For many golfers, a trip to the driving range involves taking out a bucket of balls, selecting a club and hitting shot after shot towards the same target. While this might feel productive, are you actually practising in a way that will help you perform better on the golf course?
One of the biggest differences between practising on the driving range and playing golf is that, on the course, you rarely hit the same club to the same target twice in succession. Every shot presents a different challenge, requiring you to adjust your setup, visualise a new target and prepare yourself for the next shot.
If you want to get more from your practice time, it’s important to make your driving range sessions as realistic and purposeful as possible.
Here are five ways to make your next driving range session more effective.
One of the most valuable things you can practise at the driving range is your pre-shot routine.
A consistent routine helps you prepare for every shot in the same way, allowing you to develop a repeatable process that you can rely on when playing on the golf course.
Rather than simply standing behind the ball and hitting it, take the time to:
The exact routine will vary from golfer to golfer, but the important thing is to develop a process that feels natural, comfortable and repeatable.
Try to use this routine before every shot, even when practising with a wedge or hitting relatively straightforward shots.
Remember, you’re not just practising your golf swing; you’re practising how to prepare yourself to hit a golf shot.
It’s very easy to fall into the habit of hitting every ball towards the same target on the driving range.
Although this can be useful when working on a particular technical aspect of your swing, it doesn’t necessarily prepare you for the variety of shots you’ll face on the course.
Instead, make a conscious effort to pick a different target for each shot.
For example, you could:
Changing targets encourages you to become more engaged with every shot. It also helps develop your ability to visualise shots, establish alignment and commit to a specific intention.
Rather than simply hitting balls, you’re giving every shot a purpose.
One of the biggest mistakes golfers make when practising is hitting too many consecutive shots with the same club.
Think about playing a round of golf. You might hit a driver off the first tee, followed by a mid-iron into the green. At the next hole, you could be hitting a wedge into a par four or a hybrid into a par three.
You’re constantly changing clubs, adapting your setup and adjusting your swing.
Your practice should reflect this.
Instead of hitting 15 drivers in a row, try changing clubs after every shot or two.
For example:
This encourages you to become comfortable transitioning between different clubs, ball positions, postures and swing lengths.
It also helps develop your ability to adjust your tempo and rhythm depending on the club you’re using.
A driver requires a different setup and movement to a short iron or wedge. Regularly changing clubs helps you become more adaptable and comfortable making these adjustments without having to consciously think about every little detail.
Ultimately, the goal is to make changing clubs feel seamless, just as it should when you’re out on the golf course.
It’s easy to judge a driving range session by how many golf balls you’ve hit, but hitting more balls doesn’t necessarily mean you’re practising more effectively.
Quality is far more important than quantity.
Before starting your session, think about what you want to achieve. This could be working on a particular technical aspect of your swing, improving your ball striking or developing greater consistency with your pre-shot routine.
Give yourself enough time between shots to think about what you’re trying to achieve.
Avoid rushing from one ball to the next. Take a moment to assess the previous shot, identify what happened and prepare for the next one.
If you’re working on a technical change, spend some time making the necessary adjustments before gradually introducing more target-based practice.
The important thing is to understand the purpose of your session and make sure your practice reflects it.
One of my favourite ways to make driving range practice more interesting and effective is to recreate situations you might experience on the golf course.
Rather than simply hitting individual shots, challenge yourself to play imaginary holes.
For example, imagine you’re playing a par four:
You could even introduce a scoring system.
Give yourself points for hitting your intended target, achieving your desired ball flight or successfully executing the shot you’ve visualised.
This introduces an element of pressure and encourages you to focus on executing individual shots rather than simply hitting good-looking golf shots.
It also helps develop the ability to switch between clubs, targets and shot requirements, making your practice much more representative of playing golf.
The next time you visit the driving range, try to move away from simply hitting one ball after another.
Develop a consistent pre-shot routine, select different targets, change clubs regularly and give every shot a purpose.
Most importantly, remember that the ultimate goal of practice is to improve your performance on the golf course.
You don’t need to hit 100 balls perfectly to have a successful practice session. Sometimes, 30 or 40 well-planned, purposeful shots can provide far greater benefit than an entire bucket hit without much thought.
Practise how you play, make every shot count and give yourself the best opportunity to take your improvements from the driving range onto the golf course.
If you’re looking to improve your ball striking, develop greater consistency or simply get more enjoyment from your golf, personalised coaching can help you understand what to work on and how to practise more effectively.
As a PGA Professional based in Bristol, I offer individual golf lessons tailored to your game, abilities and goals.
Interested in lessons or have a question? Send me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Email: alex@alexmunrogolf.com
Phone: 07960404806