9 Drills To Do At The Practice Green & Driving Range

Swing half speed on the range to fix a hook

According to Butch Harmon, a quick fix to the dreaded hook is to spend some time on the driving range hitting drives at only half. This moves the player away from an overly fast arm swing. "Practice swinging your arms a little slower and turning your body more aggressively to the finish. Make sure you transfer your weight to your front foot coming down and turn your lower body to face the target. Get your hips turning all the way through, and you'll stop the face from snapping closed on the ball."More: Strike Your Irons Solid, by Butch Harmon

Photo By: J.D. Cuban

Putt with your right arm only on the practice green

Just when your putting goes from bad to worse, a piece of advice is to experiment with one-handed putting on the practice green. According to Rick Smith, "This drill will help in two ways. First, it will teach you to release the putterhead properly, which is one of the first things to break down when you're missing putts. The second thing this drill does is restore your hand-eye coordination. By using only one hand, you tend to forget about the mechanics of putting and simply stroke it to the hole."More: Get Your Stroke Back, by Rick Smith

Photo By: Dom Furore

Practice aiming with irons on the range

A good drill to experiment with on the driving range, according to Justin Rose, is to find efficient ways to aim at targets in the distance. "I try to go with clear targets. If there's someone wearing an orange sweater two yards left of the flag, that's what I'm zeroing in on. To aim, I draw an imaginary line from my target to the ball. Then I choose an intermediate target on that line about six feet in front of me. I square the club to the shorter target, then take my stance. Practice that at the range, and make it part of your routine."More: Pure Your Irons, by Justin Rose

Photo By: J.D. Cuban

Break the peeking habit on putts

Peeking on, and missing, short putts is a struggle that many golfers face. A quick fix to this, according to Butch Harmon, can be done on the practice green. "Pick a four-foot putt on the practice green, then stick a tee all the way down in the ground (or put down a dime) and putt balls right off the top of it. Now here's the key: Make sure you see the tee after you've hit the ball. This will help you to keep your head in place and your putter on line."More: Tips For A 50-Footer, by Butch Harmon

Photo By: Dom Furore

Experiment with grips on the range

According to Jim Flick, a good time to see what grip works best for you is on the range, where you can hit a lot of balls and really see the difference. He advocates to grip the club "with your hands split. That encourages the feeling of control with your hands, but with your arms relaxed. Identify what your optimum grip pressure feels like. On the range, experiment with different grip pressures while keeping your arms soft, until you can blend maximum clubhead speed with consistent clubface control."More: Split Your Hands, by Jim Flick

Photo By: Dom Furore

Focus on setup on the practice green

According to John Merrick, rather than take as many putts as possible on the practice green, focus on posture. "You can't swing your arms freely if you're hunched over. Stand up straight, then bend toward the ball from your hips. Feel as if your back is nice and flat. Next, make sure your arms are in line. Look at that first photo: My right arm is completely hiding my leftthat means my arms are aligned. If your right arm is higher than your left, you'll hit a lot of pulls."More: What To Work On When You Work On Putting, by John Merrick

Photo By: J.D. Cuban

Practice one-armed pitches on the range

If you are struggling to get your pitches into the air, this quick tip might be for you. According to Kevin Hinton, "Put your left hand in your pocket, and swing the wedge with your right arm only. Feel the clubhead pass your hand as it bottoms out. Now, pretend you're on a putting green and hit the pitch. It would be a sin to take a divot, and the only way to avoid doing so is to properly use the bounce. Practice this on a patch of closely mowed turf on your range, not on a green."More: Use The Bounce On Pitches, by Kevin Hinton

Photo By: Carlos Amoedo

Only use one ball when putting on the practice green

You've only got one chance to make a putt when you're out on the course, so why should the practice green be any different? Stick to just one ball here, and follow the ball until it hits the bottom of the cup, just like you would on holes 1 through 18. "Mark the ball, read the putt, and then put your best stroke on it. If you miss, mark the ball, read the putt, and put your best stroke on it again: one golfer, one ball, one putt," said Sean Foley.More: Single-Minded Practice, by Sean Foley

Photo By: Dom Furore

Tee range balls up with your 3-wood

According to Butch Harmon, a 3-wood should have more than enough loft to launch a ball up into the air. He says, "A lot of golfers are carrying 13-degree models, which just scream for you to help them get the ball up. When you hit range balls with your 3-wood, tee it up sometimes. You need to get used to the idea that you can hit down on the ball and get plenty of height on the shot. You need to learn to trust the club's loft."More: How To Tame Your 3-Wood, by Butch Harmon

Photo By: J.D. Cuban

The American Express

9 Drills To Do At The Practice Green & Driving Range

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Swing half speed on the range to fix a hook

Putt with your right arm only on the practice green

Practice aiming with irons on the range

Break the peeking habit on putts

Experiment with grips on the range

Focus on setup on the practice green

Practice one-armed pitches on the range

Only use one ball when putting on the practice green

Tee range balls up with your 3-wood

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