front of my Tee box.

Edited July 18 by ShortGolfer

GolferPerson1 · July 21

I've been trying to limit my range sessions to grass as much as possible. I've found too much hitting off of mats to be detrimental to my swing. In particular I think it causes my angle to attack with irons to gradually increase if not very careful, most likely due to subconsciously not wanting to hit down into the mat. Foam balls cause me to lose face awareness.