Tips for the driving range - help a brotha' out

[erikiksaz]

My friends and i have just started into golfing, more specifically, the driving range. We're pretty much complete golf newbies. But, after two days at the range, most of us score in the 100 range. My max is 150, whereas my friend's max is 170. We're just using normal 7 irons (is that the term?) Any tips, suggestions, hints?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

uh you mean 150 yards on a 7 iron? or 150 for 18 holes?


doesn't really matter.


your swing should be nice and easy while you keep your head still and your eye on the ball. look up on the web for pics of a proper grip.

Your goal should be consistency NOT distance.

 

[erikiksaz]

I was actually pretty consistent today. My friends and i were playing a game. It was pretty much who could hit the furthest, with 7 rounds. I won twice in a row, with all my shots hitting around the 100. Good day for me 😀 Searching on google for golf seems to be harder than i thought, how odd...

 

[EvilYoda]

So much to say....don't over-rotate....make sure your down-swing is from in to out (coming down, you want it towards your right foot, and then swing out, rather than starting on the outside like a baseball swing).....keep your left arm straight and watch your wrists, they should have the same positions from when you start the swing and when you swing through......keep your right elbow tucked in towards your chest.........

Most basically, concentrate on every swing.......you'll know when it was a good one, so think back to what felt good, what was different, what was the same.

 

[axelfox]

get some lessons, golf will be more fun.

 

[bizmark]

whatever you do, DON'T try to hit the ball as hard as you can!!! It will only screw you up. You can make it go a lot farther with a nice, relaxed, easy swing that makes solid contact than you can by muscling the club downward at 200 miles per hour and catching the top of the ball. The length of the club gives you all the mechanical advantage you need to get the ball to go reaaaally far, and adding force won't help at all if you're a n00b. Also, relax your grip -- you're not trying to choke the club to death. You want to hold it fairly lightly in your hands, so that if someone jerked on the end of it they would probably be able to pull it out of your hands.

Also, use golf clubs that fit you. I use my dad's old set, and if I'm wearing too thick shoes (i.e. my Doc sandals) I'll always come down on top of the ball at the driving range. (I'm about 3 inches taller than my dad.) The last time I was out at the range, I took off my shoes and swung in my bare feet -- I actually hit the ball well, consistently!

BTW you don't "score" at the driving range 😛 A real golf game requires shots from a variety of distances. You ought to both decide on a certain point for each round (far, near, middle, left, right, wherever) and see who can get closest to it... not just whoever can whack it the farthest. It's really awesome to use a wedge to chunk a ball seemingly straight up, come down in a perfect arc and then have it land about 50 yards in front of you 🙂

 

[Doggiedog]

170 yards for a 7 iron is good as long as you don't line drive it 170 yards. 🙂

 

[Spac3d]

Get a subscription to a golf magazine. They have pretty good tips and if its monthly, just work on those tips for a month. Within a year, you will get a lot better.

Dont try to hit the ball as far as you can. Saying that you are a beginner, you could really hurt your back if you dont have proper form and you try and wail on the ball. A nice easy swing will lead to the ball going further and I am sure thats what you want.

Don't grip the club tight, keep it nice and loose as if you were holding a small animal - it will help you gain consistency and distance.

Spac3d

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

don't forget to spend some time on the putting green. Over half your score is accumilated on or near the green.

 

[MainFramed]

Originally posted by: axelfox
get some lessons, golf will be more fun.

do that and while your at it, you might wanna tie a rope from ya balls to your neck so you can keep your head down when you hit the ball 🙂

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: yamahaXS
don't forget to spend some time on the putting green. Over half your score is accumilated on or near the green.

Yes, and also work on your chipping and pitching. You can just as easily throw away strokes mischipping as you can driving a ball into the woods.

 

[DeafeningSilence]

I'm a new golf player as well. Here's a site with plenty of help for you.

 

[vi edit]

Yes, and also work on your chipping and pitching.

UUUUHG! No kidding! Nothing more depressing than being able to crush a 285 yard drive, landing it 50 yards from the green and then taking three more shots before you even bust out your putter. ARGG!!!

It doesn't mattter how I change up my shot, I STILL can't manage to get any loft on my small irons(7, 9, pitch...especially the pitching wedge). I *think* some of it is due to poorly fitting irons, but that's not all of it.

 

[bizmark]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Yes, and also work on your chipping and pitching.

UUUUHG! No kidding! Nothing more depressing than being able to crush a 285 yard drive, landing it 50 yards from the green and then taking three more shots before you even bust out your putter. ARGG!!!

It doesn't mattter how I change up my shot, I STILL can't manage to get any loft on my small irons(7, 9, pitch...especially the pitching wedge). I *think* some of it is due to poorly fitting irons, but that's not all of it.

Wow, that's crazy, those are the easiest clubs to get loft with.... hmm, definitely try some longer ones... or try taking your shoes off 😛 and do you know the correct stance for shorter clubs?

1) You've got to stand a lot closer to the ball - for a pitching wedge, the club should be close to vertical, the opposite of a driver where you're standing out away from the ball and the club makes something like a 45-degree angle with the ground. When you've got an ultra-short club like a sand wedge, sometimes it will feel like you're standing directly over the ball, especially in comparison to your stance when you're using your driver, where you're a good 2-3 feet from the ball.

2) You should have the ball in the middle of your stance, a lot closer to your back foot than with longer clubs (i.e. with your driver, you should line up with the ball directly in front of your forward foot (left foot if you play right-handed)).

3) Same advice as always: keep your eye on the ball (often failure to get loft is a sign of 'pulling up' at the last minute, striking the ball with the bottom edge of the clubhead rather than the face of the club... this doesn't happen if you really keep your eye on the ball -- even past the point of contact, keep staring at where the ball was. Keep your head in the exact same position from the moment you start your backswing until the moment you're done with the follow-through); grip the club lightly; swing easily and don't try to kill the ball; have a good, smooth, solid follow-through (this is actually a lot more important for high-loft clubs than for low-loft clubs.... you'll actually carry the ball with the clubhead for a short time, especially in chipping situations).