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Driving range session was.......boring?

jin_xianjun

jin_xianjun

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This might be different depending on where you are in terms of your game, skill level, what you're working on but....

I just got back from the driving range. Spent about 15-20 mins testing out a new shaft (another 30 mins warmup + iron shots, 10 mins on putting). Normally I love spending time on the range but today I found it really boring. Anyone find yourself in a similar situation?

I'm thinking for me it's because lately I'm able to get out and play early morning rounds, 1-2x during the week. Even still I'm usually excited about range time. Today wasn't the case.
 
I don’t find the driving range particularly exciting either. I enjoy working short game around the practice green a lot more, I can spend hours doing that and not get bored. My back usually gives out before my interest does.
 
Range work gets boring for me when everything is going well. Kind of a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of thing.

When it does get boring, i try new ideas, some different shots or something.

A few weeks ago at the chipping green, i made my first 4 chip shots. I packed up and went home.
 
When I played a lot, didn't frequent the range all that much unless my game was coming undone a bit. It was for working on something.
I think it's this "halfway through the season" slight burnout phenomena I've seen in a few threads lately. Definitely been there. Hot, bugs, etc. It's 4th of July!
New shaft and bored? You spoiled. :ROFLMAO:
 
The driving range can be exciting at times. Although I’ve used it mainly for warming up and testing ball flight. I tend to not work on things very well on the range. I enjoy the chipping area a lot. Most of my swing work is done at home where I have no outside distractions. I think for these reasons I don’t get as excited about the range at this time.
 
I don't find the range helps me at all when I have spent some time on it. I can feel like I groove a swing and getting good ball flight and strikes, but when I actually put that into play, nothing is the same.

I find more short game work has helped me the most, and I can do that in my back yard with just short chips back and forth across the yard.
 
I have never been a range guy. I'm a completely different person on the range compared to the course. Most of the time on the range it feels like I've never swung a club before. Slice, slice, top, chunk, good shot, hook, slice, top. That's on repeat and then I go play and can hit the ball normally again. So I honestly avoid the range most of the time unless I'm somewhere where free balls are included with my green fees, which isn't many places that I have an opportunity to play.
 
A range session or a round of golf is equally enjoyable fo me. I can easily spend 2 to 4 hours on the range, hitting balls with full shots, putting, chipping, and sand play.

My game is always a work in progress, whether it be working on consistency, moving the ball flight, distance and spin control, etc. The ability to learn and adjust these ball-striking variables has been enjoyable.

The joy of shot creation is fun whether it has an end goal of a score or a practice and development session.
 
Driving range always bores me to death after about 5 minutes. It would probably be different if I had some sort of monitor telling me distances and speeds and giving me some feedback. Just whacking ball after ball onto a 2 football wide field just doesn't do it for me. If I have time to hit balls at the range it means I have to to hit the course instead so that's where you will find me.
 
I go over to the short game area when bored or my mind isn't focused. Short game is more creative, less taxing, gets me interested.
 
Muchmore18 said:
I have never been a range guy. I'm a completely different person on the range compared to the course. Most of the time on the range it feels like I've never swung a club before. Slice, slice, top, chunk, good shot, hook, slice, top. That's on repeat and then I go play and can hit the ball normally again. So I honestly avoid the range most of the time unless I'm somewhere where free balls are included with my green fees, which isn't many places that I have an opportunity to play.
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I'm the same, but just opposite - I can go on the range and hit all my clubs reasonably straight and well, then go out on the course and get all kinds of weird ball flight. Not so much tops and chunks, but hooks, draws, fades and shanks all over the place.

I like a short warm-up session on the range before a round to see what I brought that day as far as ball flight - but what I "brought" to the range doesn't necessarily end up being what I "brought" to the course.
 
Without real goals I get bored fast. I try to catch it when it's happening because everything after that is usually just bad practice. So I'm either done, or I make new challenges to work towards.
 
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I love the range, whether it is working on something or just keeping my swing grooved. I will usually play a round in my head when the swing is in good shape, tee shot then approach shot.
 
I was thinking (oh no!) about distances with range balls. Kinda hard to judge true distance with range balls. I think practice for us AMs versus the pros hitting their particular brand/spec ball for every practice shot is really different. Gonna try some newer softer feeling golf balls which brought this to mind. Will probably just have to buy a few sleeves and try them out on the course. I like short game practice best because its your ball.
 
blueonblack said:
I was thinking (oh no!) about distances with range balls. Kinda hard to judge true distance with range balls. I think practice for us AMs versus the pros hitting their particular brand/spec ball for every practice shot is really different. Gonna try some newer softer feeling golf balls which brought this to mind. Will probably just have to buy a few sleeves and try them out on the course. I like short game practice best because its your ball.
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Whenever I watch the pros warm up on the range with their choice of Taylormade, Titleist, Bridgestone, Srixon, I get super jealous. Must be nice to be able to hit the range with pristine balls identical to the ones you will play on the course.


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I used to be a Range Rat, and I don't miss those days at all. A lot of it was during lessons so I would spend my own time on the range trying to integrate what I was being taught.

Now the only time I hit the range is before a round of Golf. A small bucket is plenty to hit some wedges, irons, hybrids, and driver before hitting the putting green. Just gives me an idea of what kind of swing I got for the round.

If I ever have time after work to Golf I am 100% going to play 9 or a practice 9 over hitting the range. No thanks.
 
Some days are just like that. I find it helps me to have an objective for the range. I don’t have easy regular access to a course to go play a quick 9 so I hit the range and I enjoy it. One thing I do is always make sure I step back, pick a target and focus for each shot rather than just raking balls over and slapping them around. It helps me stay focused and I get more out of it.
 
Unless I'm testing new clubs or working on gapping, the range is generally a grind for me because I'm trying to work on a change so is just repetition repetition repetition. Having said that though, it's better than working.
 
I warm up and then pretend that I am playing my local course. I hit driver, then maybe 8 iron. If I hit those both well I move on to what would be hole two, Hit driver, 5 wood, then a small wedge since hole 2 is a par 5. If I hit a poor shot I try to think about what I would have to hit on the real course next in order to get on the green. I go through the entire 18 holes and I feel like this simulates real golf since you can't get in a groove swinging the same club repeatedly.

If I am trying to make a change, I will go with repetitions trying to develop a feel for the change.
 
jpotas said:
I warm up and then pretend that I am playing my local course. I hit driver, then maybe 8 iron. If I hit those both well I move on to what would be hole two, Hit driver, 5 wood, then a small wedge since hole 2 is a par 5. If I hit a poor shot I try to think about what I would have to hit on the real course next in order to get on the green. I go through the entire 18 holes and I feel like this simulates real golf since you can't get in a groove swinging the same club repeatedly.
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Ive done this as well. Never at all have I ever made it through an 18 hole set but Ive done at least 9. And imo one of the keys to doing this is to walk a bit between shots so as to also simulate some time and scenery. But just dont cause a pace issue with yourself....:D:sick:

lol....but anyway yes, it can certainly add some more fun and interest to a range session. And being my county has 5 courses which i play all of them, i can also vary the course I want in my head. And if you know your courses well enough I find I can even visualize where a poorer shot landed and play from that spot even if to just imaginably punching out from under imaginary (but similarly) tree canopy between hols or whatever. The whole idea is pretty cool imo.
 
for me it's a chore to stay focused at the range... but changing clubs mixes it up so it's not always driver, driver, driver, 7i, 7i, 7i for me.
 
100% agree playing is way more fun and interesting. But I enjoy the range grind as well. Often I'm using it when i'm working through a change. But even when things are good I try it hit some balls once a week or so. I keep it interesting by working on various challenges. One of my favorite is a 10 ball set with 10 different shots and see how many I can convert with good execution. No two of the same swings, and I can make it as hard or easy depending on how i'm playing. For example when not working through a change I may try to play to a specific pin with 3 different clubs or with 3 different shot shapes. Or if i'm working through a change I simplify the game by playing 10 different stock shots.

I think the internal challenges or competitions are key to me for keeping the range interesting.
 
One the biggest problems with my range is that the blazing hot late day lowering sun beams into the bay like a freaking red hot laser. It just gets brutal at times and also very hard to see the ball flight. The place was poorly thought out as for the sun and direction.
 
I have 2 range mentalities.

The first is when I am warming up before a round. I'll usually hit 20 or so balls just to get lose and feel what my swing is doing that day. I might make some tiny adjustments of foot position or hand position but mostly I use it for muscle warm up and helping define a tempo. My tendency if I hit a course with no warm up is to go in swinging to fast and causes tempo/sequence issues. I will rarely rarely use this range to make major changes unless I show up and hit the ball like I have never played the game before.....which has happened......unfortunately.

The second is when I actually want to train the muscles/swing to make an adjustment or trying to figure out a club which usually happens after a shaft change or a setup tweak. Usually during any given week I'll hit the driving range and hit 100 balls or so once a week and then hit shots into my back yard hitting net 2 other times just to keep the swing mojo going between rounds. It helps that my hitting matts/net are literally 12 feet away from the patio door in my office and I can just walk out there and hit balls for 5 minutes between meetings. :)

Either way I am usually hitting balls with a purpose so I never really get bored as much.
 
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