Many golfers go to the driving range with the thought of improving his/her golf game. Do you go with a purpose or specific goal in mind or do you grab a bucket of balls and start hitting away? Always be sure to 'practice with purpose' and work on specific flaws so you can improve your swing, gain more consistency and instill a sense of confidence that you can take out onto the golf course. The driving range is the place where you can spend the time to work on your weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Drills are activities golfers do to sharpen their shotmaking skills while also making practice time more enjoyable. The following drills will help you address specific swing flaws which are common to many golfers, build a more consistent swing and even help improve your on-course strategy.
Drill #1
Reduce tension and make a longer, freer swing. Tensing up at address
often causes a swing that's too quick, and this poor tempo results in
both a loss of swing speed and accuracy. I
recommend a "1-2-3 Hit Drill" to combat this problem. On the driving
range, place a ball on the ground. Take your stance so the golf club
is 2 feet away from the ball and take a smooth, full practice swing. Move
forward and take your stance again so the club is 1 foot away from the ball.
Make another tension-free practice swing. Set the club behind the ball
and without hesitation take a third swing and hit the ball.
Drill #2
Increase clubhead speed with a weight shift drill. Many golfers often have
trouble shifting their weight from the right to left side on the
downswing (for right-handed players), which is a factor in generating
clubhead speed. On the driving range, take a smooth three-quarter swing
with an iron and as you complete the follow through, lift up your right
foot so it's completely off the ground. If you have difficulty lifting
your right foot this way, it means too much weight is remaining on your
right side during the follow-through. Practice this drill until you can
comfortably lift your right foot and balance on your left. You'll learn
to make a more complete weight shift.
Drill #3
Learn to rotate your hips, not slide them on the downswing. If you slide
too much with your hips - and too quickly - your lower body will get
out of sync with your arms, resulting in slices or hooks. I recommend a drill where you picture a
wall just outside (ie. to the left) of your front foot. As you swing,
try to finish with your belt buckle pressed against this imaginary
wall. This will keep your left leg firm and your upper body rotating
properly through the downswing. You can also try sticking an umbrella in
the ground 4 inches outside your front foot. If you bump into the
umbrella shaft during the downswing, you're sliding laterally more than
is recommended.
Drill #4
Play an imaginary round of golf on your home course - while still on
the driving range - with this mental focus drill. Take out your driver
and create a mental picture of the first hole, particularly the width of
the fairway. Now hit the drive and see if it lands in the 'fairway'.
Estimate how far it went and calculate how far you'd have to the actual
first green on the next shot. Pick out the right club, aim for a
specific target and hit the shot. Determine if you would have reached
the actual green with the shot. Now imagine the second hole and try to
hit that fairway and green. Continue this drill through 9 or 18
holes. Keep track of how many imaginary fairways and greens you hit in
the practice session and how this number increases as you repeat the
drill. This drill will help you improve your accuracy - and your
confidence - when you get out on the real course.
Doing these simple drills when you're at the driving range will not only make your practice time more enjoyable, but also much more effective than just pounding balls. Remember, always 'practice with purpose' and you'll see dramatic improvements in your game.
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