The Best Driving Range Practice Routine

Every golfer understands that practicing is the only way to improve their game. While playing golf is an important part of practicing, hitting the driving range should be a big part of your routine. The things you perform at the range, though, must be done properly to benefit from it.

However, we’ve discovered that golfers sometimes use the driving range without a defined goal or plan, resulting in them not getting the most out of their practice sessions.

You should be concerned with more than just striking a bucket of balls. When addressing each practice ball, you must keep the Goal in mind.

Fortunately, I’ve constructed the best driving range routine to follow while practicing on your game at the range. This is a guideline for anyone attempting to establish a feeling of order at the range.

You’ll know which clubs to hit in which order, how many balls to hit with each club, and what you should aim for with each shot. Keep in mind that this is a ball-and-club strategy.

If you follow this routine practice repeatedly, you will visibly improve over time, but not immediately. Patience is required, as it is in many aspects of golf.

Golf Practice Plans to Follow

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2. How to Break 80 Training Plan
3. Golf Fitness Training Program

How to Practice at the Driving Range

• Warm up

Before you hit a ball, exercise your hamstrings, quads, back, arms, and neck. While it may seem odd, stretching before beginning your range training can significantly enhance your grip and performance. This may also help in reducing the risk of minor injuries.

• Short Pitch Shots

Start your range workout with a few half-swings or with a pitching wedge. This will allow the development of contact and striking, and also aiding you to discover a comfortable range speed.

• Target Hit

This may seem apparent, yet I see so many beginners on the driving range with no specific aim in sight. This provides limited feedback on the outcome of your shot and enables negative habits to develop in your technique and perspective.

• Understand the Basics First.

I see a number of you out on the range working on some advanced professional stuff, which is great! I like those who are continuously working to enhance their skills. But we often excel at challenging tasks while neglecting the simple ones.

Keep your grip, balance, posture, and ball position in check, then your shots will be significantly more successful. Place a pair of clubs on the ground to verify your alignment and ball placement, and assess your grip after each hit.

Resource: Step by Step Golf Practice Routines + Training System

• Split your Practice Sessions.

Don’t hit 100 balls with the same club to the same target. Every ten balls, at the absolute least, change your target or club. With this technique, you can check time the  basics of your practice and you can also easily assess the batch of shots you hit over the course.

• Pre-Shot Routine

If you don’t have a pre-shot routine, then develop one as soon as possible and practice it on the range. From how you go into your shot and take your stance through the build-up to your swing, develop a great routine or ritual.

When your pre-shot practice is consistent and well-drilled, you’ll be shocked at how much more relaxed you’ll feel on the course.

• Put yourself to the test.

Have a goal in mind for your practice and push yourself to develop! During the workout, I frequently do all of the following:

• To create a fairway on the course, choose two points to hit between.
• I’m going to hit five drives and see how many I can get out of five.
• My shots will be shaped. I attempt to hit five straight from left to right, five straight from right to left, and five straight from left to right. Count the rate of success once more and strive to beat it the following time.

Driving Range – Golf Practice Routine

• If you have a 50-ball bucket, divide them into sets of five and you should have roughly ten sets. On the range, do the following 10 sets of exercises.
• Each set of five shots can be further split down. The first three golf swings are all about striking the correct distance to your objective and striking the ball as straight as possible.
• The remaining two balls are divided into one pull and one fade stroke, to bend the golf ball. To strike the draw or fade ball flight, adjust your grip and posture.
• 7 iron shots to warm up
• With the 9 iron, hit 5 shots.
• With the 6 iron, hit 5 strokes.
• With the 8 iron, hit 5 shots.
• Make 5 shots with the hybrid.
• With the pitching wedge, make 5 shots.
• Hit five different drivers.
• Toss five wedges to an 80-yard target.
• Toss 5 wedges to a goal of 100 yards.
• Toss five wedges to a 60-yard target.

This is a basic driving range golf practice session. It works with your long irons, short irons, and wedges to cover a wide range of distances on the golf course.

Here are some Best Driving Range Drills for your Practice.

1. Different distances with the same club

Try hitting the same club at different distances with the same club. Take your 5-iron, for example, and try hitting it first to the 200, then 175, 150, 125, and finally the 100.

On the course, we would never do this, however, it is a good drill for developing feel. It requires a lot of feel for shots to get as good as you can be.

2. Determine the shot’s shape.

If you’re practicing with a friend, have them observe a few shots while you close your eyes right before starting your backswing.

Decide about the shot’s shape before opening your eyes. Keeping your eyes closed and speculating on the outcome can enhance your sense of shot shapes.

Rather than identifying shapes with swing motions, we associate them with feelings. Request exact feedback – a 10-yard fade that began at the x marker and concluded at the x.

3. Three clubs to three different goals

Pick distinct targets e.g., the 50, 100, and 150 marks, and hit three different clubs to each target, say your 8-iron, 5-iron, and 3-iron, to enliven your driving range practice. This is an excellent method to improve your distance control.

Resource: How to Score in the 70’s Golf Training Plan

4. Adjusting the tempo

Being aware of variations in pace in your golf swing while on the course is important for playing effectively under pressure.

5. Use just one ball for range practice

It’s best to stick to one ball here and follow it until it hits at the bottom of the cup, exactly like you did on holes 1 through 18. Mark the ball, read the putt and then strike it with your best stroke. If you miss a putt, mark the ball, read the putt, and try again: one golfer, one ball, one putt.

6. Variation in tension

Tension is another variable that fluctuates under pressure. When we are too worried or under pressure, it is critical to observe variations in tension, especially grip pressure. Adjust your grip pressure from a 10/10 (very tight) to a 1/10 (very light) and observe how it impacts your strokes.

7. One-armed pitches

For this drill, place your left hand in your pocket and use your right arm to swing the wedge. As the club head bottoms out, feel it pass your hand. Assume you’re on a putting green now and hit the ball.

Resource: Get the All Access Pass. Learn about our training programs with step by step practice drills, weekly schedules and routines to follow so you can break 90, break 80 or scratch golf. Plus access our video lesson library in addition to following the practice plans.

8. Half speed swing

Spend some more time on the driving range hitting drives at half speed as a quick fix for the dreaded hook. This prevents the athlete from swinging his arms too quickly.

Practice swinging your arms a bit slower and rotating your body more fiercely. As you descend, make sure to shift your weight to your front foot and turn your lower body to face the target. Stop the face from sliding closed on the ball by rotating your hips all the way through.

9. Aiming with irons

Create an imaginary line between your target with the ball. Then, around six feet pick an intermediate target on that line. Maintain your posture while aligning the club with the shorter target. Make it a habit to practice at the range.

Read: Golf Alignment Drills to Practice Your Set Up & Aim

10. Monitor your practice

Using video cameras would be an excellent approach to watch yourself and spot your faults if you didn’t have access to a teacher. Make a video of yourself doing the strong and the swings.

You will notice that you’re picking up on errors in your technique that you wouldn’t normally notice while playing. Applying foot powder as a means to track your strokes is an option.

Before you take a stroke, apply the powder to your clubhead. You will be able to see if your centers are connected or not this way.

If you follow the instructions, you will quickly progress and become a better player. This guide can help anyone who wants to improve their golf game by visiting driving ranges.

Golf Practice Plans to Follow

• How to Score in the 60’s Golf Training Plan
• How to Score in the 70’s Golf Training Plan
• How to Score in the 80’s Golf Training Plan
• All Access: Get Every Practice Plan (Lifetime Membership)

Thanks for reading today’s article!

Nick Foy – Golf Instructor