On the range at the Women’s Open

If you seek to improve your golf game, watch golfers who are better than you warm up for their rounds. 

The practice range at an LPGA or USGA women’s tournament is ideal. Watch their pre-shot routines carefully, pay attention to the tempo of their swings, and watch the balls fly off just as intended. It will be inspirational.

Here are some examples from Lancaster Country Club’s beautiful practice facility during this year’s Women’s Open.

Mo Jutanugarn was working on her downswing rehearsal for her hybrids, keeping her arms and body connected with the movement. After about five shots, she shifted to five more shots with a fairway wood. As with the hybrid, her shots were dead straight and hit with a smooth rhythm. 

Jutanugarn switched to her driver and took five more shots. For each one she aimed at a different spot and hit to it, as if on the course. There was a barely detectable curve, a tiny draw, and all with the same downswing rehearsal.

Jeongeun Lee6, the 2019 USWO winner, stood nearby (she has a six after her name because she is the sixth player named Jeongeun Lee in KLPGA history). She rehearsed her initial takeaway up to the point where her hands reached waist high, while the club traveled a bit further. For several shots, Lee6 used a three-quarter swing rehearsal and followed it with a full-size swipe at the ball.

Lee6 used a similar shorter takeaway rehearsal before making full swings with her driver. She also went through her full pre-shot routine for each drive - standing behind the ball, taking her grip and focusing on the target, stepping into her stance, doing the short takeaway, and then making the full swing.

Mone Inami is a multiple winner on the Japan LPGA tour, with her sole LPGA victory at the 2023 Toto Japan Classic. Inami hit tiny chips of about 20 to 25 yards, bringing her hands to waist height for each shot. Each ball landed within a few feet of each other on the forward turf of the practice range. After several such shots, Inami doubled the distance with her wedges about six times. 

After laying her alignment stick in front of her feet, Inami repeated the process, using the shaft to confirm her aim and setup. At one point her coach put in front of her a small mat, marked with a double set of curved lines representing the arc of her swing. She also tried several shots with her right foot drawn back a few inches from her left, while still turning completely through on each swing. The balls kept going to the same place.

Brittany Lang, 2016 USWO winner, banged out several fairway woods downrange, each with at most a 4-foot draw. She and her caddie did that ball toss thing for each shot that you would like to do with your friends - but they keep refusing.

Lang also hit several booming drives. Her reputation as one of the LPGA’s long drivers shows no sign of diminishing.

Celine Boutier of France won the 2023 Evian Championship and the 2021 ShopRite, among other victories. On the Lancaster CC range, she hit 75-yard pitches to a target pole. She switched to the 150-yard pole and made similarly accurate shots to that location, each with a small drawing arc toward the target. Each ball landed within a few feet of the poles.

Boutier alignment stick lay four inches from the toes of her shoes. She kept to a short takeaway rehearsal of no more than about 2 feet. 

Amelia Garvey of New Zealand plays on the Epson Tour and previously distinguished herself on the University of Southern California women’s golf team. She took advantage of the Top Tracer system installed on the range for the USWO. Each drive was tracked and then replayed on the huge screen just right of the range, up against a tree line. Garvey would watch the ball flight as it happened, and then turn to watch the video replay, while talking with her caddie about each one.

Top Tracer staffer Anders Larsson laughed when I told him about Garvey’s rapt attention to the big screen. 

She also had a Trackman launch monitor set behind her. Under the circumstances it seemed just a tad redundant.

Uswing Sunglasses

This spring the folks at Uswing Sunglasses asked me to test one of their models. 

It came to my mailbox in time for the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster CC. They came in handy in the bright sunshine that blessed every day of the tournament. I was impressed at these remarkable pieces of optical technology.

The Par model I used was incredibly light and the crisp visual clarity was startling. The grayish-green tinted lenses block 80% of blue rays. They also provide significant UV400 protection, which makes a day in bright sunshine far less tiring on these old eyes.

For the fashion conscious, the sunglasses came with a second set of brightly colored temple ends, offering two sets of looks in a single pair.

Bear in mind that these glasses are not for the faint of wallet, retailing at uswingeyewear.com and other outlets for just under $600.