Like most of you I try to get out to the golf range a few times a week to improve/groove my swing and short game. So I hit thousands of balls a year on a perfectly flat lie yet when I'm on the course around 50% of the shots for me are normally uneven lies of some kind (I wish I hit the fairway more often but just being real here.) Am I wasting time on the range? Would it make more sense to go out later in the day and just practice playing 9 holes with multiple balls? Imagine you're a basketball player and you practice only on a hoop that changes the height 50% of the time yet you play the actual game on a perfectly flat court. How good would you be? I know Tom has said we have the only game where we don't practice on where we play but as Mr. Wonderful on Shark Tank say's should we "Stop the Madness"? It's probably not one of the other but a mix of both but I sometimes wonder about the driving range logic. Curious if others have found a good practice system that works for them.
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This may sound crazy but could I stick a 3/4" plywood board under mat to simulate both uneven scenarios at home? I may just do this. 3/4"(+-) should satsfy many conditions! Heck could bring a board like that to range too.
Most excellent, @GolfLivesMatter!! We could all benefit from playing "exaggerated golf", because that seemingly excessive "feel" is likely very close to the reality we are seeking!
Great playing!!
I love the range because that's where I do all of my over-exaggerated feels practicing. The funny thing is when I video my "exaggerated" movements they're PERFECT! So now I go out to the course and play "exaggerated golf". Two rounds ago I shot 71 which is my lowest score since following Tom's program on YT and now as a student.
My two cents on this, @kelton4: Mix it up with a bit of both! If you have the opportunity to play late-day multiple-ball rounds, then by all means incorporate that into your practice. Sure - there are benefits to being able to work on our swings in the sterile laboratory conditions offered by the range, but there are indeed limitations to them as well in terms of being able to take it to the course. Also, if your range offers sidehill, uphill, and/or downhill lies, take advantage of those. Give yourself some crappy lies - even on the flat sections - and figure them out. If you have a practice bunker, work not only on your sand game but also on shots you'll need to get over a bunker to various hole locations. Etc...