9 Driving Range Drills for a More Effective Practice Session
The driving range is the perfect place to work on golf drills, yet most players go to the range and never get any better. Sometimes, the missing element is having the best golf drill.
If you can be a little more intentional about your practice on the range and incorporate the correct drills, you’ll shoot lower scores and become a better player.
Here are the 9 best drills to do at the driving range. Read this before you head out to practice today.
Contents
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
The 9 Best Drills to Do at The Driving Range
Handle in the Bucket Drill
At HackMotion, one of the major issues we are trying to help golfers combat is the slice.
For most players, a slice is exaggerated with the driver. If you are a player who wants to straighten out your drive, the Handle in the Bucket Drill from Tyler Ferrell could be a great choice.
With this, you’ll need a bucket from the driving range (so you are in the perfect place). The drill is just a visual drill that helps you feel like you are going to drop the handle of the club into the range bucket.
Alignment Stick Checkpoint Drill
If you are looking to incorporate more alignment stick drills into your driving range practice this is a great one to consider.
All you need to do is put the alignment stick on the ground and use it as a checkpoint as you are hitting shots.
Do this with the driver, and when the club is at last parallel (before the golf ball), you should have the clubhead behind your hands, in line with the alignment stick, and a slightly angled down clubhead at the same time.
Use these checkpoints while you wear your HackMotion to make sure you are always in the right spot while you practice.
Preset Drill
Chris Ryan demonstrates a drill that can help golfers who are having trouble mastering the backswing.
The preset drill involves getting the club into the perfect spot that allows for a simple rotation movement. If you can get into this position, the rest should be easy.
However, you’ll have to practice a bit with this, and the best place to do that is by driving in the range.
Hit Hard Stop, Quick Drill
This drill from Rob Cheney may be one that you have not heard of before. The goal here is to try and stop your club just after you strike the golf ball.
Interestingly, to do this, you will have to have a lead wrist that is completely flat at impact. If the club is in the wrong position because you have flipped your lead wrist, the chance of stopping the club is slim to none.
This is another great drill to do while wearing your HackMotion so you can see how much better your wrist action is when doing the drill.
Draw vs. Fade Drill
If you are a golfer who still hits the majority of your golf shots straight, it may be time to focus on a drill like this from PGA Pro Kieran Pratt.
Kieran shows us how he has students work on hitting a draw and a fade, one after another. The goal is to learn to change your game so that it positively impacts you on the golf course.
If you spend enough time on the range, you should be able to learn to hit a straight shot and repeat it.
However, the players who shoot low scores and go after pins do it by working the ball. If you can hit a draw and then a fade with a 9 iron, switch to the 8 iron and repeat the drill.
You’ll want to put the alignment stick out in front of you to ensure you take the club on the correct path.
Low Point Drill
If you can find the low point in your golf swing with the irons, you’ll become a more consistent ball striker.
This low point drill has you focus on a more abbreviated swing where you ensure the contact point is more accurate.
Use golf balls and an alignment stick on the ground to ensure you find the low point. With this drill, Tyler helps you correctly incorporate your upper body into the golf swing to manage that low point of the strike.
45-75-95 Yard Shots
The Bryan Brothers have made quite a name for themselves in the YouTube industry. However, they also have some great drills they use when practicing.
This one shows how you can put an alignment stick with a noodle in the ground and practice the 45, 75, and 95-yard shots.
You’ll hit a shot from each distance until you can get one to land within 6-8 feet of the pin. Then you can move on to the next club.
The key with these 45, 75, and 95-yard distances is that they are usually in between type shots that players struggle with. This drill should help.
Play the Course
It’s easy to look for golf practice drills that work on technical positions in the swing.
It’s also important to work on the mental game.
In this drill, you will learn to play a round of golf while you are on the range. You can adapt this to work for your game.
The concept is that you can stay mentally engaged during your practice session.
If you have not tried this type of practice at the range, it’s the most effective way to carry the benefits to the course.
Ball First Impact
Hitting the ball first ensures a clean shot with good ball flight and plenty of distance.
Most amateur players are still doing things to try and lift the ball off the ground or force it up into the air. Don’t do this.
This video from Rick Shiels Golf shows how to hit the ball first and then the turf.
The simple concept of putting a golf club down on the ground to help you track and visualize this is a great benefit.
In addition, you’ll see why body rotation is important and the best ways to get a more effective and reliable turn in your swing.
Final Thoughts
If you need more golf drills at the driving range, check out our other articles on the best golf drills. You’ll find lots of options for working on everything from your chipping to gaining distance in your driver.
Schedule time to practice on the range each week, and the benefits will be far-reaching.
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