Why the Driving Range Can be a Dangerous Place for Golfers
If you’re like most golfers, you probably think that to shoot lower scores, you need to spend more time on the driving range. While that’s true to a certain extent, there is a fall off point where the range can actually hurt your game.
In fact, how many times have you gone to the range, only to leave feeling disappointed? And wonder why you’re getting worse, not better…
If this sounds like you, don’t worry, there’s a fix. And we just may have discovered it! Trust me, I have been there myself, like literally this weekend. That’s what made us want to find a better way to make your practice sessions more beneficial.
That advice is coming…But first, let’s dive into some downsides of most amateur golfers current practice sessions.
Why The Driving Range is Dangerous – 5 Reasons
Here are five reasons why the driving range is a dangerous place for most golfers.
Bad Habits
Repetition is how you learn to do anything new.
Whether it’s riding a bike, golfing, driving a car, or working out – repetition is how you train your subconscious mind to make habits feel normal. Eventually, these types of tasks will become second nature and part of who you are.
The only problem is that repetition of bad habits can ingrain them even further, too.
So many golfers buy a jumbo bucket, have zero practice strategy, and make the same mistakes over and over again. This leads to ingrained habits that hurt your game, more than help.
But that doesn’t mean you should never practice again.
FIX: Instead, you need to use the right strategies, which we’ll cover to train your swing. As sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella said, “A golfer has to train his swing on the practice tee, then trust it on the course.”
Position on the Range
Ben Hogan, arguably one of the greatest ball strikers of all time, would only hit from the far right side of the driving range.
The reason?
He didn’t want to watch anyone else swing, as he knew it could influence his game.
Yet, how often do you worry about other golfers when you’re on the range? I constantly see it myself and have done the same myself.
FIX: Quit caring about what other golfers think about you!
Create Doubts and Fears
No matter how good of a golfer you are, some days your swing just isn’t there. But when you practice constantly and always walk away with more problems than solutions, you might psych yourself out.
As you know, golf is a highly mental game, so it’s vital to make sure your practice builds confidence. The last thing you want your session to do is create doubts, which can lead to fearing different shots on the golf course.
FIX: Finish your range sessions with a club or shot you KNOW you have in the bag. It makes you leave with a positive mindset and ready to get back out there and keep improving.
False Sense of Security
Hitting on the range is very different from the golf course!
Sometimes too much range and not enough playing golf can create a false sense of security. That’s why some guys are “Range players” but struggle on the golf course.
FIX: Make sure to play enough so you can learn more about your game than hitting balls.
Mats Are Deceiving
Finally, if you practice hitting off mats, take your results with a grain of salt. Mats are like trampolines and aren’t that realistic to hitting from natural grass.
A lot of times, a bad shot (usually a drop-kick or chunk shot) is disguised as a “good shot” with the help of mats.
FIX:Whenever possible, hit from real grass to get better feedback on every shot you hit.
Written By Michael Leonard
