best range day ever

[Chip]

I've been hitting well but not great recently. got lt2s with stiff shafts and my distances were a little shorter than what id grown accustomed too. i knew i wasnt releasing well either. and the ball was fading when i wasnt trying to get that action.

ive been playing for several years, but today was hands down the best range day ever. hit 300 balls (i know the guy at the proshop so he hooks me up), maybe mis hit 5. killing the targets.working the ball both ways and hitting the fence on the drive. it was beautiful.

Obviously, if you are solid golfer these concepts might seem trivial to you but
here were the adjustments and realizations that made the difference for me:

1. for all swings: for the first time i tried to have my wrist totally flat at the apex of my backswing. Its amazing how much simpler the swing feels and it keeps the face far more square than when cupping the wrist back by a few degrees.

2. for all swings: rather than try and exert any force on the beginning of the downswing, the first move down was "effortless"---for a single micro second i just let my hand fall with gravity and it gets me on an inside path. Equally important, is that by not trying to control the head, your hands get ahead of the club making the club release into the ball as it catches up.

3. for all swings: I've been trying to learn to work the ball for about a year now with some success. But today was different: it was a grip issue: of course to draw I was making my lead hand stronger and for a fade weaker. But, incredibly stupidly, I hadnt realized that any change with the lead hand needs to be mirrored in the trailing hand (i.e. the Vs should always be pointing to the same point). What a difference.

4. for the driver: now this was stupid, but it had never really occurred to me---until last night: i recentyl traded in the r5 for the r7 ht, stiff shaft---and found i havcent been making good contact. Didnt feel like i consistently hit the sweet spot. But here was my realization that made an incredible difference: At address, my club was grounded and from that position I would square the face to the ball (i.e. line up the ball with the center fo the club face. But of course, what I've been failing to realize was that the ball is 2+ inches off the ground---and a club that is centered when grounded is going to hit off the heel when swung properly from that position. The fix is obvious: either 1. at address, dont center the club while grounding it---but rather when its hovering exactly over the ball. OR ground the driver and line it up closer to the toe.

Anyways, this worked fantastically well for me today in a no-pressure situation and im feeling great. Crossing my fingers that the shots stay true on the course...guess we'll see this weekend.

thoughts, comments, suggestions appreciated.

[Montagle]

Chip,

Any player who can work winter range balls both ways off an astroturf mat has my vote as supreme player.

Keep up the blistering range sessions and keep us posted on how many mishits per 300 balls.

You rock.

[ce_me_golf]

I've been hitting well but not great recently. got lt2s with stiff shafts and my distances were a little shorter than what id grown accustomed too. i knew i wasnt releasing well either. and the ball was fading when i wasnt trying to get that action.

ive been playing for several years, but today was hands down the best range day ever. hit 300 balls (i know the guy at the proshop so he hooks me up), maybe mis hit 5. killing the targets.working the ball both ways and hitting the fence on the drive. it was beautiful.

Obviously, if you are solid golfer these concepts might seem trivial to you but
here were the adjustments and realizations that made the difference for me:

1. for all swings: for the first time i tried to have my wrist totally flat at the apex of my backswing. Its amazing how much simpler the swing feels and it keeps the face far more square than when cupping the wrist back by a few degrees.

2. for all swings: rather than try and exert any force on the beginning of the downswing, the first move down was "effortless"---for a single micro second i just let my hand fall with gravity and it gets me on an inside path. Equally important, is that by not trying to control the head, your hands get ahead of the club making the club release into the ball as it catches up.

3. for all swings: I've been trying to learn to work the ball for about a year now with some success. But today was different: it was a grip issue: of course to draw I was making my lead hand stronger and for a fade weaker. But, incredibly stupidly, I hadnt realized that any change with the lead hand needs to be mirrored in the trailing hand (i.e. the Vs should always be pointing to the same point). What a difference.

4. for the driver: now this was stupid, but it had never really occurred to me---until last night: i recentyl traded in the r5 for the r7 ht, stiff shaft---and found i havcent been making good contact. Didnt feel like i consistently hit the sweet spot. But here was my realization that made an incredible difference: At address, my club was grounded and from that position I would square the face to the ball (i.e. line up the ball with the center fo the club face. But of course, what I've been failing to realize was that the ball is 2+ inches off the ground---and a club that is centered when grounded is going to hit off the heel when swung properly from that position. The fix is obvious: either 1. at address, dont center the club while grounding it---but rather when its hovering exactly over the ball. OR ground the driver and line it up closer to the toe.

Anyways, this worked fantastically well for me today in a no-pressure situation and im feeling great. Crossing my fingers that the shots stay true on the course...guess we'll see this weekend.

thoughts, comments, suggestions appreciated.

It's great your game is making progress. Now just ingrain what you got out of that range session so it's a natural part of your game and TAKE IT TO THE COURSE!