Mental Mechanics vs. Swing Mechanics

One of the primary reasons you have difficulty transferring your game from the range to the course is due to how you practice. If you are just hitting balls on the range, you are not preparing to play better, you are simply hitting balls. The challenge of golf is to play better and score, not hit balls. If you enjoy hitting balls, then do so. If you want to score and play better golf, then practice better golf.

To play better golf, you need to implement "mental" mechanics with your swing mechanics. Again, just hitting balls involves minimal mental mechanics. Playing tournament golf, however, involves maximal mental mechanics. Therefore, if you want to play better golf and score, learn to incorporate mental mechanics while practicing swing mechanics at the range. For example, if you are just hitting balls at the range, you will get better at hitting balls. If, however, you force focus and pressure while hitting these balls on the range, then you become a better golfer. What are you striving toward - winning or beating balls?

Keep these tips in mind:

Quality, not Quantity:
It is more effective to hit 30 shots on the range, combining swing and mental mechanics than to hit 200 balls without your mind in it. Hit 30 shots with a pre-shot routine, target, and consequence (i.e., $1.00 to someone for every shot you miss).

Careless Practice Leads to Careless Thinking:
If you just hit balls at the range, you practice both careless swing mechanics and thinking patterns. For example, if you hit 100 balls with minimal concentration, you will engrain careless swing mechanics and poor focus. Therefore, bring maximum focus to every shot at the range to develop maximum focus on the course.

The Critical 5:
The five seconds over the ball is the most critical in golf. If you get your head right for these five seconds, you play better golf. With your mind in the right place during this time, you improve your swing mechanics and your ability to win. Make sure you make the most of these five seconds over then ball when at the range.