Hitting the Range Before a Round...Essential or Not?

[MomoMan83]

I really don't think warming up on the range really matters, at least for me.  I used to always get a little range time in before a game because I thought I had to get warmed up.  Sometimes a good range session was followed by a poor round, or vice versa, but mostly I hit a few solid shots on the range and a few solid shots in my round.  The last two times I have played I either went straight to the tee box or just took a couple of practice swings before teeing off and they were the two best games of my life.  So going to the range before a game, I can take it or leave it, though leaning towards leaving it now.    

[CarlH]

The pros don't go straight to the number one tee box and swing away.  Just saying.  

[bluesmandan76]

I hit some 60-70 yard wedge shots in my yard before I leave the house, then when I get to the course I practice chipping with SW and 8 iron, and putting.

 

If I had a range I would certainly use it, but alas my course doesn’t have one.

 

 

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[MomoMan83]

The pros don't go straight to the number one tee box and swing away.  Just saying.  

I'm not a pro, or aspiring to be, so I'm not too worried about it.

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[ZenGolfer]

Its doesnt matter to me.  I'll use the range if I get there early enough but I dont make a point of doing so.

[revkev]

Was thinking about this thread today. Semi finals for my league playoffs tomorrow. I have a 40 minute drive to the course, I played awful my last round and my range had been closed all week so no long game practice.

Under this scenario I’m going to hit some shots first tomorrow.


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[HardcoreLooper]

I prefer to hit at least a few balls to warm up and see what direction they're going, but it seems I rarely get to do so.  I'm either playing late in the day and trying to conserve daylight, playing a course with no range, or the course is actually running ahead for once and the starter is rushing my group to the tee box.

I stretch before leaving the house, and I do arm circles and leg swings before teeing off.

[tony@CIC]

I've found (recently) that going to the range before playing has a big impact (no pun intended) especially on swing speed. I now routinely take my SC200 LM to the range before men's league. However, as a disclaimer being 72, I'm sure I've got a much lower swing speed than virtually everyone at MGS. The end result for me from the range session is about 5-6 mph (8%) difference in swing speed.


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[THEZIPR23]

I always start at the range. Warm up is essential to preparation, it’s not practice it’s warm up. What I fail to do a lot of times is hit chip shots. That should be part of every routine IMO. 

For those of you that don’t warm up, why? I have never heard anyone be a proponent of starting any athletic event cold. (Time or not having a range not withstanding).

[perseveringgolfer]

I'm with BK on this, warm up is essential but range balls immediately before the round isn't.

[perseveringgolfer]

Point of interest on this subject. I played a Snr event a couple of weeks ago and they had a system where the juniors had range balls at the range and you made a donation and hit as many balls as you want to warm up.

There was 174 entries and I was second last off the tee. I went to the range to warm up and the jnr showed me the number of competitors that had used the range to warm up that day...I was the 6th and last to do so out of 174!!

[Will_Mac]

I haven't hit balls before a round in probably 2 or 3 years. I'm not disputing the benefit for doing so but no, I don't believe it at all to be essential.

[rwc356]

Course I mostly play doesn't have a range so I have found that swinging a weighted club and chipping a few shots in a grassy area is my best option. Reminds me of many older courses I have played in the UK which don't have ranges just a practice putting green area. In any case, my scores don't seem to vary greatly between range or no range - as long as I can stretch before playing.

[CarlH]

6 minutes ago, rwc356 said:

Course I mostly play doesn't have a range so I have found that swinging a weighted club and chipping a few shots in a grassy area is my best option. Reminds me of many older courses I have played in the UK which don't have ranges just a practice putting green area. In any case, my scores don't seem to vary greatly between range or no range - as long as I can stretch before playing.

It isn't about hitting balls so much as it about "warming up"...getting the body ready to respond.  Simply swinging a weighted club (or Orange Whip) takes the body through the motion.  Stretching and warm up are essential, IMO....but, I'm not young anymore, either  

[Tarheelvolvo]

Ran into an odd situation last Friday at a local course...you had to get in your car and drive five minutes to the "back" of the course to get to their range - no cart access either. Realize space issues create interesting setups, but this was a first for me. 

 

Really had to think about if I wanted to head back there or not since my bag was already on the cart. Made me also think about this thread and the debate within. 

 

Ended up skipping the range and hitting two off the first tee after getting somewhat limber in the tee box. Shot an 87, which is a couple strokes lower than normal...so maybe the range really is overrated for "game days" 

[Smellis745]

I prefer to hit balls prior to playing, but it's not a necessity.  Most important thing is warming up, whether that's hitting balls or swinging a weighted club, which includes stretching.  To me, properly stretching is more important than swinging, as it is a preventative measure in combating injury.

[BIG STU]

Normally if I do hit ball before a round I may hit 5 or 6 with my wedges. Sometimes I will use my Tour Striker 5 iron but then only hit 5 or so. I mostly stretch and warm up swinging 2 clubs. In cooler weather I do stretch and swing clubs more--- Also part of my warm up routine whether it is hot of cold slam 6 Ibuprofen with a large cup of black coffee. That loosens me up. I will putt quite a bit and walk around. I always try to get to the course 45 minutes before my tee time. That way I sorta do my own thing relaxed and slowly. Even when I played comp I did not hit a lot of balls. If I can time it up with the wedges then I am pretty ok. 

[808nation]

In my 20+ years of golfing, I've probably only hit balls a hand full of times. I will stretch out, swing some wedges and drivers and putt for a bit, then it's to the 1st tee. I feel this routine works best for me as I don't like to get worked up or pissed off before my round

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[Fake Carl Spackler]

I prefer to hit, but it's not a complete necessity.  At the very least I will stretch out.  A testament to not needing range time before a round: this past weekend I played in a club championship, woke up late on Sunday and only had time to stretch.  Poked the first tee ball down the middle and shot a pretty steady 75, which for me as a 5.5 handicap is a decent round.  I think you have to lose the mentality that a good range warm up is necessary to play well, if range time gets cut short or there is no range, that will mess with your head and it's almost guaranteed you won't play well.

When I do hit the range to warm up, usually it's no more than 20-30 shots, just enough to feel my swing tempo and get loose.  Like some have mentioned, I do "play" the first hole on the range to finish my session, tee ball then approach, then it's off to putt and chip for about 15 minutes.  

[goaliewales14]

I always have to hit balls before a round.  I have a normal routine that I like to go through depending on what the course has to offer.  My routine is something I've developed with my trainer to get my body warmed up properly.  I'm not worried about swing changes.  "If you don't have it by now, you're not going to get it in the next 20 minutes."

Preferably, I'll spend about 20 minutes putting.  Then try to move onto short game.  Hopefully the course has a good area where I can do standard chips and pitches.  Then I try to finish off with a few bunker shots.  Now it's time for the range!  I'll do a few quick dynamic stretches now that my body is warm from the short game area to allow me to start taking 1/2 - 3/4 swings working my way up to full swings.

On 7/31/2019 at 10:08 AM, Golfspy_CG2 said:

Make your last shot on the range, the same shot you will hit on the first tee. 

Sometimes I will actually "play" the first hole on the range for my last couple shots, meaning, hit the driver, then based on where it landed approximate what club I would have into the green from there and hit it, then maybe a chip or pitch shot with a wedge. 

This is 100% of what I do with my last few shots.  I'll try to hit to targets on the range that would be equal to the distance I would be at after each shot.  

[HardcoreLooper]

On 8/14/2019 at 11:53 AM, Tarheelvolvo said:

Ran into an odd situation last Friday at a local course...you had to get in your car and drive five minutes to the "back" of the course to get to their range - no cart access either.

Did you play Jefferson-Lakeside?  I had to play it a few times before I realized where the range is.  I've been told that range is actually the old Ben Hogan Company's testing facility from their few ill-fated years in Richmond.  

[Tarheelvolvo]

13 hours ago, HardcoreLooper said:

Did you play Jefferson-Lakeside?  I had to play it a few times before I realized where the range is.  I've been told that range is actually the old Ben Hogan Company's testing facility from their few ill-fated years in Richmond.  

Haha, yep, that's the one! Liked the course, though.

[Mr_Theoo]

I can go either way but I will say I prefer to if it’s a course I’ve never seen before. I’d rather be loose when teeing off blind so to speak. That way I kinda know what to expect from my game

[PMookie]

I’ll tell you what. I have to hit before I play to loosen-up, but today was another example of finding my stroke on the range, which was huge as I’ve been all over the place mentally. I found ONE thing to focus on in my pre-shot routine, and I had a good day of ball striking.

 

At 50, there are no more days of going from the car to the first tee, and today it was really worth it!

 

 

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[HardcoreLooper]

On 8/25/2019 at 11:29 AM, Tarheelvolvo said:

Haha, yep, that's the one! Liked the course, though.

JLCC is a gem, and you did well to break 90 your first time out there.  How many cities have a beautifully restored Donald Ross and an A.W. Tillinghast (that hosted a major) across the street from one another?