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Aimless Swings

RealPretendPsychic

RealPretendPsychic

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Albatross 2024 Club
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What do I need to do on the range as a good practice format to achieve more consistent shots?

I’ve been getting in swings almost daily hitting into a net in my garage and using a SkyTrak. My dispersion chart is not where I want it to be. I have no consistent ball flight likely due to an inconsistent swing. Clearly a lesson is in order once this quarantine is lifted. I haven’t had a lesson in a decade and really haven’t practiced on the range in 5 years. I’m a 13 right now and can go into the low 80’s but also capable of mid to upper 90’s.
 
Rick Shields had a great range suggestion in a video. I’ll see if I can find it. But in a nutshell he sad don’t get the big bucket of balls and endlessly hit them. Instead opt for a smaller bucket, put it in the back of the bay, and get a ball one at a time. Pick a target, get the correct club for the yardage and go for it. Do that for every ball.

 
billyh said:
Rick Shields had a great range suggestion in a video. I’ll see if I can find it. But in a nutshell he sad don’t get the big bucket of balls and endlessly hit them. Instead opt for a smaller bucket, put it in the back of the bay, and get a ball one at a time. Pick a target, get the correct club for the yardage and go for it. Do that for every ball.

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Thanks! I’ll have to give it a watch before my next session.
 
Are you seeing a consistent a consistent shot shape?
 
Molten said:
So you are seeing hooks and slices and everything in between? If so, I have a few suggestions
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Absolutely! Seeing as I haven’t really had range time in years I’m probably just seeing a trend that’s indicative of my overall game.
 
When hitting into a net I feel like you have to have a swing thought you are focused on to avoid just mindlessly banging balls.

When I go to the outdoor range I step away go through my routine and make sure I pick a specific target for each swing. It takes me much longer to go through a smaller bucket than most people to go through a full bucket. That makes sure I have a purpose to each swing and can evaluate the quality of the shot. I don't have an indoor setup but I would try to do something similar if I did.
 
Chef23 said:
When hitting into a net I feel like you have to have a swing thought you are focused on to avoid just mindlessly banging balls.

When I go to the outdoor range I step away go through my routine and make sure I pick a specific target for each swing. It takes me much longer to go through a smaller bucket than most people to go through a full bucket. That makes sure I have a purpose to each swing and can evaluate the quality of the shot. I don't have an indoor setup but I would try to do something similar if I did.
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I guess I should have said goalless swinging. I certainly pick a target line parallel to the SkyTrak. But I can hit balls for 2 hours and spray left and right and come away feeling like I’ve gained nothing. That’s what I’m trying to fix. I’m sure I’d do the same thing at an outdoor range. Quite frankly, I’m just out of practice on how to practice and improve if that makes sense.
 
He says don’t hit a large bucket, I say hit 2 large buckets. But don’t hit balls aimlessly. Each shot try and remember what your doing and make adjustments. On your spare time watch some YouTube.
 
RealPretendPsychic said:
Absolutely! Seeing as I haven’t really had range time in years I’m probably just seeing a trend that’s indicative of my overall game.
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There are plenty of great suggestions in this thread already but mine is a bit on focus and the mental side. To the extent you can, focus on what feels produce each shot and try to repeat a shot that moves the same direction throughout a session regardless of severity of movement. in other words, if you are trying to hit a fade, don’t be upset with the slices - you will dial those in over time and that’s what practice is for.

They don’t need to be perfect but eliminating the two way miss will provide comfort and confidence on course. That is the road to consistency. And remember that this is a life long struggle and process so keep it in perspective. 1% better every session is a recipe for greatness
 
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Molten said:
There are plenty of great suggestions in this thread already but mine is a bit on focus and the mental side. To the extent you can, focus on what feels that produce each shot and try to repeat a shot that moves the same direction throughout a session regardless of severity of movement. in other words, if you are trying to hit a fade, don’t be upset with the slices - you will dial those in over time and that’s what practice is for.

They don’t need to be perfect but eliminating the two way miss will provide comfort and confidence on course. That is the road to consistency. And remember that this is a life long struggle and process so keep it in perspective. 1% better every session is a recipe for greatness
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I was afraid someone would tell me it’s a marathon not a sprint! I definitely want to get rid of the left AND right and at least keep it consistent. I’ve got some good thoughts from this thread to go off!
 
RealPretendPsychic said:
I was afraid someone would tell me it’s a marathon not a sprint! I definitely want to get rid of the left AND right and at least keep it consistent. I’ve got some good thoughts from this thread to go off!
Click to expand...
Just remember to focus on the actual problems and don’t create new ones in the hunt for a rapid fix. I lost half a golf season by falling down the YouTube tip hole. BTW - a lot of really good online instructors have sales going now.
 
95% of my shots on the range are hit with some sort of alignment aid, usually another club for me. I’m always amazed how uncommon this practice is.
 
Molten said:
Just remember to focus on the actual problems and don’t create new ones in the hunt for a rapid fix. I lost half a golf season by falling down the YouTube tip hole. BTW - a lot of really good online instructors have sales going now.
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You might get me in trouble with that last tip!
 
I found my play improved when I stopped trying to adjust the next swing based upon the last swing result. Instead, I focused on trying to make the same swing, mechanically, and my consistency actually improved. I was overcorrecting. If you are making frequent adjustments, you may want to try consciously focusing on a repeatable swing for an entire session and see what happens to your consistency.
 
tahoebum said:
95% of my shots on the range are hit with some sort of alignment aid, usually another club for me. I’m always amazed how uncommon this practice is.
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The garden stakes are being replaced with some not green alignment rods getting delivered today! Using these tools proved that I do in fact have severe alignment issues.
 
The hardest thing for me is to not rush. It's so easy to go from shot to shot without pause, I end up looking up and have hit over 50 shots and my swing is completely inconsistent. Especially with the home sim now, I have to hit a ball, pause....practice swings before getting the next. It definitely helps with concentration but also with keeping my swing consistent.
 
Shawn Clement on YouTube set some masking tape behind the net or on the net. Basically a spot that he knows is a good launch and direction for a straight, draw or fade. I'd grab some painters tape and make a square around a spot where you know it's a good hit. Focus on hitting that location with a good strike.
 
mjkladis said:
Shawn Clement on YouTube set some masking tape behind the net or on the net. Basically a spot that he knows is a good launch and direction for a straight, draw or fade. I'd grab some painters tape and make a square around a spot where you know it's a good hit. Focus on hitting that location with a good strike.
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Yes! I like it! I’m already noticing some wear in my net so I was thinking about getting a nylon target to help with my shot and the net durability.
 
Another thing you can do is work on positions in front of a mirror. I'm not suggesting you worry about positions in an actual swing, but doing so inside helps to develop some feeling of where the club is in space in your current swing as opposed to where it should be. This is also a quick and easy way to see simple faults that are easily correctable like taking the club back too far inside at the start of the swing, rolling the forearms and club face open, and/or finding that your wrist angles at the top of the swing (combined with your grip) leave you with a face that is either too open or too closed.

You can look up pro swing sequences online and use them as references. The majority of pro's hit the same positions or nearly identical positions. Most of the differences you'll see are from grips, which affect wrist angles at the top, and the type of shot they are trying to create. There are plenty of outliers/exceptions, but the goal here is to try and see what the averages are because we know they work for the most people when compared to outlier swings and when trying to improve simpler is typically easier/better for results.

Tiger-Woods-swing-sequence-panel2.jpg


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Try to "play" some of the holes on your course while at the range. Start with the driver and imagine the shot you want to make, then pick the likely iron you would use to make the approach shot.

My course forces me to play both cuts and draws from the tee as we have several doglegs. I work on comfortably making those swings on the range until I can move the ball either way consistently. I'll also play a lot of low hooks and slices because I know I won't hit every fairway during the round!
 
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