Driving Range Routine

[SamShutes]

Looking for some good driving range routines for armatures.

I would say 65% of my rounds of golf are "Show & Go", meaning no range time. We'll show up early enough to chip and putt and hit the first tee. For that reason, if I just need a range day, my routine has been to chip and putt as if I was playing a round, and then head to the range and hit two drivers as if I'm hitting the first tee cold (two off the first!!), and then I'll work into mid-irons, wedges etc. My buddies give me a hard time about ripping drivers cold on the range, but that is exactly what we do when we play golf!

Any thoughts? What is your practice routine?

[JDHolmes]

I hit a large bucket (80 ish balls) before every round I play except those off site without ranges.

10 ea 50 yd sand wedges.
3 full sand wedges at 75 or so
10 ea 75 yd 9:00 gap wedges
2 90 yd gap wedges (choked up 50 1")
5 full gap wedges
10 9:00 45 degree wedges (100 yds)
5 full 45 degree wedges - 115 yds
5 - PW at 125
3 ea - 8 iron at target
3 ea -6 iron at target
3 ea - 5 iron at target
3 ea - 4 hybrid
3 ea - 5 wood
5 ea - 3 wood
5 ea - driver
Whatever's left on what didnt work well earlier. If all worked as expected, 5 flop shots with sand wedge to 40 yards

Now, go putt for 15 minutes, chip for 15 minutes, then go play.

I do this 4 days a week minimum.


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[Josh Parker]

1 hour ago, JDHolmes said:

I hit a large bucket (80 ish balls) before every round I play except those off site without ranges.

10 ea 50 yd sand wedges.
3 full sand wedges at 75 or so
10 ea 75 yd 9:00 gap wedges
2 90 yd gap wedges (choked up 50 1")
5 full gap wedges
10 9:00 45 degree wedges (100 yds)
5 full 45 degree wedges - 115 yds
5 - PW at 125
3 ea - 8 iron at target
3 ea -6 iron at target
3 ea - 5 iron at target
3 ea - 4 hybrid
3 ea - 5 wood
5 ea - 3 wood
5 ea - driver
Whatever's left on what didnt work well earlier. If all worked as expected, 5 flop shots with sand wedge to 40 yards

Now, go putt for 15 minutes, chip for 15 minutes, then go play.

I do this 4 days a week minimum.


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That's before every round?  It's a whole round in itself. 

I may do 20 or so before a round just to loosen up and get the swing motion correct. Some chipping and putting and then off to the round. If I'm going to hit a bunch of balls, it's after the round to work on something that was weak during the round. 

[Rob Person]

Lately it's been for only a specific set of clubs. This past 2 weeks was hybrids. Still not confident enough with them though

My normal range time is the whole bag,  and focusing on 2 or 3 clubs if needed.

I try to get 20 minutes before a round if possible of range work.

[fixyurdivot]

This has been my routine for the past year:

• 15 deep rotation, tempo, air swings with the Orange Whip (driver length).  Thanks again to my good friend @Kenny Bwho turned me onto the benefits of the OW some years back at a PNW Spy Meet-up.
• 10 mock driver swings using the big orange ball to carve a nice straight but slightly out to the right divot line
• 5-7 balls with PW or 9i
• 5-7 balls with 6i or 7i
• 5 -7 balls with driver

The first 15 reps, more baseball swing like, serve to stretch me out and get that deep turn feel.  The 10 reps add to that but in a normal swing path.  Knowing that I'm only going to hit a handful of balls on three clubs helps me really focus on good swing path and I pay as much attention to my divot as I do the resulting ball flight.

To be honest, I spend way less range time than ever before and my index has dropped from a 13+ to 6.4.  I've replace that with practicing full or near full wedge shots, short chipping, and putting. 

I think the fact that I play 3-4x/week also contributes to less big bucket range sessions as I've basically broken that down into smaller, much more focused per-round sessions.

 

[Shrek74]

Range time before a round is simple.

Stretch - quads, hamstrings, groin.

Rotations - 10 each shoulder with an iron, forward then backward. Upright body rotations followed by bent over body rotations. Then iron swings without a ball to finish getting the body moving.

5 balls half swing, 7 iron

5 balls slowing full swing, 7 iron

5 balls full swing, 7 iron

5 balls full swing fw wood (usually 5 wood)

Final 5 balls with club I'll be hitting off 1 tee.

I usually have a good lather going by this time. It's not a learning session, just getting to body ready to play. Yes, I'm watching digital and ball flight, but not dwelling on them.

If there's time, some chipping and putting.

[Shrek74]

1 hour ago, fixyurdivot said:

15 deep rotation, tempo, air swings with the Orange Whip (driver length).  Thanks again to my good friend @Kenny Bwho turned me onto the benefits of the OW some years back at a PNW Spy Meet-up.

10 mock driver swings using the big orange ball to carve a nice straight but slightly out to the right divot line

I'm curious and interested in the OW. Is it purely a stretching device or does it help with wood and iron swing? Are there specific drills and such with it? Any info you can share would be appreciated.

[Shapotomous]

As a warmup before a round I will start with slow half swings holding the 5 & 6 irons to stretch out gradually lengthening to full swings but way less than full speed.  I do that until everything feels loose enough not to snap!  Then i start hitting 3 or balls with 1/2 swing 7 irons getting to full swing and hitting another 3 or 4.  Then I go to  5 iron for 3 or 4 balls then hybrid or 5w for 3 or 4 balls then driver for 3 or 4 balls.   For league play i will then hit 2 or 3 with the tee ball club for whichever hole we are starting on.  I hit no more than 25 balls before a round before moving to the putting green for a few chips and putts.

For a range session the loosening up part and the 7 iron part are still the same.  Then I will work on whatever club or swing mechanic I am trying to improve on, usually 50 to 75 balls.  When done with that I will warm down with about 10 3/4 swing wedge shots.

[Hacker60521]

Warmup and practice are different routines for me

Warmp — before a round or practice session

• 10 min stretching (there is a 10 min warmup on Peloton that I really like)
• 5x PW - easy swings, focused on form nor distance
• 5x 7I - easy swings progressing to full speed
• 5x 5I - full speed
• 5x 4H - 80%-ish
• 5x Driver - 80%-ish

Then for practice I break it up into what I want to focus on that day

• Chipping, Pitching, Putting
• Wedges - full and partial swings
• Full swing irons
• Hybrids, woods, drivers
• I’ll also throw in random “trouble shots” like chip shot with a hybrid, closed 7I to stay below a tree, etc. I’ll also hit from rough and sand 

[fixyurdivot]

12 hours ago, Shrek74 said:

I'm curious and interested in the OW. Is it purely a stretching device or does it help with wood and iron swing? Are there specific drills and such with it? Any info you can share would be appreciated.

It serves to both stretch out your swing muscle groups and also help tempo. The camber/flex of the shaft, significantly more than regular shafts, promotes a deep turn feel and rhythm.  It helps me reign in my quick transition - right off the bat. Getting that "feel" ingrained before hitting balls helps me a lot.

https://orangewhipgolf.com/about/

I don't know if we've ever had an "official test/review" on the OW, but here are a couple of our older threads with comments from the forum.

 

[RetiredBoomer]

wrong thread--delete

 

 

   

Edited August 19 by RetiredBoomer

[SamShutes]

On 8/17/2024 at 8:35 PM, Shrek74 said:

Range time before a round is simple.

Stretch - quads, hamstrings, groin.

Rotations - 10 each shoulder with an iron, forward then backward. Upright body rotations followed by bent over body rotations. Then iron swings without a ball to finish getting the body moving.

5 balls half swing, 7 iron

5 balls slowing full swing, 7 iron

5 balls full swing, 7 iron

5 balls full swing fw wood (usually 5 wood)

Final 5 balls with club I'll be hitting off 1 tee.

I usually have a good lather going by this time. It's not a learning session, just getting to body ready to play. Yes, I'm watching digital and ball flight, but not dwelling on them.

If there's time, some chipping and putting.

I like this a lot for a pre-round routine! I think my game would benefit from being more intentional about hit 25 or so balls at the range before every round!

[Headhammer]

Range Session

5-7 Balls starting wedge to driver every other club and then back down the bag

Extra balls for clubs I'm not hitting well

15 minutes chipping 

15 minutes putting

 

Warm-Up Before Round

5 Balls each wedge, 7I, 5I, Hybrid, 

10 Balls Driver

10 Minutes putting

 

[The TXBexar]

I'll actually do 2 different routines depending on if I'm warming up for a round or practicing for the day.

Practice Day: Hit 2 large buckets (90-ish balls) at range, then 5 chips at the chipping range, then  27-54 putts on the putting green. Start with low iron (9) on the range then move up through each club (9 - 5), then go back to my wedges (P, A, 55*), then head back to my 3Hy then My driver last, all doing the same progression that I have listed below:

• Progression: start with 5 balls on each club, no focus on any swing aspect, just hit normal to see what's happening. Then progress through 5 additional balls while focusing on good contact & striking with the club face while taking a full swing, but reducing power to about 50%-ish for the 1st ball, then upping power on the next ball until last ball is at full power. At this point I'm seeing where shots are heading & my dispersion, I'm seeing where face striking is off or non-square at my approach from my down swing, and if my tempo is off or on through my swing causing me to pull/push the ball. Then I do a 3-ball sequence where I walk away from the ball (with my back turned to it), approach the ball as if I was approaching it on the course and go through my aiming & addressing stance just like I would if I was playing, then take my swing. If the ball is good/decent, take mental notes for the next ball and go through hall 3 balls; if one of the balls is a bad swing/hit, then I immediately replace it & take another swing after a quick re-adjustment. if it's a bad swing/hit 2x in a row, then I rest the 3-balls and walk away to rest myself and start over, as I have something off in my address or swing and need to re-ready myself.
• Chipping Progression: begin within 5ft of the fringe and aim for pin that is about 10-15yds inside the fringe (depending on where they have the flags that day).  I do 5 chips with each wedge to loosen up & see how I'm hitting, then progress through 5 shots with each wedge again doing a full swing but starting at 50%-ish power to check feel & striking to work on my consistency (lacks a little in my wedges when I'm doing a full true swing it seems) and see what range each wedge is wanting to travel to verify my gapping that day. 
• Putting Progression: Go through 9 balls that I putt through at various distances. Start at about 8ft for the flag, I aim to make at least 4-5 of these and leave all balls within 2ft of the hole max; if I don't make 4 and have a few that go outside the 2ft ring, I'll reset the 9-balls from the same spot and hit again (only repeating this once though so I can hit  my other distances without delaying too much). Then move my putting spot out to about 14ft, with this goal being to make 2-3 and have no more then 1 ball end up more then 3ft from the hole (repeat the reset process again if I make less then 2 and have multiple go beyond 3ft of the hole). Then last I go to about 20ft to practice some good lag putting; I am to make at least 1 of these, but truly am just trying to get all 9-balls inside of 4ft (as 4ft is just about a 95% make putt for me, so that's my guarantee range for putting that I'm happy with). I pretty much plan on repeating this 20ft lag putt no matter what, as it has helped me with developing good feel for long putts and get better at aiming my put address.

Before a Round: I'll plan to do a large bucket but don't always complete it as I don't need to or have time too, depending on the day. My primary concern on days I'm playing around is air-practicing my swing to make sure my tempo is correct, check my stance so that I am not set too wide, and that I feel correct on my address & nothing feels tight or off. 

• Progression: I'll start the range with my 8-iron and hit 5 balls to get loose and check swing for the day. then I'll do a 5-ball swing check where I approach the ball like I do on the course and focus on hitting each ball like I am aiming for the pin. I'll repeat this on my 6-iron as well, then all 3 of my wedges. Then I'll go to my 3Hy and Driver, with 5-balls that I focus on my swing being a full swing and getting good consistent hits on each ball.  Then do 3-balls of by approaching them like I would on the course, with taking time to control breathe and literally walk up to the ball/tee to address the shot and hit it just like I would on the course. Lastly, if there was any club that/shot that didn't quite feel right, then I'll go back to it and hit 3 more balls with taking time between each ball to break down shot concerns to see if I can instantly correct the issue that I saw/felt. 

I've found that these have been the best routines to get my ready on course day. And Honestly, for myself atleast, before every round I find that the most important thing I can do is stretch (to reduce strains & injuries) to get me loose so my swing isn't tight off the start and to help my tempo stay where it should be. Just practicing full rotations of your swing without hitting a ball and making sure your swing is where & how it should be at each point in your swing (apex of back swing, club head at address on the down swing, follow through & hold after the swing) does a good bit to make me feel ready to play.