How to get the most out of your practice sessions

Golf driving ranges are becoming more abundant and more popular with golfers of all abilities. They are a great way to practice your game and improve your golf technique. Many ranges have PGA qualified Professionals who provide a wide range of services. These include; equipment, clothing, golf club fitting, golf club repairs, re-gripping, group lessons and individual lessons.

Many golf ranges benefit from the latest technology and facilities ranging from mirrors so you can check your set-up, to alignment markings on range mats, multiple tee-peg height options as well as contoured greens and a wide range of different target areas.

In the shop the Professional Golfer will often have launch monitors and swing speed analyzers to help tailor equipment to an individual’s needs.

I’ve compiled some useful tips on what and how to practice at the golf range. I hope that you find these tips help you get the most out of your practice sessions.

1. Warm up first with some gentle wedge or short iron shots - gradually building up. This will help you develop a smooth and even tempo, as well as loosen-up your muscles.

2. Do practice with a purpose - aim at a specific target with every shot. This is very important. If your particular local golf range has a poor selection of targets to aim at, then I strongly recommend that you find another golf range! There is no point in just aimlessly hitting balls into a wide open field. Take this thought to the golf course as well. Never just aim somewhere vaguely on the fairway or green – pick a specific point. You can always use objects on the horizon or distance as your marker but it is important to have a small, precise target to aim at.

3. Don't rush - it's not a race. Quality is better than quantity. Don't buy a large bucket of balls and try to beat them all out onto the range as quick as you can.

A good tip to prevent the temptation of just raking another ball over or rushing through your shots and hitting them quickly is to NOT load your balls in the tray, or automatic dispenser. Instead, keep the bucket a few feet away from you. This may seem a strange tip - but it will slow you down and give you space between shots to analyse what happened. If the balls are close by and on the ground you may be tempted to rake them over with your club and take another shot very quickly. Better still use a simple pre-shot routine on each shot. Pick your target, imagine your shot, take a waggle or practice mini swing, check your alignment, then swing.

4. Many range balls have markings on them - such as a line going round the ball. Use these lines as an alignment aid.  Line the marking up at your target and then take your stance - check your alignment and club head angle against these lines on the ball. This is a good way to ensure you don't creep out of position or aim incorrectly.

5. When setting up to practice - think carefully and select the bay that is best for your intended practice session.

At this point you might be thinking "which bay...? Surely that can't affect my practice?" However, you will find (speaking and from a right handed players perspective – reverse if left handed) that teeing up on the far left hand side of the driving range and then choosing a target toward the middle or right hand side will tend to help develop an in-to-out swing path suitable for draw shots.

Whereas, selecting a bay on the far right hand side of the range and then aiming at a target toward the middle or left hand side of the range will promote an out-to-in swing path and help with fade shots.

The same is true when playing the course - choose the left hand side of the tee to help shape a draw shot and the right hand side to help promote a fade shot.

6. Work on specific shots that you need to improve. If you have a particularly troublesome shot - or a shot that cost your round last time you played - the range is a great way of practising the shot and developing confidence. Let's assume you struggle with a particular par three of 180 yards with bunkers short and right. Take the club you would normally hit to that hole and imagine the hole laid out before you on the practice range. Be specific and imagine a point on the range that is the pin, the green and those bunkers. Work out what it is you normally do and work on what causes it - is it that you focus on the bunkers or other hazards? is it that you assumed you can hit your number five iron 180 yards but actually find this is only with your very best shot? Practice playing this hole - try different tee positions - imagine teeing off from the left hand side of the tee and then the right - which seems to work best for this imaginary hole? This is a good way to create new positive images of you succeeding to hit the green. Next time you play you will be in a more positive frame of mind when you come to this hole.

7. Take care to allow for the wind direction. If you want to develop a draw shot then practice with wind coming right to left (for right handed player). This will encourage the ball to move right to left.

Conversely, if you are struggling with a slice going to practice at a range, which on that day you go to practice, has a strong left to right wind is not going to help your confidence. You will see shots go right and consequently you will aim further left, thus accentuating the out-to-in swing path. This will cause the ball to move even more left to right and will not help you eliminate your slice.

What if your local range happens to be situated in a left to right wind direction and you want to practice hitting a draw shot? Well, to be honest if you can't find another local range or a quiet corner of your local course where you can stand so the wind is blowing right to left instead... then go and practice another part of your game instead - particularly if the wind is strong. You need your practice sessions to be positive development of the right feeling, movement and desired flight. If you are struggling with a slice then practising in a strong left to right wind is probably not going to help you much.

8. Try playing an imaginary round at the golf range. This is a good way to finish off a range session. Imagine the first hole at your course or the course you are about to play. And take that first shot - see the result and imagine where the ball ended and decide what to do. Play an approach shot or a chip shot next. Again, imagine the target and where your ball ends up. You can play a whole round like this (without putting of course). It helps you to quickly adapt to the different shots you need e.g. drive, followed by approach shot and followed by chip or pitch shots if you miss your target.

This is a good way to practice - how often in a real game of golf will you have exactly the same shot two or more times in a row? Practice applying your swing to different situations, even if just imaginary, will improve your game.

9. A tip for more advanced players - Practice shaping the ball.

Take a club and hit a high shot followed by a low shot.

Hit a fade shot followed by a draw shot.

Try hitting a high fade and then a low fade.

A low draw followed by a high draw.

Learning the subtle changes to your setup, grip, stance and swing to achieve the different types of shots will give you a good understanding of your swing and help you develop better control.

This exercise will also help replicate the situations that golfers find on the course. More often than not you may need to hit one type of shot into one green and a different shot into the next green. Practising at the range will help you work out what you can and can’t do. If you cannot hit a high draw at the range with your number three iron then don’t try it at the course. Use your head and play a different shot and one that you can confidently pull off and you will lower your scores.

10. I've heard many top coaches say "Practice does not make perfect... it makes permanent."

Be careful not to ingrain bad habits or poor technique. Work on the basics such as alignment, grip, and posture. If you are trying to develop a better swing or improve a swing fault then make sure you are executing the correct move - either use video tape or get someone to watch your swing and tell you what they see.

Another thing to remember is "feel is not real". Just because you feel you are making the right move does not mean that you are.

Lastly, remember no matter how good you are - approximately 60% of your golf will be played within 100 yards of the pin. Therefore don't just practice the long game - practice your putting and short game. Short game practice shouldn't just be reserved for good players.

Here I am 'at home on the range' practising... again. Late summer shadows stretched out across the grass. A cup of tea and basket of balls beside me. Many a happy hour spent hitting unsuspecting little white balls...