Das Driving Range
FIRST THINGS FIRST!
YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF EVERY TIME YOU GO TO THE DRIVING RANGE:
"What do I want to get out of this range sesh?"
The answer to this question ties directly to your expectations. Be consistent, be committed, BE BETTER!
YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF EVERY TIME YOU GO TO THE DRIVING RANGE:
"What do I want to get out of this range sesh?"
The answer to this question ties directly to your expectations. Be consistent, be committed, BE BETTER!
There are many things that often go overlooked when it comes to the game of golf. I think that one of the most overlooked aspects of the game is the driving range.
How many times do you hear somebody say that they hit it so amazing on the driving range and then when they go to the course they couldn't manage to hit a good golf shot. *I believe that if you have the ability to hit a good shot on the driving range, it should be even easier to do it on the course* The driving range is not the place to go to just try and hit "good" golf shots, that is a recipe for failure. The other mistake that I see on a daily basis is the concept of quantity over quality. The timing of your golf shots on the range should be more comparable to a double barrel shotgun rather than a fully automatic machine gun. You gain nothing from hitting ball after ball after ball if only one of them is good. I would rather you go through your entire pre shot routine and hit a quarter of the amount of golf balls.
Why quality over quantity?
I say this because when you force yourself to go through your preshot routine, it also forces you to focus and it isn't until you focus that you feel pressure. If you can simulate the feeling of REALLY WANTING to hit a good shot on the range, and then execute, you will find it much easier to translate onto the course.
I am also willing to bet that it would not be difficult for you to think of a time when you hit a poor first shot and then immediately dropped a second ball and hit the shot exactly how you wanted to. This is because after failing, you have lost all expectations/emotional attachment for the current shot due to already witnessing the worst case scenario. This is something that you are no longer allowed to do. If I hear about or ever see you hitting a second shot, we are going to have a coming to jesus conversation. If you NEVER hit a second golf shot, you are training your brain to hit it well on the first one. If you notice the guys who consistently drop a second ball, they will never hit the first one well because in the back of their mind, they can just hit another one.
It's bullshit, it drives me crazy, JUST DON'T DO IT!
How many times do you hear somebody say that they hit it so amazing on the driving range and then when they go to the course they couldn't manage to hit a good golf shot. *I believe that if you have the ability to hit a good shot on the driving range, it should be even easier to do it on the course* The driving range is not the place to go to just try and hit "good" golf shots, that is a recipe for failure. The other mistake that I see on a daily basis is the concept of quantity over quality. The timing of your golf shots on the range should be more comparable to a double barrel shotgun rather than a fully automatic machine gun. You gain nothing from hitting ball after ball after ball if only one of them is good. I would rather you go through your entire pre shot routine and hit a quarter of the amount of golf balls.
Why quality over quantity?
I say this because when you force yourself to go through your preshot routine, it also forces you to focus and it isn't until you focus that you feel pressure. If you can simulate the feeling of REALLY WANTING to hit a good shot on the range, and then execute, you will find it much easier to translate onto the course.
I am also willing to bet that it would not be difficult for you to think of a time when you hit a poor first shot and then immediately dropped a second ball and hit the shot exactly how you wanted to. This is because after failing, you have lost all expectations/emotional attachment for the current shot due to already witnessing the worst case scenario. This is something that you are no longer allowed to do. If I hear about or ever see you hitting a second shot, we are going to have a coming to jesus conversation. If you NEVER hit a second golf shot, you are training your brain to hit it well on the first one. If you notice the guys who consistently drop a second ball, they will never hit the first one well because in the back of their mind, they can just hit another one.
It's bullshit, it drives me crazy, JUST DON'T DO IT!
With GolfWright, we are going to address effective methods to practice to help take your game from the range to the course.
Here is a fun driving range game to spice things up for you a little bit.
First you are going to stand in your bay and create a fairway that your ball is capable of landing in. Next you are going to go through your ENTIRE PRE SHOT ROUTINE. Here is where the fun begins. The first ball you are going to intentionally miss as far right as you can. The second ball, yup you guessed it, you are going to replicate your pre shot routine and then miss it as far left as possible. Third you are going to hit it down the fairway. You will notice how easy it is to swing down the middle towards your target and how to dial in your focus. Another takeaway from this game is to expose your biggest misses and how when you don't have to run from them, are aware they are present, how naturally you avoid them and stripe it down the middle.
Below are the three categories I believe should consume your time while you are on the range. All of which, are setup related.
Here is a fun driving range game to spice things up for you a little bit.
First you are going to stand in your bay and create a fairway that your ball is capable of landing in. Next you are going to go through your ENTIRE PRE SHOT ROUTINE. Here is where the fun begins. The first ball you are going to intentionally miss as far right as you can. The second ball, yup you guessed it, you are going to replicate your pre shot routine and then miss it as far left as possible. Third you are going to hit it down the fairway. You will notice how easy it is to swing down the middle towards your target and how to dial in your focus. Another takeaway from this game is to expose your biggest misses and how when you don't have to run from them, are aware they are present, how naturally you avoid them and stripe it down the middle.
Below are the three categories I believe should consume your time while you are on the range. All of which, are setup related.
Alignment-What kind of ball flight do I hit?
-Where do I want this ball to go? -Where do I want this ball to end? -In order to be most successful, where should I start this ball? |
Where to miss-Don't shortside
-Easiest up/down -Hazards? -Where is the one place I can't be? |
Substitute repetition-Play actual holes on the range
-Work on every shot -Figure out maximums for each club (distance, hook/slice) -Find a consistent setup/pre-shot routine. |