7 driving range tips to improve shot consistency
Trying to sharpen your skills during practice sessions can be infuriating without the right driving range tips.
We’ve all been there. You spend over an hour hitting ball after
ball, slowly adjusting your stance to build your power. You’ve made progress by
the end of the session and head home, only to find you’ve reverted to old
habits on your next visit.
If this sounds familiar, don’t worry. Here you’ll find everything you need to develop consistency in your training, including how to connect your practice to your performance on the green.
#1 – Master your grip
Even experienced golfers can pick up bad habits, so it’s
important to get your grip right as an amateur.
If you golf regularly and have issues with shot consistency out
on the green, there’s no shame in going back to basics to polish your
technique. Your grip is likely the culprit behind slicing or poor ball striking
and altering it will improve your game.
Gripping a golf club correctly will:
Watch Rick Shiels Golf’s video below if you want to reap these
benefits.
#2 – Work on your stance when using a driver
Stance is everything when it comes to driving distance. You
could miss out on reaching your full potential if you don’t nail this early on
or adjust it when it’s affecting your game.
Your power is determined by how far you turn your shoulders on
the backswing. Keeping your spine straight will boost your driving distance and
allow you to hit more consistently.
For the best results, you should follow these steps:
Grip – keep it relaxed to allow the club to turn over in your handsFeet – place them shoulder-width apart, the ball in line with the inside of your left heelAlignment – pick a target, and make sure you’re aligned ‘square’ to it Posture – ensure the balls of your feet, knees and upper spine are lined up with each other
Need a more visual guide? You’ll find this video useful.
#3 – Check your ball distance during set-up
Standing too far from or close to the ball will harm your shot
consistency.
If your ball distance is off, you’ll have to sacrifice your
stance and adapt your movements to accommodate this, leading to more issues in
your technique.
Standing too far from the ball can cause:
hook shotstoe shotsan altered swing path to stay balanceda poor posture that places additional pressure on your back and shoulders
Standing too close can cause:
slicesshanksheel shotsswings that place additional pressure on your arms
Both scenarios involve compromising the stance you’ve worked
hard to master and adding in additional movements to get the ball back on the
right path. Not only does this wear you out, but it overcomplicates the
process.
Want to keep your swing simple? Use the video below to determine
your ideal ball distance set-up.
#4 – Give every shot a purpose
Progression is the main goal of practising, so one of our top
driving range tips is to know the purpose of every shot you take.
Decide on the elements you want to practice during your session
and then in each shot during your pre-shot routine.
It would help if you determined your target before each shot.
Select a yard marker or specific target area and commit to it. Take time to
think about what parts of your technique you’ll need to adjust to hit it, as
this is what you’ll be doing in an actual round.
You should then align yourself properly with the target. Don’t
be afraid to use alignment sticks, as the driving range is the perfect
environment to practice with them!
Finally, you need to decide the elements of your swing and the ball
flight you wish to practice. We’d recommend aiming to hit a
straight golf shot if you’re a beginner.
Related: Everything you need to include in your golf pre-shot routine
#5 – Use training aids
There’s no shame in using golf training aids to improve your
game. This is one of our top driving range practice tips, especially since PGA
professionals frequently use them.
Using an orange whip swing trainer to warm up or
an impact ball to perfect your stance could prove more useful
than you expect. Training aids are a great way of getting settled into your
driving range session, especially if you’ve had a week off.
At the very least, we’d recommend always having a set of
alignment sticks to hand. Ideally, you’ll have:
one signalling your targetone aligning your feet, knees, and upper spineone on your target line
Related: The 13 best golf training aids for 2022
#6 – Diversify your training
Once you’ve mastered the basics and a few block sessions under
your belt, moving on to randomised practice can work wonders for your
performance on the green.
Not only does it emulate the experience of playing an actual
game, but it trains your body and mind to switch into the position and pre-shot
routine required for different shots.
Think of it this way-f you were training for a marathon, would
you practice by jogging around your garden and then expect the skills you gain
to transfer into a 42km race over a route with endless variables?
Instead, you’d use practice routes of a similar distance or even
jog along the exact route used on race day.
It works the same way with golf. You may get great results
during training sessions if you only utilise blocked practice, but this won’t
necessarily transfer onto the course.
Here’s an example of a randomised drill, ‘The Nine Shots,’ to
sharpen your skills:
High FadeRegular FadeLow FadeHigh StraightRegular StraightLow StraightHigh DrawRegular DrawLow Draw
Related: Blocked vs random practise: too much of one, not enough of the other
#7 – Hit the putting green before you leave
Following our last point, why not get the most out of your
practice sessions by sharpening your skills in every area?
Hitting the putting green at the end of your training sessions
means that you’ll be prepared for the shots that occur here during an actual
game. After all, there’s no use in mastering your drives to find your putting
skills are seriously lacking.
Getting a feel for tricky short chips is crucial if you want to
become a better golfer, and the putting green can help you in this department.
One of our biggest driving range tips is to focus on connecting the gaps in your skillset and learning transferable skills that can be taken onto the green.
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