Home on the Range

The good old driving range is becoming a thing of the past. In its place, we have the "learning center." The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers, in New York City, is one such New Age driving range. Chelsea Piers offers more of everything -- more instruction, more putting greens, more practice bunkers -- along with an upscale lounge and dining room. But as with a traditional driving range, the focus here is on helping you improve your swing.

Darryl Jack, director of instruction at the Golf Academy at Chelsea Piers, suggests that the next time you hit the range, you resist the urge to bang out a couple dozen drives. Think about it: If you were to do that drill on a course, you would repeatedly drive the ball out of play -- and get slapped with a stroke-and-distance penalty. Now, why would you want to practice something like that?

Jack suggests that you emulate the practice routine of Payne Stewart and other PGA stars. Stewart never uses just one club on the practice range. Instead, he varies the clubs that he uses -- just as he does in competition. That way, he's able to maintain a steady rhythm, no matter which club he's playing with. So the next time you hit the range, don't hit every ball with the same club. Going from short game to long game, start with your sand wedge or your pitching wedge, and then move up to your woods.

And don't emphasize your tee-to-green game at the expense of your short game -- a common mistake among high handicappers. Dave Pelz advises that before ending your session at a driving range, you grab the highest-lofted wedge in your bag and use it to hit a minimum of 15 balls. Take a short backswing and aim for a target that's no more than 20 yards away. The goal is to practice your biggest weakness -- which for most people is their short game -- as well as your strengths.

The 19th Hole

As a new season approaches, remember that there's a reason why golf is known as "the game for a lifetime": You can spend a lifetime trying to master it. So part of any rational strategy for r sharpening yougame is being realistic about how far -- and how fast -- you can hope to progress. Golf is a tough game. If it were easy, it wouldn't be so engaging.

And that's the point: Enjoying the game should be your primary goal. Low scores are desirable only if they make playing fun. And in many cases, you'll make lower scores only when you let go -- when you stop taking it all so damn seriously, when you forget about all of the song and dance that we've built around the game and you simply . . . swing.

Action Item: Practice Hole

Back in the 1970s, Loyola University basketball teams under coach George Ireland made an exceptionally high percentage of their shots. How did they do it? During practice, Ireland had his players shoot at hoops that were smaller in diameter than a standard-size rim. By game time, his sharpshooters thought that regulation-size baskets looked as large as oil drums.

Master teacher Dave Pelz has adopted a similar approach to create the Truth Board. The contraption consists of a piece of carpeted aluminum with a hole in the center that contracts to various widths. By dropping putts into a hole that's been narrowed to less-than-regulation size, says Pelz, you'll improve your focus and concentration.

Coordinates: $139.95. The Truth Board, Dave Pelz Golf, www.pelzgolf.com

Sidebar: Golf Courses

An off-season immersion in a golf-training environment can be a powerful form of therapy. Here are four schools that represent a wide range of instructional approaches. From east to west:

Nicklaus Flick Game Improvement, Boca Raton, Florida; Desert Mountain, Arizona; Las Vegas, Nevada. Expect a thorough, on-the-course analysis of your technique and strategy.

Coordinates: $2,195 for a three-day program, excluding accommodations. 800-642-5528, www.nicklaus.com

Harvey Penick Golf Academy, Austin, Texas. The academy draws inspiration from the late Harvey Penick, mentor to several big-name pro players. Two dozen professionals are on staff to help you perfect your swing.

Coordinates: $690 for a three-day program, excluding accommodations. 800-396-0099, www.golfsmith.com

Kostis McCord Learning Center (at Grayhawk Golf Club), Scottsdale, Arizona. TV golf personalities Peter Kostis and Gary McCord cofounded this school. The center's goal, says one of its instructors, is to "put students at ease with their natural abilities."

Coordinates: $1,995 for a three-day program, excluding accommodations. 877-259-2505,www.kostismccordlearning.com

The School for Extraordinary Golf, Carmel, Napa, and Palm Springs, California. Founder Fred Shoemaker says that he "is committed to shifting the learning of golf away from tips, techniques, and answers, and toward exploration, discovery, and freedom."

Coordinates: $1,295 for a three-day program, excluding accommodations. 800-541-2444, extragolf@aol.com