I often hear golfers say they hit the ball great at the driving range, then hit bloopers on the golf course. They have a tough time carrying over their success from one to the other.
What are your practice habits? We should probably emulate the best of the best in golf and their styles of learning and practice to become better players. If you can’t beat them, join them.
The best players in the world have a free mind on the golf course and are not cluttered with thoughts of uncertainty. On the course, they primarily focus on their pre-shot routine before hitting a shot.
Before they swing the club, they’ll make sure their grip, stance, posture and alignment are set before they fire away, with maybe one or no swing thoughts coaching them in their mind.
How do you hit a ball with minimal clutter in your noggin? The answer is you need to practice like you play and play like you practice.
Your driving range practice should include simulating golf course conditions by creating the same situations you face on the course while practicing at the range.
If you have a pre-shot routine on the course, such as standing behind the ball, picking out a target, taking two practice swings, then you should mimic this same routine while practicing at the range.
At the range, every shot you hit should have a target in mind, just like at the course, and every shot should have consequences, just like the golf course.
Create consequences at the driving range by imagining a water hazard next to the target green. Hit shots knowing if you miss the green where the water is, it will cost you shots on the golf course. When hitting drivers, create your own fairway by using flags or landmarks to define the consequences of an errant shot hit outside the area.
Do you get nervous on the golf course? Create nerves at the driving range by placing bets with a friend over whether your shot will be successful or not. Have people watch you hit balls so you are more comfortable attempting shots in front of people on the first tee.
Finally, spend time never hitting the same club twice at practice by simulating golf holes that you play. Play your home course in your mind. For example, hit the driver and if you feel you hit the fairway, then hit the iron you most likely will play into the green.
If you missed your target, grab the wedge and play a pitch shot to get you back on the green. If you hit your driver off-line and likely in the trees, play the type of shot that gets you back into the fairway and continue to hole from there with an iron shot.
Practice like a pro and condition yourself and your brain at the driving range so you can play your best on the golf course.
Peter Harris is the director of Golf at the Fore-U Golf Center in West Lebanon. His column appears in the weekly Recreation page during the golf season.