Stop Hitting Driver on The Range and Start Hitting Better Tee Shots
Who doesn’t love to hit that great tee shot with their driver? Most of us hit that great shot far less frequently than we would like. Large sums of money and countless hours of time have been spent on the driving range with most often disappointing results. I know this because of my personal experience in doing just that. Fortunately, I now have transformed my driving of the golf ball to become the best part of my game. My technique would surprise most golfers. If practicing alone, I stopped hitting my driver on the range. If taking a lesson with my instructor I would hit driver with his observation and feedback. Once I stopped pursuing my playing career, I ceased hitting all drivers on the range. Yesterday I had one of the most effortless driving rounds of recent memory, and it was with a new driver that I have used exactly 3 times prior. It is hard to fathom not practicing something to become better at it, but most of us who drive a vehicle will agree that it doesn’t require any extra practice to drive every day in many different circumstances. In the next couple paragraphs, I will outline the typical experience that people have when trying to improve driver by way of unguided practice. I think you will find that we all make it far more difficult that it needs to be. Finally, I’ll tie it back into how hitting zero drivers on the range will improve your game drastically.
Think about the last time that you went to the range. What club did you start hitting? Which club did you hit the most? Which club required the most effort to hit? For most, the answer to all three questions will be your driver. If we then look at a typical round of golf, we might hit 14 drives, hitting driver on every hole other than par 3’s. At the bare minimum you will hit about 22-30 iron shots, have around 30 putts, and some short game shots sprinkled in. If we break down our practice into those areas, then we can see that driver is roughly the third largest component. It should be slightly apparent on the surface, as to why it is a good idea to reduce the amount of driver practice. Say for example you just got a lesson on hitting driver, and you want to practice today before your big game on Wednesday. Tuesday afternoon you go to the range to get ready for tomorrow and find that your primary focus is on that driver lesson. You initiate your practice by hitting some other clubs, but quickly move into the big stuff, because you are excited, and you pull out the driver. You try to recall the lesson, maybe do a couple drills, then start hitting away. My experience was this: the first poor drive I hit, would lead me to rake another ball quickly. That next one might be slightly better, but now I am on the hunt for the swing and begin rapidly firing a random quantity of golf balls into oblivion. Unaware of the fact that I am only hitting my driver, but completely consumed with the many places that the golf ball can land. No doubt, our intentions to practice are usually good, but our excitement can soon take us down a path of extreme frustration. Another common practice scenario is right before teeing off. Most people try to have a little warm up prior to playing on the course. If the driver comes out at this time, it could create some real issues for the casual golfer. The general purpose of our warm-up should be to loosen any tight muscles. Many people use a warm-up time to relieve anxiety or insecurity that they have prior to their golf round. Typically, this has the opposite effect. Once we hit the driver in the warm-up, we create a preconceived notion of how we will hit the driver that day. That usually ends up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.
It may not yet seem apparent, but if we reduce the amount of time and energy allocated to our driver practice, we may improve our chances of hitting better, more consistent drives. I am not saying to put zero time and effort into it, but any time spent should be, at the very least, with a person who can line you up and provide feedback after each shot. By not using 50% of our practice hitting our driver we can reallocate some of that time to practice with our mid or longer irons, which most people tend to avoid. Personally, I only hit 7 iron for practice. The 7 iron is in middle range of my bag and can easily translate to my longer and shorter clubs with little adjustment. Putt for 15 minutes prior to your round. You may be surprised to find the extra time putting can be far more rewarding than hitting a jumbo bucket with your driver before you tee off. An argument could be made that eating or drinking water before the round could have more positive impact than working yourself into a lather making driver swings over and over. As we become better with our other clubs, we may reduce the number of the drivers we hit on the course, preserving a few more good drives in the bank for when they are most needed. To put it in the simplest terms, hitting any poor drive before we get started on the first hole, will create anxiety and doubt as to what we can do on the course. If we can eliminate stress and anxiety from our golf game, it can only impact us for the better. Once you get comfortable knowing that it is not necessary to hit a jumbo bucket of range balls with your driver to be good at it, you can now focus your energy in the areas of your game that will help you score better.
As you consider the different practice scenarios, it is probably easy to determine who has a better chance of playing well. Even if you do not hit a driver at all during warm up, it should not negatively impact your mindset for play, since it was a conscious decision. At first, you may be a little nervous because you have changed your routine. But like changing any habit or routine, give it few weeks and you will have created a new approach to your golf warm-up. The mental aspects of the game are often overlooked but may have the most impact on how we perform. What was illustrated today is an approach we may take to free up some parts of our mind that we need when we play golf. Golf can be a simple game, and it is up to us to make it simple in our approach. It seems that there is a fixed mindset of beliefs that are passed from golfer to golfer, and this cycle of frustration can be endless. Many people could benefit from a change in their approach to the game of golf with a focus on simply getting more enjoyment from playing the game. Let’s shift our focus from our score to our level of enjoyment when we are out on the course. I have a feeling that you will be pleasantly surprised, if you can stick to it. Whenever you are in doubt, just say the words out loud, “Golf Can be Simple.”