But I Hit it Great on the Range

Why you don't hit the ball on the course like you do on the range

Overheard every day in every 19th hole across the globe, “I don’t understand it. I’ve been hitting it great on the range. I just can’t take it to the course.”

I know I’ve said it. Odds are you have said it, too. It seems confounding. Practicing at the range, the club striking ball after ball sending them soaring through the air at some target green on the range. The swing feels loose and powerful. It feels like you have finally found your swing, and then, on the day you get to play, you get to the first tee and toe hook one into the trees. Or maybe slice one into the water. Maybe even top one ten feet. Sound familiar?

Why does it happen? How can you hit it great on the range but not on the course?

First of all, the range is not the golf course. Unlike the golf course, the range offers no consequence for a bad shot. It’s important to understand this. You swing more freely at the range because there are no consequences for a poor shot. On the course, a bad swing can end up in the trees or a bunker or worse. One of the keys is to find a happy medium on both the range and the course. Put more consequence on a poor shot at the range and learn to be more accepting of a poor shot on the course. I’ll discuss this more a little later.

Let’s talk about how to practice and make the best use of your time first.

How you spend your time on the range is crucial. You don’t need to hit a jumbo bucket of 500 balls every day for months on end. You need to learn how to get more effective with your practice time.

Go to the range and look up and down the hitting stations. What do you see? Golfer after golfer hitting ball after ball. Some may be working on something in the swing, but most are just hitting ball after ball. Most are not engaged in anything meaningful other than swinging a club. Even if there is some engagement, they are practicing in a manner called Blocked Practice. Blocked (think repetitive) Practice involves doing the same skill or technique over and over again. It can involve working on a swing change or just hitting 7-irons to the same target.

Blocked practice is what too many golfers are doing in their range sessions. While there is merit to blocked practice when it comes to learning a fundamental change within the swing during the training session, there is mounting evidence it does little to transfer the change to the actual playing of the game. This, in my opinion, is why so many have difficulty taking their range game to the course. You don’t rifle ten 7-irons in a row at the same target on the course, do you? Of course not. So why do you do it on the range?

Golfers would benefit more from a different form of practice, randomized practice. Randomized practice forces you to solve problems. For instance, how do I hit a low hook? Or how do I hit a 140 yard 7-iron when I normally hit it 150 yards? One of my favorite things to do at the range when I was a kid was to try and hit the range ball picker as it moved across the range. Guess what? I was engaged in randomized practice and didn’t even know it! It was just fun!

I’m not saying stop doing blocked practice. Blocked practice done properly is effective if there is intent and engagement involved. For instance, if you’ve taken a lesson (I highly recommend seeking out your local PGA golf professional for help), work on the drill(s) your instructor gave you to work on which is a form of blocked practice.

That said, blocked practice should never be more than 50% of your practice time. I would aim for 25-30% of your practice time. The rest of your time should be spent with randomized practice. Hit different clubs to different targets on the range. Try to hit high shots and low shots. Try to manipulate the face open and closed to create different shots. Hit shots off the toe and heel. All of these create skill which can be translated to the course. Have fun with it and stay engaged.

Back to making practice more consequential and being more accepting of a poor shot on the course.

On the range, focus more on different clubs to different targets. I also like to imagine playing a round in my mind at a favorite course. This helps simulate some consequence while engaged in randomized practice.

On the course, and this is way harder, accept a poor shot when it happens because it will happen. No one likes a poor shot, especially one that sails out of bounds or into the water, but it is part of the game. The best players in the world hit poor shots, so, it stands to reason, you will, too.

One last part to focus on during your range sessions.

As you change clubs and targets for each shot, go through your pre-shot routine. If you don’t have one, develop one. Do the same thing before every shot. This sets your mind into the mode of playing and will help transitioning your practice to the course.

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As always, be thankful when you get to play this amazing game. Be grateful for every shot. Appreciate every moment on the course. Now, go golf!