Take Your Range Game to the Course
Day 3 on “I Feel Your Pain" by Mike Malaska
“What the heck happened?”
I’m going to tell a story. As you listen, change the details to fit your experience.
Here we go.
I’m playing golf with a co-worker on Saturday. I don’t want to embarrass myself. So on Thursday, I go to the range and practice. My swing feels good. If I drive the ball this straight on the weekend, I’ll hit every fairway. My confidence is flying high.
On Saturday, I go early and warm up. But suddenly, I’m slicing my drives. I spend all my time trying to straighten things out, but nothing works.
I drag my confidence to the first tee. I hit only 6 fairways all day, feel embarrassed, and wonder, “What the heck happened?”
We’ve all lived a version of that story.
Let’s retell the story Mike’s way.
Mike Malaska says, “If you’re going to practice, you’re working on technique. If you’re going to play, you’re figuring out what shots you have that day. Here’s my favorite drill to help. It lets you play a round of golf on the range.”
Let’s retell the story Mike’s way.
I’m playing golf with a co-worker on Saturday. On Thursday, I go to the range and practice. My swing feels good. I drive the ball straight and far.
On Saturday, I go early and warm up for a few minutes. Then I pretend to play the first hole. 525 yards, par five. I take my driver, visualize the fairway, pick a target, go through my routine, and swing. I pay attention to the shot shape, ball flight, and distance.
I take a break and walk around. Just like I do on the golf course between shots.
Then I grab an iron, pick a new target, go through my routine, and play my second shot. Take another break, come back and pitch to the green. Then I move on to the next hole.
Learnto play your misses.
After several holes, it’s time to evaluate.
Mike says, “Assessing yourself honestly is a reality check. If you’re slicing the ball 40 yards on the range, when you get to the first tee, aim left and play the slice.”
Instead of trying to fix my swing, I accept the reality that golf and life can be variable. I know which shots I have today and which shots I don’t. I walk to the first tee with confidence, aim a little left, and slice the ball into the fairway.
“That,” Mike says, “is how you bridge the gap between practice and play. You’re learning how to play your misses as well as your hits.”
The philosopher Lao Tzu said, “A tree that is unbending is easily broken.”
Mike’s strategy may not work for everyone, but I like it because it deals with reality. Some days, I slice more than others. No worries. I’ll aim left or leave my driver in the bag. Some days, I chunk my chip shots. No reason to get down on myself. I’ll bump-and-run with my 7-iron and putt from the fringe.
Whatever you have that day on the range will transfer more naturally to the golf course. That’s how to prepare to play your best. And if you combine today’s lesson with yesterday’s lesson about go-to shots, you’ll develop a skill usually reserved for pros: flexibility.
That’s all for now. Until next time, keep imagining what’s possible.