I’m A Scratch Golfer. This Is The 100-Ball Range Routine I’ve Used For Decades

This is a 100-ball range session built around a bucket, divided into seven segments, with a specific goal for each shot. It opens and closes with short wedges from 25, 50 and 75 yards, puts the driver in the center rather than the end, and goes from block practice to random practice to the 71 ball.

The routine at a glance

• Balls 1-15: five shots each at 25, 50 and 75 yards, straight ahead.
• Balls 16-25: Ten full pitching wedges to a target directly in front.
• Balls 26-45: ten shots to a target on the far left of the range, then ten on the far right, at a distance of 7, 8 or 9 iron.
• Balls 46-55: a dozen drivers, with a longer rest between swings and a varied target line.
• Balls 56-70: fairway wood or hybrid plus 5- and 6-irons, varied trajectory including a few low stingers.
• Balls 71-85: random practice, changing club, aim and distance with each shot.
• Balls 86-100: Roll back through 75, 50 and 25 yards, five shots each, as a cooldown.

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I’ve been using a version of this 100 ball routine for decades.

It started when I was younger and I would go to the range, pay for a bucket and get 100 balls. I knew how many balls I had so I started to share and give a routine to follow. Eventually, it just became how I practiced.

There are definitely days when I’m working on something specific and this routine has changed. If I’m struggling with my driver or trying to work something out with my wedges, I don’t force myself to stick to a predetermined number of shots.

But if I go to the range specifically to practice and there’s nothing major going on with my swing, this is still the 100 ball routine I like to use.

It gives me a mix of repetition and course practice. Every stroke has a purpose and the session has a beginning, a middle and an end. I also like it alone. It’s familiar and structured, almost like following the same workout or bike ride you’ve done a hundred times.

I can’t say it’s the perfect practice routine. I can say that I am a scratch golfer, I have used it for a long time and it works well for the way I practice.

Balls 1-15: 25, 50, 75 yards

I start with five shots at a target at about 25 yards, five at 50 and five at 75. These are all directly in front of me and each shot is hit at a specific target.

This is probably more important to me than any other part of the routine because I feel like my golf swing is built from these smaller movements. If I can get the club moving well and make good contact on a shot 25 or 50 yards, it usually sets the tone for the rest of the session.

I also warmed up without immediately getting full.

Balls 16-25: full pitching wedge

Next, I move into a full pitching wedge and hit about 10 shots, again at a target directly in front of me.

At this point, I’m starting to make full swings, but I still keep things pretty simple. I’m looking for solid contact, starting the ball where I’m looking and seeing what kind of swing I bring to the range that day.

After that, I start to change where I want.

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Balls 26-45: Aim for both sides of the range

I’ll find a target on the left side of the range, usually somewhere within my 7, 8 or 9 iron range, and hit about 10 shots. Then choose a target on the right side and hit another 10.

I think this is something that many golf enthusiasts miss at the range. It’s really easy to set your feet, aim straight down the middle and hit ball after ball from essentially the same setup.

Then you come on the golf course and suddenly the target is left of you, right of you or sitting in a corner that looks nothing like the range. As soon as you start to change where your feet, shoulders and body are positioned relative to the mat or the hitting area, it will feel different.

This is why I intentionally use the targets on the far sides of the range. I want to put comfort somewhere other than straight ahead.

Balls 46-55: About 10 riders

I usually hit about 10 units during this part of the session. I can push that to 15 if I feel like I need the extra work, but I don’t automatically get a big block of drivers every time I practice.

My pace changes here too. The breaks between swings are a little longer with the driver than they are when I hit wedges or irons. I’m not interested in seeing how fast I can go through 10 balls.

I will also vary the target instead of hitting every unit in the same line. If I’m working on something specific, I can try to hit a few fades or draws, but training shots is not something I force in every session.

The goal is to hit the drives in the way I would on the course: choose a target, go through the routine, hit the shot and reset before the next one.

Balls 56-70: Fairway wood, hybrid and long irons

This section changes a bit from one practice session to the next.

I usually work with a fairway or hybrid wood rather than hitting both every time. I also make sure my 5 and 6 irons get some work here because those are the clubs I don’t want to ignore just because they aren’t as easy to hit as a short iron.

I’m not just changing clubs. I will also change the trajectory.

I’ll hit some at normal height, try to fly a few and usually hit a couple of low stingers. Again, there is always a target. I want to know where the shot would have gone, not just if I made solid contact.

Balls 71-85: Do more like golf

Once I get past the more repetitive part of the session, I start mixing things up.

I can hit a wedge at a 50 yard target, switch to an 8 iron and try to hit the green on the left side of the range, hit a driver, then take a 7 iron and aim for something to the right. I will continue like this for about 15 balls.

This is where the practice changes from the more traditional block practice into something that feels a little closer to playing golf. You don’t have to hit eight 7 irons in a row on the course until you find one you like. You get a swing and then you move on to something completely different.

I like to have both styles of practice in the same range session. In the beginning, I have enough repetitions to work on my movement. Next, I will change clubs, targets and distances from shot to shot.

Balls 86-100: Returns 75 to 25 yards

I still end up where I started: five shots from 75 yards, five from 50 and then five from 25.

There are two reasons I like to do this. First, these shots matter. I don’t want all my wedge practice to happen during the first 15 dances of the session when I’m still warming up.

Second, it feels like a cooldown.

If my last shot of a range session is a full driver, it seems almost endless. There was no real beginning, middle and end. Working my way back from 75 to 25 yards slows everything down and gives the session a natural stopping point.

From there, I’ll go to the putting green.

Because this routine has stuck with me

The biggest reason I’ve kept doing this for so long is probably the structure. I don’t have to stand on the range wondering which club I should hit next, but there’s still enough variation that I’m not mindlessly hitting balls.

Every shot has a target. I move my aim around the range. I have some block practice, some random practice, different trajectories, longer clubs, short game work and some course simulation.

More importantly, I love it.

Practice doesn’t have to be perfectly optimized every time you go to the range. Sometimes having a routine that clears your mind, keeps you focused and makes you want to practice is valuable in itself.

You probably have to create your own version based on your game and what you need to work on. Use this as a starting point and see what you like and don’t like.

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