Getting in work on the range is an inexact science, but it’s crucial for improvement. Everyone has their own system, and some are more effective than others. If you want to see gains on the course, though, you’ve got to dedicate time to bashing balls on the range.
Professional golfers are quite good at using their practice time efficiently. With the amount of time they spend dialing in their swings, their routines are ingrained. For recreational players, that’s rarely the case. For most weekend warriors, hitting the range is the exception rather than the rule. And when they do step to the practice tee, they have no idea how to structure their routine.
A word of wisdom: take a page out of the books of the pros. It might not be prudent to copy everything they do, but you can pick up on a thing or two that will make your practice sessions more fruitful.
Phil Mickelson’s 10-ball routine
You never want to overextend yourself on the range, whether it be during your pre-round warmup or a practice session. So, once you’ve hit enough balls that you feel comfortable, set some balls aside for Phil Mickelson’s routine. Choose any club in your bag that you’re comfortable with and put 10 balls to the side.
“I’m gonna go through 10 shots, and I’m gonna vary it,” Mickelson says on GOLF’s Warming Up. “Really what I’m trying to do is visualize a shot, feel the shot and execute the shot in practice, so that I’m better able to do it on the golf course.”
In essence, you’re simulating what you would do on the golf course. Instead of mindlessly beating balls, you’re creating a similar routine to what you’d do when under the gun.
But don’t just go through your routine and hit to a target. Take things a step further and pretend you’re hitting an exact shot on an exact hole that you’re familiar with. Choose a target and try to hit the ball at it — with the proper shape — as if it were during the round. After hitting that shot, grab a different club and repeat the process. Visualize the shot, go through your routine and hit the ball.
Go through this process 10 times with 10 different clubs and 10 different shots. By the time you’re finished, you’ll have an even better feel for your swing — and done so through efficient practice.
Check out the entire episode of Warming Up below.
