Limited practice time

[Billsy22]

Hey fine folks,

 

I recently decided that I’d like to do a short range session once a week. I typically play about an 18 hole round once a month and go hit at the range for about 15 minutes mainly to stretch out so I don’t wreck my body on the first tee box. I usually just hit about 5 balls with about 6 different clubs. Suffice it to say I don’t have much of a goal in those sessions other than to stretch out.

 

My question for you all is how do I effectively “practice” at the range when I’m not going out to play right then? What kind of drills or goals should I be doing/setting? I expect to spend somewhere around 45 minutes out there.

 

i generally struggle with consistent ball striking. Several Fat or thin shots in a round and I naturally play a slight fade but it’s inconsistent and I’d like to replicate shot after shot.

[Shankster]

When I’m short on time for my practice, I do this:

Warm up first.  
 

Then I “play” the course.  
 

If it calls for driver 7 iron to hit green on hole 1.  I hit driver then 7 iron.  

Next hole a par 5? Driver, long iron, say 75 yard wedge shot… oh? I missed the green.  Hit a 25 yard pitch shot.

next is a long par 3?  4 iron.

etc…

[chisag]

3 hours ago, Billsy22 said:

My question for you all is how do I effectively “practice” at the range when I’m not going out to play right then? What kind of drills or goals should I be doing/setting? I expect to spend somewhere around 45 minutes out there.

 

i generally struggle with consistent ball striking. Several Fat or thin shots in a round and I naturally play a slight fade but it’s inconsistent and I’d like to replicate shot after shot.

 

... I really wish I had an easy answer for you but there just isn't one. This is the chicken or the egg scenario. Practice is not only useless but counter productive if you are practicing the wrong things and engraining bad habits. I see it all the time. You can go down the road of being self taught and working through your faults and that has worked for many but it takes years and years to work your way to a relatively reliable, repeatable swing. Many that go down this road have swings that are unorthodox but repeatable. Many just struggle their entire lives. The biggest problem is, if you are doing something incorrectly that causes you to struggle with ball striking you can go to the range and standing in one spot and hitting multiple shots, you can get it to work at that moment. But one swing with different clubs on the course will expose the flaw and you can't just stand there and hit that shot 20 more times to dial in your flaw. 

... The best players on the planet have swing coaches so it just makes sense to take lessons and have an instructor you trust to at least get you on the right path. Once you earn the fundamentals and how your swing works best, you can venture out on your own because you will have a base to operate from. 

... Even though my road was the first path, if I knew it would take me 20 years to get to a + index I would have started out with lessons. I have friends I started playing golf with that weren't as obsessed as I was/am and they are still basically at the same level and wonder why they never improved.
 

[AP Major]

If you have limited time I’d say focus on your short game (125 yards and in) with that 45 mins and you’ll probably see more benefits in your play/score.

Edited September 3 by AP Major
Long winded.

[bens197]

8 hours ago, Billsy22 said:

Hey fine folks,

 

I recently decided that I’d like to do a short range session once a week. I typically play about an 18 hole round once a month and go hit at the range for about 15 minutes mainly to stretch out so I don’t wreck my body on the first tee box. I usually just hit about 5 balls with about 6 different clubs. Suffice it to say I don’t have much of a goal in those sessions other than to stretch out.

 

My question for you all is how do I effectively “practice” at the range when I’m not going out to play right then? What kind of drills or goals should I be doing/setting? I expect to spend somewhere around 45 minutes out there.

 

i generally struggle with consistent ball striking. Several Fat or thin shots in a round and I naturally play a slight fade but it’s inconsistent and I’d like to replicate shot after shot.

Half the bucket is inside 100 yards. My favorite drill is taking a 50 and 59 degree wedge and picking three targets with each club. 
 

I’ll hit five balls to each target using different lengths of swings. 
 

It’s a great way to get rhythm and trust your approach yardages. 

[TJ Hall]

I generally start with a couple wedges to warm-up and then will move through the bag hitting a couple shots each.  Then will cycle through only hitting one shot with each.

[MNUte]

I haven't actually warmed up on the driving range this past year and have been better for it.

The course I have a pass to has an open patch of grass 45 ish yards long next to the chipping and putting green. So instead of hitting range balls, I work back from the hole. 5-10 minutes getting my putting lined up and pace control on point. 5-10 more minutes from the edge of the green working on chips and bump and runs. Using the putting strokes for bump and runs and then just focusing on good contact with my  wedges.  Final 5-10 minutes in the open patch just building up from the previous chips to pitches, quarter shots and half shots. Just focusing on good contact and impact. 

 

I've found in the last few months that as long as my short game is doing well and I'm generally doing decent at impact, I'll have a decent round even without warming up a full 100% swing. 

[Goober]

Buy some of those rubber Callaway golf balls. And hit those before teeing off. Find an area where you have 70-80 yards for them. The cool thing is they go super straight the smoother you swing. So it slows you down and takes that hit away pre round. Rest of time should be putting and chipping 

[Billsy22]

Thanks for the suggestions. Follow up. There is a very small park kitty corner from my house where I get 40-50 yards. I’ve heard great things about Birdie Balls. Do you think more frequent and shorter sessions with those or the helpfully suggested callaway rubber balls would be more beneficial than a once a week range session?

[Naval2006]

For many years my practice was hitting 30 balls.  I took my time because 30 balls was a span of time I could focus and I mainly worked on mechanics or feel to achieve good ballstriking.  

I was quite methodical, I worked on only one thing from the first to the last ball and left.  I never showed up on the practice tee without a little plan before starting.