These 2 range drills are a perfect pre-round warm-up

We all know it’s best to practice with a purpose, but what about the time you spend getting ready for your round on the range? Just because it isn’t designated practice time doesn’t mean you can’t still have actionable goals to try to accomplish before teeing off.

Having a plan for your warm-up can help you prepare for your round in the right way, getting your mind and body ready for success on the course.

According to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Sarah Stone, there are two range drills you can do to quickly and effectively warm-up for your round. Here’s what to do.

2 range drills for a perfect pre-round warm-up

Drill No. 1: Brush the grass

“Most people get to the golf course, rip a 7-iron out of their bag and start hitting full shots,” Stone says. “You’re not even prepared to do that. I recommend starting your warm-up by brushing the ground with the club in both directions.

“You want to hear and feel the club on the way through the hitting area and on the way back,” Stone continued. “You’re making repeated solid swings, getting used to solid contact with the ground, starting to move a little bit.

Instruction

“From there, move into half-swings, and then you can start making full swings.”

Drill No. 2: Intentionally hit the ball in different directions

Instead of picking a target and hitting shots to it, Stone recommends having a goal of hitting left or right of the target instead.

“First of all, it’s a confidence-booster because you’re making the ball go in a direction you’re intending,” Stone says. “And then what you can start to do is feel what’s making it go more in one direction. Sometimes, when you try to hit it in one direction, it goes straight. So you can almost coach yourself in what adjustments you need to make for the ball to go where you’re intending.”

Give these drills a try before your next round and enjoy your newfound sense of confidence and preparedness as you start your round.

For more tips from Sarah Stone, click here.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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