Robert Rock’s strict range routine can help your golf

We’re all guilty of raking and hitting on the driving range.

If you don’t know what that means, take a walk down your local range the next time you’re there, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Players will buy 50 balls, stand in exactly the same place, and hit them all, without stopping to even come up for air.

This, as you might expect, is not the best way to work on your game. If you’ve got bad habits, you’re probably going to ingrain them, rather than fight them.

Besides, when was the last time you played golf without walking between shots? Never, right?

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And Robert Rock, who has two DP World Tour wins to his name – and one of the sweetest swings in golf – has a way to combat it.

Speaking at a Golf Pride launch last week at Yas Acres Golf & Country Club, he explained why going through a proper routine on the range is going to help you transfer your best golf to the course.

“When I was playing and practicing at my best, I would try and make all my shots on the course the same as my practice shots,” said the Englishman.

“I would approach them all from here, behind the ball, and every time I got into this particular mode (over the ball) every shot would be the same.

“A 7-iron on the course would be a practice 7-iron, not the other way around. If these steps went nicely, without any fidgeting, I knew I was going to make a really good swing and hit a good shot.”

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Rock is then asked about the raking and hitting habit that so many amateurs find themselves in.

“When I’m working on hitting better shots, I always stand back here, behind the ball because this is where you’re taking the club off your caddie.

“This bit, walking in behind the ball, has got to take the same time.”

It might take a little longer to do, but going through a proper pre-shot routine before you hit each shot on the range will help you when it comes to hitting shots under pressure on the course. Remember, the driving range isn’t a place to rush through balls, it’s all about quality over quantity.

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor