Do you want to improve your game WITHOUT changing your golf swing?
Here are 10 ways you can improve when working on the driving range that will help you improve instantly!
1. Group Your Golf Balls
Split your golf balls up into groups so you can make sure you stick to what you’re doing. If you have golf balls in the bucket or all piled next to you, you’ll just rake & hit. Splitting up your golf balls into groups of 5 or 10 will help you stick to a plan when working on your game. Some groups could be for technique work, some for routine practice, some for practicing wedges, some for driver practice, etc
2. Practice The Shots You Face On Course
Practice the shots you face on the golf course. Most golfers go to the driving range and just hit 100 7 irons trying to “groove” their swing. The issue with this, is some of the time, we are faced with anything BUT a stock swing. Practice punch shots, fairway finders off the tee, low wedge shots, high wedge shots etc. Just try to replicate shots you are commonly faced with on the golf course.
3. Alignment
Work on your alignment. If you are on a mat, make sure you are aiming at targets on the left & right, not just straight. Having good alignment isn’t as easy as you think. Pick an intermediate target in front of the ball and commit to that spot. Most of the time for tight handed golfers, that alignment will FEEL like they are aiming too far left. The reality is, that’s what correct feels like, vs what you are currently doing which is aiming too far right.
4. Tempo
Work on finding the best tempo for YOU. Some players might be better with a faster tempo, & some might hit the ball better with a slower tempo. Hit 10 balls at 100% speed, 10 at 90% speed & 10 at 80% speed and see which ones performed best for you. You can then take that feel and tempo out onto the golf course.
5. Pre Shot Routine
For every shot you hit, work on perfecting your pre shot routine. What do you do when you reach your ball? How many practice swings do you take? Does your pre shot routine take roughly the same amount of time each time? This is important to practice so that you can rely on doing the same thing when you feel pressure. Trust your routine.
6. Aim At Targets
I know this one sounds obvious BUT, as you know, a lot of golfers on the range don’t actually have a target. Having a target for every shot you hit will provide valuable feedback. Where did the ball start? What was the curvature? How far from the target did the ball finish? At the end of the day, every shot we hit on the golf course has a target in mind, so why should this differ when practicing on the range?
7. Distance Control
Given the fact that every shot we hit on the course (minus some drives) we are trying to hit the golf ball a certain distance, we should be practicing this on the driving range. While I appreciate that range balls might go slightly shorter than your normal golf ball, you can still get close to what you normally hit a ball (give or take 5-10y) Use your range finder to choose a target at a specific distance & practice hitting it the correct distance. Do this will multiple clubs, including wedges.
8. Simulate The Golf Course
Spend 15 mins imagining you are playing the front or back 9 of your golf course. Choose targets on the range as your fairway and try to hit the shots required on those particular holes. If you miss a fairway, use your imagination as to what the next shot would be & hit that. This will help you with routine, having a break between each shot (spacing) & help you play your golf course better.
9. Shot Shaping
Not because I want you to shape shots into flags on the golf course, but practicing how to hit draws, hooks, slices, low, high, etc, will teach you how to manipulate your face and path on call. If you are a slicer of the ball, don’t you think it would be good to know exactly what you need to do to hit a draw? By purposely curving the golf ball, you will have a much better idea of how to move the club a certain way when it’s needed.
10. Speed
Hit 10-20 drivers at 100% speed & don’t worry about where the ball goes. If you were to do this 3 times a week, you would be training your body to move faster which will ultimately increase your cruising speed on the golf course. It’s important that you don’t react to where these golf balls are going as you are only doing this to increase speed.
If you are looking for more games to play that doesn’t require changing anything in your technique, you should consider looking at my Performance Practice E-Book 40 games & challenges + scoring book for the long game, short game, putting & on course. Designed to make your practice more fun & engaging, as well as helping you transfer your range game, to the golf course.
