Going to the driving range is a waste of time. That’s right, it’s a waste of time—unless you go there with a plan in mind. Many weekend golfers go to the range to just bang balls. They hit shot after shot after shot—usually with their driver—and that’s it. They hit 50 balls in 20 minutes, and then they’re done. This isn’t an efficient or productive use of time nor will it help you break 80 or reduce your golf handicap.
To get the most out of a range session, you must develop a plan that governs your practice session. If your plan is to lower your golf handicap by three strokes this year dedicate the range time to doing things designed to achieve this goal. That includes putting time into your short game. Below are seven golf tips on how to maximize your time at the range:
1. Have A Goal
Have a goal in mind when you go to the range. It can be anything you want, but it needs to be small and specific. And it should involve your full swing. Why—because your time at the range goes by very fast. It doesn’t take long to hit 50 or 60 balls, if you’re hitting them in rapid-fire succession. So you better have something very specific in mind. Otherwise, you won’t profit from your time at the range.
2. Loosen Up Before Hitting
This should be automatic every time you go to the range or play a round of golf. Stretch before hitting. Work your back, shoulders, arms, and legs before hitting balls. Stretching warms up your muscles and lessens the chances of hurting yourself. After stretching, take out your 7-iron and take a few easy swings. We’re adamant about having our students stretch before all golf lessons.
3. Pick Out A Target
Pick out a target before hitting. Most ranges have distance markers—50, 100, 150, 175, and so on. Use these as targets. Let’s say you’re plan is to work on your middle-irons, like your 6-iron. Pick out a spot about 150 yards away and hit toward that. See how many times you can hit the spot out of 10 tries. Track the results. Now work on your 5-iron doing the same thing. Never hit a club without a specific target in mind. You’re goal is to build a repeatable swing. Having a target in mind before hitting is the first step.
4. Use An Alignment Station
Do what many pros do when hitting from the range—create an alignment station. It’s a key to getting the most out of your time. Start by laying a club down between the ball and you. It should parallel your shoulders, knees, feet and the target line. Put a second club parallel to this one beyond the ball. Then put a third club perpendicular to these two clubs and just inside your front foot. This checks ball position. Now you’re ready to address the ball and hit.
5. Practice Golf
Hitting ball after ball isn’t practicing golf. It’s great if you’re working on something from a golf lessons. But it’s a waste of time, if you’re not. Instead, do things that simulate playing golf. For example, there’s usually some time between shots when you play and you use a different club for each shot. Do this on the range. Hit your driver, wait a few minutes, hit an iron or a hybrid, wait a few minutes, then hit a wedge—just like you’d do if you were playing a course. We do this in our golf instruction sessions and it really works.
Going to the driving range is a waste of time if you don’t have a plan. Hitting ball after ball is okay if you’re working on a swing flaw. But it won’t help you break 80 or shave strokes from your golf handicap because you’re not practicing the way you play. Use the golf tips discussed above to make your range time count and look for ways to simulate a real golfing situation. And put some time in your short game as well.
