Why does your range game not show up on the course? With mental performance coach Chris Kirkland
We all know the story – you’re striping it on the range and then 10 minutes later the freedom seems to have vanished and you’re struggling on the course.
You’re not imagining the change – the difference between your range game and your course game isn’t mystery, it’s context.
While practising is about building skill, playing is about applying it under pressure. Bridging that gap isn’t just about hitting more balls – it’s about training your brain to handle variation, consequence and expectation.
On the range you operate in control with level lies, no hazards, and no judgment. It’s the ideal place to explore swing feels, refine mechanics and build confidence.
On the course there’s wind, slopes, strategy, scoring, and pressure. While ball striking and scoring are related, they are not the same – and range rhythm doesn’t automatically translate to competitive performance. If your practice doesn’t look like the game, don’t expect the results to carry over.
Instead of hitting one club to one target, introduce variation like what you would experience on the course. This includes changing clubs and targets often, going through your full pre-shot routine for every ball, and visualising actual shots in a sequence you’d face them. This kind of contextual practice strengthens the neural pathways that control performance under pressure.
A great way to build this into a practice session is to end with a mini round – playing six imagined holes with no second chances. Using range technology like Toptracer makes this even easier, though it is important to maintain the level of focus and use visualisation, and have some accountability on every shot.
The tournament ball drill is a favourite among tour players I work with as it changes the mindset instantly. When every shot counts, you’ll feel your focus sharpen and you’ll start making better decisions, managing risk, and executing routines with purpose. That’s the point – to make pressure feel familiar and build confidence to go back to in these situations in the future.
While this is a great way to practise, it’s important each session has balance. A structure many players like is one with 30% of the time spent on technical – mechanical changes or movement patterns with the focus on quality, not quantity; 20% on target practice to begin connecting swing to shot; and 50% on performance training – simulating on-course conditions with games, challenges and scoring drills.
Think of your practice like studying for an exam – the technique is revision and the performance drills are the mock tests – you need both to perform under pressure on exam day.
If your range swing never seems to make it to the course, it’s not your talent getting in the way, it’s your training environment.
Golf is a variable, decision-rich and high-pressure game and to perform better you need to train for that reality.
