How to practice at the driving range with a clear plan

You arrive at the range, buy a bucket, and pull out a club. A few good shots later, you switch clubs. A few bad ones later, you start changing your swing. By the end, it can be hard to say what you were practicing.

Start by finishing this sentence: "Today I want to work on…" If you take lessons, use the priority your coach gave you. If you have no current task, choose something you can observe, such as where shots start relative to a target. You can collect that information without deciding which swing change caused it.

PGA coach Brendon Elliott recommends planning a range session and using a designated target with your pre-shot routine. Bring that idea into your session: decide what you are trying to do before hitting the next ball.

This example divides a session into four parts. Adjust the timings to fit your day, or use the plan your coach gave you.

Work on the task you chose with a familiar club and a clear target. Take enough time between balls to remember the instruction and notice the result. If your coach assigned a drill, follow its setup and purpose.

Watch what happens to the shot as well as what the swing feels like. Did it start where you aimed? Was the contact what you expected? A movement that looks different on video is one observation; the ball gives you another.

If you record, check a few clips at a pause in the practice block. Reviewing every swing can turn the session into constant stopping and restarting. Use the footage to answer a specific question, then put the phone down and return to the task.

Once you have spent time on your task, change the target or club between shots. Choose an intended landing area, go through your normal pre-shot routine, and hit that shot. Step back and make a new decision before the next one.

In PGA.com’s range guide, Kris Hart recommends varying targets and keeping a routine. You can use existing flags or markers to give each shot a purpose. Stay within the range’s permitted hitting direction.

Keep this part separate from the block where you work on a drill. You are checking what happens when you have to choose and play a shot. If it feels less consistent than repeating the same club, write that down instead of immediately adding another swing change.

If the shots get worse, pause before trying another tip. Check that you are still following the task you came to practice. You may have started rushing or switched to a different thought without noticing.

Return to the instruction you were working on and make a few comfortable swings. If the task remains unclear, save a representative clip and a question for your coach. You do not have to solve every problem before the bucket is empty.

A useful note says what you tried and what you observed. For example: "Worked on the task from my lesson with a 7-iron. Contact felt more consistent during the drill; shots still started right when I changed targets. Ask my coach about that." The note describes what happened and leaves the cause open for discussion.

Keep a clip that helps explain the observation. At your next session, read the note before deciding what to practice. If you want to compare videos, use the same camera view and setup.

• What did I work on?
• What happened to the shots, and what did the recording show?
• What will I continue or ask about next time?

Teeo’s free recording and clip review tools let you revisit a swing at a pause in your practice. Follow the in-app recording guidance and check that the clip shows the whole movement.

With Pro, AI feedback and practice suggestions can help you choose a focus. Keep your coach’s agreed priority in mind when considering a suggestion. Side-by-side comparison and progress trends give you ways to revisit your practice later.

Use the recording as a reference when you review the session. You can make the same plan with a phone camera and a notebook; Teeo brings recording, feedback, and practice history together.