Taking It To The Course

Golf lessons are great on the driving range.  You are able to learn lots about the mechanics and dynamics of the swing.  You can practice these feelings and philosophies again and again without worry of consequence.  That is amazing when you are trying to get the feeling and practice, but when you are trying to apply these concepts to actual golf, on the course, you need a different kind of practice.

Golf lessons only go so far. If you can’t take what you learn from the practice range to the course, lessons aren’t all that helpful.  In fact, learning to take it from the range to the course is one of the keys to breaking 80. But that’s easier said than done.

Below are some tips designed to help students take it from the range to the course:

1) Play “holes” on the range: Start on the first tee and pick the shot you would ideally like to hit off that first tee.  From there what is the next shot? Grab that club and pick a new target.  Try to hit that shot to the target.  If it is close give yourself a par, really close give yourself a birdie and if you did not execute the shot you get a bogey.  You can play 18 holes in only about 20 minutes and you will have the confidence next time you get to the course that you have hit these shots before and you know you can accomplish them.

2) Work on swing mechanics: The practice range—not the course—is the best place to work on your mechanics. But, what you want to take from the range is a feeling of what was working well.  If you walk away from a practice session just saying that went well and I was hitting it well, but you don't know why or what felt good, what have you really learned?  You should focus more on the feeling of the swing than the results of each particular shot.  

3) Hit it solid: If you want to simplify things on the range, work on hitting the ball solidly off the center of the clubface. Don’t let off-line shots bother you. You can always adjust for accuracy later on. Instead, focus on hitting the ball flush every time.  Contact and consistent feel of strike is the quickest way to develop a good amount of confidence.

4) Skip mid-range putts: You want to hit three types of putts on the practice green. Start with two to three-foot putts on the practice green to build confidence. Then practice the 15- to 20- footers. Focus on your pace when hitting these putts. Finally, hit some 40 to 50 footers. Lag putting helps you stand tall, so you have room to swing the putter—a key to good putting.  

5) Accept the swing you have: Just because you hit the ball poorly on the range doesn’t mean you’ll hit it poorly during your round. So banish any negative swing thoughts when you get to the first tee. Instead, focus on hitting the ball solidly and play with confidence.  Some of my best rounds have come when I warmed up poorly and then just let go of any thoughts when I got on the course.  Change the way you think of your pre-round warm-up.  It is only to get the body warm not to develop your swing and change things.

6) Clear Your Mind:  When you get onto the course make sure your mind is clear of lesson keys, swing thoughts and negative attitudes.  All you can do once you get out there is play with the game you have.  Thinking about a multitude of things you saw on the golf channel is not going to help you hit better shots.  If you have been working with an instructor, and you have a solid swing thought that is helping your game bring it.  One.  Bring one swing thought with you to the course, just keep it simple and make sure you are able to accomplish the thought.

All of these tips are designed to allow you to transfer what you can do on the driving range to the golf course.  It doesn't much matter if you hit the ball like Ben Hogan on the range if you can't keep it on the planet once you get on the golf course.  Try these tips out and see if it helps your performance on the golf course.