11 Driving Range Mistakes

Golf Monthly

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00:00 We all know going to the driving range can be great fun and really beneficial for your game,

00:06 but only if you do it in the right way. It's easy to make mistakes and do silly things when you're

00:12 down at the driving range. We've all done it, we all know how it feels. We're going to have a little

00:17 whiz through of the top driving range mistakes to make sure you never ever make them again.

00:24 And wouldn't you just know it, over my shoulder, here he comes strolling in and he has reached

00:29 straight for the big dog. Predictably we've all done it, you go straight for the driver,

00:35 the longest club, in theory the most difficult to hit because of it and the one that takes the

00:39 most effort. No warm-up, no leading up to it and he's going to lash one away, hit it terribly,

00:46 and now he's got an awful mindset. Don't go for the driver first time, that is your number one

00:53 driving range mistake. Here comes mistake number two and I'm sure we've all been both people in

01:01 this scenario at one time or another. That's giving unsolicited advice. Now we've probably

01:09 been the person giving the advice, we know we're well-meaning, we probably genuinely think we can

01:14 help that person, but if you're the one who's struggling at the range, the absolute last thing

01:19 you want is someone who isn't really qualified jumping in and giving you advice when they have

01:24 no idea about you, your game or any changes that you're trying to make. Our advice, just stay out

01:31 of it and focus on your own game. Next up it's a big mistake of hitting aimlessly on the range.

01:39 Most of us are fortunate to go to a nice facility, you've got flags, you've got nets to aim for,

01:44 always have a specific target in mind. If you don't, how do you tell if you've hit a good shot

01:50 and what really is the point of being there? Pick a target, have an idea of what you're trying

01:55 to achieve and then you can analyse how well that range session is going. Next up is something that

02:02 I personally do all too often when I'm in a driving range and that's hitting driver from

02:07 the wrong tee height. Whether you can't get your tee into the mat to the right height or you've

02:13 got those electric ones that pop up and you can't quite get it right, nothing good comes from hitting

02:19 driver off a tee height that you wouldn't use on the golf course. It's going to give you an incorrect

02:25 idea of how you're hitting the ball and possibly grain some bad habits as well. You're either going

02:30 to get down into it to try and lift it up off of a tiny tee or feel like you're swinging a baseball

02:35 bat because the tee is miles too high. Whatever you do, if you practice any club, make sure you do

02:41 it in the same way you would use it on the course and for a driver, number one thing to do that,

02:46 make sure it's the right tee height. Another common mistake is to hit the same club over and over and

02:55 over again. Now that kind of repetition might work if you're trying to groove a really specific swing

03:01 change but in general throughout a round of golf you're hitting different shots all the time,

03:06 changing clubs, changing targets, changing what you're trying to do. If you can replicate that

03:11 in the driving range it will really help you when you get outside. Adapt to the different length of

03:16 club, to the different style of shot you're trying to hit, to hitting off a tee, hitting off the deck.

03:22 Another really cool little tip if you're at the driving range and this is just before you're going

03:26 to play, so it's a warm-up session not a practice session, play the first couple of holes in your

03:32 head out on the range. If the first tee shot's a driver, hit driver. If that typically leaves you

03:38 an eight iron into the green, then go to eight iron. Maybe then have a chip in case you miss

03:43 the green. What's the next tee shot? It's a par three maybe, you know you hit five iron there,

03:48 try that. Knowing you've just hit those shots successfully on the range will fill you with

03:53 confidence when you step up to the real thing on the course. The next one is going to sound so

03:59 simple but honestly if you get this right it can make a huge positive difference to your game and

04:05 it's all about alignment. Make sure you use an alignment stick or even a club shaft on the ground

04:11 to ensure your feet and body are aiming exactly where you want. When you go to the driving range

04:18 all of those bays, they can't all be aiming exactly at the flags or the targets you want to

04:23 be hitting. You can overcome that by sticking an alignment stick or a shaft on the ground on your

04:29 foot line. Make sure you're aiming where you want and then you can see if you're hitting it straight,

04:34 a little bit left or a little bit right. There's no way of accurately analyzing your game at the

04:40 range if you're not aiming exactly where you think you are. Next up, make sure you have an aim or a

04:48 target for that session. Whether it's something like you're working on a move your coach has given

04:54 you and you want to feel like you can really groove that, just working through all of your bag,

04:58 getting a gauge of your yardages or something as simple as getting to a point where you hit the

05:03 shot you want five times in a row. Before you get there have a plan in mind for what you want to

05:09 achieve and if you achieve it, stop the session right there. That's where you've hit your peak,

05:15 make sure you leave on a high. The next big mistake is abandoning a swing change or something

05:21 you've been working on after a few bad shots. We all know how easy it is to fall into old habits

05:29 and if you've got a swing that you know what it's going to do, even if that's not the greatest golf

05:34 shot in the world, it can be so much nicer to see that repetitive action and ball flight. But if

05:40 you're looking to make changes you're doing it for a reason. Ultimately you want to get better

05:46 and the driving range, well that's the place to do it. Make your mistakes here, persevere with

05:51 whatever it is you're working on and then when you're on the course you can trust that new swing.

05:56 The next big mistake is hitting the partition between the bays. Always make sure you're aware

06:03 of your surroundings, whether that is the structure itself, your own bag, people walking by. It

06:09 happens occasionally, it's no good for your clubs or for you. Make sure there's enough room either

06:14 side and keep those clubs away from the metal. Our next big mistake is rolling up straight from

06:22 the office. You've got your dress shirt on, some nice slick shoes but they have got slippery bottoms

06:28 and straight out onto the range you go. You're not going to be able to swing properly in a dress

06:34 shirt, those shoes are going to be slipping around all over the place. If you can find a few minutes

06:39 to get away from the office or drop into the range on the way home that's great. But put a spare polo

06:45 shirt in or at the very least have some golf shoes in the car. You really want to make sure you've

06:51 got good grip, good traction and you are wearing what you're going to be out on the course anytime

06:56 you hit the driving range. And finally, I can't tell you how many times I've witnessed this one,

07:02 it always makes you laugh when it's not you but if it is it's an absolute nightmare. Please make

07:09 sure you put your basket under the ball dispenser, no one wants to be the guy scrambling around to

07:15 pick up golf balls. So there we have it, the 11 biggest mistakes you can make on the driving range.

07:23 Hopefully by watching this you can avoid any of them in the future. If there's any you think we've

07:28 missed add them to the comments below. Please remember to like this video and subscribe to

07:33 the Golf Monthly channel. We've got loads more great content coming your way, we'll see you next time.

07:39 [Golf Ball Whistle]

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