Range game stays at the range.

To me, the most important things when I play are to have good tempo and stay balanced.

When I play with longer players I sometimes swing to fast with my arms or try to get extra power.

These leads to bad tempo and off balance shots.

Just play your game. Loosen up by swinging with your feet together.
Also invert a club and swing until the swoosh is at the bottom of the swing.

Golf is hard.

The problem is you're going from a wide open field with a bunch of mulligans and no consequences for an errant shot, then you go to an environment where target matters and there are consequences for your misses.

Next time you're at the range pick a fairway in your mind, one that has given you trouble and hit tee shots til you hit several good, or hit to a par 3 on the course, but put yourself in a target environment just like the course and see how you do.

The longest walk in golf is from the range to the first tee.
N

Appreciate all of the responses.

I am pretty deliberate on the range. Always select a target and take my time. I'd rather thoughtfully hit a medium bucket than bang 100+ balls.

It is true that I don't treat each swing as if I were on the course. Will give that a try.

Also like the idea of clubbing up early in the round and going for tempo.

Golf

I'm the opposite.

I go to the range and I can hit my driver and my PW pretty much how I expect, and how I play.

Any other iron I swing on the range, looks like I've just picked up the game that day.

Go out and play the round, not a single fat hit, thin hit, MOSTLY pretty pure, flush hits, proper distance, just some shots may land on the green, and some left\right of the green.

*I went from 100's to mid 80's in the last year, so I'm not pretending to say I shouldn't practice and then I'll go out and shoot par. But I have gotten to the point where I'll just go hit driver and PW to loosen up and get a feel........then go play. But I want\need to learn how to do things better with all clubs, but I'm afraid every time I go to the range I'm not helping anything outside of the 2 clubs mentioned. Never had lessons, and that is my next step.

One thing I've learned over the years is you really need to pay attention to your aim and alignment on the course. Most times we are working on the range with an alignment stick. You need to practice aim/alignment and really visualize what it feels like to be lined up correctly. Most of my bad shots on the course are because I was lined up too far to the right and had to compensate on the downswing to swing to my target.