Practice or Play

[Bigwill]

Out of curiosity, I was wondering which (range work or playing rounds), elicits greater improvements in the scores of the members here (assuming that doing both would be optimal).

Also, maybe the instructors (or anybody else, for that matter) could weigh in on why they think one would work better for certain individuals than the other.

For me, playing seems to bring improvement much faster than range work.

 

[2mongoose]

Range work for me and it's not close.

If I had the choice though, I would be able to re-create my habits growing up and practice while I'm playing. I'd play several balls, throw some balls down in the bunker, chip on a particular green for 15 min, etc. etc.

Those were the days!

 

[suns11111]

Play is my key most of the time (range if I am warming up or completely lost). Late nite after league I sneak out or a early on a week day morning and play a few holes. Hit a few drives, mix up tee boxes, chipping around greens, wedges, irons. I try something different each hole and move on....especially if I have to work at 8am! Key stay at the same pace as a normal round hence key on one thing and play another hole or cut over. Practice greens and chipping areas seem to never be the same on the course. My thoughts.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

range if you don't have a swing, play more if you do.

 

[Dustin]

range if you don't have a swing, play more if you do.

I think that is true. I worked hard at the range for a long time, resulting in lower scores, but then I hit a wall around 80. From here, I feel like its all about scoring, and in my opinion, you don't learn scoring at the range. I play a lot more now and when I want to work on things, I take a few balls to the course and work on them there. I now shoot in the 70s (still throw up 80s too) a lot more often, and I attribute a lot of it to getting out and learning how to get the ball in the hole in few strokes...not caring as much for how my swing looks, and how good I can groove a 5 iron to a pin on the range.

Also...its worth mentioning that I've played golf w/ guys that looked scratch on the range, and couldn't break 80 on the course for anything. Short game and scoring is the key to lowering that handicap!

 

[curtisj76]

Yeah it's a lot easier to hit balls on the range. Even if you pick a target there's really not any pressure. If you mis hit, oh well, move on to the next ball. On the course, mis hit, oh chit, add 2 or 3 more strokes.

For the past few years I've been so busy I've mostly hit balls out of my garage. I've played a few rounds here and there but not much. This year I'm thinking about joining the course in town and am excited to see what I can actually do. It's been about 5 years since I played a lot and I know my swing is MUCH better now.

PS Dito on Dustin's post

 

[otto6457]

range if you don't have a swing, play more if you do.

Bingo!!!!

Hopefully, there's much more "playing" for me this year than last.

 

[tongzilla]

I see where Jim is coming from. But I'll be unpopular here by disagreeing. Whether you have a reasonable swing or not you should get on the golf course quite frequently. It will strengthen your mental game and you learn how to manage your game when you're not hitting it well. You learn how to 'clear your mind' and get around with your C-game with skillful pitching, chipping and putting.

 

[matt kluck]

Response to Tong

Tong,
Playing is more important to those who need to hone their skills on the course and practice is for those who need mechanical improvement. Mechanics create feel and feel needs to be perfected on the golf course so a mix, condusive to the players' skill level is desirable. We learn to score on the course and we learn to fit our ball flight pattern to each individual hole. Similarity in flight pattern is determined by similarity in mechanics. Predictability is a most desirable trait in a golfer/player!

 

[cmartingolf]

Course vs Range

I've had some neat breakthroughs with students on the course.

IF....a player has a functional grip and a weak impact condition I've had some luck teaching players a "shot." They think they are learning how to hit a particular shot but the underlying theme is fixing their impact conditions. After a couple of strong strikes, they generally teach themselves about the benefits of a forward leaning shaft. The bump and run into the wind from 75 to 125 helps a lot of folks and they don't even know it! Work them back and their punch shot goes farther than their full swing in many cases.

The range doesn't give the student the feeling they are learning a shot and rather that they are being treated for an ailment. Learning seems to be easier on the course if tact is used.

 

[Bigwill]

Range work, for me, lends itself to tinkering (trying "new swings"). When on the course, I focus less on my swing and more on trying to get the ball in the hole. As a high handicap, I always figure that I needed to fix my swing, and that would lead to better scores. After looking back, I think that was the wrong approach for me. This year, I'm going lean toward being less technical, less swing oriented, trusting my instincts. The best players I know played way more than they hit the range. In light of the state of my game, and the way I've gone about getting better, I think that I'm going to play more than I practice, and see where that gets me.

 

[curtisj76]

I think you hit the nail on the head (at least for me) Bigwill. I seriously have about 4 decent swings I can play with. Comes from too many internet forums (only TGM) and hours in my garage. I need to pick 1, and stick with it. Right now I'm having the best luck with the Tomasello "way".