Does practicing on the range hurt your game?

[revkev]

Leaving a $2 alignment stick on the range - meh.

 

Leaving your 6 iron on the range - big problem.

 

Hadn't thought of that - I always count them before I leave.

[Tyk]

I use the Home Depot sticks. I don't carry them always, I leave them in the trunk usually. I'll throw a club down fairly often just to check myself. Earlier in the year alignment was a big issue for me but recently it hasn't been.

 

I am so particular about my clubs in the bag that I almost never leave one anywhere. Using a pushcart and a bag with 14 dividers, I can see immediately when one is missing. I actually have an open spot in mix because I have a putter well, I use that for a drizzle stick or the Tour Striker. If it's empty I sometimes end up putting one of my clubs in the wrong spot, which is a big no-no! Makes me stop in my tracks and figure out what is missing or out of place! They not only have their place, they have their specific order in how they nest against each other so they don't rattle and can be most easily seen and reached! I guess this is one of the few things I'm pretty OCD about!

[Matt Saternus]

14-way top is a huge help for not leaving stuff behind. The one time I left a club (and got it back, thankfully) was before I had such a bag.

 

The problem now is that each of the 14 slots has multiple clubs, shafts, or sticks in it.

[JMiller]

I think alignment sticks unless you have a instructor or a video camera pointed at you are a bit silly, I have never owned a set of alignment sticks personally no need for them.

 

1) alignment sticks to a person using them just aligns there feet properly, shoulder alignment is more important. I see the feet as just being there to support the upper body (as I have said before in my description of my person pre-shot routine). I can have my feet pointing away from the target, (butt pointed directly at the target), and my shoulders square at address, hit a ball completely towards the intended target (that is a drill for practicing releasing the club with the wrists / arms actually)

 

2) You can't have training aids out on the course during a round, you don't get to cheat when you make a swing, people could start seeing the alignment sticks as a crotch. There is nothing more painful then watching someone check there alignment before each shot on the course with the club they have in there hands.

 

 

I'll just go ahead and write down my pre-shot routine for kicks only takes maybe a total of 30 to 45s to complete.

 

1) Calculate all distance, wind, shot shape, club, etc type stuff by the bag without a club in your hand

2) Pull the club that you are conferable with to achieve the desired calculations / commit to the shot.

3) From behind the ball visualize the shot and take one or two practice swing at 20 to 40% just to feel the club and motions of the shot.

--> This is the point where if you are not committed to the shot or club bail out and return to step 1.

4) I walk into the shot holding my right hand on the club only, right foot forward first, align the face to the target line / spot

5) I take my left hand grip (top hand) then re-adjust my right hand square my shoulders the the target line

6) I look at the target and make a couple "duffer waggles" with the club as I let my feet support my shoulders naturally

7) i set the club back down to double check it is still pointing at the target line, make one last waggle

8) I tap the club on the ground lightly behind the ball as my green light and pull the trigger.

 

At any point something feels off, you have to back off the shot and start over.

 

If more people practiced a solid pre-shot routine and made it automatic to the point they don't even think about there personal steps on the course it would help them in-directly with alignment. I only really check my alignment AFTER i hit a shot and it goes somewhere I didn't expect but the swing felt fine.

[RoverRick]

I think alignment sticks unless you have a instructor or a video camera pointed at you are a bit silly, I have never owned a set of alignment sticks personally no need for them.

 

I tend to agree, I have missed your input the last several weeks. I get my best drives when I set up with my feet a little open, my shoulders a little closed. I attempt to then have square shoulders when make contact. The closed shoulders at set up is really just to remind me to swing in to out. So if I get to the top, the open feet have a. kept me from over rotating and give me a head start on a good finish, start the swing with a hip slide, or trust, hit the ball at the 7 o'clock position and finish fully turned with most of my weight on my left foot.

 

So I would need three alignment rods and lay them down like and asterisk.

[Tyk]

That is pretty similar to my preshot routine jmiller, although I take 1 full practice swing beside the ball instead of the 2 easier ones behind the ball.

[JMiller]

That is pretty similar to my preshot routine jmiller, although I take 1 full practice swing beside the ball instead of the 2 easier ones behind the ball.

 

Well I am sort of against swinging full speed for a practice swing.

 

Everyone's body takes 10 to 15 seconds (longer as we get older) to recover from a full golf swing. If you took 20 shots in a row (5seconds apart of each other) on the range, my guess is that each one will progressively get shorter until the 20th being the shortest (assuming you can even still swing full speed). Same concept here, taking 19 full practice swings then making a real swing at a ball would result in about the same as if you hit 19 balls previously and not letting your body recover.

 

You are out on the course for 4 to 5 hours, spending unnecessary energy on making a full practice swing will wear you out faster IMHO. Sort of like thinking about unnecessary things mentally will tire you faster as well. I don't know of a tour professional that makes a full speed practice swing in their pre-shot routine and I don't know of a successful tour player that mentally wastes thought process during a round. Preservation of energy and replenishing energy in water and nutritional bars or foods helps a lot for lasting those 4 to 6 hour rounds while shooting low scores.

 

I won't get too much into eating / drinking and such that is a different topic. However, like I said from a physical aspect you need to limit the motions in a pre-shot routine, and give yourself enough time in-between full swing to fully recover.

[Tyk]

Yeah, I don't disagree that it could be a factor. I guess for me right now, the benefits outweigh the potential for fatigue. I like feeling the turf on the practice swing, it gives me a good idea if I've got the lie right, and I like the rehearsal, I get something out of it whether it's just a thought "you overswung a bit there, reign it in!" or "you came a bit steep, don't do that!". I'm can be kind of a range rat, so swinging that many times, especially spaced out over several minutes per shot (or two shots if you count the practice) does not seem to have a negative impact physically. That could change as I get older or if I let myself get too out of shape. The one thing I do notice sometimes, especially when it is hot is the leg fatigue. I usually walk, but I've set 93F as my cutoff point for walking as I notice a definite performance impact from fatigue late in the round when it gets hotter than that.

 

Also agree that hydrating and eating are important through the round, I stay conscious of both and have a little routine there as well!

[revkev]

JMiller it's always fun when you're around - know you're missed when you're not - I'm going to start another thread because of your comments.

 

On to this one - I'm a recovering range rat - I don't have the time or back to spend eons of time on the range anymore. I go periodically to make sure my club gaps or right or I go if I'm having issues. Lately I've been having issues, boy have I been having issues. I haven't played in two weeks (since RR was here) but I've been to the range four times. The first time was with very little success trying to debunk whatever issue ahd crept into my swing before my TMag fitting. The second was for the fitting itself where my fitter quickly fixed my swing by fixing my alignment - that took two swings - the next time was last week to try and get used to standing square to the target (who knows how long I had been a bit open but long enough for that to feel normal.) I went today during lunch again and I don't believe I hit more the 25 shots because I didn't even need to lay anything down to know that I had it -

 

Let's see I hit 3 choked down 55's, 3 full 55's, 1 full 60, 1 full 9 iron, 3 full 7's, 3 full 3 hybrids, 3 drives, 1 full 7, 1 drive, 1 full seven, 1 drive, 1 full 9, 1 drive, 1 full 8 and I gave the rst of the balls to the guy next to me and went to the practice green. I can't 24 shots in all - Wish I could play tomorrow - I am playing friday on a great course with Dogpro - looking forward to it - maybe I'll have my new driver then.

[JMiller]

JMiller it's always fun when you're around - know you're missed when you're not - I'm going to start another thread because of your comments.

Thanks for your kind words, I have been around reading, just don't too often have a lot of time to post now a days.

 

On to this one - I'm a recovering range rat - I don't have the time or back to spend eons of time on the range anymore. I go periodically to make sure my club gaps or right or I go if I'm having issues. Lately I've been having issues, boy have I been having issues. I haven't played in two weeks (since RR was here) but I've been to the range four times.

I know the feeling of not playing I shut down my season awhile ago do to injury (golfers elbow in my right arm) and now the fact it has gotten cold here in NC. I have just been doing some indoor drills my instructor has me working on until the right arm is better and weather gets better in the spring.

 

 

The first time was with very little success trying to debunk whatever issue had crept into my swing before my TMag fitting. The second was for the fitting itself where my fitter quickly fixed my swing by fixing my alignment - that took two swings - the next time was last week to try and get used to standing square to the target (who knows how long I had been a bit open but long enough for that to feel normal.) I went today during lunch again and I don't believe I hit more the 25 shots because I didn't even need to lay anything down to know that I had it -

lol, that's good. Like I have said before, I pay no real attention to my feet alignment, it doesn't matter to me. My biggest thing is getting the face pointing at my target line then my shoulders square to the target line where I want the ball to start on. I work a ball from point A towards a point B. For example a left pin I'll aim at the center of the green to right side of the green and attempt to curve the ball towards the pin without over cooking the shape. So on the range I'll pick out a target A (say a tree for example out in the distance) then a target B (say a house to one side of the tree or another) visualize the ball starting at Target A and curving dead at Target B. You hear announcers on tour professionals say "he is going to start it at the TV tower and fade it." same concept here.

 

Let's see I hit 3 choked down 55's, 3 full 55's, 1 full 60, 1 full 9 iron, 3 full 7's, 3 full 3 hybrids, 3 drives, 1 full 7, 1 drive, 1 full seven, 1 drive, 1 full 9, 1 drive, 1 full 8 and I gave the rest of the balls to the guy next to me and went to the practice green. I can't 24 shots in all - Wish I could play tomorrow - I am playing Friday on a great course with Dogpro - looking forward to it - maybe I'll have my new driver then.

Like I said even 20 to 25 balls giving it your 110% focus as if each shot really matter as it does on the course will likely give you more practice then aimlessly hitting 100+ balls. I think you'll probably keep doing that as your practice from now on... really give 10-25 balls 110% focus instead of just making swings to make them. I only make swings to make them in a really fast warm up before a round, like 5 balls only type of quick warm up season.