Question:
Any idea for how to losed up…taking practice swings doesn’t seem to help. I guess my only swing thought should just be "reeeeeelaaax".
IMO, practicing any sport is much easier then actually playing any sport. As soon as you feel the pressure of posting a score related to par, that’s when your real game surfaces…PRESSURE! Don’t worry about your score and just play for fun until you feel more comfortable with all aspects of golf. Every month I play a few games and don’t keep score. Funny thing is…I automatically keep numbers in my head anyway…go figure8=) As you now know, golf has many outside factors associated with playing par golf… Biggest factor once you have a golf swing will be found in between your ears…controlling mind chatter. G
Response:
It also may be at the range many beginners hit from the mats off of the rubber tees. Its much different hitting off the turf.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m a beginner struggling to learn the game…. I hit the ball pretty well on the range, but on the course everything just comes apart at the seams. I imagine that much has been written about the psychology of this, and why it happens. Is it just a matter of time when muscle memory gained while practicing on the range begins to rule, or is tension always a swing killer? I hope I’m not the only beginner suffering from this: I’ll shoot a happy bogie on one hole, and then tee up and comletely miss the ball on the next hole, then proceed to top two easy iron shots etc. etc. My scores look like this: 4,6,5,5,11,6,7,10 Yup, lots of double digits mixed with nice bogies and even some pars. Any idea for how to losed up…taking practice swings doesn’t seem to help. I guess my only swing thought should just be "reeeeeelaaax". Peder 
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – snip… You aren’t hitting the ball as well on the range as you think. Try to make shots on the range. Aim somewhere and try to hit that spot. Don’t get into slugging away with the same club at the range… That’s a good point. Pedar, try and play on the range like you would on the course. For example, if the first hole on the course is a 400 yard par 4, then hit your driver and figure out how far you hit it. Then pick the iron you’d have left,
For me that would be 9I, the club I always hit from the woods 
Cheers, -M-
Response:
I’m a beginner struggling to learn the game…. I hope I’m not the only beginner suffering from this:
Lots of good advice in other posts. Keep this in mind: Almost anything you will do on the course, on the range, someone else has experienced – good or bad. Given this, the range to course struggle is common, and most of the guys around your course have had the problem on one level or another. So at least realize that you are not alone.
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m a beginner struggling to learn the game…. I hit the ball pretty well on the range, but on the course everything just comes apart at the seams. I imagine that much has been written about the psychology of this, and why it happens. Is it just a matter of time when muscle memory gained while practicing on the range begins to rule, or is tension always a swing killer? I hope I’m not the only beginner suffering from this: I’ll shoot a happy bogie on one hole, and then tee up and comletely miss the ball on the next hole, then proceed to top two easy iron shots etc. etc. My scores look like this: 4,6,5,5,11,6,7,10 Yup, lots of double digits mixed with nice bogies and even some pars. Any idea for how to losed up…taking practice swings doesn’t seem to help. I guess my only swing thought should just be "reeeeeelaaax". Peder
Have you seen your swing on video tape yet? If not, take a lesson and get taped or have a friend video your swing. You may be suprised with what you see. One of the things beginners are sometimes able to do is to somehow grove a swing that has mechanical flaws. At the range you can immediately hit another ball and it is easier to make compensating moves even though they are not good for your swing or reliable. You may be making some faulty moves like raising up and then lunging down to hit the ball. If you time it correctly you will make solid contact, but this type of flaw can quickly go bad out on the course where you don’t have the luxury of throwing down another ball immediately to "fix" the problem. I say the above from my own experience. I still have a long way to go with my own swing but I’m making slow progress and at least trying to correct the things that have been pointed out to me at my lessons. I have been in shock some days when I have been hitting quite well and I see my swing on video and it looks awful. I’m not saying this is your problem, but the longer I play this game, the more I am convinced that the better your mechanics, the better chance you have of hitting well out on the course. That’s not to say that things can’t break down, but the breakdowns are not as often and not as bad as they used to be for me. I agree with the other posts that recommend practicing as if you were playing. Also the comments about no pressure at the range are also very true. The only answer for that is to practice and build confidence. Good luck! Steve
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Among the other suggestions that I’ve read here for you, if you feel tight when you start your round, you should get into the habit of doing stretching exercises EVERY DAY, and before you play. It feels great (golf or no golf), and would help you relax before you play. If the course you’re at has a range, hit a few balls. I find that I need to hit 20-30 balls before I fully loosen up. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m a beginner struggling to learn the game…. I hit the ball pretty well on the range, but on the course everything just comes apart at the seams. I imagine that much has been written about the psychology of this, and why it happens. Is it just a matter of time when muscle memory gained while practicing on the range begins to rule, or is tension always a swing killer? I hope I’m not the only beginner suffering from this: I’ll shoot a happy bogie on one hole, and then tee up and comletely miss the ball on the next hole, then proceed to top two easy iron shots etc. etc. My scores look like this: 4,6,5,5,11,6,7,10 Yup, lots of double digits mixed with nice bogies and even some pars. Any idea for how to losed up…taking practice swings doesn’t seem to help. I guess my only swing thought should just be "reeeeeelaaax". Peder
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snip… You aren’t hitting the ball as well on the range as you think. Try to make shots on the range. Aim somewhere and try to hit that spot. Don’t get into slugging away with the same club at the range…
That’s a good point. Pedar, try and play on the range like you would on the course. For example, if the first hole on the course is a 400 yard par 4, then hit your driver and figure out how far you hit it. Then pick the iron you’d have left, and hit that at a flag. If you miss, pick a wedge and hit that. "Play" 9 holes, and let us know how good you hit the ball. If you still hit it great, then you have a mental problem on the course.
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snip… You aren’t hitting the ball as well on the range as you think. Try to make shots on the range. Aim somewhere and try to hit that spot. Don’t get into slugging away with the same club at the range… That’s a good point.
It sure is. Pedar, try and play on the range like you would on the course. For example, if the first hole on the course is a 400 yard par 4, then hit your driver and figure out how far you hit it. Then pick the iron you’d have left, and hit that at a flag. If you miss, pick a wedge and hit that. "Play" 9 holes, and let us know how good you hit the ball. If you still hit it great, then you have a mental problem on the course.
That’s a good idea too, however I would suggest a slightly different course of action for a beginner. On a flat range (allow for wind speed too), start with your most lofted club, pick a mark at a known distance, and take 10 shots at the mark. Note the distance of each shot. Work your way up the clubs using the same swing rhythm with each club. Work out your average distance for each club. This drill gives you something to aim at while you’re practising and tells you to a degree just how far you *really* hit the ball with each club, an essential piece of information for any serious golfer. After you’ve done this a few times, take JeffC’s advice and ‘play a round’ at the range. When you feel you have a game you can take to the course, do it. If you find yourself in difficulties on the course, try to imagine yourself on the range over the same shot. For beginners, I have never found this ‘method’ to fail in improving their play. Good luck with it! Peter — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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A few reasons why range hitting seems better then at the course: 1. On the range, you have less pressure on you. If you mess up, hit another! No score being recorded. 2. The main reason for me: On the range you can groove that ONE shot. Say you have a five iron in your hands. You hit 15 of them before swtiching clubs. Well, if the LAST 5 or 6 hits were decent, you tend you feel you HIT THE 5 IRON WELL TODAY. Same logic for the whole basket of balls: You might have screwed up with the first 10 hits then grooved your swing for the day. Think about this now. Say you just praticed for tomorrows golf game. Ok tomorrow comes, you might have to play 6 holes before you hit 10 FULL SHOTS (So maybe you get in a groove , finally, on hole #7). By this time, your score might be ruined! Other things are ranges are FLAT, courses require many uneven stances at address. You fix your lie at a range, well, you migth do that on a course too, I don’t. Hope this helps you. Jim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m a beginner struggling to learn the game…. I hit the ball pretty well on the range, but on the course everything just comes apart at the seams. I imagine that much has been written about the psychology of this, and why it happens. Is it just a matter of time when muscle memory gained while practicing on the range begins to rule, or is tension always a swing killer? I hope I’m not the only beginner suffering from this: I’ll shoot a happy bogie on one hole, and then tee up and comletely miss the ball on the next hole, then proceed to top two easy iron shots etc. etc. My scores look like this: 4,6,5,5,11,6,7,10 Yup, lots of double digits mixed with nice bogies and even some pars. Any idea for how to losed up…taking practice swings doesn’t seem to help. I guess my only swing thought should just be "reeeeeelaaax". Peder
Response:
I’m a beginner struggling to learn the game…. I hit the ball pretty well on the range, but on the course everything just comes apart at the seams. I imagine that much has been written about the psychology of this, and why it happens. Is it just a matter of time when muscle memory gained while practicing on the range begins to rule, or is tension always a swing killer? I hope I’m not the only beginner suffering from this: I’ll shoot a happy bogie on one hole, and then tee up and comletely miss the ball on the next hole, then proceed to top two easy iron shots etc. etc. My scores look like this: 4,6,5,5,11,6,7,10 Yup, lots of double digits mixed with nice bogies and even some pars. Any idea for how to losed up…taking practice swings doesn’t seem to help. I guess my only swing thought should just be "reeeeeelaaax". Peder
Response:
snip… You aren’t hitting the ball as well on the range as you think. Try to make shots on the range. Aim somewhere and try to hit that spot. Don’t get into slugging away with the same club at the range, and don’t get quick at the range; work on a nice easy swing. The MAIN thintg to work on on the range is tempo. The only other important thing is rhythm. Rob — Service is the rent we pay for being RSG Masters 2002 ( http://home.att.net/~janellenrob/RSG-MS_02.html ) RSG Masters 2003 ( http://home.att.net/~janellenrob/RSG-MS-03P.html )