You are on the range warming up before the round. You are not hitting the ball very solid, and not close to your normal ball flight shape. Many players panic big time if this happens before a big match, especially before a tournament round. The brain begins to scan all the swing thought files looking for an answer to fix the problem. The big question is, 'What should you do?'
There is a saying in golf that when this happens, 'Dance with the one you brought.' This implies that whatever you are hitting on the range, that is it for that day and take it to the course. So if you tend to hit it relatively straight to a draw and now are hitting blocks to slight fades, accept it and go to the first tee thinking and visualizing a fade. This sounds like good advice but I believe it has a major flaw and should not ever be considered.
We are what we are and our swing is what it is, especially after we have spent so much time and effort practicing and playing to develop a consistent and repeatable swing. So, walking out on the range and hitting some shots with a shot shape out of character from your normal flight pattern is not cause to panic. Accept what you see and go play with it. Heck, even at the other extreme of hitting it bad, like some bad slices or hooks or maybe even a S@#*k or as I call it a Hosel Rocket, a chunk or two or sky ball, don't go into the 'What's Wrong Mode' and start trying every swing adjustment you know of.
The problem with the 'What's Wrong Mode' is that it is the same as stumbling around in the dark feeling for the light switch. Just as you can bump into the wall or stub your big toe on the end of a piece of furniture, trying to figure out what is wrong with your swing is wandering in the dark. When teaching, I use the metaphor of the bucket of range balls being fortune cookies. The answer is on one of those little pieces of paper in a cookie. You break open all the 100 plus cookies, lay them out and read them all. The big question is, 'Which one is the answer?'
On the range you may have enough time to try many or even all of them. And even if you hit the ball well with one or two or three, does that mean it is truly the answer. And obviously, on the course, there is no time to try them because every shot counts. So what is the only logical and reasonable course of action when your swing is out of sorts in the warm up or practice on the range, especially if your swing goes south on the course?
The answer is plain and simple. You go back to your PPGS setup and swing basics. This keeps you thinking smart and in a 100% positive frame of mind with the lights on. You go into 'Your Swing Mode' of making a correct setup and swing. You get into thinking only the basics for your setup and the primary swing thought for you to swing best. You know the right way of how you have to setup and swing to hit the ball the best.
So instead of dancing with the one you brought, you find the one you know you dance with the best and forget about the rest.
The Surge!