For many amateur golfers, the opportunities to get to the driving range are less frequent than we would like. With work and other commitments, practice can often fall by the wayside, with the exception of the odd 30 minutes you spend on the range once in a blue moon.
Whether you are someone who likes to hit a bucket a day, or someone who fits practice in when they can, it's important to make sure you spend that time wisely and have a plan to help you improve.
In this video and article, LPGA Tour winner Linn Grant shares some of her own practice insights, from the range at 'Asia's Major' – the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore.
Warm Up
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that a proper warm up is important not only for performance in golf, but also for your longevity and fitness to play the game. I am not talking about stretches or 10 different exercises, although that is certainly something you should consider factoring in to your preparation, but rather how you spend your time on the range prior to your round.
As you can see in the video above, we caught up with Linn Grant on the range at the HSBC Women's World Championship, and she shared some fascinating insights into her routine.
"I would usually go through my bag, starting with wedges, and work my way up to irons, hybrids and driver. I always use an alignment stick, just to figure out my alignment for the day, knowing that I am aiming right and hitting the ball where I want".
The Swing
"For my swing in general, I just try to keep it very simple. I try to stay connected with my body as much as possible, so I feel like my body is swinging the club and not just my arms.
"For that, when I feel like I've lost that (feeling) a little bit, I always tend to use a glove under my right arm to keep my arm close, and to feel like my swing and the club is not too far away from the centre of my body. This helps to get a good tempo for the day."
Irons vs Hybrids – Ball Position
"The difference between my 8-iron and my hybrids is that my three or four hybrid is a longer club, so the further left the ball (position) is going to go. I tend to try and have anything from a wedge to a 7-iron quite central, and then a six, five and four hybrid tends to go more on the left foot, and then obviously a driver being the furthest up. Other than that, it's pretty much the same thing.
"I think for me, hitting hybrids or 3-woods, or longer irons into par-5s, I just try to keep my target as small as possible. It's very easy to just see the green and think, 'the green is good enough'. Sometimes that result usually is, but I try to see more than just the pin. It could be a branch on a tree or a mark somewhere where I want it to end up, and then not put to much pressure on myself hitting these shots.
"It is a longer shot, so my dispersion is going to be wider, so I try to be calm, a little bit more focused and keep my target small and just try to hit a good shot."
Wedges - Judging The Distance
"I always try to think that my 80 metre shot is like a three 'o'clock swing, which would just be halfway up (the backswing). A 90 metre shot would be one or two, probably more like two, and again, same thing as with irons, try to keep it close and try to focus on hitting that exact three or two o'clock. From there I feel like I am really waiting on the club, and get the tempo that I am desiring.
"Out here (Singapore) the ball flies a little bit further than it does in Sweden, or wherever it's cold, like whenever we are at the British Open, so out here I try to make sure I have quite a slow tempo when I am doing this. If it was a little bit colder, I would just add a bit more speed to it, and just try to be a bit more aggressive with the swings".
