How do I take my range game to the golf course?!

"Why can't I take my range game to the golf course?!"  Or, "I was really hitting them well on the range and then..."  If I had a dime for every time I have heard that one!!!

If you ever have a chance to watch a PGA tour event make sure to spend at least 20% of your day at the range.  That is where you will see the difference in what the PGA Tour players are doing versus the average player. And I guarantee you won't hear a Tour player complain about leaving their game on the range.

What is the PGA tour player doing so differently? They are rotating between BLOCK and RANDOM practice. If you are a caddie on the Tour you are quite busy.  The Tour player is constantly rotating clubs and shots.  The caddie is always moving and cleaning clubs and rotating them into the players hands.

So why does the average player have a hard time taking what is seemingly is so easy and good at the range and then so hard to replicate on the golf course?  It is actually quite simple as long as we look and each environment separately.

The driving range is a MULTI-Ball environment.  The lies are flat and PERFECT.  There is absolutely ZERO penalties for a poor shot.  You are able to hit multiple shots over and over in a fairly rapid succession with the SAME club.

The golf course is a SINGLE-Ball environment.  The lies are varied and are never perfect.  There is all sorts of penalties for a poor shot.  You are only able to hit one shot with one club in a slow progression to the hole with DIFFERENT clubs with different lie angles, shaft lengths etc, etc.

Think about it!  When are you able to hit the same shot a second time while on the golf course?  Generally only when REALLY bad things have happened on the first shot!  At the range you are able to groove and groove a certain feeling.  It is next to impossible to replicate that feeling on the golf course.

So what does this mean for the average player. First, and most importantly, the average player is not as good as they believe they are on the range. The multi-ball environment at the range OVER-INFLATES the average players perception of their own ability.  Second, we must drastically change how players practice.

Random versus Block Practice

Roughly 75% of golfers incorrectly practice through block practice.  That is multiple shots with the same club.  This type of practice is only effective when attempting to make a swing change or concentrate on a certain aspect of the motion.

Random practice is, by far, more effective in preparing to play the game and effectively prepare the player for the ideal scoring conditions.  Random practice is where the player rotates between clubs for each shot and is much slower and more deliberate.  For instance a player will hit a driver, then a 6 iron, then a wedge and maybe even a chip shot.  All in a pace that is at least twice as slow as normal on the range.

Play golf... At the Range

I even recommend that the player should play their favorite golf course in their mind.  For instance take your favorite course, for me it is Pebble Beach. I know that I should hit a 3 wood off the first tee with a slight cut.  So that is the shot I try to hit.  Judging how well I hit that shot I adjust for my second.  Now, if I hit it well I might have a 9 iron into the green.  After I hit the shot at a specific target I judge if I have hit the green or not.  I may even try to hit a chip shot.  Then I move to the second which is where I try to bust a drive down the left side of the fairway.... And so on.

Take it the the Course

To take this to the golf course I attempt to make players take their one chance at a shot and make it as much about BLOCK practice as I can.  WHAT?  Yes, on the golf course I have players take as many practice swings as they can in order to feel the correct swing.  Think again about the Tour player.  They are constantly taking practice swings to ingrain a certain feel...  And those guys are GOOD! Golf is after all the only sport in which the player can practice the exact feeling and motion over and over until they are ready for action.  Could you see a baseball player doing that?  The pitcher and defense certainly wouldn't cooperate!

As a player you will notice a lot will change.  First, you will hit less range balls (an immediate money saver!!).  Second, your quality of shots on the range will DECREASE!  That is because you are now playing golf on the range.  Third, your quality of shots on the golf course will INCREASE!

And finally, the best place to practice is.. THE GOLF COURSE HERSELF!

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me via email at: john.grothe@gmail.com

Your friend in golf...

John Grothe, PGA