We've launched the new forums! Read more here

The Official Driving Range Session Thread

Took my newly shortened and regripped TM SF 2.0 to the range today. I was really on today. Shortening the club definitely was the right decision. I hit 100 balls today. About 75 were straight down the pipe between 200-235 yards. The other 25 were slices (I was trying some different stances and things) which is about what i expected. Overall a very productive session.


Tap tap taparoo
 
I took my R11 3w to the range today before my lads lesson as I wanted to get used to it before my round tomorrow. Well to be honest the session was a complete disaster for me. I just couldn't hit the ball at all for the vast majority of the time.

When I did hit it properly I was pleased with result.

I just don't know why I am having so much trouble hitting balls at the range at the moment, I just can't seem to take the course game with me to the range at all.

At least I hit the ball better when I am on the course so I am looking forward to testing the R11 tomorrow in anger
 
Had a 2 hour session today. Started with my Lob wedge and had some great results. Always nice to watch how the ball goes up in the air and straight down on the green. The I switched to my iron 6 and that was the time where nothing happend. From over 60 shots I hit maybe 2-3 shots properly. After almost hitting the guy in the box right from me I knew that I should stop. I used the last balls for chipping with the Lob Wedge and had some pretty nice results. After that I practiced on the putting green and had some really nice putts there so it saved the day ;)

Plan for this week is to visit the range every day and maybe get one or two trainer lessons
 
It was hot out today so we kept the buckets small.

Brought the driver/gap/7/9/3h

I hit about 60% of the bucket with the gap and focused on one target 100yds out. I've been working on shortening my swing and releasing the hands at or just below my belt. It took a bit of getting used to, like all new things, but I find that I'm carrying the ball about 1-2 clubs lengths longer.

finished the rest of the bucket with a few shots from each club just to keep that feel and rhythm.
 
Had a very nice range session at lunch today, worked on my 7 iron, 9 iron, mashie, 3 wood, and finally driver. I had taken some video last time I was at the range and was really disappointed in what I saw, (need to post for andy to comment on). I was taking the club back WAY on the inside then moving up and out to in on the downswing. I think I hit maybe 2 good shots last time at the range. Today I really concentrated on taking back the club with my body and keeping that triangle for as long as I could and it really seemed to work well. I had maybe 5-6 bad shots the whole time, and 3 of those were with my 3 wood (just swinging too hard trying to be like Carl). 7 and 9 iron felt really good, a couple fat shots but those still went straight, the Mashie was on as usual, and the biggest surprise was the driver. I hit 1 shot to the right the whole time, everything else was straight or a little draw. I hit 2 drives back to back the straightest I've ever hit a drive, they didn't even bounce left or right when they landed, just straight. Hopefully I can transfer this onto the course next time I get out to play.
 
I have been struggling mightily with my irons lately. Poor contact, shanks and weak fades. A recent lesson gave me some clues but still was off. As I worked through things at the range I was growing more and more frustrated, my head was spinning with swing thoughts and nothing was working.

Out of desperation, I decided to clear my head and just focus intensely on hitting the back of the ball with the sweet spot of my 9 iron. I set up and stared at the back of the ball for what seemed an eternity before swinging. The crisp crack and hiss of a well struck shot filled my ears but the ball made an immediate left turn and headed for the side fence. Well, it didn't go right, I thought and set up again with the clubface a bit more open.

Once again I did nothing but focus on the back of the ball and swing. Another crisp shot and a bit less of a hook. I continued to adjust the club until the ball started going straight and to my delight I watched a smooth 9 iron sail to the 150 marker as if it had wings.

I worked through my bag with the same focus and result for every club. I was swinging easier but hitting the ball 2 clubs farther. On my second swing with my driver the ball cleared the fence and disappeared into the forest. OMG! I've hit them over before but never like this. This ball was still rising 230 yards out and I hadn't swung hard at all.

I looked at the sign that read "Please Don't Hit Range Balls Over the Fence," and smiled. I had to see if I could do it again. POW, whoosh then crack as the ball hit the trees. My heart was racing. I hit a few lob wedges, becoming almost euphoric with the results.

I could've hit balls for ever but started worrying that these great swings would come to an end and wanted to have a good memory to end on. Having experienced driving range Nirvana I'm excited to play but fear It all may have been a dream.
 
Today I had a quick lesson and then was at the range working for about 2 hours because I had a TON of work to do. After being away for 5 days I had no idea how to swing anymore. Hell my irons didn't even look like mine when I got back. I took a quick lesson today and my pro noticed my head was dipping considerably during my downswing and I was getting stuck. My hip turn was also non existent. We worked on maintaining spine angle, and head position during the swing and I have to say it was probably the hardest change I have had to make yet.

I had so much trouble at the beginning but about during the 1 and a half hour point I started to get it and was hitting some great shots. It still feels a little funky but I saw some potential and was hitting some good shots. I found working the ball was a ton easier but I felt weird on the follow through following through so much. My finish is VERY high now but it is starting to work.

On the course I didn't play so well but managed to pull a 78. I didn't hit many greens and my irons were awful. They were all solid crisp shots but each was a HARD fade that I did not like just because I wasn't getting proper rotation and was cutting off my follow through. Tomorrow is another day.
 
Yesterday, other than testing the new Yonex hybrid, I focused on my right elbow. In particular, I concentrated on the appropriate moment to break the "triangle" on my takeaway.
 
Went to the range today and hit about 100 balls. Ball striking is very good, during my last round I was drawing my 3-5 irons, which was still there a little at the range, plus a couple fades, and a few straight. It is not a major hook or slice or anything so I am not too concerned. I think I could have hit a little better and focused more if there was not some guy there talking really loud trying to instruct his son and daughter how to swing. I understand you go to the range to learn, but the guy was loud and was not trying to keep it down at all, and if it were me teaching someone I would try to go to a part of the range where I would not disturb anyone if there was extra room, which there was. I did not want to move because I found a great spot on the range where the grass was perfect, whereas other spots had a lot of divots and stuff. Overall I was hitting my woods great, mid-long irons very good, and short irons great. Game is right where I want it to be based on my handicap right now (8.3) and I even spent a lot of time on the greens afterward and my short game is very good right now too. Coming together perfectly for my tournament I have a week from tomorrow.
 
Early in the year my swing plane was great but my upper body tilted too much through impact and I struggled with clearing my left side. For awhile it was the opposite and now I think I've got them both pat down. Was flushing it for a good two hours on the range today, extremely happy.
 
I lost my swing in my move, so I spent some time finding it in the grass at the range this weekend. After 4 buckets on Saturday and Sunday, I found that my swing was shallow, tempo was too fast and the swing was too long. Fixing the shallow swing was easy and I picked up my old yardage off my irons, but getting the tempo down amid serious frustration was a little harder. I am playing a consistent draw now instead of a huge looping draw. Hitting the completely straight shot is not happening for me right now
 
Went out tonight to try and work on the drills the guy at GolfTec gave me to better groove that in to out swing. Took video of a few swings to see how well I was doing, out of the 3 that I video'd the best hit ball I came in a bit steep on and crossed the plane the others I really came in on the right plane but was hitting well behind the ball. I really wish we had a golftec closer that instant feedback from the video system would be such an awesome way to practice.
 
Tee time was cancelled yesterday so I headed to the range....Had a really bad session yesterday....was hooking every shot with my hybrids and 3w....totally frustrating when everything else was straight and solid. Ended up hitting a 9 hole Par 3 afterwards to work on wedges and had a good round where I only had 2 bad holes
 
Went to the range yesterday to work on some things I noticed from my last round...

-Dipping my knee too far in, need to keep that more still and stable
-Laying it off slightly at the top
-Not extending hands on the follow through, more than likely will come with the first fix

Thought it went pretty well looking at some results, and I was striking it really well.
 
The heat wave, rain and work have kept me from going to the range the past week or so. I need to hit something! Chipping in the yard and practicing being on plane is getting tedious.
 
Spent some time at the chipping green. What is funny is that my best shots came out of the sand. Watching the THP video with that LPGA player has made a huge difference with my sand game.

Chipping was decent with my 60º, but my 55º was a bit spotty. A lot of my shots would have been easy up and downs, but a lot of them would have been a recipe for a 2 putt.
 
range last night. main purpose was to get my groove back with the 3 wood and driver which have been a bit wayward lately

warmed up with half club pitches
hit 10 shots 70 yards (half 52)
hit 5 shots 80 yards (half PW)

onto full shots.
hit 5 shots 120 (full PW)
hit 5 shots 150 (easy 7)

then woods.
15 with my 3 wood
20 with my driver.

last 5 or so with each wood were about right. found i was just relaxing a bit much over the ball and this was reducing my tempo too much. swinging a bit faster got it back out the middle and straight.

decent session, although the trackman was out of commission so i didnt get any stats
 
Spent last night on the range working on one thing and one thing only: My head position at setup.

In the golf swing, as most people (including PGA pros) get towards the top of their backswing, their head/neck gets in the way unless they cock it a bit away from the target. I have always noticed that some players have setup with a bit of a precock in their head at address. I spent 100+ balls trying different configurations and with different clubs and believe that I have found a "head position" that works well for me. I start with a slight precocked position for each club, that is slightly cocked more per longer clubs where the backswing might be a bit longer.
 
Here's my first few shots at the range this morning. first three are 7i (third shot a rabbit bounding down the lane), next two 4i (2nd one chunked right), last two driver (push and then the last one right down the pipe).
I have to warn you though. There's something very wrong with my camera, because I'm actually tall, brutally handsome, and have a tour quality swing, but somehow this guy always shows up in my videos when I go to look at them. :confused2:

 
driving range for the first time in over a year today. started out pitching and chipping with my 60* wedge, aiming for the 25 and 50 yrd pins. pretty much spot on every time, holed it once. so should that scenario present itself on the course i'll be rather confident. driving was a bit messy, fades and draws everywhere, but 50% would be perfect.
does anybody else get range fatigue? hit 40-50 balls fine but a couple of bad shots or tiredness means your swing and confidence goes down, leading you to become disinterested/frustrated which never helps. got that today. had a break, got a drink then resumed and safe to say when i was more relaxed everything went much more smoothly. my last couple of drives were perfect. got a round on thursday or friday depending on weather. good to get some practice in
oh and perhaps the most beautiful girl i ever did see was working there :in-love: got to go more often. haha, this isn't going to be a cheap summer
 
Last edited:
Adds said:
driving range for the first time in over a year today. started out pitching and chipping with my 60* wedge, aiming for the 25 and 50 yrd pins. pretty much spot on every time, holed it once. so should that scenario present itself on the course i'll be rather confident. driving was a bit messy, fades and draws everywhere, but 50% would be perfect.
does anybody else get range fatigue? hit 40-50 balls fine but a couple of bad shots or tiredness means your swing and confidence goes down, leading you to become disinterested/frustrated which never helps. got that today. had a break, got a drink then resumed and safe to say when i was more relaxed everything went much more smoothly. my last couple of drives were perfect. got a round on thursday or friday depending on weather. good to get some practice in
Click to expand...

I get tired at the range. I take plenty of breaks throughout and really focus on each swing to help offset the rush. If I just go and hit 80 balls without thinking I am exhausted and dont accomplish much
 
Interesting comment about fatigue during practice. I noticed I get mentally numb if I don't take a break - take a few steps back, relaxing breaths, even find the shade tree when hot.

An instructor friend of mine goes as far as limiting swings to no more than 5; take a short break, gather thoughts, then hit another 5. I have adapted that guidance and find my practice is more productive. Thoughts?

Cheers!
 
i like that idea of 5 then another 5, i'll try it next time. haven't received much range guidance or tips on how to make sessions more productive. it's usually work through, from LW to driver and spend a bit of extra time on the ones that need working on more. never cared much for pacing myself though
 
Hit the range last night with the new sticks and was very happy with what I saw. Had my irons built 1* up and the difference was immeiately noticeable. All of my contact was flush and if I had any issues it came from too steep an attack angle but even then the balls were still getting out there with a straight ball flight. The KBS Tour shafts (R+ flex) were amazing and felt extremely solid and provided great feedback as to where I was striking the ball. The CG16/KBS Tour shaft combo is going to be a great thing to get used to

Primarily my focus last night was on wedges, though. I spent a lot of time getting dialed in the the new KBS Hi-Rev shafts I stuck in them and for the first time in a long time practicing wedges was fun again. I noticed a higher but more penetrating ball flight than what I had with the DG Spinners and the general feeling was just better. I was able to feel the club better through my swing to the point where I was taking 3/4 to full shots with my LW which is something I wasn't able to do with much consistency before. Chipping, pitching, flops, 1/2, 3/4, full shots...it didn't matter what I threw at them, they performed great.
 
Went to the range today at lunch and I've completely lost confidence in my irons. When I get good contact they are about 40 yards right of my target and any other time I'm either hitting 3 inches behind the ball or skulling it 10 feet off the ground. Really sucks because I've found something special with my driver with a shaft change and I'm hitting it really well but I just have nothing with my irons. Going to try to get some video and post in the golftec thread see if there's something obvious I'm doing wrong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top