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What do you look for?

Trout Bum

Trout Bum

Regional Rival
Albatross 2024 Club
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What do you look for when you hit a shot at the range? Are you studying your flight? is it direction? contact location on the clubface? Distance?

What are you using to measure your progress at the range? (not scores on the course) this is for range sessions.

I look at flight first and impact on the face second, a good flight for me is a gradual riser that's mid to above mid height and piercing, once it reaches the top of it's apex the decent is more of a sharper decent rather than a gradual decent. I look for a contact point just a touch towards the hosel from center.
 
I am searching for a particular feeling at impact. I am looking for a fluid swing through impact. I am looking for a consistency that these the first two produce.
 
Trout Bum said:
What do you look for when you hit a shot at the range? Are you studying your flight? is it direction? contact location on the clubface? Distance?

What are you using to measure your progress at the range? (not scores on the course) this is for range sessions.
Click to expand...

3 things: contact on clubface (more feel that something I can see), initial direction, and ballflight (fade vs draw). Initial direction tells me where the clubface was at impact, ballflight tells me where the clubpath was in relation to the clubface. Good distance comes from a good strike, so I don't pay attention to that as much on a driving range since the distance can be altered by the type of range ball out there.
 
I'm looking for a certain feel whether it be a wedge, 7 - iron, or driver. Once I get that solid contact feel I am ready for my round.
 
Trout Bum said:
What do you look for when you hit a shot at the range? Are you studying your flight? is it direction? contact location on the clubface? Distance?

What are you using to measure your progress at the range? (not scores on the course) this is for range sessions.
Click to expand...

Great question, for me its flight and direction. I know when Im hitting it well how its "supposed to look" and its a matter of trying to replicate that.

Also trying not to hit off the toe and the bottom 2 grooves (my 2 big misses)
 
I'm looking to hit the ball square and develop a good tempo - most everything else will take care of itself on the course.
 
Sound and feel. If I'm trying a certain shot, I want to see the intended shape and if it ends up on line. Our furthest flag is 195 yards, so with longer clubs I'll want to see the ball track over a certain flag heading towards a target at the back of the range. Mainly looking for clean and crisp contact. The course I practice at only has mats, but a lot of them are newer and still fluffly, so you get decent feedback on fat shots and such.
 
I am ashamed to say this, but I don't really practice. If I am on a driving range, it's to hit 10-15 balls to warm up. I don't care where they go. I think that means I get what I deserve on the golf course.
 
It's all mats where I go so the feel is slightly different, the balls and hitting into a slope mean the distances are largely irrelevant (except for comparison between shots).
The flight is not something I worry too much about, at my current level, I'm happy if I can hit 4 shots in a row roughly in the right direction that aren't more than 40yds apart.

Other than that, I'm simply looking to how consistently close I was to target, I'm comparing each shot to the last couple, trying to get to a point where I can get a feel for what a good shot feels like over a bad shot.

Just remembered I have this from a couple of weeks ago, see what I'm up against.... :D

2014-02-19%20Protracer.png
 
That's a great tool to have Joey.
 
I try to make sure I am hitting ball first and making a divot after the ball. I also try to see if the ball starts on the line I wanted. I am not worried about distance on the range. In general, I am trying to work on feelings and swing positions.
 
i look for a pure feel at impact first then direction i like a straight flight not too much fade or draw. then last is hight if its medium to high is fine i dont like to see low shots
 
When I am finally able to get to an outdoor range, I'll first be looking for 1/4-1/2 swings for contact. I'll work my way up my clubs with just those swings for a least a week or so. Sure, I'll cheat and slide in a few full swings. But I'll have to find my swing before going out on a course.

After I feel a little comfortable with my swing, I'll start building to a full swing. Then, and only then, I'll start to really watch my ball flight, keeping in mind that these are range balls. I don't know how long this will take. The amount of time it takes, whether 1 week or more or less, changes almost every year. It depends upon how my swing progresses.

After that, I try to see what kind of distances I get for each club. Hopefully, with my fitted clubs, it won't take as long as usual.
 
Contact, contact and contact for me. Clean club face contact and no fat shots. I have a very hard time stopping fat shots on the range yet I'll go to the course the next day and strike fine. For some reason I can not get a positive correlation between range practice and on course play, seems like putting practice and short game practice are the only things that impact my on course game.

I think part of the reason I can't get good contact on grass ranges is because I never have the opportunity to hit off of good grass. Seems like I am hitting off more dirt and destroyed grass than actual grass.
 
I don't worry about distances at the range due to how much this can change because of the balls

My club has a fairly basic range with flags every 50 yds, but they are set out in lines, so if you can use the 'right' bays, you have an imaginary fairway to aim at and this is what I use for practice, trying to ensure that I am hitting the balls and landing them in the 'fairway' - I will try to remember to grab a picture the next time I am there
 
Crisp sweet spot contact. A mostly straight to slight draw ball flight (on a typical shot), with a steady climb to the apex. And consistent distance between shots (assuming the range balls are all pretty well uniform) - the number itself isn't a big deal, as long as it's consistent.

Also, if I am able to hit a cut shot with any kind of consistency on the range, it's probably gonna be a good ball striking day.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I am searching for a particular feeling at impact. I am looking for a fluid swing through impact. I am looking for a consistency that these the first two produce.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. Feel is real. Generally if I make a controlled swing everything else will take care of itself. My ball flight should be a boring baby draw.
 
What I look for:

1) How is my form? Is the tow of the club in the proper positions at the waist level and top of the swing?
2) Trajectory. Is the ball going straight like I want, or is it slicing/hooking?
3) Accuracy. Did the ball go where I was aiming?
4) Contact. Did I hit it fat, thin, bladed, or was it a crisp shot?
5) Consistency. Am I getting the same results over and over again, either good or bad. I can work on bad, I can smile at good.
 
I'm looking for contact/feel. If I'm hitting solid, repeatable, consistent shots/distance...that is how I know I'm in the grove. I know how my swing feels, from take-a-way to the top, back down and into impact. As soon as I strike the ball, I usually know it it's "good or bad", but I think we all do this.
 
I look for a lot of some of the things you guys have already listed. What I also look for is if anyone saw that crazy whack I took or that I look like a hack at times. Sometimes the range can be like peeing in a row of urinals. You always wonder how you stack up. But you just keep eyes fixed straight ahead and by no means do you start a conversation with the guy next to you.
 
For me it's all about contact first. If the contact is good, then did the ball start on my intended line? If the ball started on the intended line, what was the ball flight? That tells me all I need to know.
 
Contact and ball flight pretty much. Although if I'm being forced to play from mats then it's pretty much just ball flight.
 
I look for solid contact and accuracy. I don't want fat or thin shots. I want the ball to land somewhere close to where I think I was aiming. I feel like I need to hit at least 10 good shots in a row before I start my round.
 
really it depends what I am working on during that session. But most of the time I am looking at my ability to shift targets and still hit my desired shot towards that target.
 
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