Life Without a Driving Range

[GolfSpy MPR]

I know many of you won't be able to relate to this at all, but I live in a place where the nearest driving range is about an hour's drive away. That obviously means that my home course also has no range.

 

I have a mat and tent in my garage for hitting balls, but without a SkyTrak-or-better launch monitor, I have little way of knowing much more than strike quality and starting direction (though that's better than nothing).

 

Has anyone else ever been in this situation? What workarounds did you find most helpful? And, an interesting question for me: what, if any, do you suspect is the handicap penalty for not getting to practice seeing ball flight or warm up before rounds?

[palvord]

What an excellent question!

 

I have played multiple rounds without ever warming up on the range beforehand and I suspect that my handicap penalty is 0.  I have warmed up before a round and shot the same scores as I do without the warm-up session.  Were I a better golfer, I would suspect that it is a 1-2 stroke penalty as better golfers know their game and are able to self-correct during the round for the ball flight of the day.

 

I am not a range rat, as I would rather save my money for playing golf.  At home, I use the plastic whiffle ball golf balls to work on my chipping and pitching into laundry baskets.  

[PlaidJacket]

Are you a member at your home course or do you have to pay to play each time? 

I'm asking because if you don't have to pay a green fee each time you can practice on your course during times when it's not that busy. I do that at my course sometimes even though we do have a range. This type of practice is actually more effective IMO.

[GolfSpy MPR]

Are you a member at your home course or do you have to pay to play each time? 

I'm asking because if you don't have to pay a green fee each time you can practice on your course during times when it's not that busy. I do that at my course sometimes even though we do have a range. This type of practice is actually more effective IMO.

 

I am a member, and this is good advice.

 

Here's my biggest obstacle: I can be a bit OCD about playing "the right way," and it's only exacerbated by the fact that I play most of my rounds with Game Golf. So hitting a half dozen tee shots is a challenge.

 

But that's because I'm weird, and not because you gave bad counsel

[cnosil]

I think you OCD perception about playing correctly is just fine. Before the round decide on what you want to accomplish. Make it a practice round or a round specifically to work on your game Don't keep score just hit a tee shot, move the ball into the rough, play shots from fairway and green side bunkers. Pretend jr is the courses driving range and short game areas.

[cksurfdude]

I think you OCD perception about playing correctly is just fine. Before the round decide on what you want to accomplish. Make it a practice round or a round specifically to work on your game Don't keep score just hit a tee shot, move the ball into the rough, play shots from fairway and green side bunkers. Pretend jr is the courses driving range and short game areas.

Was going to say something similar ... even the pros play "Practice Rounds" (officially labeled as such).

 

Leave the Game Golf at home, don't count the score, don't go (hole!) #1.. #2.. consecutively through and decide for each particular practice round what your practice goals are - eg. hit that tricky elevated green from 160 out 3 out of 5 shots .. and then get up & down with those other two. Then walk over to that greenside Bunker you hate and get 3 out of 5 close. Mix it up!

[Kenny B]

I'm not a range rat either.  I do like to practice short game shots since it's creating shots and seeing the outcome.  Practicing shots on the course is the best way to practice.  

 

As has been mentioned in other threads, and recently by my esteemed colleague @cksurkdude, read The Talent Code.  It chronicles how talent "hot beds", no matter what the activity, practice and become the best at what they do.  When you hit a particular shot when practicing and don't hit it the way you want, hit another one, and keep hitting them until you get it right.  Builds myelin.  You can read what that is in the book.

[revkev]

I know many of you won't be able to relate to this at all, but I live in a place where the nearest driving range is about an hour's drive away. That obviously means that my home course also has no range.

 

I have a mat and tent in my garage for hitting balls, but without a SkyTrak-or-better launch monitor, I have little way of knowing much more than strike quality and starting direction (though that's better than nothing).

 

Has anyone else ever been in this situation? What workarounds did you find most helpful? And, an interesting question for me: what, if any, do you suspect is the handicap penalty for not getting to practice seeing ball flight or warm up before rounds?

Actually my first church was in rural Indiana. The closest course was 20 minutes away and it had no range. Remarkably it was a good enough course, actually a fun course and it had an incredible Weds afternoon game that I got invited into early on in my stay there.

 

There was a little practice area between the 1st tee and 9th green that you could hit wedges in. I also had enough room between the parsonage and the church to hit wedges. I hit a lot of wedges.

 

At some point a driving range closed near my mother in law's house and she bought out their supply of balls. I had 500 or so range balls that I would hit out into the field with driver. The kids loved to go on adventures bringing balls back for me.

 

I would image setting a simulator up in the garage if it were today but honestly my game didn't suffer much without a range. That's when my short game got really good.

 

My club now is a well renounced Tom Fazio course with all the trappings you'd expect for 6k a year. (Clergy membership at a much lower rate for me) I'd go back to LaGrange and a post round Coors light in the little dive bar with a burger or turkey sandwich and no range in a heartbeat. Now that I think about it I even preferred that course because it was fun instead of the grind that is the Bayou.

 

 

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[GolfSpy MPR]

Actually my first church was in rural Indiana. The closest course was 20 minutes away and it had no range. Remarkably it was a good enough course, actually a fun course and it had an incredible Weds afternoon game that I got invited into early on in my stay there.

 

There was a little practice area between the 1st tee and 9th green that you could hit wedges in. I also had enough room between the parsonage and the church to hit wedges. I hit a lot of wedges.

 

At some point a driving range closed near my mother in law's house and she bought out their supply of balls. I had 500 or so range balls that I would hit out into the field with driver. The kids loved to go on adventures bringing balls back for me.

 

I would image setting a simulator up in the garage if it were today but honestly my game didn't suffer much without a range. That's when my short game got really good.

 

My club now is a well renounced Tom Fazio course with all the trappings you'd expect for 6k a year. (Clergy membership at a much lower rate for me) I'd go back to LaGrange and a post round Coors light in the little dive bar with a burger or turkey sandwich and no range in a heartbeat. Now that I think about it I even preferred that course because it was fun instead of the grind that is the Bayou.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

Really enjoyed reading this.

 

Our course is just perfect for where I am in life. It's got several interesting holes, and the woods are there to keep you honest. Plus, it is exceedingly laid-back (hard to be otherwise here in the UP). My boys will play for free until they're twelve (I don't think that that policy normally means ten years of free golf, but the GM gave Kirke his membership card when he was three). My cost for a season of golf here (also clergy rate) is under $300. There are lots of mornings that I'll drive to the course around 6:00 (increasingly, with my son) and walk nine and get back to my office for morning work.

 

I wouldn't trade any of this.

 

As for practice, I definitely have room for some chipping and short wedge shots in the yard, and since that's a major weakness of my game, I need to make that a bigger focus.

[revkev]

It will pay dividends later in life my brother in the ministry. I had a very similar arrangement at that club including the kids playing for free - every Sunday late afternoon it was 9 holes for us.

 

They still love to play with Dad and they are in their 30's.

 

 

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[dna113p]

If you have only a small area to practice in checkout birdie balls. It's a good limited flight alternative if you have no driving range. They feel like a real ball when you make contact and will give you ball flight feedback.

[Kor.A.Door]

What's a range