Why is it that many Golfers can’t take their smooth, consistent golf swing from the driving range to the golf course? Where did it go?

Well, before we can explain the reason why your golf swing disappears … I need to ask this statement: “Name another sport besides Golf where your practice is not performed on the field of play.”

Where do you practice basketball? Basketball court. Baseball? Baseball field. Tennis? Tennis court. Hockey? Hockey rink. Skiing? Ski Slope. Golf? Driving range.

All those sports besides golf practice in the exact same (or very similar) fields/courts as where they will play the actual game. Golf? We practice on the driving range but play on the golf course. All those sports practice on a field/court with the same dimensions as they would use during the actual game.

Golf? We practice on a wide driving range, hitting from a flat surface with perfectly manicured turf, while having the ability to hit golf balls at our own pace … but play on a narrow golf course that includes trees, water, sand, rough, out of bounds, sidehill shots, uphill shots, downhill shots and are also playing at the pace of the other Golfers in front of you, with you and worst of all … behind you.

It is no wonder why so many Golfers struggle to take the Driving Range Swing they created on the practice area out onto the golf course.

For example: on the driving range most Golfers start with their shortest clubs (sand wedge or pitching wedge) and continually move to a longer club. A dozen wedges, then a bunch of 8 irons, a few 5 irons, hit some hybrids, a fairway wood or two, then Driver. From your shortest club to your longest club.

But that means you’re practicing completely backwards from how you play on the golf course. What club do you start with on the golf course? Do you tee off with your wedge? Then move to your 7 iron … then as you get closer to the green … hit your hybrid?

No, you mainly start with your Driver and every shot you move to a shorter club until you end the hole with the shortest … your putter. Then you start the next hole with the longest club you’ll play on that hole … and every shot your club will get shorter until the golf ball is in the hole.

It’s no wonder many Golfers struggle to take their Driving Range Swing to the golf course … you’re practicing completely opposite on the driving range versus how you play on the golf course.

You’re practicing your golf swing on the driving range going from short club to long club … but you’re playing on the golf course from long club to short club.

How else do you practice differently from how you play?

Well … how many wedges do you hit in a row on the practice range to the exact same distance? Five, six, seven wedge shots in a row to the same distance? How many wedges do you hit in a row on the golf course to the same distance? Hopefully just one.

What about your 7 iron? How many 7 irons do you hit consecutively on the golf course? How many Drivers do you hit consecutively on the golf course?

But I’m constantly seeing Golfers hitting 5, 6, 7, 10, 15, 20 Drivers consecutively on the driving range. But then when I see these Golfers go to the golf course … I see them constantly frustrated with how inconsistent they are hitting their Driver. On the golf course, you do not have the luxury of hitting one shot, tweaking your swing on your next swing, then making a correction on the next swing, etc … and then taking the best shot out of all of them and counting it as one shot on your scorecard.

So why are you practicing that way? All you’re doing is setting yourself up for failure and frustration on the golf course because you’re practicing differently than you play.

Golf is the only game I know that your practice is done … not on the field of play.

So you better learn how to practice as opposed to just going to the driving range and hitting golf balls. Because even though you may say that you are practicing your golf swing … you are not practicing anything other than a Driving Range Swing.

And I have seen 1,000’s of great Driving Range Swings that have never been able to stay consistent enough to break 90 on the golf course. I want you to be able to hit the golf ball as well on the golf course as you do on the driving range!

If you want to improve on the golf course … one of your first tasks is learning how to practice your golf swing and not just continually hitting golf balls as you develop an inconsistent Driving Range Swing.

The Monkey will just go to the driving range and continue hitting golf balls like he/she always does

The Player understands that there is a huge difference between a Driving Range Swing and golf swing that holds up on the golf course.
Go ahead … be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon, PGA