So i used to typically have this issue. The best way in which I tried to control is was to use my range time as a more ‘round equivalent practise’ so I would typically have a nice steady warm up with some wedge shots and short irons. Then would try to visualise the course and play the shots I would for selected holes that I knew needed certain shots. So then I would have the same swing thoughts on the range as I would if I was out on the course.

No1 it made my range sessions a lot more productive and worth while

No2 I was able to feel less pressured when out on the course and could just swing my swing.

I appreciate everyone is different but thought it could be an experience worth trying.

Like that say guess got nothing to lose haha

If you have a driving range with greens, I would try and play those greens as a par 3. Before a round, I usually only use a couple of clubs to loosen up and then I spend the last 10 mins trying to hit the greens. I go through my pre-shot routine as if I'm standing on the tee box. My home course's driving range has bunkers and greens, so it's not difficult to imagine hitting greens.

When I warm up before a round which is not a long time, it is mainly on tempo and alignment. Ensuring that my shoulders are lined up on my target and that I am not over swinging with all my clubs. I warm up with a nine iron, six iron, hybrid and driver. Then to the greens for a few chips and a number of putts from various distances. About thirty minutes of "warming up". I try to keep it as simple as possible and it does help.

That's a problem??? I thought that was part of the game.
Seriously, most driving ranges are just a big open target. When practicing, narrow up your driving range for every shot to where you are focused on a specific spot you want to hit the ball. You'll be surprised at how much more it resembles your game.

Hi Jim:

To take off on ZKey10, before I leave the range, I like to "play" the first couple of holes. This gives me a good mental picture of what shots I will need and get started on a positive note.

I'm still actively struggling with this, but what I've found helps me manage is trying to find one of the last range spots towards the end, so you minimize the range feel looking down the hitting line, and when I look up I see surrounding/not range, and typically a more narrow view from my center line to the right.

This works at my range, but your mileage may vary.

LIke Abdon above, the range at my club has greens and I know the distances, so I aim at those and try to dial in my alignment since that is often a big issue for me on the course.

But the Ranger Rick thing is usually the opposite for me, generally if I'm hitting it great on the range it's going to be an ugly day on the course. And if I'm hitting it awful, usually that's when I play pretty well. Go figure.

This is always an interesting topic. On one hand your pre-round warm up should be just that, a warm up. On the other hand, you want to try to get into your round with shots you might see on the course.

For me I start with some wedges and they are used for warm up or lengthening my body.

When I get to full swings, nothing is at course speed until the driver but I am hitting shots to specific distances. As I go up in clubs during my warm up I’m hitting them so much shorter distances than stock yardage then up to stock yardage. I do this because trying to hit a 7 iron 100 yards requires the swing to move in such unison that I can spot errors.

As I increase the distance that swing in unison feel just moves a little faster.

The last few shots with each club are to a specific area or distance.

If I know the course I’m playing, I will play the fist hole on the range. I’ll make a fairway between flags or things on the ground and play the hole like that with a tee shot and then approach.

It puts me in the right frame of mind to play.

After talking to my sports clinical specialist this morning we came to a conclusion that even though I am warming up my game I am not warming up my body properly. Have not played since Dec 12 and we are working on my core development to strengthen the muscles around my spine. He said once we get towards the end of the rehab, sometime in late February, he will give me a couple of simple warmup exercises for my body to go along with my game warmup. We are making progress.

Every golfer's dilemma....and I've discovered the hard way that there's no one answer, just a lot of good ones. Take this for whatever value you find and have at it.

I'd get frustrated for so long because what worked for one didn't work for me but ultimately, I found success regarding this issue by borrowing from the myriad ways that I'd discover in my quest for golfing satisfaction. For me, the difference was forcing myself to stop thinking about my swing while on the course--even after a thin/fat, pulled/pushed, or sliced/hooked shot...and it was HARD. Untraining a deeply rooted paradigm takes a lot of effort, but if you can accept that "a lot" doesn't necessarily mean "all at once," you can get where you want to go and be there sooner than you expect.

How I went about training myself to get to that point required a lot of trial and error and doing ridiculous, purposeful behaviors from laughing to singing "Sweet Caroline" as I walked up to my ball. Ultimately, I found that I had misguided expectations about my game versus reality. I also realized that every round was my opportunity to BRIEFLY analyze whatever bad thing just happened, jot it down, and blow it off until I got home and could make a plan to work on whatever I discovered.

The more worried about my range swing while on the course, the worse I performed. The more I just allowed the round to be a test to give me feedback, the better I got over time. All this to say, I've shaved a consistent 10-15 strokes off my previously-typical round, and I think it's because I stopped expecting more than I was capable of producing. I just sort of adapted and evolved over time. Now, I shoot in the mid 70's and actually have a reasonable goal of breaking par.

For driver at my range, they have yardage posts left of center both right & left side. I will hit right in between them to mimic a fairway. This gives me the visual of actually being on a tee box & takes away any undo pressure once I get to the first tee. It also helps see where my swing is that day. If you don't have a way of seeing a target it really is tough to tell if you are swinging well or if you are off enough to make a big difference on the course.

As for irons, I focus on the yardage post as flags. I'll shoot them with my range finder as some days the tees are closer or further back. I don't care if I hit the right yardage, I want to hit at them for proper contact & direction. Some clubs won't go the distance of the yardage poles.

My typical pre-round is: Wedge(s) Mid Iron(s) Long Iron(s) & 5 balls for driver. 15 minutes of putting & chipping. I typically will hit 15-20 balls before a round. Chip & putting is the rest of it.


Good luck, it's a tough process to keep in line.

DM

Depending on how much time I have before my round, it dictates what I'll do to prepare for the round. If I have a good amount of time, I'll attempt a few shots with my high iron, low iron, 3W & Driver. Then I go to the putting green to check the speeds of the greens for the day.

Two ways to take your warm up:

1. You're puring everything and you're confident to get onto the course.
2. You're miss hitting everything, but at least now you are warmed up and ready to play.

Depends how you take it. I know I'm a glad half full kind of guy. But if you can stay positive and find positives before the round, you will hopefully will be able to take that on the course!

I highly recommend “Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect” by Bob Rotella for the issue you’re describing - it’s a game changer for many other mental traps we encounter in this crazy game!

For me, a big key is having a pre-shot routine that I can use on the range when warming up and then make sure I use it on the course. Another thing I have done was to simulate playing a round on the range. Hit one driver, one iron, one wedge and the start over again. It helped with focus knowing that only one shot counted. Find what works for you and have fun out there.

I have a tendency to warm up through the bag then get suck on driver trying to smash the living… out of it. So pointless as you never unleash like this on the course.

I think the best thing is to get less balls in the first place and just go through your course routine on every shot making sure to aim for something out on the range.

Hope you find something that works for you

Good thoughts! Thanks for the feedback.

I've had this same problem ever since i first started playing. The most important thing to get over this hurdle, at least for me, is to visualize yourself on the course rather than at the range, and keep your fundamentals well in mind when you're out in the fairway.