range woes

Hi guys, hoping you can help. I play off 18 and joined a club for the first time a few months ago. Been playing regularly (at least 18 holes a week) since then and I've seen my game steadily improve. I played on Saturday and was pretty solid for my standard, went home happy. Woke up on Sunday morning with a few hours to kill so I thought I'd hit the range to follow up on the previous days good golf.

Started off with the SW, hit a few pitches and chips and then it all went horribly wrong. I shanked one wedge and that was game over, didn't hit another good shot. Shanks, slices and duffs aplenty.

Now my confidence has taken a knock and I'm thinking I'm going to be woeful next time I hit the course!

Any one else ever had the range session from hell sap their confidence? How did you feel next time you stepped on to the first tee?! What's the best way to recover, give the range a rest for a while or hit it hard?

I'm pretty sure its just in my head but I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I'm not the only one this has happened to!

Cheers

I've gotten into a little 'piping it' session on the range.

I put it down to hitting balls to fast and a dodgy surface to hit off.

Also... it is quite funny hitting a hoselrocket into the next bay sometimes.

Don't read to much into it, its a false golfing environment compared to the course as LJ hinted at. Best thing to do do is, after a bad one, walk out side the bay, line up the shot have a few practice swings... basically get out of the routine of bash, bash, bash...check your set up and go again... also sounds obvious but remeber to aim at something rather than bashing aimlessly, its amazing what a difference that can make on the range...

make sure you are set up properly, ie grip, stance, posture, ball position and then relax.

From there on try to limit lateral movement in the swing, concentrate on rotation of the body instead.

LondonJonnyO wrote:I've gotten into a little 'piping it' session on the range.

I put it down to hitting balls to fast and a dodgy surface to hit off.

Also... it is quite funny hitting a hoselrocket into the next bay sometimes.

The last time I went to the range with one of my golfing buddies, he had a very nasty case of the s(unmentionable)s. He hit 10 on the trot right into the metal divider, the guy in the next bay thought he was under attack, and my buddy has never hit a ball at a range again. He now practices at the practice ground off grass and not a s???k in sight.

If this ever happens to me i usually find it's best to throw down 5 balls and just hit them with no thought of technique or anything, just swing smoothly and hit the ball. Works out all the tense thoughts etc that lead to the unmentionable in the first place

Many thanks for the advice - I'll try to remember it next time I hit the hosel. I think sometimes I care a little too much which causes tension, funny old game!

SHANK!

There, I've said the forbidden word!

:run1:

The question is... did it hurt your fingers?

I get nothing out of hitting balls at the range mostly. I think I stand there with a bucket of 50 or 100, and just blat them off. You just know the stance/postioning is wrong, but just carry on squirting left and right and getting sweaty. I hate that it isn't anything like the real thing, and rarely enjoy it. Don't mind chipping and bunker play, and at least you can have a swing when the weather is rudey poo. rudey poo mat because it's not grass, hemmed in with kids running up and down behind you, blokes stood on both sides having a chat - Not real or true to being stood on the tee or fairway.

If I have to go to the range I go with LordP and we share a bucket of balls and a bay. We hit 6 or 7 shots each while the other watches (we can usually pick up on where the other is going wrong - often the line-up or the swing plane) and then change over. We also try hitting driver or 3-wood, mid-iron and wedge in that order to replicate playing a hole. But in general I too hate ranges where mindless morons seem to think the only thing to do is stand there and smash the ball as hard as possible with no thought for where it is going (usually a massive slice or hook) - and why. That and bloody kids everywhere (you may have noticed, I'm not very maternal!).

LP I once saw a stag party start the Friday evening revalries off at the range. Not pretty and almost everyone walked away as it was like a scene from some American high school teen flick. Yes the boys had a laugh screaming and laughing as they aimed for the poor bloke in the ball collector, and a few cars got dinked as a few nobheads thought it was funny to aim at fence seperating the car park at right angles from the bays. I've seen better behaved unacompanied juniors

Doc, did no-one say anything??
I think i would batter some numpty who decided he wanted to hit golf balls at my car!

If you s***k it, it's because you're too close to the ball.

To get it out of your system, move further away from the ball. Even if you end up toeing a few, it'll still help you lose the J Arthur.

i went to the range the other day and it was full of japanese students pounding huge drives for all their lives were worth. the boy next to me was admittedly pretty good but they'd have been better off working on their low shots and short games, given this is st andrews and it's chopping windy at the moment!

Does anybody have any problem with noisy range users?

There seems to be a group of chaps who get down to mine and treat driving range practice as a social gathering. They can go on like a bunch of girls at a hen party at times, drives me mad

Mobile phone users ... tsk.

Perhaps these guys are OK with chattering away when they standing around the tee and green whilst taking their shot perhaps.

I find the best time to go to the range is early morning, nice and quiet no-one about but when I have to go at busy times I find it best to go to the very far end where no-one is to concentrate and make sure I use a range where no children can go unless they are hitting balls supervised. Has led to the odd kn*bhead comment of he must be so sh*t to go down end on his own to save embarrassment usually a nod and a smile is enough to shut them up once they see you rip a few.

I enjoy the range but that's because I always make sure I have something to work on or a routine to follow, one day I'll work on shot shaping and trajectory others on hitting to targets but can see why some get annoyed

That is not the main reason for shanking the ball Mercurio. The main fault is usually as a result of an out to in swing path which causes the heel to come in before the toe.

Standing further actually promotes a shank because it encourages you to throw your arms away from your body which is last thing you want.

Thats my understanding of it anyway....

davesrighthere wrote:Does anybody have any problem with noisy range users?

There seems to be a group of chaps who get down to mine and treat driving range practice as a social gathering. They can go on like a bunch of girls at a hen party at times, drives me mad

Mobile phone users ... tsk.

Perhaps these guys are OK with chattering away when they standing around the tee and green whilst taking their shot perhaps.

Are things like this really that big a problem?!? As Mav pointed out, ranges are rarely busy in the mornings so this is the best time to go if you want peace and quiet. Otherwise, whats the problem with the noise of people enjoying themselves on a driving range? Sometimes it's easy to forget that golf is just a game and if that means a bit more of a social gathering than being so serious then I'm all for it.

I'd rather see a busy range with people interested in golf than an empty one that shows a lack of interest...

If you can't find a spot at the range you use... are there not others you can go to? If quiet is that much of an issue for you (and it sometimes is for me) then just go elsewhere.

Cashy wrote:That is not the main reason for shanking the ball Mercurio. The main fault is usually as a result of an out to in swing path which causes the heel to come in before the toe.

Standing further actually promotes a shank because it encourages you to throw your arms away from your body which is last thing you want.

Thats my understanding of it anyway....

When I s***k, it's definitely because I'm too close to the ball. I've had 5 or 6 s***ks whilst playing at my course and all of them have come on the 1st tee (a par 3).

Good points Sharri & Jonny.
I like a nice chatty, light environment also.
But perhaps tempered with a little respect for other range users, would be nice.

davesrighthere wrote:Good points Sharri & Jonny.
I like a nice chatty, light environment also.
But perhaps tempered with a little respect for other range users, would be nice.

If there are kids there they can get excited... whilst I am not a huge fan of the idiots who jump in front of cars I can have sympathy for youngsters there with parents getting loud when they hit one up in the air. Or get one going a goodly distance.

It frustrates me because they are noisy... but I usually just move.

It is very rare that a range is so full that you can't find an isolated area.