How to Practice on the Driving Range
By Steve Silverman
Going to the driving range is one of the best ways to practice your game. However, you don't want to go to the driving range, take out your driver and start bombing away. You should work on honing your swing and also work on developing your skills with different clubs.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Start off with your 5-iron. A middle iron is a good club to start off with because it is not hard to swing, nor does it require too much tough. Place the ball on the golf matt and pick out a spot about 150 yards away. There will either be a flag there to mark the distance or a practice green. See how many times you can hit your spot out of 10 shots. You are trying to build a repeatable swing.
Put your 5-iron back and start hitting with your 3-iron. A 3-iron is a good club to use on a fairway shot of 175 yards or more. It requires a full hip turn, but the golfer does not need to try to swing harder or faster. Work on your pacing when swinging with the 3-iron. Pick out a spot about 190 to 200 yards away and see how close you can get to it with 10 swings.
Pick your driver up now that you have used your 3- and 5-irons. You are loose enough to swing your driver. Realize that if you try to swing as hard as you can you will not be able to keep the ball straight. Concentrate on a smooth, even swing and realize the club will do the work for you. Your goal is to keep the ball as straight as possible. Hit 10 balls and see if you can keep them straight.
Take one of your short irons out of the bag and work on your pitch shot. Your 9-iron or pitching wedge are the best clubs to use when pitching to the green. Most driving ranges have a green to aim at about 70 yards from where you are hitting. Your club will do the work, but remember to break your wrists upon impact to make the ball fly high in the air. See how many times you hit the green in 10 shots.
Take a club that you normally do not use in a round of golf and give it a try on the driving range. You may not use a 3-wood very often so you probably don't fee very confident with it. Swing it 15 to 20 times when you are on the range to see if you can get comfortable with it, and use it in a competitive round.
Tips & Warnings
Alternate your clubs when you are at the driving range. Take 10 swings with each club and then change clubs.
Do not go bombing away. The idea is not to see how far you can hit it. You want to build a consistent and controlled swing.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
