We have a self-serve range in our little town. It's pretty nice. Just bring your own balls and pick them up. I'm usually there all by myself, or maybe one other person. So I just bring the same balls I play on the course, mark them with a green dot, and gather them up when I'm done. No ball variations to worry about.
I play twice a week and practice at the range at least twice a week. I frequent two ranges run by municipalities. One does not allow hitting off of real grass - mats only, and while there are flags downrange the ground is hilly so sometimes you don't see where exactly the ball lands. The balls here are range balls but are in decent shape. The other range has beautiful turf to hit off of. I like the well marked targets with yardage flags and markers and a flat landing area. The drawback of this range is the balls are very worn and not replaced often. Either way I try to concentrate on striking the ball pure, grooving my swing, and aiming and accuracy. Distance is a secondary focus during my practice sessions. This has worked for me as I have gone from a 10-12 handicap to a 5 handicap over the last 3 three months.
Unless you play at a world renown track that has top tier driving range balls, I feel like a driving range should be used to hone in on practice more so than distance (ie making solid contact, working on stuff you’ve been practicing) go to an indoor simulator that has tracman if you want to find your distance
Agreed Ryan outdoor practice is the ideal but sometimes inside practice on simulators is the only /most convenient option people have to work on their games. Interestingly had my first simulator lesson last week to try it out compared to my normal outdoor lessons and still learnt a lot from the videos and launch monitor numbers. Gave me plenty to work on that's for sure.
my local range has top tracer, i find it pretty good though a bit long on wedges, accurate on irons, but for longer clubs and in particular driver, recording way under, 30 yards for the driver. I am comparing this to shotscope data so i know my real yardages. This may be due to the range being short of room. If you are in bays towards the edges of the range it will also get direction wrong, either left or right, but you can adjust your aim for that. The best thing about it is being able to play games like virtual golf or approach shot challenges, which adds fun whilst also giving purpose to the session
I practice heavily at a local range with mostly pretty decent balls - yes a few older ones with worn dimples - I use those to warm up with the short irons. TXG posted a video on this topic a while back - their results were somewhat similar - but with a tweak that I think they found that the Driver spun slightly more. I personally also found this and I believe it is somewhat critical if you are using the range to set up your driver. Not knowing this prior to their video, but seeing the results myself when I would go to the course, I found that my setup driver for the range would produce a ball that could fall out of the air on the course - because when using a new expensive ball, that was slightly lower spinning on the driver, it would fall below the optimal range that I found with a range ball. I thus have bumped up my loft, 1-click/degree, which looks a little spinny on the range, but is perfect on the course - the 6 iron being that club in the bag where it mostly transfers - the short irons are longer and the long irons and woods are shorter - all by small amounts.
Very interesting Paul and fantastic you are now so clear on the differences between your range and course shots for your clubs. Think we could all learn alot from doing something similar to make sure we're taking the right info from the range onto the course!
I see a huge difference on two ranges I use, right across the full range of clubs with my own golf balls carrying at least 20% further, even more on the driver. I take no notice of distance and just focus on accuracy.
Recently at a yard sale I purchased 4 gallon bags of golf balls mixed makes, decent balls mostly. I would take a bagful to the driving range and generally the real balls were 10-15 yards longer than the range balls off a 7 iron, bout the same of wedges.
At my local range the golf balls are all mixed brands in various conditions with cuts and other issues so the only judgment I make is if my contact was pure.
I usually measure my shots on the course with GPS and a rangefinder to get a better sense of how far I typically hit each club, rather than relying on the range. Though I also take into account top tracer ranges for carry.
Wind is a huge deal also. This is why dozens of pros can hit it in the drink from 150 on certain days. Overall, adjust as best you can and don't have ridiculous or stupid expectations. None of us are going pro.
Great point KL and will be doing a video covering this sort of stuff also. Growing up playing golf in Scotland can provide first hand testimony of how badly the wind messes with the ball. Was lucky to play the Postage Stamp at Troon once and due to the wind and to cover the huge 123 yards was forced to hit a 4-iron. I still came up short!
So from what I saw the difference between range balls and playing balls is 16yds on a wedge, 1yd on an iron and 9yds on a driver- is that right? I would guess too that age of the ball has an exponential effect as well? I just saw the comment below and can easily follow that reasoning. With a pro on the range the other day and hit a drive that went terribly off line- the pro said: "that wasn't your swing, that was the ball" -- Yes I think the range is there for warmup.
The biggest issue is when you get older balls mixed in with newer ones. You have to separate them and use the old ones to hit chip shots or trouble shots
Range balls are like rocks compared to the balls we use to play. They're meant to last, not be accurate indicators. Range balls will usually reduce your carry distance by about 15 yards unless you have enough speed to be able to compress them which is probably in the neighborhood of 110-120. I was hitting what I thought was 125 yd 7 iron but on a simulator it was 140 which I found hard to believe but the next time I played, I tried 7 at 145 & was just short. Needless to say, it changed my entire iron game. I was hitting it 125-130 because I thought it was as far as I could fly it. When I realized it was the range distance I suddenly started using it for 140-145 & am flying it that far. It's amazing what your mind can make you believe with the wrong information, even in golf. If your range balls have heavy stripes, don't use them for yardage measurements.
Having a clear idea of how far how you hit each club is absolutely critical as you say Mike. My personal view is the best option if you can is to hit 10-20 shots with each iron using the ball you play on the course. After taking out the duffs etc that should give you a good idea of the 'range' you hit each club. Difficulty I know is not everyone has access to a range that lets them do this so a driving range is sometimes the only option which makes it much more difficult.
My closest range has some of the worst balls, some have this insane spin patterns where it can start with a draw to then roll over in the middle of the ballflight to a fade. Atleast the distances are somewhat okay.
It's not easy at a lot of ranges for sure but it's tough to blame them in my view. As long as we're aware of the issue think that's all we can do and realise not all the bad shots may be down to us for a change! 😂
How range owners did you talk to? In my area range owners have moved markers, so the 100 yard marker is about 75, as the range balls only go about 75% as far as “real” balls.
@@GolfingFocus hi, yes the balls they use are floating balls, we hit into a retention pond and buoys are marked with the distance numbers and they say the balls only go 75% the distance of average balls. Not really the best way since we don’t know how far they may roll.
@@baddogdax69 that’s tough indeed to get a fair reflection of distance in that scenario but not a lot you or the range owners can do I suspect. Range always best for honing technique but know it’s always nice to know distance at the same time.
@@GolfingFocus different places. Back yard. Local course practice area. Practice green. Indoor simulator facility. I know my outdoor distances quite well. Simulator distances are always 10-15 yards short.
@@JeffPassageCPA Great stuff. Interesting your simulator distances are 10-15 yards across the bag. Wonder if that's consistent for a lot of people? Will do some digging to see if I can find out.
Interesting, Simulators read me as consistently 10ish yards longer than I am outdoors. That's mostly due to grass adding spin over mats. I always fear this happens to golfers testing clubs on simulators then wondering why they get out on the course and can't hit them as far.
If your trying to learn your distances on a driving range your blowing chunks. A driving range is there for you to practice the motion and process. Anyone that has a decent swing can figure their distances out in 2 rounds. I only turn in 1 out of every 3 scores as I pretty much shoot the same score all the time. When I consistently shoot less than I usually do then I will turn in more scores. Most of the time I play by myself so I'm constantly working on my game and not worrying about a score. When do play with others that used to be better than me, they are generally speechless. Then they ask me if I'm turning in my scores. I've learned to just miss a few more chips and putts. Am I cheating? Maybe but I don't think I should be punished for being more intelligent than most.
@@GolfingFocus I already know what it would be and it's not any different than what it is. I turned in the low scores and I can't beat it. I don't play competitive golf so it doesn't really matter too me. The scrambles I've entered are for cheaters anyway. Anytime an amateur team scores a fifty and beats your teams 58 you learn it's a waist of time. Best ball is the same crap. Guy has an 18 handicap and beats you shooting a 78. Pointless.
@@GolfingFocus plus I think you missed my point. I do alot of experimenting on the course and those scores are higher that when I'm playing my normal game. So in this case my handicap would probably go up and that would be cheating in my opinion. I only turn in my low scores anyway as it's pointless to turn in the higher ones.
We have a self-serve range in our little town. It's pretty nice. Just bring your own balls and pick them up. I'm usually there all by myself, or maybe one other person. So I just bring the same balls I play on the course, mark them with a green dot, and gather them up when I'm done. No ball variations to worry about.
I play twice a week and practice at the range at least twice a week. I frequent two ranges run by municipalities. One does not allow hitting off of real grass - mats only, and while there are flags downrange the ground is hilly so sometimes you don't see where exactly the ball lands. The balls here are range balls but are in decent shape. The other range has beautiful turf to hit off of. I like the well marked targets with yardage flags and markers and a flat landing area. The drawback of this range is the balls are very worn and not replaced often. Either way I try to concentrate on striking the ball pure, grooving my swing, and aiming and accuracy. Distance is a secondary focus during my practice sessions. This has worked for me as I have gone from a 10-12 handicap to a 5 handicap over the last 3 three months.
Awesome, thanks for sharing. Fantastic news about the handicap coming down! Hope it keeps going down also!
Unless you play at a world renown track that has top tier driving range balls, I feel like a driving range should be used to hone in on practice more so than distance (ie making solid contact, working on stuff you’ve been practicing) go to an indoor simulator that has tracman if you want to find your distance
shot tracker, outside, with new balls into a net is the best way. inside practice in booths is terrible for most peoples swings, imo
Agreed Ryan outdoor practice is the ideal but sometimes inside practice on simulators is the only /most convenient option people have to work on their games. Interestingly had my first simulator lesson last week to try it out compared to my normal outdoor lessons and still learnt a lot from the videos and launch monitor numbers. Gave me plenty to work on that's for sure.
Consistency is obviously the issue, so just use range balls on the course.
@@jezusjones4324 Hmm. Not sure the range owners would be happy everyone doing that! 😂
my local range has top tracer, i find it pretty good though a bit long on wedges, accurate on irons, but for longer clubs and in particular driver, recording way under, 30 yards for the driver. I am comparing this to shotscope data so i know my real yardages. This may be due to the range being short of room. If you are in bays towards the edges of the range it will also get direction wrong, either left or right, but you can adjust your aim for that. The best thing about it is being able to play games like virtual golf or approach shot challenges, which adds fun whilst also giving purpose to the session
I practice heavily at a local range with mostly pretty decent balls - yes a few older ones with worn dimples - I use those to warm up with the short irons. TXG posted a video on this topic a while back - their results were somewhat similar - but with a tweak that I think they found that the Driver spun slightly more. I personally also found this and I believe it is somewhat critical if you are using the range to set up your driver. Not knowing this prior to their video, but seeing the results myself when I would go to the course, I found that my setup driver for the range would produce a ball that could fall out of the air on the course - because when using a new expensive ball, that was slightly lower spinning on the driver, it would fall below the optimal range that I found with a range ball. I thus have bumped up my loft, 1-click/degree, which looks a little spinny on the range, but is perfect on the course - the 6 iron being that club in the bag where it mostly transfers - the short irons are longer and the long irons and woods are shorter - all by small amounts.
Very interesting Paul and fantastic you are now so clear on the differences between your range and course shots for your clubs. Think we could all learn alot from doing something similar to make sure we're taking the right info from the range onto the course!
I see a huge difference on two ranges I use, right across the full range of clubs with my own golf balls carrying at least 20% further, even more on the driver. I take no notice of distance and just focus on accuracy.
I think they are! Our ranges have new balls every year, Pinnacle, Bridgestone, Mizuno, Strata, etc. plus a lot regular balls mixed in!
Recently at a yard sale I purchased 4 gallon bags of golf balls mixed makes, decent balls mostly. I would take a bagful to the driving range and generally the real balls were 10-15 yards longer than the range balls off a 7 iron, bout the same of wedges.
Thanks for sharing John. No doubt the quality of the practice balls you are able to use make a big difference.
At my local range the golf balls are all mixed brands in various conditions with cuts and other issues so the only judgment I make is if my contact was pure.
Great approach Bob. How do you judge the contact? Just feel or do you put tape and/or powder on the club face to help?
I usually measure my shots on the course with GPS and a rangefinder to get a better sense of how far I typically hit each club, rather than relying on the range. Though I also take into account top tracer ranges for carry.
Great approach. Driving range distances not always the most reliable for sure! 👍 ruclips.net/video/kv6Zr0XVEi8/видео.html
Wind is a huge deal also. This is why dozens of pros can hit it in the drink from 150 on certain days. Overall, adjust as best you can and don't have ridiculous or stupid expectations. None of us are going pro.
Great point KL and will be doing a video covering this sort of stuff also. Growing up playing golf in Scotland can provide first hand testimony of how badly the wind messes with the ball. Was lucky to play the Postage Stamp at Troon once and due to the wind and to cover the huge 123 yards was forced to hit a 4-iron. I still came up short!
So from what I saw the difference between range balls and playing balls is 16yds on a wedge, 1yd on an iron and 9yds on a driver- is that right? I would guess too that age of the ball has an exponential effect as well? I just saw the comment below and can easily follow that reasoning. With a pro on the range the other day and hit a drive that went terribly off line- the pro said: "that wasn't your swing, that was the ball" -- Yes I think the range is there for warmup.
The biggest issue is when you get older balls mixed in with newer ones. You have to separate them and use the old ones to hit chip shots or trouble shots
Great tip! Don't do this myself but you are spot on and a very easy thing to do to improve driving range practice sessions.
Range balls are like rocks compared to the balls we use to play. They're meant to last, not be accurate indicators. Range balls will usually reduce your carry distance by about 15 yards unless you have enough speed to be able to compress them which is probably in the neighborhood of 110-120. I was hitting what I thought was 125 yd 7 iron but on a simulator it was 140 which I found hard to believe but the next time I played, I tried 7 at 145 & was just short. Needless to say, it changed my entire iron game. I was hitting it 125-130 because I thought it was as far as I could fly it. When I realized it was the range distance I suddenly started using it for 140-145 & am flying it that far. It's amazing what your mind can make you believe with the wrong information, even in golf. If your range balls have heavy stripes, don't use them for yardage measurements.
Having a clear idea of how far how you hit each club is absolutely critical as you say Mike. My personal view is the best option if you can is to hit 10-20 shots with each iron using the ball you play on the course. After taking out the duffs etc that should give you a good idea of the 'range' you hit each club. Difficulty I know is not everyone has access to a range that lets them do this so a driving range is sometimes the only option which makes it much more difficult.
The range at my local course doesn’t have marked distances so I wouldn’t know how far I hit the balls anyway. It’s only useful to work on technique.
Très intéressant, merci d'avoir fait cette vidéo.
Merci beacoup Marc! Très heureux que vous ayez apprécié la vidéo !
My closest range has some of the worst balls, some have this insane spin patterns where it can start with a draw to then roll over in the middle of the ballflight to a fade. Atleast the distances are somewhat okay.
It's not easy at a lot of ranges for sure but it's tough to blame them in my view. As long as we're aware of the issue think that's all we can do and realise not all the bad shots may be down to us for a change! 😂
How range owners did you talk to? In my area range owners have moved markers, so the 100 yard marker is about 75, as the range balls only go about 75% as far as “real” balls.
Thanks for sharing. Did they give a reason why they have done that?
@@GolfingFocus hi, yes the balls they use are floating balls, we hit into a retention pond and buoys are marked with the distance numbers and they say the balls only go 75% the distance of average balls. Not really the best way since we don’t know how far they may roll.
@@baddogdax69 that’s tough indeed to get a fair reflection of distance in that scenario but not a lot you or the range owners can do I suspect. Range always best for honing technique but know it’s always nice to know distance at the same time.
I've quite literally smash several old balls to pieces while at the range. No benefits to my swing practice but boy does it feel good
A good confidence boost on the range every now and then never did anyone any harm! 😀
Are you scottish?
I am indeed Jack.
Range balls wear out your grooves faster too..
Grooves definitely worth checking consistently if you’re practicing a lot, especially with wedges.
I have a gps watch I use on the course so I know how far I hit real golf balls
I avoid the range because the balls aren't worth hitting. I don't like simulators because they rob me of yards.
Where do you do your practising?
@@GolfingFocus different places. Back yard. Local course practice area. Practice green. Indoor simulator facility. I know my outdoor distances quite well. Simulator distances are always 10-15 yards short.
@@JeffPassageCPA Great stuff. Interesting your simulator distances are 10-15 yards across the bag. Wonder if that's consistent for a lot of people? Will do some digging to see if I can find out.
@@GolfingFocus I suppose some will say their simulator distances are spot on. For me, if I try to get more distance on a simulator, I end up hurt.
Interesting, Simulators read me as consistently 10ish yards longer than I am outdoors. That's mostly due to grass adding spin over mats. I always fear this happens to golfers testing clubs on simulators then wondering why they get out on the course and can't hit them as far.
If your trying to learn your distances on a driving range your blowing chunks. A driving range is there for you to practice the motion and process. Anyone that has a decent swing can figure their distances out in 2 rounds. I only turn in 1 out of every 3 scores as I pretty much shoot the same score all the time. When I consistently shoot less than I usually do then I will turn in more scores. Most of the time I play by myself so I'm constantly working on my game and not worrying about a score. When do play with others that used to be better than me, they are generally speechless. Then they ask me if I'm turning in my scores. I've learned to just miss a few more chips and putts. Am I cheating? Maybe but I don't think I should be punished for being more intelligent than most.
Not sure I would want to play you in a handicap competition! 😀 Why not turn them all in and see how low you can get your handicap?
@@GolfingFocus I already know what it would be and it's not any different than what it is. I turned in the low scores and I can't beat it. I don't play competitive golf so it doesn't really matter too me. The scrambles I've entered are for cheaters anyway. Anytime an amateur team scores a fifty and beats your teams 58 you learn it's a waist of time. Best ball is the same crap. Guy has an 18 handicap and beats you shooting a 78. Pointless.
@@GolfingFocus plus I think you missed my point. I do alot of experimenting on the course and those scores are higher that when I'm playing my normal game. So in this case my handicap would probably go up and that would be cheating in my opinion. I only turn in my low scores anyway as it's pointless to turn in the higher ones.