A good range session can go a long way on the links, providing that extra bit of confidence and familiarity to help you play more consistently. However, many golfers don’t utilize their practice time effectively or efficiently, often smashing through a bucket in record time with fresh callouses being the only lasting result. To be honest, if you’re practicing bad habits, or just aimlessly hitting balls into the green abyss, you’re not doing your game any favours. Here’s a breakdown of how you can practice, and play, better golf.

Alignment

When you’re on a golf course it is easy to see if your shot travels off of your intended line, i.e. you hit it in the left greenside bunker or OB off the tee. But the range is a different story. With a vast swathe of land before you and more flags than a Fourth of July party, even wayward shots can provide false-positive feedback. That’s why it’s important to set up a target and maintain alignment throughout your range session. An easy way to do this is by picking out a target and then laying down a club pointed directly at it. Next, simply align your feet with the club at address and take aim. This easy drill will better replicate real-world scenarios on the golf course and will provide an honest assessment of your accuracy. As the old adage goes: aim small, miss small.

Determine Distance

Range balls don’t fly as far as balls you would put into play during a round. That’s just a simple fact, but it doesn’t mean you need to dismiss distance control while practicing. When determining the distance of each shot on the range relative to how far it would go during regular play, take 15% off of the carry distance. For example, if you fly your 8-iron 140 yards, expect to hit it 119 yards at the range. This equation isn’t an exact science, but it provides a more accurate gauge of distance that translates to your playing yardages. Of course, this all depends on actually knowing how far targets are on the range, and in many cases ranges don’t offer that exact information, that’s why using your rangefinder, or investing in one, is a wise decision.

Routine, Routine

We’ve all seen that one person at the range who is already hitting his next shot before the previous one lands. Maybe he’s late for an appointment, or maybe he just loves wacking range eggs, but regardless, it’s not going to help him when he’s on the course. Applying the same timing and pre-shot routine to your range session is vitally important to replicating the rhythm you keep during a round. If you watch professionals on the range you will notice how methodical they go about their warm-up, which any amateur can easily apply to their own practice.

Keeping Clean Clubs

You’d never (hopefully) find yourself hitting nine 7-irons in a row on the course, but that’s commonplace on the range. That said, it’s important to keep your clubface free of debris and dirt between shots to provide you with best chance to consistently deliver a clean strike. Again, you want your range experience to be as close to the real deal on the course, and you wouldn’t hit a shot during a round with a half-inch of mud caked on your club, so why would you do it at the range?

Treat the Range with Respect

Range turf takes a beating like few turfs will ever have to endure. So, when you’re at the range, try not to be harder on it than you need to be. Keep your divots consolidated in parallel lines to reduce scatter patterns, and try not to hit unnecessarily reckless shots that can leave colossal gouges. In other words, treat the range like you’re the guy who works to keep it green and lush.