Irons performance on the course is so different than on range

Nam Flog wrote:

Really Jason? You were there too?

You must have been too focused on your game. The kimchis were everywhere. And there were posters all around on korean tour playing in JB. I even saw buffet lined up for them at the cafe. In front of me was korean flight, behind me was korean flight.

And I was kidding when I said chio gals. There are all Ajummas. But all playing better than me. Haha.

And Andrew, I agree the ladies swing is more consistent and rhythmic. Just like in sec school play basketball, the girls can always outshoot the guys (if nobody is blocking their shot).

Haha, maybe I am too focused liao. Bcos on range can hit relatively well but on green another story so die die must focus if not super haywire!
Luckily I got a good caddy yesterday and she gave many good advises especially on my alignment to targets.

Bro Flog, without seeing u swing. It's hard to identify why u are not hitting ur irons well. Most of us have a perfect practice swing nicely gliding thru the grass... But when come to actual swing it top, duff etc.

My guess is ur are swinging smoothly during the practice swing. But put the little white devil there, u want to muscle it and hence ur body tense up, u grip tighter, u lose ur posture etc etc

Borrow a phrase from Andrew, swing smoother like the ladies. Get the contact first.

That's why I avoid the range. It gives me a false sense of ability

Skybobo, thanks. I really want to punish that little white devil! Send it all the way to heaven above the clouds! Lol.

Yup I got that one down in my notebook. Swing, don't hit.

Technospaz, do you have this experience as well? I think you put it in an interesting way. False sense of ability. So actually I have no ball striking ability…..but the range made me think I got it. That's why I am disappointed on the course. Hmmm….that makes sense actually.

In that case from day one of learning golf should be at the course. Should build that kind of resilience right from the beginning. But I guess we need level ground to build a foundation and that's why we start in the range yah.

The problem (IMHO) with the range is that the ball is nicely placed on a flat mat and there are no course-type pressures like bunkers, water, OB sticks etc. This deviates from reality which often hits me in the face only after I take a shot on the course (after thinking I can pummel the ball the same way on the range). Also, range balls are not as good so distance is not precise.

All that said, I advocate going to the range. It's a good way to practice and build your swing. In fact, I think it is important that golfers do so. If you have a keen interest in the sport and want to play better, going to the range is key. But do so wisely - don't practise something wrongly since practice also makes permanent.

Bro Nam,

Maybe u are putting too much weight on ur left foot n you put all your focus on the crown of the ball instead of the impact point (which is the face) which is why you top the ball.

I used to be the same as you; play perfectly on range n terrible on green.

Just remember this few step:
Align to your target
Address the ball according to the length of club used
Focus on the point of the impact
Slow take away until your hinge reach your right ear level
Hip turn n swing down aiming on the point of impact n follow thru till your left ear level.

It works for me, hope it works for you.

Willy,

Great great tips from you. I know different strokes for different folks, but I really wanted to hear from some other golfers how they cope with this problem.

If it's good enough for you, it might be good enough for me. Cheers.

Wah after so much discussion here feel like going to the range and hit 50 balls. But better relax and start 2014 strong!

I am a little different..on the course can hit nice crisp shots(of cos still got top or hit it heavy from time to time) but on the mat I'm useless..can't hit anything from FW to PW..never bothered going to range because of this..

same issue here with me, and the problem as identified is am too focus on where I want the ball to go rather than trust the swing and let the ball get there.

On range, I focus on swing and getting the ball out. We tend to focus on impact. While on the course (given that lie comes into play) we tend to get distracted with all the hazards, and we focus on not losing the ball, the ball no in the hazard... blah blah blah.. have been working on 

1) get the distance and select the right club
2) go thru my routine
3) setup and aim
4) trust the swing to get the ball to the right distance

before u address the ball.... i assume u have a pre-shot routine

whatever your pre-shot routine is... undoubtedly it involves a practise swing

it is here where u do your swing thoughts and whatever u want to work on...



but once i address the ball, my only focus is my target....

there is no more swing thoughts in my head... i have to trust my swing

whatever good or rubbish swing, i only think abt my target, my target and my target


one more time... once i address the ball, i only think abt my target and nothing else, i have to trust my swing



if u are not comfortable with your setup or routine or whatever however what your arms shoulders chest shd be.... suggest u do a mock practise everyday until it becomes a routine

yes, your colleague will throw funny glances at u, strangers think u siao and your wife say u walk fire enter demon...... its ok cos u are not alone, we are here for you

       

Wah walk fire enter dragon, my wife just say this to me yesterday cos she saw me doing practice swing while showering...

bro slinger - Wow! very good point. Target, target, target. Got to remember that, thanks. Your last para is very inspiring  

+1 slinger post.
Practice swing is to address all reminders.

After that is commitment to the shot n target.

Reading zen golf might help u.

slinger wrote:

before u address the ball.... i assume u have a pre-shot routine

whatever your pre-shot routine is... undoubtedly it involves a practise swing

it is here where u do your swing thoughts and whatever u want to work on...



but once i address the ball, my only focus is my target....

there is no more swing thoughts in my head... i have to trust my swing

whatever good or rubbish swing, i only think abt my target, my target and my target


one more time... once i address the ball, i only think abt my target and nothing else, i have to trust my swing



if u are not comfortable with your setup or routine or whatever however what your arms shoulders chest shd be.... suggest u do a mock practise everyday until it becomes a routine

yes, your colleague will throw funny glances at u, strangers think u siao and your wife say u walk fire enter demon...... its ok cos u are not alone, we are here for you

       

Wonderful piece of advice ....

but Si Fu, may i know what exactly do you mean by .... "Think about my target"?

Do you ...

1. Think of the resulting location you want your ball to be

or

2. Think of the ball flight that your ball will travel to roughly where you want the ball to be

or

3. Think of the ball landing point instead of the landing+rolling destination?

+1 to Slinger's post too.

I got scolded by him recently for not having a good pre-shot routine!

Nam Flog wrote:

Turbo, 

I will try to take your advice. So what's on your mind as you play an iron shot on the fairway?

Causeway super jam yesterday. I got creative and still held in traffic for more than one hour, can't imagine those who queue up properly stuck for how long. I kana red card cos I missed the timing to pick up my son. I got to find a way to play in Singapore man. This JB thing is not sustainable for me.

Bro Nam,

TBH, no swing thought surfaces in my mind ... I juz adopt my usual pre-shot routine - 1) A deliberate and smooth practice swing (max - 2 times); 2) Stand behind ball and identify my intended target, 3) Address the ball & stay Focus + Commit; 4) Do a few wagger to loosen up my grip and then pull the trigger ...

All swing thoughts and mechanics should be done and in-grained in the range ... My 2 cents' worth ...

Happy & Prosperous Year 2014 to all GRians!!

     

s-killer wrote:

slinger wrote:

before u address the ball.... i assume u have a pre-shot routine

whatever your pre-shot routine is... undoubtedly it involves a practise swing

it is here where u do your swing thoughts and whatever u want to work on...



but once i address the ball, my only focus is my target....

there is no more swing thoughts in my head... i have to trust my swing

whatever good or rubbish swing, i only think abt my target, my target and my target


one more time... once i address the ball, i only think abt my target and nothing else, i have to trust my swing



if u are not comfortable with your setup or routine or whatever however what your arms shoulders chest shd be.... suggest u do a mock practise everyday until it becomes a routine

yes, your colleague will throw funny glances at u, strangers think u siao and your wife say u walk fire enter demon...... its ok cos u are not alone, we are here for you

       

Wonderful piece of advice ....

but Si Fu, may i know what exactly do you mean by .... "Think about my target"?

Do you ...

1. Think of the resulting location you want your ball to be

or

2. Think of the ball flight that your ball will travel to roughly where you want the ball to be

or

3. Think of the ball landing point instead of the landing+rolling destination?

no need think so much lah.....u play in NSRCC gold medal event leh....
dun play play and pretend pig eat tiger

Skybobo,

Why so erotic details share here? Shower together with your wife that's how she see you swing right. Don't tell me your shower door is transparent.

lol

Nam Flog wrote:

Skybobo,

Why so erotic details share here? Shower together with your wife that's how she see you swing right. Don't tell me your shower door is transparent.

lol

To emphasize the fact that you need to keep on practicing like Shifu Slinger.....then u can attain perfection up till the fact that you will always win only 1 UP

Bomby, 

on hindsight, I really focus on impact and launching the ball when I pull the trigger on my iron shots on the course. Not so much thinking about hazards or losing ball.

Practise swing feels good, try hard to remember that feeling in the muscles and sequencing, then address and try to recreate that feeling during the practise swing.

Yup I think that's what going on in my mind during a shot.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts they are insightful.

Slinger,

You brought up a good point. I don't think about my target. I think about impact and launching the ball. Something I will try next time I go to the range.

The mock routine you mentioned sounds interesting. Can also do it at the range i.e. treat every ball you hit off the range mat like hitting a ball in a game on course?

Everybody calling you Shifu. How many disciples do you have? Can +1?

Nam Flog wrote:

Slinger,

You brought up a good point. I don't think about my target. I think about impact and launching the ball. Something I will try next time I go to the range.

The mock routine you mentioned sounds interesting. Can also do it at the range i.e. treat every ball you hit off the range mat like hitting a ball in a game on course?

Everybody calling you Shifu. How many disciples do you have? Can +1?

how much "school fees" do you intend to contribute?

    

skybobo wrote:

no need think so much lah.....dun play play and pretend pig eat tiger

i am always the pig that kena eaten by tiger/lion/bear/etc ....

everyone also come and laugh at me, can drive cannot arrive ... everyone just waiting for me at the green while i top/duff/dig the fairway and hockey my way to the green ...     

Nam Flog wrote:

Hi all,

How can I better my irons performance on the course? I know that I have consistent ball striking ability and launching is not a problem every time I practice in the range. But whenever on the actual course (fairway) I cannot replicate the crisp contact feeling and ball launching takes a back seat. It is very frustrating for me.

I always keep reminding myself about this few points when playing irons on the course:

1. Keep weight on the balls of feet, leaning forward slightly but not looking down on the ball.
2. Grip the club like a small chick in my hands
3. Check left wrist setup/address to ensure club is sitting properly on it's sole (not heeling or toeing)
4. Don't look up when executing downswing
5. RELAX!

My practice swings just bruises the grass but no divot taken. My actual shot sometimes divot sometimes no divot.

I will like to hear from golfers who have experienced this problem before and how they overcomed it.

Cheers guys.

You didn't mention what kind of shots you hit in on the green...???

Guessing if you don't take divots, must be topping the ball and sometime got bad slices a lot...???