If you’re a beginner golfer, stepping on the golf course can be intimidating. It’s full of golfers driving the ball 300+ yards and sticking their wedge shots next to the pin.
That’s where the driving range can be a beginning golfer’s best friend. Within this article, we’re going to look into why driving ranges are great for golfers and some driving range tips for beginners that can help you make the most out of your practice sessions.
Why The Driving Range is Great for Beginner and Experienced Golfers
I’ve been playing golf for close to 35 years. I’ve spent a lot of time on the driving range hitting range balls for hours. If you’re looking to really improve your game, the range is the place you need to be. Here are a few reasons to back me up.
- It’s cheap – Instead of paying a lot of money on green fees, you can spend $5-$10 on a bucket of golf balls.
- No dress code – Depending on where you play golf, you might be required to wear a collared shirt. Not a problem, but sometimes I just want to have a practice session and not worry about how I’m dressed. At the driving range, you can pretty much show up wearing whatever you want.
- Take your time – When I go to the driving range I have a list of things I want to accomplish. Maybe it’s to work on my golf swing with my driver or I want to hit long irons. Sometimes I just want to use the time to improve my pre-shot routine. Other times I just want to test out a new set of irons or driver. No matter what I’m working on, the driving range allows me to do it at my own pace. There’s no being rushed by groups behind me playing fast.
9 Driving Range Tips for Beginners
1. Warm Up
When I was 15 I could head over to the driving range, grab my golf clubs, and start hitting shots immediately. Now that I’m in my 40s things aren’t quite that simple. I need to get my body ready to hit golf balls.
One of the best driving range tips I’m going to give you is that you need to get warmed up. You need to get the blood flowing and warm up the muscles in your body.
Start by taking one of your irons and as you hold the grip in one hand and the head in the other, swing it like a pendulum. This will help loosen up your shoulder muscles and back.
Now it’s time to warm up your golf swing. You can’t jump right in and start smashing your driver. Instead, start by hitting a dozen or so shots with your 9-iron or pitching wedge. This will help warm your swing up with smaller, more relaxed swings.
Once you’re warm, you can start moving on to other golf clubs in your bag.
2. Keep Your Golf Balls At a Distance
When I was younger I would head to the driving range and just start cranking out golf ball after golf ball. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really help your game at all. Most golfers need to take their time and really focus on their practice routine.
The next of my golf driving range tips is to start by keeping your golf balls a good distance away from you. Make yourself work to put range balls in a spot where you can hit them.
Instead of smack balls around, this is going to force you to possibly take a practice swing or two, start your pre-shot routine, and then hit balls.
3. Understand The Yardages
During your practice session at the driving range, you have the opportunity to work on a lot of things. One of these things is your distance control. The practice range is the best place to learn how far shots travel with each club.
Most driving ranges will have flags scattered throughout the hitting area with distances. These flags can help you with aiming correctly at your target but also work on distance control.
If the range doesn’t have distances marked, you could invest in a golf rangefinder to help you with the exact distance.
4. Set up a Practice Station
The next time you’re watching golf on TV, pay attention when they briefly show players on the practice range. You’ll notice one thing in common. They all have a practice station set up, which includes alignment sticks.
Alignment sticks are going to help you with your golf swing and give you a target line for where you’re aiming.
5. Have a Driving Range Routine
Just like you you should have a full pre-shot routine before you take any swing, you also need to have a routine for each of your range sessions.
So what do I mean by that? Go through the same process each time you’re on the range. This will help you make sure you’re covering each aspect of your game.
Your driving range routine could look a little like this…
- Stretching.
- Warm-up swings.
- Hit 15 shots with a pitching wedge.
- Hit 15 shots with your mid-irons (half focusing on distance control and half on the shot shape).
- Hit 15 shots with your long irons
- Hit 15 shots with fairway woods
- Hit 15 shots with your driver
- Head to the putting green where you can work on your wedge play around the green and putting.
6. Give Your Practice a Purpose
Golf swings on the driving range need to have a purpose. You can’t just go out there and crank out balls with each club and hope to improve. This is your time to break bad habits and create positive ones.
Some shots could focus on your ball position and how it affects the shot shape. Maybe you want to hit a few shots with half swings to work on knocking the ball down when you’re hitting at a distance that’s in between two clubs.
This is your chance to really work on your golf game so you can become a better player. Make sure you’re using your time wisely.
7. Understand Driving Range Etiquette
This is probably going to be one of the most important driving range tips for beginners.
Make sure you follow good driving range etiquette.
Driving ranges can come in a couple of different forms. Some are going to be more serious. It’s where the avid golfer goes to truly practice playing golf because they want to improve. These are typically going to be the ranges you find within a public golf course or a private golf club.
On the other hand, there are driving ranges that are meant for fun.
Think Top Golf.
They might have multiple levels and instead of a grass range, it’s probably artificial turf. They might also have a bar where you can get drinks to enjoy while on the range.
If it’s not busy, spread yourself out from other golfers. If you’re there with friends and family, make sure you’re respectful of others around you when talking. The last thing someone wants to hear while they’re on the golf course or driving range, is kids screaming.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a beginner do at the driving range?
One of the best driving range tips for beginners is to use this time to improve all aspects of your game. This could be using the same club and working on your swing flow. Maybe you’re learning how to fix a slice and you need to focus on squaring the club face at impact. No matter what you want to improve, the range is the best time to give these issues the proper focus.
Should I hit 50 or 100 balls at the driving range?
The number of balls you hit depends on you. Some people are able to accomplish their goals with 50 balls and some need more time in the practice area. If you’re heading to the golf course from the range, you might hit fewer balls.
In what order do you hit balls at the driving range?
Typically, it’s best to start your golf practice with short irons. I personally start each session with my 8 iron. However, I have friends that pull out the sand wedge to start. From there you can work your way to mid and long irons before your woods. Once you’ve covered all those clubs, you can head to the practice green to work on your chipping and putting.
What is the best golf club for driving range?
Most of my time on the range is used hitting an 8 iron and pitching wedge. These are the clubs I use the most when I play golf. By improving your short iron game, you’ll be in a better position to hit the ball close to the pin and shoot lower scores.
Sean’s parents first put a golf club in his hands at the age of 8. He immediately fell in love with the game of golf. Today he’s passing on that love to his own kids.
