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The Driving Range – Tips to Help You Focus

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If you’re like me, you love to go the driving range and get all your aggression out with your driver.  Well, instead of showing off to everyone how you do your best ‘John Daly’, try a different approach.

Keep in mind that we are human beings and our bodies and muscles need to be warm and stretched before powering through a golf ball with a club.  Give yourself a good stretch, especially your lower back and legs.  A standard stretch to the floor to touch your toes will help loosen up your hamstrings and lower back – hold it for 30 seconds.  Then grab a wedge and slowly swing it back and forth 20 or 30 times to loosen up your arms and back muscles.

Begin your practice with your short wedges then work up from your 9 iron through your lowest iron.  Statistics show that a majority of your golf score is determined from about 200 yards and in.  After about 15 balls with the wedges and irons, then you should hit your hybrids and drivers.

Once you’re warm, take a few swings with the driver. Closely analyze the ball trajectory and see if you need to fix a hook or a slice.  If you notice a slice, perhaps you should realign your stance and grip – same with the draw.

Lastly, always play a little game with yourself on the range.  Pretend that you are a pro golfer or in a local tournament – so stay focused.   Take a ball and hit your driver down the range just as if you are on the 1st tee.  Then with the next ball, pick a target and line it up as if it is your second shot to the green (say 140 yards out).  Continue to do this with the next 20-30 balls….essentially you just played 10-15 holes on the range (without putting).

Something I enjoy doing after my bucket is empty is to move on to the chipping green for a 15 minute session of chipping continuously.   Likewise, 15 minutes of putting will give you a solid 1 hour practice session to cover all the essentials.

One last little tip – I normally save the putting for last and force myself to make puts or I cannot go home. Example – take 10 balls and putt them from over 10 feet.  When I 2-putt all 10, I can go home. Until then, I keep trying – even if its dark.

Practice makes perfect…or at least in this game, it helps.

Michael Fasano is the co-founder of Golficity, LLC, co-host of The Golf Podcast and is extremely obsessed with golf. As an amateur golfer and writer, Michael loves playing the game and sharing his knowledge of what has made him such a great player in a short period of time.

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