Looking to improve and work on your golf game away from the course? If so, you may be eager to hit the driving range or golf simulator and start swinging away. However, if you want to get the most out of your trip to the range or that short walk to the golf cave you might want to have a plan in mind. And on that note, there may be many opinions on what might work for some but here is what I believe to be the best way to practice at the golf range.
So in this post, we are going to give you the resources and information that you need to get the most out of your trip to the golf range or your golf simulator. Armed with both old school and new lines of thinking you’ll be able to maximize your results, improve your game, and make sure that all of your hard work put in at the range doesn’t go to waste!
Distance and Accuracy
It almost goes without saying but pick a range that has a number of targets to hit towards. These driving range drills will hardly work without going fora specific target. Whether it is a flag, an elevated green, a target like what is seen at Topgolf or what you might find while using a golf simulator like SkyTrak, make sure you have a variety of distances to hit towards. If you’ve ever hit at a driving range where they don’t have yardage markers or one day you are hitting off of a mat and the next week off grass which is 5 or 10 yards away, I think you’ll understand what I’m getting at.
Please don’t just bang ball after ball without knowing the distance you are hitting towards or without having a target in mind. Amongst other things, golf is about correct distance and accuracy. So the best way to practice at the golf range is to make the most of your time and know the distance you are hitting with each iron and be consistent with your swing to have accuracy.
Because of the above, I highly recommend bringing a rangefinder to the driving range. I look at a combination of quality and price and found the best budget golf rangefinder that works for me. I learned a phrase called “get a clue” when my 95 yard approach wedge kept hitting the surrounding small cut out green or flying over the 100 yard flag on the driving range. My rangefinder tells me 89 yards was the actual distance to the flag. That was my get a clue moment. The other flags were off in their distances as well. You won’t have that issue when using a quality golf simulator.
Make sure you are using quality golf balls
At a driving range, this one is a toughie. Quality golf balls are important for a few reasons. First, they help you to get maximum distance out of your shots. Second, they help you to control the ball better and get spin on your shots. The latter part you may not see much of on the driving range in 99% of situations. This is where a golf simulator gets the upper hand.
Now although you most likely won’t be hitting Titleist Pro V1’s into a net or impact screen, you should use quality golf balls. Whether on the driving range or in a simulator, hitting balls that only give 90% of your distance means you are not getting accurate results. This would not be translatable to the golf course and in my estimation a waste of time.
In regards to different distances and backspin with golf balls, I did a little test with a number of balls which I will share on another post. It awakened me to the point that some golf balls will not give maximum distance while others lack in their ability to spin, thus giving away a chance to stop on the green. The hope is we find a sweet spot to obtain both distance and spin while at the same time keeping some money in our wallet.
Always Have a Target
It doesn’t do much good to take out your driver on the range and whack for the fences. Sure, the fence may be the target but it doesn’t do you much good if the driving range is 80 yards wide. Same all the way down to the wedge. The best way to practice at the golf range is to go after a specific target and distance.
Some golf simulators allow for something called bag mapping where you basically hit a number of shots with each club to determine the average distance you are getting out of lets say a sand wedge, approach wedge, pitching wedge, 9 iron, 8 iron, 7 iron, 6 hybrid, and all the way down to driver. While at the range and if you have access to a launch monitor, take out a notepad and record distances for each of your clubs.
Play a Simulated Hole
I was taught a neat little trick to make range practice a little bit more exciting. Now this works well if you have a device such as the Voice Caddie SC200 like I do or a launch monitor which tell you the distance you hit a shot. Take out a recent scorecard and start playing to the distance you see on the first hole. No mulligans are allowed in this game but I do not hit a shot that is less than 20 yards.
For instance, the first scorecard I just grabbed shows a 329 yard par 4. The thought process in my head is to hit about a 220 yard or so shot which will leave me with a wedge to the make belief green. I pick a target to the left side of the range and pull out driver. Again, always have a target on the range. I hit the ball (slightly off the toe) but fairly straight and my Voice Caddie tells me it went 205 yards. So in my head I know I need to hit a 124 yard shot. I pull out my 9 iron and it goes 119. I’ll take it.
I typically play 3 or 4 holes in this fashion. So the scorecard tells me the next hole is 163 yards. I pull out my 6 hybrid and know that I don’t need a 100% swing but still need to get good contact at maybe 95% of a normal swing. Next thing is to pick out a target with a flag on the range that is 175 yards according to my rangefinder. I am not going for the flag but instead am attempting to hit it on that line and hit the ball 163 yards. There is a left to right wind so I better take that into account. Darn it. I hit the ball short at 151 yards but because it is within 20 yards of the target, I move on to the next hole.
Hopefully, you will get a little understanding of how this game is played. I usually attempt to play a par 3, one or two par 4’s and a par 5 hole. For me, having a target is a must on each shot. Otherwise, you are just attempting to land within the width of the driving range and that doesn’t do anyone any good when it comes to playing on the golf course.
Different Ball Flights
Using the same club, as well as a pre-determined distance and target, practice different ball flights. I know we aren’t all professionals (looking in the mirror here) but this is a method that when once conquered on the driving range, can lead to being able to do the same on the golf course. There are certain situations that usually involve the wind or the need to knock a ball over a tree or under a tree limb where it is an advantage to have an arsenal of different ball flights.
What I like to do is start with an approach wedge. My target may be 95 yards away. I will put the ball in my stance as I normally do with the approach wedge and take a handful of shots towards the target. My normal ball flight is relatively low when compared to my playing partners. By practicing different ball flights with different clubs, you’ve come upon the best way to practice golf at the golf range.
Higher Ball Flight
I will put the ball one ball width forward in my stance for a higher ball flight. Sometimes up to 2 ball lengths forward, although I have to be careful with this. Yes, I most likely will not be getting to the 95 yard target with a higher ball flight. My setup brings my rear shoulder slightly lower. Because the ball is more forward in the stance, I keep my weight forward as well. I make sure to have less forward shaft lean. If you lean back as well as having your weight towards the back foot it will increase your chance of thinning the ball. We don’t want that.
So ball about one to two ball lengths forward (as compared to normal) in the stance, weight towards the front foot, rear shoulder slightly tilted down, and clubhead with less forward shaft lean. Take a handful of shots towards the target line and note the results. If this works well for you, add one more thing and attempt to finish high in your follow through. I get it. A lot to put in your head at one time. I am completely with you on that and this like most things in golf, this will take practice. When teeing the ball with this exercise, tee it slightly higher than normal.
Lower Ball Flight
Personally, I think the lower ball flight is for the most part my norm. I have a couple of playing partners with very high clubhead speed and a higher ball flight is their norm. So hitting a lower ball flight is not typically what I want to do but even I understand its advantages given certain situations. That 20mph straight into your face wind as you stand on the tee looking at a 540 yard par 5 is a good example.
Take one extra club. If hitting a 7 iron, go with a 6 and swing easy. Choke up on the club about an inch. Put the ball about one ball width behind normal position. In certain circumstances, I may go up to two ball lengths back of normal. Keep and maintain your hands forward of the ball during the swing. The reasoning behind this is to reduce the loft of the club. Front shoulder even to slightly downward. Have a short backswing. A full backswing could cause steepness in the swing which in turn may give the opposite effect (higher ball flight) than what you are looking for. Again, think easy swing. The follow-through should be short and end before you get to chest height. When teeing the ball, make sure the tee is slightly lower than normal.
Practice with a purpose
One of the most important things you can do when you’re practicing at the golf range is to make sure that you have a specific purpose in mind. Of course the end result you might be going for is how to break 90 in golf. If you’re just going through the motions and not really focusing on what you’re trying to accomplish, then you will not get much out of a practice session. Sure, sometimes we hit the range before teeing off the 1st hole and hit them poorly only to hit the ball well on the course. The same goes if you are practicing using a golf simulator at the course or at home.
The best way to practice at the golf range may simply be to practice where you are lacking. Sure, I could say I am lacking in driving, approach shots, and putting. However if my driving was atrocious in a previous round, I will make sure to put some extra effort with driver on my next range session. On the flipside, if you are entering winter season mode where you won’t be hitting the course for a few or many months, why not practice on approach shots from 100 yards in? If you are unable to use a range during the day, don’t use that as an excuse. When I was working and travelling an equivalent of 12 hours a day I asked to find a night driving range near me.
Get Video Analysis of your Swing
The last tip I would offer beyond contacting a local pro for lessons is to record your swing. Perhaps the best way to practice at the golf range is to come home and put your swing up on the laptop or tv.
With newer phones and good lighting you may be able to get enough frames per second to see the club plane on both the backswing and downswing, while slowing down or stopping at certain points to see where the clubhead points, etc…. Record your swing from approximately hand position from behind. Hitting a slice? Are you going over the top with an outside to inside swing? Bringing the club inside too quickly? All of these “faults” can be corrected but first you have to know what your swing looks like.
Then take your phone or camera and put it at a side view. Are you flipping your hands upon contact? Do you have shaft lean? How do your shoulders line up? Can you tell if you are moving too much towards the ball of your feet in the downswing?
In the end, the best way to practice at the golf range is a personal decision based on what improvements you are looking to make in your golf game. I hope just one or two of these tips might help to put a practice session in motion where you will see positive results.