How do you shake a bad range session?

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By Brandon P

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  • 35 Replies
  1. Military

    I have been playing well all season (usually around +7) but today I had a horrible range session. It was really bad. If it wasn’t thin, it was sh@nked. My question is how do you shake those bad shots when they were so consistent (the majority of a large bucket of balls)? I know those horrible shots will be the only thing I can think about the next time I play. It usually takes time of consistently playing well to shake those shots from my mind but it has me really nervous about my next round. I appreciate the inputs.

  2. Dale V

    Dale V
    Surprise AZ

    I usually start back with some fundamentals using my alignment sticks and spend the first part of the next session with more half speed pitch shots before going to full shots. If it really bad I will do a complete range session with just a short iron, like a pitching wedge or 9 iron to build some confidence. Sometimes it just getting away from it for a few days.
  3. We have all been there Brandon but that doesn't help you
    Think of how well you are playing and pick a couple of you best shots to give you positive affirmations
    Just like one poor round won't spoil a good summer of successful golf a bad range session will be a distant memory next week
  4. Jeff M

    Jeff M
    North Carolina

    I usually take a few days without touching the clubs, or if I really feel the need to go to the course, I'll just go putt and chip, get my confidence up around the greens, then come back to the range with a fresh mind. Then it's back to basics, make sure my setup is correct and swing tempo is good, everything else then falls into place. I've made a point to use an alignment aid for part of every range session now, too many times in the past I was hitting consistently wayward shots and spent an entire bucket of balls trying to figure it out, only to find it was simply down to aiming wrong, and subconsciously I was overcompensating.
  5. Todd T

    Todd T
    San Diego, CA

    Military
    If its going bad I'll try to hit one really good shot to leave on, or hit the putting green and sink a few shorties.. Whatever I do, I have to leave on a good note.
  6. Dennis M

    Dennis M
    Miami, FL

    Since I'm about as far from a pro as anyone can get, I should probably tell the truth and say I just quit, then go do something else I can do really well, like over eat.

    If I'm hitting a bucket and things aren't as I like them, I try to hit the last 3-4 balls with a club I've hit better than others. It could be anything, driver, long iron, middle iron, short iron, or even just a matter of stepping over to the practice green for a while. My main focus is to take home the memory of 3-4 good shots at the end.

    I'm not the best in the world at putting things behind me, so the next time I go to the range, I try to loosen up and start hitting the first few balls with whatever club I was hitting well the last session or last round.

    Yeah, I'm a head case...
  7. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military
    I go see my pro and explain the issues, get professional advice and back to the range. Normally it is a simple fix.
  8. Christopher V

    Christopher V
    Edmond, OK

    A Club Special
  9. Darryl M

    Darryl M
    Wichita, KS

    Next time you go to the range or hit the range before you play. Hit 2-4 balls with 3-4 different clubs then go hit some chips & putts. I have found for myself usually it is a simple rhythm thing so start with slow easy swings for good contact. Don't even pick a target or worry about distance and see how that goes.

    As for what I do, I forget it and go to the range a few days or a week later & start once again doing my normal routine. But I have a short memory even on the course. Now if I have 2 terrible range & rounds in a row, then I call my swing guy.....

    Hope that helps
    DM
  10. Andrew F

    Andrew F
    Pueblo, CO

    Military
    Just keep grinding! If you think about it nothing changes. Loosen your grip and just swing!
  11. No joke, I *** about it to my wife or my kid or my dog, which ever will listen for the few minutes and then I sleep it off. The next day I’ll take out my alignment sticks and go in front of the mirror and work on basic mechanics. And lastly I tell my self to never have a bad day again.
  12. Military
    I appreciate the input Gents. I decided to go play an easy course to get some confidence back and it worked, some.
  13. Bill L

    Bill L
    Spring, TX

    A couple of sips of single malt and a good nights rest works for me.
  14. Eric H

    Eric H
    Ridgway, PA

    The crazy thing about golf is seems like it takes 5000 shots to build confidence and only 1 to shatter it!
  15. Team Titleist Staff
    Brandon, when things go sideways for me on the range, my go-to is always short little 9-to-3 shots with an 8- or 9-iron. Keeping the swing small (hip height to hip height) and hitting little knock-down's always helps me get back to a solid impact position again. Once I find the middle of the face and start hitting some solid shots, I'll VERY GRADUALLY swing a little fuller, keeping that thought of impact in my mind. Never bad to spend some time on that fundamental.

    Good luck!

  16. David ARK

    David ARK
    Long Beach, NY

    We have all been there buddy! I usually just put down the clubs for a day or two. I take more of a mental break. Then get back to grinding it out. When i start back up again, i will usually just focus on putting and chipping. Next, ill just focus on wedges, again building back my tempo and concentrate on making solid contact. . My orange whip swing trainer is great for that! Eventually work my way up the set. My swing eventually comes around, just takes work. Just never give up and keep going after it. Good Luck!
  17. I'll 2nd what Dale V said earlier. If I see a range session going in the wrong direction, I will go to a club i'm very comfortable with (typically my 54° Vokey) and hit as many balls as I can at as many yardages as I can. Half swings, pitch shots, full shots etc.... If at all possible, I try to add another range session before my next round as well to keep good momentum going into the course. Hope you're able to shake it off! It happens to all of us one time or another.
  18. Jim C

    Jim C
    Duxbury, MA

    For better or worse, my range sessions tend to be feast or famine. This past Sunday, before the second round of my club's first two day member/member, I must have shanked ten shots in a row. Put the irons away, grabbed the driver and striped three in a row, packed up and left the range.

    Since this happens more than I'd like to admit, it doesn't shake my confidence in the least. Leaving all bad thoughts at the range, I shot a 73 in tough conditions.

    Golf is hard, don't let it get you down!
  19. Jim S

    Jim S
    East Point, GA

    Just shake it off, its something that happens to everyone.Take the rest of the day off and forget about it. The next day go back and hit half shots ,then work on fundamentals it will come back to you.
  20. Tosh.

    Tosh.
    Dundee,Scotland.

    That’s easy I go out and have a worse 18 holes and booooom bad day at the range forgotten.........
  21. MattH

    MattH
    Peterborough, England

    Go and play a few holes! A couple of lost ProV1s will soon have you forgetting how bad the range session was
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