Using the Golf Range to Improve Your Game

Introduction

To improve your golf game and lower your scores, it's important to spend time on the range working your full swing and short game skills. At the PGA Center for Golf Learning & Performance in Port St. Lucie, Florida ("Top 50 Range in 2012" by the Golf Range Association of America), our training environment allows passionate golfers the opportunity to address all aspects of their game with individual lessons, group clinics and golf schools year round. Below are a few things we discuss with our 27,000 PGA Professionals who call our facility their home.

5 Do's

1. Visit more than the golf course - Playing is good but golfers need to practice all aspects of their game. Getting better at golf does not happen just on the golf course.

2. Practice with a purpose -.most golfers have not been taught the "proper" way to practice. Quality is better than quantity. It is better to hit 50 balls on the range with a specific goal, then hitting 100 balls and not knowing what to do. Your PGA Professional is the best person to ask for advice in ways to practice properly.

3. Ask for help - PGA Professionals are talented at what they do and can pinpoint your mistakes to correct going forward. They will give you one or two things to work on to improve your game. Also, ask them for fun games and drills that you can do while practicing to make the time more enjoyable.

4. Invite friends - The enjoyment of practicing should occur with friends or others who share a similar passion for the game, especially on the putting green. Have a putting contest with a friend. You will be having so much fun, you won't realize you are practicing!

5. Learn from your mistakes - Pay close attention to your ball flight and become your own teacher, after receiving assistance from a PGA Professional. Step away after each shot and think what to do to not make the same mistake again.

5 Don't's

1. Don't bring a bad attitude - Come with the right frame of mind that it takes practice and patience to get better at golf. If you are at the range, it doesn't matter if you hit a bad shot. Try to improve with each swing.

2. Don't hit balls as hard as you can - Choose specific targets instead of swinging for the sake of hitting the ball. Remember the ball is not your target. Be specific with your training.

3. Don't allow bad habits to develop - If you see from your ball flight that it isn't traveling where you would like it to, then seek advice from a PGA Professional. Don't wait too long to set up a lesson.

4. Don't be a poor sport - If you happen to not play well at the range, take a few notes on what you can do better and be eager to return to improve. On the days that you are hitting the ball well, hit another bucket of balls and fine tune the good swing. On the days that are not going well, work on short game and come back another day to groove your swing. Just like the touring pros, you will have good and bad days.

5. Don't forget to work on your short game - It's easy to go out and hit a bucket of balls but make sure you set aside more time to work on pitching, chipping and putting. The short game makes up 63 percent of all golf shots. You need to work on the short game at least 63 percent of the time.

About Holly Taylor

A PGA Professional since 1994, Holly Taylor is the Director of the PGA Center for Golf Learning & Performance in Port St. Lucie, Fla. In 2012, she was named by U.S. Kids Golf as one of the "Top 50 Kids Teachers" due to her dedication to junior golfers. From 2005-2010, she was recognized by the PGA President's Council on Growing the Game.

Providing the ultimate learning environment for players of all levels, the PGA Center for Golf Learning & Performance is a 35-acre, leading-edge, golf practice facility with 100 full swing stations and nine bunker types to simulate play from around the world. As the home of PGA of America Golf Schools, it employs world-class technology - such as the Full Swing Golf Simulator and TrackMan Shot Performance game analysis programs. International golf teams train at the award-winning facility, while budding golfers enjoy the Center's new PGA Discover Golf Course.
To learn more, visit www.PGAVillage.com/clp or call 800-800-GOLF.