Range Vs. Course

[colonelcamp]

Hi Everyone,

New to the forum. Hope to learn a lot here.

I've been playing for about 25 years now (started at 19) and in the last 3 years I've gotten serious about improving, and I am. For years and years, and without even knowing it, I would outside-in my swing producing the dreaded slice or straight shot out to the right (i'm a lefty). I never cared to understand why and got used to the result. Expecting these results, I adjusted my game to take that into account. I've since learned a few things and have really improved with this part of my swing (among other parts of my swing) and my overall game has really improved.

As I continue to learn new things and try to commit them to muscle memory, I'm seeing fantastic results... at the range. On the course, it's a different story. It just doesn't translate. One thing I'm currently experiencing is getting a lot of fat contact on the course. I've been thinking about this, and while I'm doing the exact same thing on the course as at the range (stance width, keeping my head down through contact, etc...), I'm getting this result. What I think is happening is that at the range, fat contact off the mat, even slightly, will still get the ball in the air with good feel and ball flight. The thing is, I'm getting some bounce off the mat and still making decent contact. On the course, the same contact will produce a shot that doesn't travel as far and takes a divot (in front of the ball) that's bigger than it should be. The biggest problem is the loss in distance even though the ball flight is decent. I should normally get about 135 with my PW, but when I chunk it, I'll lose about 20-30 yards falling short of my intended target.

Am I on to something here? Going to the range tonight and really focus on hitting shots that may seem on the thinner side, but will still produce good contact and hoping this translates to the course.

Danny

 

[Drumdog]

What you are experiencing on the range is exactly why I hate ranges with mats. You can pound the club way behind the ball on the mat and still get a decent result.
I would advise you to find a range that is on grass and get off of the mats. But...your very best bet would be to get some lessons to get your swing analyzed and corrected.

 

[WLG1952]

Mats will hide a variety of poor swing issues. They can also cause club damage, and personal injury. This is especially true with those firm rubber mats setting on concrete. I never hit off mats without using a tee'd up ball. Even then, I only use my metalwoods, where no divot is required.

Now if a "brush/bristle mat is being used, I will hit a few balls off one of those as a last resort. .

No, we play off turf, so we should practice off turf. Kind of like if you want to eat an apple, don't pick up an orange.

When I go to the range, and the mats are in use, I go to the short game area which is usually hitting off real turf practice. If enough room is available, a full swing wedge will tend to mimic a full swing long iron.

 

[snafu]

i have a net in the back yard that i use to get loose on before going to the course.

 

[vdubtx]

First, Welcome to THP!

One thing you might want to have checked are the lengths of the clubs you are using and if they are correct for you.

 

[BigMac]

Welcome to THP!

You've discovered the biggest disadvantage of hitting off mats. They don't give you the same feedback/turf interaction that hitting off real grass does. I hate mats and avoid them whenever possible. Of our two local courses, one has mats and one has a real grass range, but that one is about 15 minutes further away. I gladly drive the extra distance to hit off real grass rather than using the mats at the closer course.

 

[fairwaynut]

Welcome to THP, happy to have you with us.

On the rare occasion when I do go to the range anymore I will always hit off the grass, never off the mats. Another reason I don't do any range work much anymore is because it never translates to the golf course, I know I'm weird that way.

 

[BishopBreaks80]

To echo others on this thread, the mats definitely can give the illusion of a pure strike without the golfer being fully aware of this. There are drill which can be used to attempt to make sure you're effectively finding the low point of your swing after the ball (one which I tend to use when hitting off a mat utilizes a towel approximately 2" behind the ball. If you make contact with the towel while in your forward swing, you know you're hitting fat).

In addition, I found an issue with correctly translating the swing to the course, in general. The vast majority of people who practice on the range will pull out one specific club, and hit shot after shot with this one club. Though it's a great way to work on technique, it (hopefully) doesn't translate to the course (unless you plan on duffing a ton of 9 irons...). As such, many golfers will attempt to "Gamify" their range swing, by changing targets and distances from shot to shot, which will better indicate the potential of actually playing on course.

Welcome to THP, and I hope this helps.

 

[Raiderboost]

To echo others on this thread, the mats definitely can give the illusion of a pure strike without the golfer being fully aware of this. There are drill which can be used to attempt to make sure you're effectively finding the low point of your swing after the ball (one which I tend to use when hitting off a mat utilizes a towel approximately 2" behind the ball. If you make contact with the towel while in your forward swing, you know you're hitting fat).

In addition, I found an issue with correctly translating the swing to the course, in general. The vast majority of people who practice on the range will pull out one specific club, and hit shot after shot with this one club. Though it's a great way to work on technique, it (hopefully) doesn't translate to the course (unless you plan on duffing a ton of 9 irons...). As such, many golfers will attempt to "Gamify" their range swing, by changing targets and distances from shot to shot, which will better indicate the potential of actually playing on course.

Welcome to THP, and I hope this helps.

I was thinking the same thing of putting something behind the ball like a towel though I was thinking maybe a tee laid flat on the ground. One thing you might try is looking at the front edge or even the ground slightly in front of the ball as your aiming point. This could help to ensure ball first contact.

 

[CanaryKid]

Echo everything said about mats. I once went to the range a few times during a prolonged winter spell and was hitting the ball off the deck really well ... or so I thought. When I finally got back on the course, I found I was hitting behind the ball and the club was digging in. On the range mat, the club had obviously been carrying through to the ball off the mat. Very misleading.

 

[Turtlerancher]

I prefer grass myself but, as my instructor, who teaches on mats, says" use your ears". If you are hearing the brush of the mat before the click of the ball then you're hitting behind the ball. He said if you are paying attention to this your brain will process it and will adjust. At first I was very doubtful but I've noticed a definite improvement in my swing on mats. Very seldom am I hitting behind the ball and the brushing sound is now consistently after the ball strike. YMMV.

 

[Scorp]

Welcome to THP!

Try to find a place to practice without mats. That should help.

 

[OldandStiff]

Welcome!

You're not alone. Happens to lots of us. If there's a range where you can avoid mats, it might be worth it to go there. I try not to hit off mats any more than I have to, but even playing outdoors in the winter here has the same effect. Frozen fairways forgive fat shots, and then it thaws and the reality of them sets in. I don't know that I would necessarily try to hit thin ones like you said, but focusing on ball first contact is always good.

 

[Muchmore]

Welcome to THP! Never hurts to have more lefties around As others have said, mats hide a lot of faults and if you can find a grass range, you'll be able to diagnose things much easier and see what issues pop up.

 

[colonelcamp]

Thanks for all the great replies, guys. The idea of putting something behind the ball is a great one. I'm gonna place a tee there and see what that produces. I was just going to focus on narrowing my stance a hair and playing around with different ball positioning within my stance (not at the same time). Having a tee or a towel behind the ball will provide a visual of the results so that's great. I'm probably going to try the tee as i might find a towel a bit distracting. Looking forward to tonight!

 

[colonelcamp]

Welcome!

You're not alone. Happens to lots of us. If there's a range where you can avoid mats, it might be worth it to go there. I try not to hit off mats any more than I have to, but even playing outdoors in the winter here has the same effect. Frozen fairways forgive fat shots, and then it thaws and the reality of them sets in. I don't know that I would necessarily try to hit thin ones like you said, but focusing on ball first contact is always good.

I agree. I guess I didn't mean "thin" ones (that would produce a whole new set of problems! lol), but focus on contacting the ball first as opposed to the mat just behind the ball.

 

[colonelcamp]

Welcome to THP! Never hurts to have more lefties around As others have said, mats hide a lot of faults and if you can find a grass range, you'll be able to diagnose things much easier and see what issues pop up.

Hello fellow southpaw.

I'm in NJ and the only public course I've been to that has a grass range is the Architects in Phillipsburg. Way too far away for me.

 

[colonelcamp]

Welcome to THP!

Try to find a place to practice without mats. That should help.

That's gonna be tough in NJ

 

[colonelcamp]

To echo others on this thread, the mats definitely can give the illusion of a pure strike without the golfer being fully aware of this. There are drill which can be used to attempt to make sure you're effectively finding the low point of your swing after the ball (one which I tend to use when hitting off a mat utilizes a towel approximately 2" behind the ball. If you make contact with the towel while in your forward swing, you know you're hitting fat).

In addition, I found an issue with correctly translating the swing to the course, in general. The vast majority of people who practice on the range will pull out one specific club, and hit shot after shot with this one club. Though it's a great way to work on technique, it (hopefully) doesn't translate to the course (unless you plan on duffing a ton of 9 irons...). As such, many golfers will attempt to "Gamify" their range swing, by changing targets and distances from shot to shot, which will better indicate the potential of actually playing on course.

Welcome to THP, and I hope this helps.

This is awesome. Thanks!

 

[Turtlerancher]

Thanks for all the great replies, guys. The idea of putting something behind the ball is a great one. I'm gonna place a tee there and see what that produces. I was just going to focus on narrowing my stance a hair and playing around with different ball positioning within my stance (not at the same time). Having a tee or a towel behind the ball will provide a visual of the results so that's great. I'm probably going to try the tee as i might find a towel a bit distracting. Looking forward to tonight!

If the facility will allow it I also will spray a line of foot powder on the mat and place the ball 2 inches behind it. I then will concentrate on the line as a aim point, it also will somewhat give you a reference as far as taking a divot. Once again, YMMV.

 

[colonelcamp]

First, Welcome to THP!

One thing you might want to have checked are the lengths of the clubs you are using and if they are correct for you.

I think the lengths is fine. They're standard lengths and I'm 5'10". As I understand it, I'm right in the middle of the height range for standard lengths. I hope anyway.

 

[Muchmore]

Hello fellow southpaw.

I'm in NJ and the only public course I've been to that has a grass range is the Architects in Phillipsburg. Way too far away for me.

Hello sir! And yeah it's not surprising to have so few places with mats, especially this time of year. Our grass range is still using mats also. So as others have said, placing something behind the ball can improve contact, but it already sounds like you have a plan to do that tonight. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[colonelcamp]

If the facility will allow it I also will spray a line of foot powder on the mat and place the ball 2 inches behind it. I then will concentrate on the line as a aim point, it also will somewhat give you a reference as far as taking a divot. Once again, YMMV.

I like this idea even better than placing a tee behind the ball. I would adjust it a little though. I would place the ball about 2 inches in front of the foot powder. If I'm chunking it, I'll see the powder has been disturbed.

 

[Turtlerancher]

I like this idea even better than placing a tee behind the ball. I would adjust it a little though. I would place the ball about 2 inches in front of the foot powder. If I'm chunking it, I'll see the powder has been disturbed.

Make 2 lines!
And

 

[BishopBreaks80]

I was thinking the same thing of putting something behind the ball like a towel though I was thinking maybe a tee laid flat on the ground. One thing you might try is looking at the front edge or even the ground slightly in front of the ball as your aiming point. This could help to ensure ball first contact.

Thanks for all the great replies, guys. The idea of putting something behind the ball is a great one. I'm gonna place a tee there and see what that produces. I was just going to focus on narrowing my stance a hair and playing around with different ball positioning within my stance (not at the same time). Having a tee or a towel behind the ball will provide a visual of the results so that's great. I'm probably going to try the tee as i might find a towel a bit distracting. Looking forward to tonight!

Using a tee certainly works, I just prefer the towel, as if you hit the tee first, the probability of finding it is pretty slim. It generally takes off somewhere onto the range. I've noticed that the towel generally doesn't move much

Using foot powder is also a great suggestion. I had seen people use a line with spray paint on turf to make sure they were striking ball-first, but hadn't considered using the foot powder on mats.