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Range balls and handicaps

I'd love to be able to hit on a range before I play but at a few course I play, that's not an option. You can hit off of a mat into a net at a few, and that's it. A few others have irons only ranges, and honestly driver is my biggest issue right now. I will putt & chip a very tiny bit beforehand, and stretch a bit just to get my muscles going. But many of my rounds come in between being a dad taxi and work, so time is of the essence for me. I'll hit the practice green just long enough to get a feel for the speed, and then I'm off.
 
I seem to be completely incapable of bringing my range game to the course anyways so it probably doesn't really matter. I typically like to hit a warm-up bucket first and I usually just hit half wedges and driver.
 
I can't play worth a crap if I don't hit some range balls before the round. The course I'm a member at has the balls already at the range so we don't have to pay extra for them. I always take advantage of that. There are a few guys I play with that never hit range balls. They usually get there about 5-10 minutes before tee time and go straight to the first tee. If I did that, it would be hole 6 or 7 before I ever got loose enough to have any kind of confidence over the shot.
 
I'm getting older and if have to get to the range 1/2 hour before tee time and warm up stretch hit about 20 balls and I'm good to go...

There's nothing worse that getting there late running to the first tee with a crowd of people and try to pull off a decent drive....
 
I hit the range 95% of the time. I start with 10 or so half wedge shots to warm up. Then 10 full swings give or take. Then back to the wedge shots. I really like to practice the scoring range clubs and get the feeling of a pure strike befor I go out.
 
My best opening 9's have almost always followed a warm up 15-20 shots. Even with a good stretch, I never can get as loose as I do after hitting a few.

More important to my scoring, though, is to hit the putting green and check my alignment and pace control. Can mask a lot of meh golf if I am putting decent.
 
my most commonly played with group, I am the only one who will even think about using the range. The other three believe it makes their games worse. Based on anecdotal evidence, but they are 100% right in my experience. Both times I have seen them use the range prior, they have all three proceeded to play worse than i thought was possible for them.

As someone above said, charging me for a service I or most guys in my group actively would not use would be pretty punitive
 
I always hit the range if there's time.
 
Depends on the time. Ideally I'll hit a full bucket before playing then spend 10-15 minutes on the putting green.

What I see at my course is people skipping the putting green, and I judge them for it :act-up:
 
I always try to hit about 20 balls before starting, just to assess the days swing characteristics!

Would be nice if it was included as I often pay for free through a corporate golf deal and it would save me scrambling for the cash each time

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I like to hit a small bucket of 30-40 balls or so before every round. My playing partners don't but it can take me 20 hits easy before I start feeling comfortable. I tend to go to my driver after 15 balls or so (just 5 hits or so) because when I swing that I loosen up quicker and start hitting my other clubs better. I tend to like to hit driver with the last 5 balls as well since it will be the first club I use on the course.
 
My home course has a "range" near holes 13 and 14... Just some rope and a giant net...
My playing partner does the Babe Ruth and takes his 3 largest clubs, with the covers still on, and swings them to get warmed up. I usually use the orange whip. I'll spend plenty of time on the putting green though.
When a range is available, I don't really notice a change in my score.
 
I doubt I would hit them every time even if they were included. I also don't think courses that "include" range balls in there rate do so for free. Save me $5 on my tee time and let me choose to pay for range balls or not please. But I digress..

At the courses that do include them, I typically don't want to hit more then 10 or so balls just to loosen up. I have found if I hit a lot on the range before hand it actually negatively affects my round (at least in my mind) as there is a fine line of loosening up my back and overdoing it where the last few holes are a struggle.

That said, it sure is nice to see 2-3 drives go where you want them on the range before a round. it really helps my confidence stepping up to the first tee. Of course the opposite could be said for a pre round range session that does not go well. So to answer your question I do not think it will help handicaps, for as many guys that leave the range with confidence in their swing that day, you will have just as many leave the range frustrated and already defeated.
 
Most of my rounds, I'm coming in hot to the first tee. I might have 5-10 minutes to putt a little on the putting green if I'm lucky. That being said, a lot of courses I play either have no range or they're a water range. I see very little point in hitting on a water range, and I'm not keen on the feeling of watching a well struck shot hit water. It's mental, but it's not something I want to visualize when I'm thinking of that really good iron shot I hit on the range that I want to hit on this upcoming hole.

If range is included in the fee, I'll probably hit balls for 20 minutes and then go back to the chipping and putting area anyway. I'll be hitting more chips and putts than I will drives, so might as well get a decent touch on those.
 
Yes, if a small bag of balls was included with the greens fee I would hit them for sure. I do try to hit a bucket once a week, whether I golf or not for practice.
 
I have only played one round this year without warming up on the range. I honestly have no idea how people don't warm up before a round because my swing is weird for the first couple minutes.
 
I like to warm up before the round, but I'm not sure there is much, if any correlation between pre round range time and score. Some of my best scores have come with no warm up at all, as have some of my worst.
 
I have been trying to mix it up a bit ,I see a trend when I do not hit the range before the round I actually play better. It is really strange,as I am not hitting countless buckets before the round.

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I like to hit the range beforehand to warm up and stretch out if there is time. Many times though I just don't have enough time.
 
In my ideal day of golf, I would hit a small bucket prior to golfing. It helps me "warm up" and feel out my swing.

However this is unrealistic when trying to sneak a round in after work before the sunset.
 
I prefer to hit 20-30 balls at the range before a round but many of my rounds are sneak out and get it done type affairs. Most of the time I do not warm up and frequently the first 2-3 holes are a struggle as I try to find my groove. Anytime I travel to a nicer course or am playing a tournament, I hit balls and am better for it.
 
I have to warm up before a round. It always takes me a few swings to find it still. If I don't warm up my game will not work well that day. Also I have to warm up on the range to warm my body up. I always start swinging the club back and forth ten times to loosen my body up some. Then I take about ten half shots just to get used to the swing again. All this before taking a full shot on my SW. If I don't do all this the game won't be where I need it that day and there is a good chance I'm going to hurt myself from really tight and cold muscles.
 
I can't speak for all the older guys but I find if I don't warm up properly (and hitting a ball every few minutes on the course doesn't get me there), I increase me odds of tweaking or pulling something. So, it's as much for getting loose and avoiding injury than ballstriking.

I started really focusing in on this last year when I went to a range and just started hitting balls at full speed and tore a muscle in my abdomen about 7 or 8 shots into the bucket. Took a month to recover to the point I could hit balls again.
 
We have unlimited range included in our membership fees so I always try to hit the range before a round. Mostly, it is to loosen up and find an easy groove, although that isn't always findable. At minimum, I can be comfortable on #1 tee after a good stretch and 20-30 balls. If I have to head straight to the first tee, I will stretch before every shot on the first couple holes so that my back doesn't stiffen up coming down the stretch.

As an aside, I was surprised at how much ribbing I caught from guys over my stretching routine at the benefit scramble on Saturday. I got em back good by saying that Im stretching alot now so that I can still swing a club well when I'm your age. Haha
 
it's rare that i don't go to the range first. i want to find out what i'm working with that day. although to be perfectly honest, there are times i'm hitting the ball great on the range then completely lose it on the course, and vice versa. so most of the reason i go to the range is that i get to do more golf stuff, and i love golf stuff. heck, there are times i'll go the range before, play a round, then go to the range after. sometimes that's because i sucked it up on the course, and other times it's because i just want to do more golf stuff.
 
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