7 Mistakes Amateur Golfers Make at the Driving Range & How to Fix Them (Video by Peter Finch)
Have you ever really dedicated some driving range time to your game? It feels satisfying to put in the work and know that the results are just around the corner.
However, for many golfers, the results are not just around the corner because the practice is wrong to begin with.
If you’ve got a driving range session coming up, check out this video from Peter Finch Golf about the seven mistakes amateur golfers make at the driving range.
7 Mistakes Amateur Golfers Make at the Driving Range
Mistake 1: Hitting Too Many Balls
We know that an extra-large bucket of golf balls is tempting—it’s only a dollar or two more, but it can hurt your game. Hitting too many balls makes it harder to improve because you’ll be too tired.
Focus on quality over quantity when you practice.
Mistake 2: Skipping Warm-Up
If you don’t stretch and move a bit before you start hitting balls, you will just be wasting about half your golf balls getting warmed up.
It’s the same as warming up before you play. It probably takes six or seven holes to start playing well if you don’t put in the warm-up time.
Do a focused routine with some dynamic stretches, as Peter shows, and prepare your body to play.
Mistake 3: Lack of Specificity in Practice
There are different types of practice, such as measured practice and pressured practice.
You’ll want to decide the type of practice you are doing in every part of your session so that you are working towards improvement instead of just swinging a club.
If you aren’t aware of the different types of practice, get familiar with them and start to plan your practice sessions.
Mistake 4: Not Measuring Practice
Not measuring practice is a common mistake amateur golfers make. Use tools like HackMotion, video, or a launch monitor to track improvements and benchmark your goals.
Many golfers fail to measure their practice, making it hard to know if their sessions are effective.
With HackMotion, you’ll have a coach with you at all times, helping you measure your practice on the driving range so you avoid wasting time.
Mistake 5: Practicing Too Many Things at Once
HackMotion is designed to help you work on every area of your golf game, but the idea is to break this work and practice down into pieces.
You don’t want to work on your takeaway, backswing, transition, and impact simultaneously.
Focus on a few specific areas based on feedback from HackMotion or lessons from a PGA Professional. Trying to work on multiple swing aspects in one session can be overwhelming.
Mistake 6: Ignoring Pressure in Practice
Failing to add pressure elements makes it harder to transfer skills to the course. On the course, you’ll have pressure so you need to create that pressure on the driving range.
Adding games and scoring elements in practice can help simulate on-course conditions. It can also make you more motivated to get your practice in.
Mistake 7: Repetitive Shots Without Variety
Continuously hitting the same shot doesn’t mimic real golf situations. To transition from the range to the course, practice different targets, ball flights, and scenarios to build adaptability. Hitting 15 drivers in a row can be a problem.
If you really want to work on the driver this much, at least change targets and vary ball flight. Creating real on-course conditions is essential.
Final Thoughts
You now have a great start to a practice plan for the driving range.
If you need some additional help, check out our full customizable driving range practice plan.
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