Overcoming a Golf Plateau: What to Change in Your Practice Routine

There’s nothing more frustrating than feeling stuck in your golf game. You’re not a beginner anymore, but no matter how many balls you hit at the range, your scores just won’t budge.

That’s a plateau—and almost every golfer hits one.

The good news? Most plateaus aren’t about talent or effort. They’re about how you practice.

If your driving range routine looks the same every session, you’re not giving yourself the chance to grow. Let’s break down how to upgrade your range work so you can start moving forward again.

Beat the Golf Plateau (Key Takeaways)

If you don’t have time to read through all these great methods for overcoming plateaus and using the driving range to take your game to the next level, here are the key takeaways.

• Get outside of your comfort zone and have a driving range session that focuses only on your weakness.
• Use technology like HackMotion to help you fine-tune the weak spots in your game.
• Set measurable goals for yourself, like mastering a draw or a fade, and then take that with you onto the course.
• Change up the routine, the location, the time of day, and how you practice.
• Incorporate physical fitness into your driving range practice and preparation.

Overcome Golf Plateaus by Optimizing Your Driving Range Sessions

Have a Driving Range Session Only Focused on the Weakness

The best way to overcome a plateau and really break through is to have ugly driving range sessions.

Sessions where you work on the weakest link in your golf game, and you battle through until that area of the game is no longer weak.

For instance, let’s say your long fairway shots are the worst for you. Every time you have a 200-yard shot into the green, your fairway woods and hybrids fail.

Go to the range to work on these clubs until something works.

Play with your setup, grip, wrist angles, and swing tempo until you start to see what causes the problem. Work on golf drills in real time and don’t worry about looking like a beginner player. You have to break through this plateau at some point.

Use Technology and Tools

Sometimes, you are unaware of an underlying issue in your golf swing. Maybe noticing that your club path is off or your wrist extension is extreme, coming through the ball could help you improve your game.

Golf technology, like video recording of your swing, portable launch monitors, and the HackMotion wrist sensor, can make it possible to pick up on these little errors that you have in your game.

Without the use of technology, it could take weeks to find these low-score inhibiting issues.

Set Goals You Can Measure

What are you really trying to achieve in your game? Is it shooting 75? Hitting every fairway? Avoiding three-putts?

If you want to break through a plateau, start by setting specific, measurable goals, ones you can actually track and work toward.

Here are a few examples:

• Hit one more green in regulation per round than your current average
• Reduce your average putts per round by one or two
• Hit one more fairway than usual
• Play three consecutive rounds without hitting a ball out of bounds
• Get out of the bunker in one shot every time

Once you have goals like these, you can tailor your driving range sessions to support them. For example, if your focus is on hitting more greens, work on improving your wrist angles at impact.

Reducing excessive extension can help you square the clubface and tighten your dispersion, leading to more consistent and accurate approach shots.

Add Structure to Your Practice (Do Drills in Real Time)

If you’re stuck on a performance plateau, hitting ball after ball at the range without structure isn’t going to move the needle.

The fastest way to improve is by practicing with intent, and that means using targeted drills that give you real feedback.

Here are a few simple but powerful drills from the HackMotion app you can start using today:

• Motorcycle Drill – Train proper wrist flexion in the downswing to help square the face at impact—critical for straighter, more consistent shots.
• Top Drill – Learn how to reach the ideal top-of-swing wrist position at full speed. Great for players who lose structure or control at the top.
• Release Drill – Focuses on the impact zone. Teaches you to lead with the hands and control face angle during short, controlled swings.
• Flexion/Extension Putting Drill – Keeps your putter loft consistent by limiting wrist movement to within 2 degrees, leading to better distance and roll control.

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Level 1

Release drill Train your release before working on other aspects of your swing

Level 2

Dynamic transition drill Train your sequencing and pivot, as well as punch shots or your wedge game

Level 3

Impact full swing challenge Train your maximum power swing

Explore HackMotion Today

Practice Visualization

If you’re striping it on the range but falling apart on the course, the issue might not be your swing – it could be your mindset. Visualization is a powerful tool to bridge that gap.

Next time you’re at the range, stop hitting ball after ball without a plan. Instead:

• Pick a specific hole from your home course and picture it clearly.
• Choose a target on the range that matches where you’d aim on that hole.
• Go through your full pre-shot routine and hit the shot as if you’re on the course.
• Visualize the shape, trajectory, and landing area of every shot.
• Mix in clubs and simulate full holes—not just repeated 7-irons.

Whether you’re trying to break 100 or 70, this type of practice helps your brain get comfortable with real on-course scenarios.

Check in with a Swing Coach

The great thing about the driving range is that you can work at your own pace to improve your game.

However, it does make sense from time to time to check in with a swing coach. Your coach can let you know if you are on the right track, if you have the right mindset, and if you are working on the correct things.

For some golfers, it’s enough to do this once a year; others may need to do it once every few months.

Incorporate Some Fitness

If you have not already incorporated fitness into your overall golf practice routine, it’s time to start. Golf fitness is a game changer, and it will help you lower your scores and see big changes in your game.

I’ve seen golfers change nothing in their swing or technique and simply start adding physical fitness to their routine. It resulted in scores being lowered by a few shots.

There are two things to work on with golf-specific physical fitness:

• Flexibility and stability.
• Stamina.

You’ll need more flexibility and stability to get more distance from your shots. The stamina will keep you going even when your body gets tired.

Get a Little Tougher on Yourself

This is tough because you don’t want to take this too far. However, getting just a little tougher on yourself as you work on becoming a better player can really pay off. The key here is to focus more on precision than anything else.

If you were on the course and your shot missed the green by 10 yards, would you call it a good shot?

If you answered no, you must also ensure you are not calling these good golf shots on the range. Be more precise at the driving range and expect more from yourself.

To get to the next level, your missed shots need to be closer to the hole. Use the guides below to see where your game could be lacking and keep you from going lower.

• How to Break 70 in Golf
• How to Break 80 in Golf
• Breaking 85 in Golf Consistently
• How to Break 90 in Golf Consistently

How Long Should I Practice When Overcoming Plateaus?

Amateur golfers often ask us about the length of time they should practice when overcoming issues with their game.

The key here is not about the length or consistency of the practice, but rather about its quality.

Every practice session should have a plan. In addition, you’ll want to stay mentally engaged and reach your goals. Simply hitting golf balls isn’t enough; you should also work on your swing.

Here’s a general guideline to keep in mind:

Times Played per Week	Recommended Driving Range Sessions	Duration per Session
1 time	1 session	30 minutes
2 times	2 sessions	30 minutes
3 times	2 sessions	45 minutes
4+ times	3 sessions	45 minutes

The more you play, the more time you need to practice. If this is the general guideline, feel free to increase the number of sessions or duration when overcoming plateaus.

Final Thoughts

At this point, you have enough info to take your driving range routine to the next level and overcome your plateau.

Don’t settle on the scores you are currently shooting; if you put in the time, you’ll be able to overcome your plateau and shoot lower scores.

Plan out your driving range practice, give it a few months, and then check in and see if it’s working.