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Coaches Corner: From Range to the Course

27th August 2026
Why does your game feel so good on the range, yet so different on the course? In this first edition of Coaches Corner, we explore the key differences between practice and performance and our Sport Psychologist, Jordan Byrne, explains why technical skill alone isn't enough. 

  • Golf

  • Golf At Goodwood

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One of the most frustrating experiences in golf is hitting the ball beautifully on the range, only to find that the same swing seems to disappear once you step onto the first tee.

You stripe 20 balls in a row. Your swing feels smooth, your contact is solid and your confidence grows. Then you reach the first tee and suddenly the swing feels different, foreign. We lose strike, the feeling is gone, and the confidence you had five minutes earlier starts to disappear.

So, what changes? The answer is that the skill hasn't necessarily disappeared, the environment has changed.

Practice Is Not Performance

On the range, we often practise in a relatively controlled environment. There is no scorecard, no trouble to avoid, no real consequence attached to the shot and usually no specific target that truly matters. If you hit a poor shot, you can simply put another ball down and try again.

The golf course is different.

Every shot has a consequence. You have to choose a target, select a club, commit to a shot and then deal with whatever happens afterwards. You also have to manage your thoughts, emotions, expectations and distractions. In other words, the course requires you to perform the skill rather than simply practise it.

This is where golfers can fall into a common trap, spending hours trying to perfect their technique on the range, but very little time practising the psychological and decision-making demands of actually playing golf.

A useful question is: “Am I practising my golf swing, or am I practising playing golf?”

There is obviously a place for technical practice. If you're working on a swing change, repetition is important. But at some point, practice needs to become more representative of what you will actually experience on the course.

Imagine you're playing a hole. Pick a fairway target, select the appropriate club, go through your normal routine and hit the shot. Then imagine the next shot based on where the previous one finished.

There comes a time where we have to use what we have on the day, and post the best score we can with the swing we have.

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The Role of Routine

One of the simplest ways to help bridge the gap between the range and the course is to develop a consistent pre-shot routine.

The routine acts as a bridge between thinking and doing.

Behind the ball, you can assess the lie, choose your target, visualise the shot and make your decision.

Once you step into the ball, the objective changes. You've done the thinking. Now it's time to execute. This can help prevent golfers from taking their technical thoughts from the range onto the course.

Book in a Sport Psychology Session 

Jordan Byrne is a Performance Coach with an MSc in Sport Psychology, specialising in helping golfers improve confidence, manage pressure, and perform more consistently on the course. Through a focus on the mental side of the game, Jordan supports players in developing the skills needed to maximise their potential and bridge the gap between practice and performance.

Jordan offers individual coaching sessions, bespoke performance packages tailored to your goals, and on-course coaching sessions designed to improve performance where it matters most. 

To find out more or book a session, visit here or contact Jordan directly at jordan.bryne@goodwood.com

 

  • Golf

  • Golf At Goodwood