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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
TL Golf Thread ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/lYdjb0B.png?1) We didn't have one of these yet, or so it seems from my searching, so I figured I'd make one. Feel free to discuss any golf related stuff here: Good rounds, that 370 yard drive you smacked right at the pin but couldn't find, advice, how to improve, PGA tour events, whatever floats your boat. I'll add more to the OP later and make it fancy, but figured I'd put something up now as any golf discussion is sorely lacking | ||
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SoleSteeler
Canada5411 Posts
I play screen golf 2-3 times a month (at least) here in Seoul. For those who don't know what that is: you have real clubs, real balls, and there's sensors and cameras that watch you as you swing (you have to hit the ball off a certain spot) and you hit it into a kevlar screen. It's a ton of fun, and some friends of mine who are pretty good (can shoot 72 on a lot of courses) say it's pretty damn accurate for its realism. The major thing is if you're in a sand trap or whatever, you're still eating off a piece of astroturf, basically. But the game still accounts for everything like sand, wind, etc. Basically my friends and I will go there on Friday night, order pizzas and bring in tons of alcohol and just shoot the shit for 18 holes. You can bring in your own food/beverages and it's not problem. Someone sometimes brings a laptop and we play music and watch youtube, too. Some of the most fun I've had in Korea! Anyway, doing this was basically my first experience with golf. I've real golfed maybe 8 times otherwise (once in Bangkok, 3ish times in Canada where I'm from, and 4 times at an easy par 3 here in Korea, outside of Seoul.) For a long ass time I sucked pretty badly. Recently I've been watching a lot of videos on golf swing form and I've improved drastically. From an average of ~+40 to around +15-25 so far for my best games. One night it all just clicked for me! I'd still like to get a lot more consistent, however. If anyone has any golf videos or instructional websites they'd recommend, please please please! For 3 years I kept coming in last place every game, and only recently I've come in 1st-2nd among my friends.  edit: here's a video. I don't know if they have em in the west yet. But for $20 you can place on hundreds of different courses and it's fun as hell. | ||
Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51456 Posts
Those golf screens are normally used just in the shops that sell the golf clubs in England as they use it as a selling tool to say, come try this club its awesome it will make you shoot better etcetc. But that idea sounds awesome as you can get a group together have a laugh and play golf without the moany old members of professional golf clubs moaning at you for talking to loud on the course or smiling...heaven forbid you smile on the golf course lol. Also you don't have to dress a way you don't want too! Can wear whatever you feel comfortable swinging the club in. Mini golf is still the best golf for me though, nothing beats trying to put the ball through the windmill at the right time! | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
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SoleSteeler
Canada5411 Posts
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ReignSupreme.
Australia4123 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On January 03 2014 21:02 SoleSteeler wrote: fuck shit fuck. Coulda beat my lousy best score of +27 tonight but I fucked up hard a lot on the back 9... finished +30. I was +7 after 8... grrr. Need better consistency. Well, it's a nice front nine, but that 57 on the back is rough. I'm guessing you either got in your head about how good you were going to and started pressing aggressively/nervously, or the opposite and tried to play too safe which ironically can result in some bad swings. Rarely does your swing just totally "go" mid round when you are playing well...it can happen, but more often it's a result of mental game decisions. In my view the best way to think is "aggressive swings to conservative targets", meaning you dont try to just get it in play or club down and swing easy...same swing as normal. but if that pin is back right with bunker mid right you just play for middle of the green, or if it is a particularly narrow fairway you might take iron off the tee rather than driver. To be honest...Just jealous you can play right now. Cold as heck here in Colorado. That and I'm poor, sucks only being able to practice or play a couple times a year  . | ||
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SoleSteeler
Canada5411 Posts
Since I went home to Canada for Christmas, it was my first game in about a month so that might have affected me slightly (maybe not...). The annoying thing is... if you read my first post in this thread, I say I can shoot +15-25 around (down from my old scores of 40+.) There was a stretch of several weeks where we only played 15ish holes and I think my best was actually +15 at the time of quitting. But we got too drunk and we'd been playing for like 6 hours (one night we had 6 players - takes a fuck load of time since only one person can swing on the machine). So anyway, I had several nights where I should have crushed +27, but didn't actually finish the game. Even if I got double par on the last 3 holes or whatever I still would have beat it. Oh well. I'll get it next time. And I understand the jealousy. I'll definitely miss screen golf when I move back to Canada in a couple years. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Does sound like you are improving pretty darn well man. Going from 110's+ down to 90's is some big time improvement, and hopefully you'll keep progressing like a boss and be down in the 80s regularly in no time. I'm really curious about exactly what it feels like to play simulator golf haha, might have to see if there is one of those in my area. My swing might be rusty as hell right now since I've maybe hit 200-300 shots at best over the last few years...but at least I can chip and putt for free so my short game is still acceptably intact. | ||
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SoleSteeler
Canada5411 Posts
6 players in one room, two of them were brand new, too. It was frustrating! I would take my drive and then wait for 25 minutes while 3-4 of the newer players would be trying to hit it well enough to go past me. Screen golf... man, my friends say it's a really good idea to start some up in the west. They're everywhere here. It's a lot of fun to play, as you say, when it's cold out. Or in the case of Seoul, the closest golf courses are more than 50 km away, and a lot of courses require you to get a caddy. It gets pricey. Screen golf is $20 for 18 holes here in Seoul. Comes with clubs, a glove, and shoes if you need em, too. I bet people in the west could charge double that and they'd still get a ton of customers, especially in the city. As for the game itself... as I mentioned, there's hundreds of courses you can play on, which is nice. Some aren't even real. One we play on often if we bring in someone new is a course with no OBs. There's canyon walls everywhere and you'll always bounce back. It's a super easy course but it's fun! Another thing is if you get a hole in one, your game is free. On the canyon course, the 18th hole is uphill but it's a smallish bowl, so if you can aim it right it'll be a hole in one. Surprisingly hard to do, though. The hole is maybe... 10 yards across (diameter or whatever you'd say) from maybe 140 yards out. Only seen one hole in one on it, but we're usually too drunk anyway. There's lots of settings, too. You can set a handicap for your player, change it to beginner (gives you a boost when you hit, or will straighten you out some), amateur (what we all play on, normal mostly but I guess it might be a touch forgiving) and pro (as close to 100% accurate as possible, I guess). You can turn wind on/off, turn on a grid system so you can see if it's rolling up/down hill, set a concede between 1-3 meters, and other stuff we don't touch. The tee platform also shifts up and down based on your terrain (tilts sideways, etc.) but you can turn that off. In that sense, it's obviously not a substitute for real golf if you take it really seriously. But the club/ball is real, and as I mentioned in my first post, I have friends who do take golf seriously and they always say it's pretty damn accurate. Sometimes I actually find real golf easier. Sometimes. -_-;. Sometimes a room's censor might fuck up (or so we say... probably just our excuse )There's a virtual driving range before you begin that you can fuck around on too which is fun. If you are waiting for friends to show up, it's pretty handy having 20 mins to warm up. It's fun to play in a big group (as long as you have a lot of time to kill, or a double room), or last night I played with just one friend and it's fast and fun. Some guys play alone, even. Crank out 18 holes in an hour or less. When I play with just one other person, it's addicting since you fly through it fast. Easy to play another 18 holes but the money would add up pretty fast. Ugh I want to play now. I wrote too much. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Lefty is really rare in general btw, 5% sounds about right here stateside as well. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Practice 3-4 times a week at least Get in at least 10 rounds, but ideally 20 if possible to re-establish handicap Not really going to set performance goal till I know where I am at. In the meantime just for fun here is me getting in some balls on the first 70+ degree of the year! Couple thing I want to work on:
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Aveng3r
United States2411 Posts
I really enjoy the game and I actually spent this last summer working as grounds crew on a private 9 hole course, interesting experience. The only story I can share is that one summer me and a bunch of friends all went to the same golf camp. Nothing serious, just to have fun and play the game. Long story short we were always grouped up with this one pretentious, douchebag, weiner type of kid who thought that he was the shit. Some of my friends were playing ahead of us and as soon as they cleared out of the way, I destroyed probably the best drive of my life right down the middle, but it was up an over a hill such that I couldnt see where it ended up. My friends in the group ahead, thinking that the annoying kid must have been the one to hit the drive, picked up the ball and chucked it, leaving me baffled when I got over the hill and my ball was nowhere to be found. In passing conversation later in the day they found out that it was actually my ball they threw into the woods. assholes. Edit: this thread has been around for longer than I realized | ||
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LuckyFool
United States9015 Posts
I was super hyped for the final round of the Bridgestone last week cuz Tiger was actually in contention on Sunday. Sadly he failed again though...his back is definitely still giving him issues. I always get the itch to get out and golf around this time of the year. Masters just a month away too. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 13 2014 14:57 LuckyFool wrote: Wow a golf thread. Sick. I was super hyped for the final round of the Bridgestone last week cuz Tiger was actually in contention on Sunday. Sadly he failed again though...his back is definitely still giving him issues. I always get the itch to get out and golf around this time of the year. Masters just a month away too. Masters always gets my golf jones going. Bigtime. Tiger for me is interesting. I both root for him actively and against him aggressively. What I mean is that I enjoy Tiger being in contention because I like his creativity, swing, and approach to shot shaping. That said, I never want him to win because he isn't much of a person, and gives possibly the worlds lamest, non-answer interviews. That said, if Tiger came back to insane dominance, like his 2000 skill, I'd probably be pulling for him because I absolutely love seeing things being elevated to a new level. It may be predictable when that happens, but for me the dominance itself is fun to watch. | ||
micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 13 2014 19:31 micronesia wrote: Man, ever since this round almost two years ago I just haven't been motivated to play! Now I'm moving into an apartment I probably can't even fit my clubs in... to live in a place with no nearby golf courses. Things just don't work out sometimes... I didn't know you've had a hole in one! Thats dope!! I'm still missing that one from my collection, but I've born witness to 4...including one for albatross on a par 4, that was sick! | ||
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LuckyFool
United States9015 Posts
Maybe Tiger is just so enjoyable for me to watch play golf it transcends everything else for me. Also I've been playing golf since I was 7 years old and I've never even come close to a hole in a one. Super jealous. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Throwin it out there as a thought | ||
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supernovamaniac
United States3046 Posts
But traveling around and being @ college... not ideal for playing golf nowadays. For some reason my iron shots were still straight few days ago, after not grabbing any club for almost 2 years | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 14 2014 13:11 supernovamaniac wrote: I wish I can participate in such tournaments But traveling around and being @ college... not ideal for playing golf nowadays. For some reason my iron shots were still straight few days ago, after not grabbing any club for almost 2 years My thought would be to make it accessible. In other words it might be something like a 4 round tournament with a week in which to play each round. I'd probably do something like length has to be between X and Y yards, and then from their score is adjusted using CR/Slope in a manner similar to handicap. We've got a few months before summer gets into full swing, but I could see this being fun. I'll continue to think about it and read about similar ideas and maybe propose something more serious in May, with the event starting in June. Didn't know you played golf, thats awesome! BTW: If anyone is from, or will be in, Colorado LET ME KNOW so we can play a round while you are here! | ||
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supernovamaniac
United States3046 Posts
On March 14 2014 13:26 L_Master wrote: My thought would be to make it accessible. In other words it might be something like a 4 round tournament with a week in which to play each round. I'd probably do something like length has to be between X and Y yards, and then from their score is adjusted using CR/Slope in a manner similar to handicap. We've got a few months before summer gets into full swing, but I could see this being fun. I'll continue to think about it and read about similar ideas and maybe propose something more serious in May, with the event starting in June. Didn't know you played golf, thats awesome! BTW: If anyone is from, or will be in, Colorado LET ME KNOW so we can play a round while you are here! Being part of high school golf team, I played tons. I was always good at shots but my mental game was weak, thus I never scored well. To date, I think my lowest was +8 for 18, never broke into 70's. Maybe I did once, but not sure. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 14 2014 14:00 supernovamaniac wrote: Being part of high school golf team, I played tons. I was always good at shots but my mental game was weak, thus I never scored well. To date, I think my lowest was +8 for 18, never broke into 70's. Maybe I did once, but not sure. When you say mental game was weak, do you mean that once things went south you tended to start struggling? Or that you just took way too many risks/low percentage shots? | ||
TheEmulator
28084 Posts
 I started playing seriously 4 years ago. I played a bit when I was younger, but no more than 4-5 rounds a year, but 4 years ago I decided to really start dedicating myself to the game during summers since I am a uni student and I have 4 months off every summer. This upcoming season will be my 5th in a row with a full membership, so I'm hoping to get down to scratch this year and play almost everyday. I didn't keep track of my handicap last season but I was averaging around 76-80ish, so I don't know if scratch is a realistic goal or not, lol. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 14 2014 16:50 TheEmulator wrote: Great, I always wished there was an active golf thread on TL I started playing seriously 4 years ago. I played a bit when I was younger, but no more than 4-5 rounds a year, but 4 years ago I decided to really start dedicating myself to the game during summers since I am a uni student and I have 4 months off every summer. This upcoming season will be my 5th in a row with a full membership, so I'm hoping to get down to scratch this year and play almost everyday. I didn't keep track of my handicap last season but I was averaging around 76-80ish, so I don't know if scratch is a realistic goal or not, lol. Averaging 78 means likely your good rounds are in neighborhood of 72-75, let's call it 74 (handicap calculated using best 10 rounds of 20). If you are playing back tees chances are CR is typically 69-74 depending (if you tell me your home club I can know exactly), so basically worst case scenario would have you in the vicinity of 5 handicap, and best case would have you around scratch. So yes, the goal is definitely a possibility for you. Assuming worst case of around 5 to scratch, that is a pretty big jump but with focus on keeping ball in play off tee (if that is an issue), chipping, and putting (esp inside 6' and lag putts) it's a do able jump. | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
I think my best round last year was 74. btw I made a ton of improvements last year, so at the start of the year I was shooting more mid 80's with a few low 80's. So it was more the last month I was shooting consistently around 76-80 with a few higher/lower. I think putting is my main issue for this season, and maybe a bit of my chipping. I 3 putt a ton, and I don't really make clutch birdie putts ever (literally ever). I spent way too much time developing my irons and tee shots/drivers. edit: oh and I play the black tees. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Not having those three putts would be huge, and if you are three putting it usually means your lag putting is poor. Try to get those suckers within 3 feet everytime, as the difference between 3 and 6 feet is huge. For the tour guys they are about 99% from inside 3 feet. Move back to 6 feet and it drops to barely 50%. Draining putts for birdie feel good, but aren't that crucial to getting to scratch. What I'd do is keep track of stats your first 10 rounds or so: fairway %, green in regulation %, number of putts, and % of up and downs. Usually for scratch you are looking for 10-12 GIR per round, with putts in the low 30s, assuming those GIR numbers, and approaching 50% for up and downs. Use that to find what is weak and shore up the vulnerabilities. Putting a bunch of work into driving 10 yards further won't have a major impact on your score. Reducing 3 putts from 2 per round to 0...well that gets you down to a 1 or 2 handicap already. | ||
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ReignSupreme.
Australia4123 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I'm toying with bringing my clubs when I move Sunday even though I won't really have any room for them LOL... just gonna leave them in the trunk or something... | ||
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supernovamaniac
United States3046 Posts
On March 14 2014 14:14 L_Master wrote: When you say mental game was weak, do you mean that once things went south you tended to start struggling? Or that you just took way too many risks/low percentage shots? First I have no problem taking risk shots. It's just that I make bad judgments once I start having a bad hole, and I seem to have hard time recovering from them. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 14 2014 21:15 ReignSupreme. wrote: How do you guys deal with slumps? Pretty much practice more and just work through it. Usually slumps come about for a couple of reasons, namely: equipment change, working on new swing change, something has changed in your swing that really doesn't suit you. Practice is pretty much the answer for all of those. In the case of the latter, sometimes it can be good to look at your swing and see what's going on and if there are any obvious issues. If it's anything less than a month I wouldn't call it a slump, sometimes you just get a string of bad rounds. | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
The good thing is my 3 wood never has issues so I just switched to that for a couple weeks, and I still out drive everyone I play with anyways. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 14 2014 21:25 micronesia wrote: To what extent is it necessary to work with a pro (and lay out mad money) to get to a skill and knowledge level where you can improve steadily through practice alone, and what are the alternatives? I find reading books, discussing this online, etc, are of extremely limited utility. I'm toying with bringing my clubs when I move Sunday even though I won't really have any room for them LOL... just gonna leave them in the trunk or something... In my case absolutely unnecessary. I've had one golf lesson in my entire life. When I was playing alot in late HS/first year of college I would bounce around between 1 and +2 handicap. Anybody will steadily improve through practice, especially if it is good short game practice. It's hard to go wrong there, esp if you take a little bit of time to read and understand the few basic fundamentals of good chipping and putting (i.e. for chipping: slight downward strike, controlled by the chest, acceleration through the ball (backswing not too big), hands lead clubhead into strike, etc) For short game stuff if you are ever in doubt just video yourself or even look in a mirror and mimic the action of Tiger, or Rory, or whoever. Putting fundamentals are pretty much just put from the shoulders. The wrists should remain set the entire struck and in no way should the hands or arms influence the putt. Full swing gets a little more complicated, because you can't just go say "copy Tiger" or "copy Adam" or whatever. Swings are built around ones body, and unless you are Adam Scott you can't swing like Adam Scott. But in general the best thing you could probably do is get an idea for what a "classical" good swing looks like. Which for me would be something like this
I'd say the order I would work on things is body mechanics first (shoulder turn, proper sequencing, etc), and then from there you can work on specifics if you know what works or doesn't work from you. By specifics I mean things like "club comes a little inside at the start, swing path coming down is too steep", etc. Generally, if the actions of the body are good, and the sequencing is solid as well you will be largely in good positions as well. Pretty much the way I learned is by watching tons of golf, and trying to incorporate the concepts of the good swings into my own swing. I used plenty of mirror work and video for this. For a while I was probably too mechanical and position obsessed, but it certainly helped me develop a good swing with fairly solid good mechanics. Of course, you have to pare that with plenty of practice so you learn coordination, timing, etc. You can have a really pretty swing but still hit tons of awful shots if your timing is poor or you just don't consistently bring the sweet spot of the club back to the ball. I'd also strongly recommend at least a 50/50, or if you can bare it, 66/33 division of time on short game v irons/driver. I made the mistake in HS of being about 5/95. I could have been a much better player than I was with smarter allocation of practice. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 15 2014 04:07 TheEmulator wrote: I had a slump with my driver last year, and being a really long hitter it was pretty terrible. Sometimes I would be two fairways over, lol The good thing is my 3 wood never has issues so I just switched to that for a couple weeks, and I still out drive everyone I play with anyways. Haha, I'm the opposite. I have as much confidence with the driver as I do with a 3 wood. Time for the e-peen contest , what's your typical driving distance? | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
I think I swing around 110-120 mph whenever I go to Golf Town and use their monitors. My favourite thing about being a long hitter is that I can use my PW from like 150-160 yards, lol. Makes approach shots so easy. edit: I hit it extremely high though, I think I might get more distance with better trajectory. But hitting it high looks super cool. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
The advice I have heard pretty much non-stop since I started playing golf was to spend the majority of your time focusing on and practicing short game. Apparently focusing too much on long game is a common beginner's mistake which costs strokes. This is something I still have trouble fully buying into even many years later... if I have to choose between not suddenly pushing/slicing my drive on #2 in to the woods OB, or, after missing the green, two putting for bogie on hole 3 when I probably could have gone up and down for par, I will honestly choose the former. Short game question: two different pros I spoke to seemed to have different philosophies about chipping... one suggested treating it like a putt and keeping the arms more or less stiff... the other advocated using the wrists (not completely, but not locking them either) in tandem with a small upper body rotation... are both valid? Is one ridiculous? The latter seems to have more potential for shots that don't run much when they land, but seem to be trickier to learn. | ||
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SwARmZzz
Canada193 Posts
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Aveng3r
United States2411 Posts
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
L_Master other than the general advice about how to hit the golf ball, it seems like your main answer as to how to improve in golf (long game, let's say) is to watch lots of sound swings and compare them to your own swing by using video and/or mirrors. In the past I have not had much luck with that... (A) because I did not have a spot to do this 'mirror work' and (B) because I did not have the ability to record quality video at a time when I was actually hitting golf balls... doing it in your backyard without hitting a ball of course isn't as useful since you don't know how effective a swing you are analyzing was at hitting the ball well. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why working with a pro seemed so necessary to me. Overall, I've found it very difficult to identify what I did wrong much of the time (of course, sometimes it's obvious what you did wrong, or at least one of the things you did wrong). I want to be clear I'm not saying this is the best way. It's just a method that worked for me, since you asked about getting respectable in skill without having tons of lessons. One thing worth mentioning here is that much of it just comes down to practice. The idea behind knowing what a good swing looks like and using that as a basis for your own is that you will have relatively good fundamentals. However, a big part of it is just practice; getting in the repetitions. Even pro golfers hit lots of bad shots. Their swing, their fundamentals anyway, are not to blame. They just did something wrong that time. If Tiger duck hooks one of the tee that doesn't mean he needs to go overhaul his swing...he just didn't execute in that instance. I bring that up to suggest that just because you hit some bad shots doesn't mean you need to fix your swing. It just means you haven't practiced enough to make the same swing everytime, and have the timing and coordination for squaring up the face. You only get alot of that from practice. I could have you make air swings until your swing looked like Tiger's and if I then put you on the range you would still be a 15 handicap because the timing and consistently wouldn't be there. I used video/knowledge of good swings to ensure I didn't develop any super shitty fundamentals, but by and large the secret as Hogan said "is in the dirt". The main reason I get fairly good is that I hit 500 balls a day for 4 summers. This is something I still have trouble fully buying into even many years later... if I have to choose between not suddenly pushing/slicing my drive on #2 in to the woods OB, or, after missing the green, two putting for bogie on hole 3 when I probably could have gone up and down for par, I will honestly choose the former. You picked the most extreme example. You are correct though. The most egregious fault one can make in golf is hitting the ball out of play. Aside from that though the effects of short game are vastly more significant. Take the difference between a good drive that goes lets say 280 down the middle leaving 120 into the pin, or a 220 yard little squinter that ends up in the rough. If you have a good short game, you are very likely to make par from both spot. You might make birdie a little more often from 120, but even for scratch players that's a rare event. So that drive saves you...we'll call it .3 of a stroke. If you are the typical 15-20 handicap, you usually make bogey or double from 180 in the rough, which is giving up 1-2 shots. Good drives marginally increase the opportunity to make birdie. Good putting and chipping outright saves you a shot. Short game question: two different pros I spoke to seemed to have different philosophies about chipping... one suggested treating it like a putt and keeping the arms more or less stiff... the other advocated using the wrists (not completely, but not locking them either) in tandem with a small upper body rotation... are both valid? Is one ridiculous? The latter seems to have more potential for shots that don't run much when they land, but seem to be trickier to learn. Except for very short chips there will always be some natural wrist break. The thought of trying to hit a 30 yard pitch with no wrist break is comical and horribly unnatural. You could use that putting motion if you like to play little chips with lower lofted irons or are playing a 3-wood from the rough/fringe border. Wrists shouldn't get heavily involved, but they should be involved similar to how they would be for your normal swing. "Quiet wrists" on the downswing and follow through is a good way to think of it, unless you really need to get the ball way up in the air. setting your putts up with good approach shots is also really important, 3 or 4 feet closer on the approach is often the difference between 1 or 2 putts for me Very true. Just look at tour pros. From: <3 feet - 99% 6 feet - 62% 10 feet - 57% 10-15 feet - 33% 15-20 feet - 15% It drops off fast. The difference between chipping to 3 feet and 6 or 7 feet is MASSIVE. Roughly you save half a stroke every-time you chip the ball inside 3 feet versus chipping to 6 feet...and that is if you are a tour pro, I suspect it's even greater for amateurs. | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
<3 feet - 50 6 feet - 10 10 feet - 1 10-15 feet - 0.1 15-20 feet - I wish | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 15 2014 04:30 TheEmulator wrote: I usually hit around 290. Over 300 a few times in a round when I go full out on par 5's. I don't really keep track of my distance, but when I do it's rarely under 275. But distance has always come naturally to me since I'm 6'4 and have long arms. Also been an athlete my whole life. I think I swing around 110-120 mph whenever I go to Golf Town and use their monitors. My favourite thing about being a long hitter is that I can use my PW from like 150-160 yards, lol. Makes approach shots so easy. edit: I hit it extremely high though, I think I might get more distance with better trajectory. But hitting it high looks super cool. I think you've got me by a touch. I'm usually around 310-320 for a really solid drive....but I live at 6000' so you gotta whack 10% or so off of that. My swing speed usually is around low 110's, and I remember if I swung out of my shoes I could get up to about 116 or so. I'm like you in terms of irons, in fact I'd say I hit them disproportionately long compared to my drive. For me a comfortable 9-iron is around 180, a 7 around 200, and a 5 about 220. Again, knock 10% or so off for a sea level comparison. I hate to think what I could do with your height though, as I am a smaller guy at just 5'8". That extra arc would make it easy to murder the ball. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 15 2014 09:18 TheEmulator wrote: My stats are probably something like this <3 feet - 50 6 feet - 10 10 feet - 1 10-15 feet - 0.1 15-20 feet - I wish And there you have the difference between a tour pro and a 3 index I can't imagine you are 50% from 3 feet though. That would be just ungodly frustrating. With those stats you'd probably 3 putt 3-4+ times per round, and would be lucky to get up and down once per round. Fuuccckkkk all this golf talk is really making me want to go play | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
I was definitely exaggerating a bit with the 50 percent from 3 feet btw. Just making a point about how bad my putting is, but it's not really THAT bad. Your distances are great for being 5'8. My irons are probably a little shorter than that, but the same if you consider the altitude like you mentioned. Next time I go on a monitor I want to try swinging my driver full out to see what I can really do. That is if I actually hit the ball. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Short game I will have to wait and see what is available, I suppose. | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
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Aveng3r
United States2411 Posts
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LuckyFool
United States9015 Posts
On March 15 2014 09:51 micronesia wrote: I'm moving to DC in a couple of days, so I took a look at the local golf options. The first thing I need (for long game) is a driving range... I take it they don't appreciate you shelling golf balls at the white house from the mall. Nearby options (I'm going to be right near the Nationals Ball Park) seem to be East Potomac Golf Course and Army Navy Country Club. When I feel ready to play, other options include driving over to my alma mater, University of Maryland Golf Course, Langston Golf Course, and other slightly far courses. The area isn't quite Long Island with 5 golf courses per square millimeter, but there still seem to be plenty of options if you have a car. Short game I will have to wait and see what is available, I suppose. wow welcome to my neck of the woods. there's tons of options in Northern VA/Fairfax area (where I live) but that's a good 20-30 miles outside DC, car definitely required. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 15 2014 09:59 TheEmulator wrote: Find a place that not only has a range, but also gives you unlimited access and buckets. My club has that and sometimes I just go there and hit like 5 buckets after a round. It wrecks my hands, but worth it Those were the days. We had one 70 degree day about a week ago. Hit a medium bag of 45 balls and had two massive blisters. I used to hit 500 in a day no problem... not only being able to play for a few years has taken its toll. | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On March 15 2014 13:08 TheEmulator wrote: I go enough that at some point my hands become immune. But the first few weeks of the year are terrible for blisters on my hands, and sometimes even my feet from walking too much. Especially last year because I had new shoes. Golf honestly injures me more than when I was playing football in HS or even when I was doing University Track, lol. Track? You sure know what sports to pick! What events? I'm guessing sprints since I haven't seen you in the running thread ever. | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
On March 15 2014 13:33 L_Master wrote: Track? You sure know what sports to pick! What events? I'm guessing sprints since I haven't seen you in the running thread ever. Well I did everything in High School (except distance), but I guess I excelled most in Javelin/Discus and a few sprints. In Uni I did the pentathlon and a bit of Pole Vault. I had to stop after 2 years because of injuries though For those that might be curious, pentathlon is the same thing as the decathlon, just 5 events instead of 10. It's used for indoor seasons, while the decathlon is used during the outdoor season. But since Uni track in Canada doesn't have an outdoor season we're stuck with the pent. Although I train all year with a track club anyways (or used too), so I do both. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Also...bah! Of course right when spring break starts we get weather of 35 and 4 inches of snow. LAME! Guess my first order of priority is to get my bad back in order. I currently lack a driver (head cracked), a 9 iron (shaft snapped), PW (pulled a dumbass and lost it), and 54 wedge (absolutely no grooves in the middle of the clubface). Having a gap from 100 yards to 185 yards is not so fun.... Probably going to cough up the money and reactivate my index as well. Will be interesting to see how much worse I am after 6 years of basically no golf. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Hopefully you'll lock down the sick deals! | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
I hear ya on the no practice thing. I'm thinking I'm going to cough up 400 and get an unlimited range plan at one of the local courses here in Colorado so I can get my game in some sort of shape over the summer. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Now just need a driver and maybe a 9 and the set is rebuilt | ||
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supernovamaniac
United States3046 Posts
On April 09 2014 03:20 L_Master wrote: Holy mother of epic deals. Just scored two new Vokey spin milled 46/54 wedges for a total price of $120. That's less than I expected to pay for one. Now just need a driver and maybe a 9 and the set is rebuilt =( even my dad won't give me them vokeys =( I haven't tried any new drivers since it's been a while. Did other companies catch up to Taylormade yet? (Then again, I really prefer R9 supertri over R11) | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
As for drivers, most companies have caught up to TM by now. I have an R11 9 degree that has served me pretty well, but I've been trying out the Titleist drivers which I think I will go to next. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On April 09 2014 04:53 TheEmulator wrote: I have 3 titleist vokey spin milled wedges too. And they are amazing. I have a 48, 54, and 62. As for drivers, most companies have caught up to TM by now. I have an R11 9 degree that has served me pretty well, but I've been trying out the Titleist drivers which I think I will go to next. 62! That's crazy amount of loft, but I did even see 64's. I love the 60 for higher shots around the green, but it frustrates me on full wedge shots. It seems like maybe one out of every 4 the wedge kinda slips under the ball, and it only travels about 70 yards instead of the usual 110. Never figured out why, and no other club does that for me. Not a huge issue though, as generally I like playing little 54 wedge shots in that 80-130 range | ||
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GettingIt
1656 Posts
Btw L_Master you should never use a full swing on a lofted wedge, even a 3/4 swing is pushing it if you are at 56 or above. That may be why you going under it. | ||
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supernovamaniac
United States3046 Posts
On April 09 2014 04:53 TheEmulator wrote: I have 3 titleist vokey spin milled wedges too. And they are amazing. I have a 48, 54, and 62. As for drivers, most companies have caught up to TM by now. I have an R11 9 degree that has served me pretty well, but I've been trying out the Titleist drivers which I think I will go to next. I would say Titleist were always behind TM when it came to the drivers, as many people around me have been using them. I just prefer TM for some reason. Heavier driver, but solid feel. I tried switching to callaway once but man, that thing felt like a toy. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On April 09 2014 05:39 GettingIt wrote: I don't understand why people need more loft than the 60 degree wedge when all you need to do is open the club head a bit more. For amateurs playing typical courses I can't see it ever being necessary. The advantage from a higher lofted wedge is that you can play even crazy spinny shots around the green or throw it up even higher for some mega flop. A flared wide open 64 has higher trajectory/more stopping power than a flared open 60. However, rarely; if ever, does any normal course require that extreme of a shot. Courses don't typically run at 14+ on the stimp Btw L_Master you should never use a full swing on a lofted wedge, even a 3/4 swing is pushing it if you are at 56 or above. That may be why you going under it. Haha, I definitely do not on the course. In fact I prefer to play my wedge shots a bit punchy if anything, unless it's a shot that just needs to be throw up into the sky. Still don't quite understand why it's possible to slide under it like that though, as clearly something changes from the full swing and the less than full effort. It can't be a product purely of club-head speed as a guy like Sadlowski can knock a 60 130+. | ||
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GettingIt
1656 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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supernovamaniac
United States3046 Posts
On April 12 2014 23:55 micronesia wrote: Okay I'm going to the range today... going to see what happened after... a year and a half or so. My guess is I will be unable to strike the ball decently with any club! I thought so too when I went to the range for the first time since before moving out to Korea. But then I hit 270+ with my driver on my second swing, slight draw. You never know  | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
After that got the speed down and putted pretty well. All in all not too disastrous. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I went yesterday and was able to pitch some balls ~50 yards with some success. Full swing was pretty disastrous with a few exceptions. Gonna need some on-site help it looks like. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
He took a look at me hitting a few balls with an iron and then asked me to vocalize my pre-shot routine/thoughts. He said everything seems perfectly fine except he suggested making one minor adjustment to my grip: moving my left-hand thumb clockwise around the grip a bit. He said my thumb positioning might explain why I often have the club open at impact when I hit a bad shot. While I was getting used to that (which felt good, but was making me mishit the ball) he had me move the ball all the way up in my stance with a short iron, and told me to try to hit the ball before hitting the mat, recognizing that this is not normally where you would hit the ball. This seemed to force me to rotate my chest more, and gave me a more complete follow-through. When we moved the ball back to a more normal spot in the stance I was still rotating my upper body such that my finishing position had my right shoulder well in front of my left shoulder (which I am able to do with my current level of flexibility) Next we worked on my balance (another thing I seem to be able to point to when I hit a bad shot). He told me to swing the club in a perfectly horizontal plane like a baseball bat, and practice shifting my weight to the area between my left heal and the ball of my foot (instead of on the toes where I tend to go when I am not balanced). I then took a few swings on a slightly tilted plane, but with the club still passing above the ball. Finally, I returned to a plane where I can hit the ball. I was less likely to have my weight too far forward while hitting balls, but that seems to be a work in progress. The nice thing is it's easy to feel when I'm on my toes while swinging, and I can take a few practice swings like a baseball bat to get the feeling at any time.... even out on the course if necessary. Finally, he saw I was swinging on too vertical of a plane. He used visual targets for me to bring the club back more inside, giving my backswing a more correct plane. He said there are more things we can do (such as with the backswing) but he doesn't want to give me too many technical things to try to work on. He said to do at least 2-3 practice sessions on my own before we work together anymore (which might take me a bit since I'm only practicing on weekends right now). He said my gear seems good except that my driver might not be matching up well with me, but I don't consider the driver a high-priority club to be honest... so I won't worry about it now. He seems eager in the future to work on short game on the chipping/putting green and with some more pitching, although we did a bit of pitching today. He commented that being comfortable with 60 yard pitches, and with your woods, means you should be able to swing well with any of the clubs in between, since they are just the two opposite extremes of the same motions. I'm pretty pleased with how today went. After practicing my long game a few times like he requested and doing one more lesson with him (probably mostly short game) I hope to start playing actual golf. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
He said everything seems perfectly fine except he suggested making one minor adjustment to my grip: moving my left-hand thumb clockwise around the grip a bit. He said my thumb positioning might explain why I often have the club open at impact when I hit a bad shot. This is referred to as a strong or weak grip. Most players play slightly strong, primarily because this will put you a little shut at the top with a flat left wrist, which allows you to just fire the right side and hold on, but it can vary. It's definitely easier to hit the ball to the right with a weaker grip as it puts the club in a more open position at the top, and the wrist needing to be more rotated at impact. Just to be clear, what a neutral grip means is that if you swing to the top and have a flat left wrist the clubface will point at the same angle as your left arm. With a strong grip and flat left wrist the club will be slightly skyward (closed) at the top. Strong Grip: ![[image loading]](http://www.aroundhawaii.com/assets/articles/2012/04/2574/images/p2.jpg) | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
When I first started hitting with a PW or something, I was either going fat or doing something weird and not getting a normal amount of distance or high enough trajectory. However, after hitting for a little while I found I was doing fairly well with pretty much all of my clubs. I'm going to do another lesson tomorrow (#2) where we hopefully fine tune my long game a bit and then work on short game. After that, if things seem to be going well, I'll plan to start playing actual golf next weekend. If I'm really lucky, the range at the course near where I live will actually be open by then! Driving two towns over just to go to the driving range is a PITA. edit: thoughts on the improvements the pro wanted me to make:
edit 2: I'm going to keep my scorecards once I start playing and establish a handicap asap | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Putting the depression aside, I need to figure out how to record my score correctly. I know that there is a way to determine the maximum score you can post for handicapping purposes based on your handicap and the slope/rating of the course. However, if you don't yet have a handicap established, how do you determine the maximum number of strokes? I had several holes where I got up to 8 and just stopped counting, but I'm not sure what the max should be. Edit: one unofficial site I found says to use an effective handicap of 36.4 until I establish my own, and thus the max score I can post seems to be 9. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
I did my second lesson today, and then went to try playing 9 holes (first time playing in a year and half). It was an utter disaster. All of the shots I could hit nicely on the range (with or without help from the pro) I could not hit on the course. Putting aside bad lies and other situations on a course that are much different than the range, I couldn't even hit easy shots from perfect lies. Don't stress too much about this. Golf swing work, 99.9999% of the time is a process of going like 6 steps back and then 7 forward. You can get significantly worse for a while during swing changes. If you are thinking about them on course, you are trying to make a unnatural (at the moment) action work, or if you aren't and just try to play normally you still have problems because you are beginning to ingrain the other new habits and you can struggle from the conflict. It's also much different to do it on the range than on the course, even if in theory a flat, good lie should be the same thing...it's much different. Not only are you worried about actually trying to play golf, aim, worry about targets, etc.; you also aren't hitting a ball every 30-120s like you are on the range. Bottom line, don't let playing bad while working on your swing stress you out. Once it gets real comfortable you'll start to see the improvement come. I need to figure out how to record my score correctly. I know that there is a way to determine the maximum score you can post for handicapping purposes based on your handicap and the slope/rating of the course. However, if you don't yet have a handicap established, how do you determine the maximum number of strokes? I had several holes where I got up to 8 and just stopped counting, but I'm not sure what the max should be. Per USGA rules until you have a handicap index, you use an assumed index of 36.4, the max allowable. However, this does not necessarily mean 9 is your max score, as for ESC you must use your course handicap, which is a result of your handicap and the courses slope rating. Simply put: CH = (Handicap * Course Slope) / 113, then rounded to nearest whole number. For practical purposes, until you have a handicap index, if the slope of the course from your set of tees is 123 or higher, you can take no higher than a 10 on any hole. If the course slope is 122 or less, then you can take no higher than a 9. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
As for course handicap... the slope of the course I played on was 129, so I guess the max score for handicapping is 10. Unfortunately, I lost count at about 8, as I said, so I'm not sure for my 'max' holes if I really made it to 10 in each case or not. I think I'll just alternate between 9 and 10 for any holes I had like that for a best guess. In the long run this won't matter at all, of course. Unrelated, but apparently my boss' boss is going to get me into his golf game! This could either be a really good thing or a really BAD thing LOL The good news is (for me, anyway), he has a cast on his wrist right now so I should have some time to improve my game before he invites me to play! I'm just worried he will try to hook me up with his super-powerful golf brethren before I have a chance to get my swing in order. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On April 30 2014 09:53 micronesia wrote: Thanks L_Maser, I'm going to hop back on the horse this weekend. As for course handicap... the slope of the course I played on was 129, so I guess the max score for handicapping is 10. Unfortunately, I lost count at about 8, as I said, so I'm not sure for my 'max' holes if I really made it to 10 in each case or not. I think I'll just alternate between 9 and 10 for any holes I had like that for a best guess. In the long run this won't matter at all, of course. USGA actually has prepared for this as well. Basically the rule is if you didn't finish a hole, didn't play under the rules of golf, can't remember, or a giant bald eagle snatched your ball (actually there is a different rule for that but...) you use your handicap to decide what score to take. You record a score of par plus your normal number of handicap strokes allotted. So in the case of playing at CH 40, you would take double bogey, except on the wholes handicapped 1, 2, 3, and 4, on which you would take triple. Actually though, in this case you say you can't remember; so the provision is to use the most likely score you would have made. If you were at 8 and lost count, probably would be best to take a 10 unless you had like a 2 footer left for 9. The good news is (for me, anyway), he has a cast on his wrist right now so I should have some time to improve my game before he invites me to play! I'm just worried he will try to hook me up with his super-powerful golf brethren before I have a chance to get my swing in order. As far as playing with the boss goes, you'll probably be noticeable worse at your level, but not all exec/managers are that great. It's unlikely to be you and three 70s shooters. Obviously be conscious of etiquette; repairing divots, fixing ball marks, lines while putting, sweating, etc. Then just watch pace of play; don't be afraid to offer to pick up on a hole if you're really not getting anywhere on it, and be ready to play when it's your turn. Have club/yardage all figured out ahead of time and be ready to go. | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
edit: oh wait, please tell me you meant swearing? | ||
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GettingIt
1656 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On April 30 2014 19:28 TheEmulator wrote: What L_Master? Sweating? Is sweating against course etiquette? I mean I'm 6'4, and being that size it's impossible not to sweat on a hot day. edit: oh wait, please tell me you meant swearing? LOOOOOL! Yea definitely meant swearing. I'd be absolutely screwed if it meant sweating...and god forbid someone lives where its humid haha. Some people are fine with swearing it if it's not excessive, but in a corporate setting...probably best to keep that under control. | ||
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Zorkmid
4410 Posts
On April 09 2014 05:31 L_Master wrote: 62! That's crazy amount of loft, but I did even see 64's. I love the 60 for higher shots around the green, but it frustrates me on full wedge shots. It seems like maybe one out of every 4 the wedge kinda slips under the ball, and it only travels about 70 yards instead of the usual 110. Never figured out why, and no other club does that for me. Not a huge issue though, as generally I like playing little 54 wedge shots in that 80-130 range Loft is only half of the story when it comes to wedges, deciding on the correct bounce is crucial. I have a 62 with like 4 degrees bounce for tight lies, wet bunkers and flop shots. I have a 56 with 14 degrees of bounce for fluffy bunkers, and deep rough. It's also what I hit from anywhere between 110 yards right to the greenside. For your 60 degree wedge you should check the bounce. Clubs with very little bounce aren't really meant for full shots. It's actually really terrible to ever take a hard swing at any wedge (unless you're in deep deep rough). | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Might even have a little prize pool, but no guarantees | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On May 01 2014 09:37 micronesia wrote: I advise against having us use our handicaps. I'm going to have an extremely large handicap soon, alongside a rapid pace of improvement! I'll probably have a gross and net competition, but anything with prize-pool would be gross only. Basic premise will be that you have to play 4 rounds in July or Aug (not decided yet which), since everyone plays different courses I will adjust the scoring; probably just via conversion to a handicap differential, and lowest set of 4 after 4 rounds will be the winner. I'd like to do it where everyone plays once a week, so going into week 2 you would know where you stand, but that might be too much ask for many people, as you;d be out of luck if you were going on vacation for a week or something. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Regardless, one week just won't be viable if we have any significant number of participants... many people can't play 18 holes during the week, so if they are busy 1 weekend they can't complete their round in time. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
It was still a very bad performance, but at least somewhat better than last weekend. Once again, I can hit a ball nicely on the range, and then I cannot on the course. I think the biggest problem is I don't know how to correct problems when I'm out on the course, and so I repeat the same mistake over and over again. Towards the end of my round today I think I figured out something I was screwing up and was hitting better afterwards. That's all for this weekend. I'm now 30% done establishing a handicap, as large as it will be initially lol | ||
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Zorkmid
4410 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On May 05 2014 07:56 Zorkmid wrote: 68 to start the year, followed by a 77. 68 is a pretty dirty round! What's your handicap at? | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
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Zorkmid
4410 Posts
On May 05 2014 12:17 L_Master wrote: 68 is a pretty dirty round! What's your handicap at? Finished last year at 1, but wont be playing as much this year. | ||
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GettingIt
1656 Posts
On May 05 2014 13:03 xDaunt wrote: So I finally decided to get serious about golf and invest in a shitton of lessons for business/networking reasons. Now I need to get a set of clubs. Any recommendations for something that's good for a beginner but also something that I can grow into a bit? One of the complete sets that I'm looking at is the 2014 Adams Idea. Any other suggestions? Adams Idea is certainly a great brand for beginners. They are usually not costly and have sets with full cavitys and hybrids over longer irons. However, its not a brand of club you want to hand on to if you truly desires to become a serious golfer. Personally, I would suggest anything Callaway with full cavities to start off because if you think you can handle harder to hit golf clubs that offer more maneuverability, they also make forged irons. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On May 05 2014 19:41 GettingIt wrote: Adams Idea is certainly a great brand for beginners. They are usually not costly and have sets with full cavitys and hybrids over longer irons. However, its not a brand of club you want to hand on to if you truly desires to become a serious golfer. Personally, I would suggest anything Callaway with full cavities to start off because if you think you can handle harder to hit golf clubs that offer more maneuverability, they also make forged irons. Define "serious golfer." I doubt that I'll ever be much better than a 15 handicapper, if I even get there. | ||
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Zorkmid
4410 Posts
On May 05 2014 23:20 xDaunt wrote: Define "serious golfer." I doubt that I'll ever be much better than a 15 handicapper, if I even get there. Brand doesn't matter really. Any oversize cavity or combo set is fine. It's more what you prefer to look down at. I got titleist AP2 irons like 5 years ago. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On May 05 2014 23:20 xDaunt wrote: Define "serious golfer." I doubt that I'll ever be much better than a 15 handicapper, if I even get there. I wouldn't say that. 15 handicap is in the vicinity of average. If you end playing somewhat often, and try to get better, you'll almost certainly exceed that; and especially so if you develop good early fundamentals working with your pro which it sounds like you are planning on. As far as clubs, pretty much what people have said. Irons you'll want something with nice cavity back, and these are usually called "game improvement irons". The bigger cavity is much more forgiving on mishits and tends to impart less spin to the ball...which makes slices/hooks not as bad. They also tend to be a little longer distance wise than a pair of forged irons. I'd strongly consider opting out of getting a 3/4 iron and instead go with hybrids. They are hard to hit to begin with, and very few high handicap players have the swing speed to get a good flight from a long iron. Get fitted for your driver so you get a shaft that matches your swing, and as far as wedges go, if there is one area worth spending a little extra money on it's those guys. Titleist's Vokey Spin Mill and Cleveland's main wedge line are excellent in my experience. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On May 06 2014 06:21 micronesia wrote: Going out to play an after work 9 hole round right now! I'll report back later. #jealous | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On May 06 2014 05:53 L_Master wrote: I wouldn't say that. 15 handicap is in the vicinity of average. If you end playing somewhat often, and try to get better, you'll almost certainly exceed that; and especially so if you develop good early fundamentals working with your pro which it sounds like you are planning on. Well that's reassuring! As far as clubs, pretty much what people have said. Irons you'll want something with nice cavity back, and these are usually called "game improvement irons". The bigger cavity is much more forgiving on mishits and tends to impart less spin to the ball...which makes slices/hooks not as bad. They also tend to be a little longer distance wise than a pair of forged irons. I'd strongly consider opting out of getting a 3/4 iron and instead go with hybrids. They are hard to hit to begin with, and very few high handicap players have the swing speed to get a good flight from a long iron. Get fitted for your driver so you get a shaft that matches your swing, and as far as wedges go, if there is one area worth spending a little extra money on it's those guys. Titleist's Vokey Spin Mill and Cleveland's main wedge line are excellent in my experience. What I'm thinking right now is that I should just get a complete game improvement set that has everything that I need to get started (bag included) and see how I do and how things progress. I don't think any of these sets carry 3/4 irons anymore. The Adams set is 4/5-H and 6/7-TI (I swung the 7-TI a bit today and really liked it). When I get better and when I feel that I'm ready, then I'll invest in a real set of clubs. I just want to be able to get on the course sooner rather than later. If that means doing it with training wheels, so be it. However, I probably will want to upgrade the woods (driver in particular) incrementally first and get them fitted like you suggest. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Don't be. It started raining after a few holes, and there was thunder+lightning after that. I managed to get 8 in before it got too dangerous! I'd say I played slightly better than the last time... still god awful, but a tiny bit less so. I did have one good shot though: I put a PW ~7-8 feet from the hole on a par 3 playing about 122 yards (the ball landed slightly short and to the left of the hole). THAT was what I needed after all the effort I'm putting into golf right now. I didn't sink the putt, but the remaining putt was a pretty easy tap in for par so I'm fine with that... would have been weird if my first birdie of the season came before my first par lol). I think I'm doing a slightly better job of selecting swing-thoughts that prevent me from completely mishitting the ball. I also don't seem to be repeating the same types of mishits as much. | ||
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Zorkmid
4410 Posts
On May 06 2014 09:26 micronesia wrote: Don't be. It started raining after a few holes, and there was thunder+lightning after that. I managed to get 8 in before it got too dangerous! I'd say I played slightly better than the last time... still god awful, but a tiny bit less so. I did have one good shot though: I put a PW ~7-8 feet from the hole on a par 3 playing about 122 yards (the ball landed slightly short and to the left of the hole). THAT was what I needed after all the effort I'm putting into golf right now. I didn't sink the putt, but the remaining putt was a pretty easy tap in for par so I'm fine with that... would have been weird if my first birdie of the season came before my first par lol). I think I'm doing a slightly better job of selecting swing-thoughts that prevent me from completely mishitting the ball. I also don't seem to be repeating the same types of mishits as much. My favorite swing thought has always been "light the match". Prevents you from decelerating through impact, especially on shorter feel shots. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Face on Down The Line | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I played 9 holes after work again today (really getting my money's worth out of this club membership). It was still bad, but once again a bit better than yesterday. I had two good holes. On both of the par 3s, I put the ball ~10-12 feet from the hole and 2 putted for par. One is ~120 yd and the other is ~170 yd. I only hit equitable stroke control one time. I now have 50% of the needed holes to establish a handicap! | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
My club head is usually a bit open at top but that's because of a weak positioned grip. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
Anyway, so far, so good. I should be decent enough to get on the course by the end of the month. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I used to slice a lot (years back). Now, I'm not able to even if I want to. I'm much more likely to hook! | ||
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Zorkmid
4410 Posts
On May 06 2014 14:19 L_Master wrote: Some more swing work videos, starting to see the progress with the club getting into some better positions. Definitely don't own it yet, but the good shots especially right now are noticeably better than a month ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=454ur9h8Bxo Face on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-nBsKBTuN0 Down The Line Make sure you keep a flex in your back knee during the takeaway, that right leg should be your anchor. | ||
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Micronesia - pretty good distance actually, 170 for a 6 is significantly longer than the typical amateur so I suspect you are doing some things reasonably well in your swing...unless you are just a 6'5" monster that makes some aggressive swipe at it Emulator - I don't know how anybody plays with a weak grip. Always for me seems way timing oriented, everyone is way different but for me the idea of square-square or slightly strong and just fire the right side and hold on are much easier to conceptualize and hit good shots with. Weak grip though does allow for some really nice, soft wedge shots. As far as impact tape goes, it wouldn't look so pretty with a driver; but I wore out a perfect ball sized spot on my 54 wedge to the point there were NO grooves on that part of the wedge at all. Zorkmid - That's actually something I'm working on right now, combined with getting into my right side a little more. You can see it face-on but I'm not quite turning around my spine, it gets a little more vertical and over the ball as I go back and right as I transition. I don't hit the ball quite as well this way, and definitely not quite as far. xDaunt - If you are having bent left arm issues I've always liked the swing thought of trying to reach back with the left arm, keeping as much distance between it and your chest as possible. Can't collapse it if you try and do that! Usually when you start with your arms though I'd expect the club to get inside a little too fast, as well as under-rotate; as that doesn't usually lead to a good turn. Interesting that your over-rotating. Post a video some time if you can! | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Chipping Stuff: - Pretty good overall, working on more 7/9/PW running chips for shots that don't need loft. Wayyy easier to put those guys inside 3 feet - Some contact work, sometimes get a little steep and/or quick with the right hand, just reinforcing that pinch feeling slipping the right hand under for the high ones with more zip. - Matching practice execution to real execution - basically making sure I commit to the practice swing feel and confidently execute what I visualized without second guessing Putting: - Green reading needs some work - straight putt between tees drill; gets path 100% grooved and right hand releasing perfectly as needed; all about making sure those short-mid length putts are starting perfectly on line - Gotta tweak alignment, over the short ones tend to have the putter just left of where I think I actually am - Like with chipping just making sure the practice stroke and the real stroke are EXACTLY identical, both in length and tempo. Usually the result is nearly the same, but sometimes the manner of getting there is different - Preshot routine, don't have a consistent one for putting that I like and obviously this is a problem. Playing around to find something I like That's pretty much everything for the time being. Sounds like a lot, but much of it is just tweaking type stuff. Honestly I feel very bullish about 2014 season right now...assuming I do get the chance to commit to practicing a significant amount. There have been some real glimpses of stellar stuff in the short game. When the chipping/pitching is on, I'm putting almost everything inside 3-6' even on pretty tricky shots, and I've had a couple sessions putting where I was making at least 1 in 3 from 10-20 foot range. Just gotta make that consistent, and most importantly learn to consistently take that short game from the practice green to the course...something I definitely struggled with when I last played consistently 6 years ago in HS. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On May 09 2014 15:01 L_Master wrote: How do you do this? At my range there is nowhere to rest a cell phone for capturing video... I guess you could get someone else to record it if you had someone...Rest of you guys gotta get some swing vids up if you have a cell phone camera. I wanna see these moves! Micronesia - pretty good distance actually, 170 for a 6 is significantly longer than the typical amateur so I suspect you are doing some things reasonably well in your swing...unless you are just a 6'5" monster that makes some aggressive swipe at it Haha no I'm not a monster as you guessed. 170 has been my approximate 6 iron distance for about 10 years (during the years when I was playing). In fact, here are my distances:SW 90; AW ~105; PW 120; 9: 130; 8:150; 7:160; 6:170; 5 and 5 iron longer: inconsistent; woods: inconsistent, but for reference 5w can go 220-230 on a good shot off the tee Since I started playing again recently, I'm not bringing the club back quite as far... my plan is to make up for this with improved swing quality in order to make up the lost distance. edit: see red above | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On May 09 2014 15:01 L_Master wrote: xDaunt - If you are having bent left arm issues I've always liked the swing thought of trying to reach back with the left arm, keeping as much distance between it and your chest as possible. Can't collapse it if you try and do that! Usually when you start with your arms though I'd expect the club to get inside a little too fast, as well as under-rotate; as that doesn't usually lead to a good turn. Interesting that your over-rotating. Post a video some time if you can! I'm doing the Golftec program, so I actually have a bunch of videos complete with commentary from the pro on what I'm doing right and doing wrong. I'll see if I can figure out how to rip them. With regards to the over-rotation, I was pulling my hands a little too far behind my head as opposed to keeping them out a bit. To help correct that, the pro had me do an exercise where I flip my wrists 90 degees backwards at the resting position (or whatever the position is when you're lining up with the ball before the backswing) so that the club was pointing straight back and parallel to the ground before I took my back swing. Then I would do my back swing from that position. Flipping my wrist at the start basically forced me into a better position at the top of my backswing. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On May 09 2014 20:30 micronesia wrote: How do you do this? At my range there is nowhere to rest a cell phone for capturing video... I guess you could get someone else to record it if you had someone... I just rest the phone on the bag, and use some irons to prop it up on if the angle is too vertical. No idea if that makes sense without seeing it visually though haha | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
In the meantime... the driving range and practice facility near my will finally be opening on Tuesday! This should be a big help for improving... since I can't drive all the way out to the other campus during the week. After today, I should be 1 round away from establishing a (terrible) handicap! | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/IgxGbNA.jpg) You can tell where the heat plus fatigue from carrying my bag set in lol. On those first 6 holes I had one 3 putt and missed all of the remaining greens for one reason or another. I went on to the back but things were going downhill to I stopped after 14. Hitting the range before my round when I'm able to does seem rather helpful. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Agree about the hitting the range, warming up is always good; you get you range of motion going and can just get a little feel before you go out. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
Anyway, I feel like my swing is getting to the point where I'm about ready to hit a course. I rarely miss-hit the ball so badly that it's a completely wasted stroke anymore. I fixed my backswing problems that I described above by better stabilizing my left arm. Keeping it straight prevents me from over-rotating like I was, which gives me better control. I still need to work on muscle memory to continue improving my consistency, but the backswing is in a good place. My next project is to work on the downswing. My issue there is that my body isn't rotating purely around my torso during the downswing. Instead, my torso is dropping a few inches during the downswing as I throw my weight into the swing. This causes my downswing to go off-plane -- usually coming in under the plane. I still hit the ball solidly most of the time, but there's an element of wildness in the swing that causes some bad miss-hits from time to time and other variances that I don't want. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On May 13 2014 07:09 xDaunt wrote: Anyway, I feel like my swing is getting to the point where I'm about ready to hit a course. I rarely miss-hit the ball so badly that it's a completely wasted stroke anymore. Hopefully this will be different for you than me, but I found getting my swing to that level on the range had almost no effect on how good my shots would be on the course. It was like night and day. Apparently, for me there is a waiting period between when I can hit the ball well on the range and when I can do it on the course... paid for with many painful high scores! | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On May 13 2014 08:09 micronesia wrote: Hopefully this will be different for you than me, but I found getting my swing to that level on the range had almost no effect on how good my shots would be on the course. It was like night and day. Apparently, for me there is a waiting period between when I can hit the ball well on the range and when I can do it on the course... paid for with many painful high scores! Hah, I have no doubt that my initial scores will be atrocious. Yeah, I'm swinging well with 6-7 irons, but I still need to learn the other clubs and how to hit off of a tee. Definitely lots of work still to be done. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I went to the range which finally opened today, and did atrociously. I took advantage of the fact that I can hit unlimited balls there, but even after shelling out like 200 I still could not hit the ball properly and could not figure out why (using short and middle irons). It is incredibly disheartening. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On May 14 2014 11:20 micronesia wrote: If you can hit 6-7 iron, you should be able to hit shorter clubs, and hit all of those off of a tee without much difficulty. I went to the range which finally opened today, and did atrociously. I took advantage of the fact that I can hit unlimited balls there, but even after shelling out like 200 I still could not hit the ball properly and could not figure out why (using short and middle irons). It is incredibly disheartening. Yeah, I'm not too worried about the short irons, though I suppose that there'll be learning when it comes to the SW and PW. I'm more concerned with the driver and other woods. I finally got my set of clubs in today, so I started messing around with the 4 hybrid. Wasn't too hard to adjust to that one. We'll see how it goes with the woods. As for my swing, I now am having problems with coming in over the plane on my downswing. I'm not exactly sure what changed, but it frustrated the hell out of me that I couldn't effectively adjust out of it. Something to chat with the pro about this week. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On May 26 2014 02:00 micronesia wrote: Man I can't seem to get over this hump with my swing. When I swing correctly, I hit a really nice ball and it feels great. I just can't stop doing things wrong... there is an infinite number of ways to screw up a golf swing! I've corrected so many things already it's unreal. That's golf! It really never goes away, you just do it less frequently and less dramatically as you get better, which is why golf is essentially a game of who's misses are the best. Even tour pros do things wrong with their swing. They might slide with the hips too much making the club drop inside and hit a big old block or hook deepening on whether or not they get the club-face square. I could list a bunch of examples but you get the idea. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I would love to hit a lot of almost good shots forcing me to go up and down for par from 30 feet on most holes. That would be awesome. My bad shots are characteristic of a new golfer, which is a phase I never quite seem to be able to get out of. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
I went to the range today for the first time to try out all of my clubs. Man, was that humbling. I hit the irons well (except when I topped the ball), but I was totally useless with my driver. I don't think that I hit one ball well. Same deal with the woods. I tried out my 3-wood previously at the practice center and did pretty well with it the first time. I couldn't hit anything with it today, though. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I shouldn't really talk since I personally find I screw up when I slow down :p | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On May 28 2014 11:46 micronesia wrote: My personal take is that you are probably trying to swing too hard... if you are a few weeks into golf and hitting your 7 iron up to 175 yards... you can probably easy up... think of how much easier it is to use a proper form when you slow things down! I shouldn't really talk since I personally find I screw up when I slow down :p Yeah, maybe, though I don't feel like I'm over-swinging on the ball. I'm not really big, either (5'9"). Regardless, I'm not sure that I have the control yet to take 10% off of my swing. I'm like you. Whenever I turn it down for practice, I tend to get sloppy. I just have to work on stabilizing my platform. I'm still over-rotating on my backswing, which is probably contributing to my problems. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Personally I'm moving away from practice swings and just swing with the clubhead 8 or so inches off the ground once before hitting a ball. I use it just to practice maintain proper balance and not to perfect every aspect of the swing. Based on this, my advice above wouldn't really work for myself... therefore I'm pointing this out for full disclosure. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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rredtooth
5459 Posts
Still haven't hit the course yet. Currently trying to gain some confidence at the range and putting green (20/80 split in favor of putting). micronesia lets play once I stop being so bad. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I think I'm going to try to play this afternoon... it's been a couple of weeks. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I'm rapidly running out of patience for this game again. | ||
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Dunmer
United Kingdom568 Posts
Might spend this summer getting into shape again after finding out about this thread. Hopefully will pay more attention to the pro scene a bit more | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
As just a follow up to my previous swing issues, I fixed it by dramatically slowing down my tempo. My body and hip rotation are pretty good now. I just have to make sure that I stay down through the swing rather hath an pull up. I'd say about 1/10 shots is a "perfect shot" where I feel everything engage properly. Those feel pretty damned good. Most of the rest are serviceable, which is all that I'm hoping for anyway at this point. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
I lost 4 balls. One ended up in an irrigation ditch. The other three I lost on shots that wound up in really rough areas. We didn't keep score, but if we had, mine would have been awful. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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rredtooth
5459 Posts
And... high ankle sprain. Great. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On June 08 2014 12:47 rredtooth wrote: So I was planning on hitting the course for the first time this week. And... high ankle sprain. Great. | ||
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SjPhotoGrapher
181 Posts
I'm just getting into Golf but would like to get really good and am looking at cheaper alternatives than going to the range or driving balls across the street only to have to spend 30 minutes to go find them while losing a lot of them. I like the fact that the Birdie Balls only go 30-40 yards and was just looking for input from others. | ||
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Dunmer
United Kingdom568 Posts
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Still, smashing your 6 iron 180-200 yards tells me you are either some type of monster, or prioritizing power over all else (given your current experience level). | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On June 29 2014 03:57 micronesia wrote: Nice sand save! Your progress sounds perfectly normal. Still, smashing your 6 iron 180-200 yards tells me you are either some type of monster, or prioritizing power over all else (given your current experience level). I may still be swinging harder than I should. I dunno. Presuming that I hold my form during the swing, the shots go straight. I used to have a fairly consistent draw on my shots, but it hasn't shown up for a week or so. I generally feel like I'm under control with my swing. I don't swing myself off-balance. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On June 29 2014 08:43 xDaunt wrote: I may still be swinging harder than I should. I dunno. Presuming that I hold my form during the swing, the shots go straight. I used to have a fairly consistent draw on my shots, but it hasn't shown up for a week or so. I generally feel like I'm under control with my swing. I don't swing myself off-balance. Also depend on where he lives. Me hitting 7 Iron 190-200 is something entirely different than someone doing so at sea level. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On June 29 2014 12:22 L_Master wrote: Also depend on where he lives. Me hitting 7 Iron 190-200 is something entirely different than someone doing so at sea level. Yeah, this is true. I'm in Denver, so I'm sure that I'm getting some altitude bonus. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On June 29 2014 12:57 xDaunt wrote: Yeah, this is true. I'm in Denver, so I'm sure that I'm getting some altitude bonus. OHHH SHIIIITTTTTT We are playing golf sometime in the next month. You're like 30 minutes from me. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On June 29 2014 15:51 L_Master wrote: OHHH SHIIIITTTTTT We are playing golf sometime in the next month. You're like 30 minutes from me. Sure, let's do it. I'm technically in Westminster. I've played the Knolls at Riverdale and the Blue Course at Hyland Hills so far. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
If anyone else from TL wants to drive hundreds of miles to round out the foursome...that's all good by me | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On July 01 2014 12:21 L_Master wrote: xDaunt, I could maybe play this weekend. If not, we can shoot to play sometime after I get back from vacation...so like last weekend of July or first weekend of August. If anyone else from TL wants to drive hundreds of miles to round out the foursome...that's all good by me I'll see what I can do for this weekend. I should know by the end of tomorrow. Where do you usually play? | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
This was just one of those days where I was rotten. Everything looked good during warmups and then on the first hole. But after that, I was just bad. I was hitting behind the ball all day long. I tweaked something in my back that was aggravating me, so I just couldn't get into a good rhythm. I had a really bad time getting out over my left foot on my swing. I couldn't hit anything well EXCEPT for bunker shots (seriously, WTF?). And this was a pretty damned hard course, too. There were hazards all over the place -- water, arroyos, bunkers galore. Definitely not something that I'm ready for yet. I definitely want to try it again on a better day, but I need to get a little more consistency and accuracy in my shots to navigate a course like this one. Scorewise, I double-bogied the first hole and hit an 8 on the remaining 8 holes. Like I said, FUCK. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
The good news is, this is still normal. As frustrating as it is, you aren't way behind the curve or anything. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On July 02 2014 11:52 micronesia wrote: 8 on 8 holes in a row is a pretty impressive trend, in a way, lol The good news is, this is still normal. As frustrating as it is, you aren't way behind the curve or anything. Yeah, I don't really feel bad about where I am progress-wise. Today was just an abnormal day. I'm doing a lot of things really well with my swing. I just need to stay consistent. When I put it all together I'll be in really good shape. One thing that I think I need in addition to a new driver is a good lob wedge. I'm having trouble on the really short shots that I need to hit high. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On July 02 2014 12:36 micronesia wrote: I forget if I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but I'm a big fan of SW for newer players, rather than SW+LW or just LW. Learning how to properly use your SW is more important than getting slightly better results with your current technique on some shots by using a more lofted club. Yeah, I hear ya. I'm not sure how much I agree though. To get the same results with my SW I have to really open up the club face, which makes it pretty damn hard to hit right. Regardless, I'm painfully aware of the fact that I need to spend a lot more practicing <100 yard shots. I've just been putting it off until I get comfortable with my long clubs. As for those clubs, I've spent the past few days working out my fat shot problem since my 9 hole disaster discussed on the last page. I focused on a few things. First, I forced myself to keep my left arm straight throughout the swing. Second, I made sure that I was keeping my hands out in front of me in my backswing so that I could pull my club straight down into a good consistent downswing. Last, I worked on my swing rhythm such that I was always getting my weight on my left foot on the downswing. I'm getting much better at this, but it still isn't automatic like I want it to be. I also decided that I need to be able hit longer than 200 yards off the tee. I tried working on my driver swing again, but I gave up. I feel like I am committing a hate crime whenever I swing it. It makes the most awful sound when it strikes the ball. -- like I'm pounding the ball with a beer can. It actually startles other golfers at the driving range. So I have officially retired that piece of crap. My 3 and 5 wood are just as bad, so I'm retiring those, too. I'm now using my 4 hybrid to hit off the tee. It is working pretty well. If I hit it properly, it will go about 230 yards off the tee. I have a little bit of a slice in my swing. I'm not sure whether it is there because I'm not closing the head properly when I strike the ball or if I am lining the club up wrong at address. Regardless, it will do until I get a new driver. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On July 05 2014 03:04 xDaunt wrote: Yeah, I hear ya. I'm not sure how much I agree though. To get the same results with my SW I have to really open up the club face, which makes it pretty damn hard to hit right. Regardless, I'm painfully aware of the fact that I need to spend a lot more practicing <100 yard shots. I've just been putting it off until I get comfortable with my long clubs. As for those clubs, I've spent the past few days working out my fat shot problem since my 9 hole disaster discussed on the last page. I focused on a few things. First, I forced myself to keep my left arm straight throughout the swing. Second, I made sure that I was keeping my hands out in front of me in my backswing so that I could pull my club straight down into a good consistent downswing. Last, I worked on my swing rhythm such that I was always getting my weight on my left foot on the downswing. I'm getting much better at this, but it still isn't automatic like I want it to be. I also decided that I need to be able hit longer than 200 yards off the tee. I tried working on my driver swing again, but I gave up. I feel like I am committing a hate crime whenever I swing it. It makes the most awful sound when it strikes the ball. -- like I'm pounding the ball with a beer can. It actually startles other golfers at the driving range. So I have officially retired that piece of crap. My 3 and 5 wood are just as bad, so I'm retiring those, too. I'm now using my 4 hybrid to hit off the tee. It is working pretty well. If I hit it properly, it will go about 230 yards off the tee. I have a little bit of a slice in my swing. I'm not sure whether it is there because I'm not closing the head properly when I strike the ball or if I am lining the club up wrong at address. Regardless, it will do until I get a new driver. Say what: On June 29 2014 03:54 xDaunt wrote: so my 6 iron shots were carrying about 180-200 yards. . Sounds like you can already hit it 200 off the tee. With a 6-iron. 3 Iron/Hybrid should be good for 220-240, and driver anywhere from 270-300 given those conditions. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ I wouldn't personally worry about keeping the left arm straight, it's a bad way to conceptualize the concept as in general it leads to tension and locking the left arm. A better way to think of it is as extension, think of keeping the hands away from the chest and maintaining a nice wide arc with the arms. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On July 05 2014 09:32 L_Master wrote: Say what: Sounds like you can already hit it 200 off the tee. With a 6-iron. 3 Iron/Hybrid should be good for 220-240, and driver anywhere from 270-300 given those conditions. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ I wouldn't personally worry about keeping the left arm straight, it's a bad way to conceptualize the concept as in general it leads to tension and locking the left arm. A better way to think of it is as extension, think of keeping the hands away from the chest and maintaining a nice wide arc with the arms. Yeah, the issue is that I wasn't able to hit any club longer than a 6 iron. I'm pretty comfortable with my 4 hybrid now, so I'll be using that from the tee. Keeping the left arm straight is important for me because it helps me keep it extended. I have been having an issue where it wings a little bit at impact. But yeah, the goal is to maximize extension. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Next weekend I have another one scheduled. If it goes well I might try going to play after. After my break where I couldn't practice, I decided to wait until I'm comfortable before I go back out on the course. According to the pro I've been getting much better at identifying what I'm doing right/wrong after hitting the ball, and identifying what I should do next... we'll see if I start to see results on the course or not. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
For the first time, I properly fired my hips through the swing to produce the torque with my core as opposed to over-relying upon my arms. Club lag isn't great in this particular swing, but it's something that I can reincorporate as the hip turn becomes more natural to me. I'm using a 4-H club here. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I tried to play 9 today (after not playing for quite a while).... it was so hot/sticky/etc I decided I couldn't play anymore after 7. My first few holes weren't bad, but then it quickly went downhill. I don't know what to do about that... I kept hydrated but it's just so exhausting/painful being out in the sun on a hot day, and this area is a little hotter than where I grew up. Playing early in the morning is obviously one way around this, but that isn't always an option. Riding in a golf cart would help but I have neither the inclination nor the money to do that on a regular basis. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On July 13 2014 06:39 micronesia wrote: Oh I need access to a room like that...looks cool/useful. I tried to play 9 today (after not playing for quite a while).... it was so hot/sticky/etc I decided I couldn't play anymore after 7. My first few holes weren't bad, but then it quickly went downhill. I don't know what to do about that... I kept hydrated but it's just so exhausting/painful being out in the sun on a hot day, and this area is a little hotter than where I grew up. Playing early in the morning is obviously one way around this, but that isn't always an option. Riding in a golf cart would help but I have neither the inclination nor the money to do that on a regular basis. Yeah, that's one of the rooms at the Golftec center where I'm receiving coaching. It's been really helpful for me to learn how to swing quickly. They also have rooms set up with full-blown golf simulators so that you can see precisely what your shot is doing and where it would be going as if you were at a driving range. I think going to the range is usually more helpful, but it is really nice to have that kind of video room available so that you can see what you're doing wrong and make some specific adjustments. I hear ya on playing late in the day. It's brutal. I always play in the morning (7-9 am tee time depending on whether I'm playing 9 or 18). If your club allows it, get one of those caddy carts to carry your bag. Not having to carry your bag while golfing makes a huge difference. I played another 9 this morning. I averaged a little better than a double-bogey on each hole. My tee shots and fairway shots were pretty good. I was on the fairway pretty much the whole time and didn't lose any balls. My short game was bad as is to be expected. I'm about ready to start spending more of my practice time working on chipping and putting. If I was any good at the short game at all, I'd be a single-bogey golfer instead of a double-bogey golfer. I left the driver in the bag again. I spent about an hour with the pro working on it during a lesson on Thursday, and was hitting some really nice balls with it after he tweaked my swing. Unfortunately, I couldn't duplicate it when I was warming up at the range. All I did was draw more derogatory comments about how awful that damn club sounds. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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Rapwnzl
Austria6 Posts
I read the whole thread in the last days, I'm curious - what hcps do you have? (mine is -13.3, living in Austria) I started 11 years ago but didnt play much the last 3-4 years, probably 2-5 rouns/year - never saw a driving range in those years :D Ps.: backpacking my clubs > any cart/trolley It's tiring at first but pays off since you are getting inbetter shape - physical and mental (in my opinion) | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
My driver was easily my best club today. Almost all of my tee shots with the driver were really nice, landing on fairways. I spent a ton of time practicing it over the past week, so it was really gratifying seeing that pay off. Unfortunately, my iron shots went to shit. I had some good shots, but by and large, I was very inconsistent. I hit a ton of shots off of the toe and was thin most of the day. Only a few shots were "perfect" (ie nice divot after the ball, leading to good, high, and straight flight). And for the life of me, I couldn't hit shit off the tee with my irons. I probably burned through 5 or 6 balls landing them in water on tee shots with my irons. Short game was better, but still not good. I hit a lot of my chip/pitch shots thin, causing anomalous results such as hitting a sand wedge 130 yards, resulting in yet another ball sleeping with the fishes (really big fishes, too). I have a lesson coming upon on Thursday which will be dedicated to short game stuff, so hopefully I'll some big improvement like I did with my driver. | ||
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Rapwnzl
Austria6 Posts
awful only hit 2 greens and got 14 stableford points... a little bit depressing but I nearly got 2 chip ins, which got me excited but didn't help me much.. nearly bought new irons - Cleveland 588 TT, because mine are ~ 8 years old (cleveland tour action 2) but I'm movin right now, so i decided to wait for next year | ||
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supernovamaniac
United States3046 Posts
Though it sounds like he's finally more open when it comes to me selecting my comfortable driver, since he's allowing me to demo everything in store now >_<;; | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I brought the pro out on the course with me so he could see how I differ there from the driving range. In the past I have been able to fix things with the pro on the driving range, but struggled to hit the ball well on the course (more so than normal). It seems like my problem might be that I am much more prone to failing to open the club on the backswing when I go out on the course... Regardless, I have been struggling with my driver since I first posted in this thread months ago. I just can't seem to hit a good clean shot... I saw some improvement today, but still nothing spectacular. The pro lent me a driver to try with a different flex than my current club... it also has an extra degree of loft. We'll see if the increased flex helps me. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On August 17 2014 05:31 micronesia wrote: Congrats xDaunt. Your first birdie is an exciting achievement. Do you know why your driver is going right? I brought the pro out on the course with me so he could see how I differ there from the driving range. In the past I have been able to fix things with the pro on the driving range, but struggled to hit the ball well on the course (more so than normal). It seems like my problem might be that I am much more prone to failing to open the club on the backswing when I go out on the course... Regardless, I have been struggling with my driver since I first posted in this thread months ago. I just can't seem to hit a good clean shot... I saw some improvement today, but still nothing spectacular. The pro lent me a driver to try with a different flex than my current club... it also has an extra degree of loft. We'll see if the increased flex helps me. Yeah, my problems right now are tempo and over rotating on the backswing. I've learned to properly fire my hips on the down swing. The problem is that some times my hands are too slow, leaving the club face open at impact. To help out, I've been focusing in shortening my back swing and forcing myself to pause at the top of the backswing. If I do it right, my shots are pretty damned good. Today, I didn't do it right with the driver. I've also outgrown my current driver. It has a 10.5 degree head and regular shaft. I'm now swinging with enough velocity such that I'm skying my shots and putting ridiculous amounts of spin on the ball. My pro told me that it is time to look at a stiff flex and probably something around 9.5 degrees for the head. I'll probably do a club fitting next month. | ||
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Dunmer
United Kingdom568 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
This game... | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On August 18 2014 02:02 micronesia wrote: I went to the range today, and they had people hitting off of grass. I started with my wedges, and never left my wedges. I couldn't even hit my wedges. I know grass is less forgiving than range mats, but I don't think that's sufficient to explain the difficulty I was having. I did not seem to be making a consistent mistake so I couldn't really troubleshoot properly. I was thin on some, fat on others, and other things I wasn't sure what even went wrong. This game... Get in front of a camera and see what's going on. If you're thin AND fat shots, you almost certainly have a lot of vertical movement during your swing. One of the drills that I find helpful in that situation is to plant all of my weight on my front foot at address. I find that it stabilizes bouncing through the swing. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
As helpful as seeing yourself on camera can be, I'm sure, it depends a lot on your situation. When you are on a crowded driving range on a bright sunny day it's difficult to capture a good video of yourself swinging, and even if you do you can barely see it until you get home. Then when you get home you can't work on the problem until the next time you go to the range, and by then your problems will most likely be different. That's why I have so much more luck having a pro watch me swinging... he can see my swing clearly where I obviously cannot, and also is better at identifying problems than I am. There are some things I do wrong that I would notice right away in a video, and there are some things I would miss unless a pro pointed it out to me... I think I'm getting better at learning the smaller things to watch out for, though. Ultimately it comes down to this: Why am I still struggling so much? Golf is obviously difficult, but my standards are not that high. I feel like I have been playing starcraft 2 eight hours a day since it came out and still can't get out of silver. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On August 08 2014 21:56 Rapwnzl wrote: played 9 holes last weeks - Weyregg, Austria awful only hit 2 greens and got 14 stableford points... a little bit depressing but I nearly got 2 chip ins, which got me excited but didn't help me much.. nearly bought new irons - Cleveland 588 TT, because mine are ~ 8 years old (cleveland tour action 2) but I'm movin right now, so i decided to wait for next year Dang, haven't heard about stable-ford in forever! On August 18 2014 02:02 micronesia wrote: I went to the range today, and they had people hitting off of grass. I started with my wedges, and never left my wedges. I couldn't even hit my wedges. I know grass is less forgiving than range mats, but I don't think that's sufficient to explain the difficulty I was having. I did not seem to be making a consistent mistake so I couldn't really troubleshoot properly. I was thin on some, fat on others, and other things I wasn't sure what even went wrong. This game... Yea, coming from mats to grass can be strange, as if you aren't really in tune you can develop bad habits like coming in a hair fat. On the mat you're distance will be minimally impacted and if you aren't really tuned in to your feel you might not even know you're doing it. That said, grass is infinitely more satisfying to hit off and you can get better shot quality from it as well imo. When you are on a crowded driving range on a bright sunny day it's difficult to capture a good video of yourself swinging, and even if you do you can barely see it until you get home. Very true. If you have a shady spot near the range and/or a bright phone it can be easier. Then when you get home you can't work on the problem until the next time you go to the range Disagree here though. You can easily work on most aspects of your swing at home without hitting balls. You could perfectly refine your backswing without a ball, and you can also work reasonably well on downswing/fullthrough stuff as well. If you happen to have any sort of yard space you can even grab some whiffle balls and hang up a piece of cloth and hit into that. $10 solution to hitting some balls at home. and by then your problems will most likely be different Don't really agree here. Usually one problem doesn't go away. For example, it's pretty atypical to go from being laid off and then the next day you're suddenly way across the line. Doesn't really happen. You might have different result problems (i.e. thin, fat, slices, low, etc.) but the underlying swing issues don't change from day to day. That's why I have so much more luck having a pro watch me swinging... he can see my swing clearly where I obviously cannot, and also is better at identifying problems than I am. There are some things I do wrong that I would notice right away in a video, and there are some things I would miss unless a pro pointed it out to me... I think I'm getting better at learning the smaller things to watch out for, though. Absolutely. A competent pro is a massive asset. Only downside is the $-$$$$ factor. Ultimately it comes down to this: Why am I still struggling so much? Golf is obviously difficult, but my standards are not that high. I feel like I have been playing starcraft 2 eight hours a day since it came out and still can't get out of silver. Golf is really fkin hard. Out of curiosity, how much would you say you have been practicing per day and for how long? It's also fickle too. I went all summer practicing like crazy and had minimal results the first 4 months. Suddenly shit started clicking and I went from shooting mostly in the 100s to mostly in the 80s in a span of just a few weeks. I know in my case I was a hopeless 120s+ shooter in my first couple years, and I would practice maybe a couple times a week for an hour and play once or twice a month. I missed the cut freshman year of HS and wasn't even close, but that summer I practiced like crazy. Easily 6, if not 8 or more hours a day. That next season I think I averaged 87 for HS golf. So in other words I spent easily over 1000 hours practicing this game until I broke 90. Several hundred or more before I even broke 100. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On August 18 2014 15:18 L_Master wrote: I'll admit, if you can practice your swing without a golf ball at home, you can at least start to work on it. I, however, cannot. I live in an apartment building and can't swing my club without destroying something lol.Dang, haven't heard about stable-ford in forever! Yea, coming from mats to grass can be strange, as if you aren't really in tune you can develop bad habits like coming in a hair fat. On the mat you're distance will be minimally impacted and if you aren't really tuned in to your feel you might not even know you're doing it. That said, grass is infinitely more satisfying to hit off and you can get better shot quality from it as well imo. Very true. If you have a shady spot near the range and/or a bright phone it can be easier. Disagree here though. You can easily work on most aspects of your swing at home without hitting balls. You could perfectly refine your backswing without a ball, and you can also work reasonably well on downswing/fullthrough stuff as well. If you happen to have any sort of yard space you can even grab some whiffle balls and hang up a piece of cloth and hit into that. $10 solution to hitting some balls at home. Don't really agree here. Usually one problem doesn't go away. For example, it's pretty atypical to go from being laid off and then the next day you're suddenly way across the line. Doesn't really happen. You might have different result problems (i.e. thin, fat, slices, low, etc.) but the underlying swing issues don't change from day to day. Absolutely. A competent pro is a massive asset. Only downside is the $-$$$$ factor. Golf is really fkin hard. Out of curiosity, how much would you say you have been practicing per day and for how long? I can work with the pro on a Saturday, and things are going pretty well, then not be able to hit balls on Sunday. That's what just happened to me this past weekend. It's also fickle too. I went all summer practicing like crazy and had minimal results the first 4 months. Suddenly shit started clicking and I went from shooting mostly in the 100s to mostly in the 80s in a span of just a few weeks. I know in my case I was a hopeless 120s+ shooter in my first couple years, and I would practice maybe a couple times a week for an hour and play once or twice a month. I missed the cut freshman year of HS and wasn't even close, but that summer I practiced like crazy. Easily 6, if not 8 or more hours a day. That next season I think I averaged 87 for HS golf. So in other words I spent easily over 1000 hours practicing this game until I broke 90. Several hundred or more before I even broke 100. I have supposedly, according to multiple pros, been on the cusp of going from shooting in the 100s to shooting in the 80s since like 2008. I have practiced a lot over the years, although not crazy 6-8 hour practice sessions. Unless that was mostly short game I don't see how you can practice effectively that much. As I mentioned earlier I can only get through like an hour on the range before I am fatigued and it isn't worth practicing/playing anymore that day. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
And I agree with L_Master that there are a lot of exercises that you can do at home (or even at work) to practice your mechanics. One of the ones that I'm doing right now is putting a chair at an angle just in front of my hips to help me control my rotation on my backswing. I know to stop when my left hip touches the chair. I don't even use a club for this exercise. I've had the chair at other places too. I had a phase where I had trouble with my front side shifting too far forward on my downswing. The solution to that was to put the chair up against my front side. But it all starts with identifying what the issue is. I'd hope that your pro is able to see and point out what your bad tendencies are at the start of your lessons, and I would think that you'd be hearing about the same issues repeatedly. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
I have supposedly, according to multiple pros, been on the cusp of going from shooting in the 100s to shooting in the 80s since like 2008. I have practiced a lot over the years, although not crazy 6-8 hour practice sessions. Unless that was mostly short game I don't see how you can practice effectively that much. As I mentioned earlier I can only get through like an hour on the range before I am fatigued and it isn't worth practicing/playing anymore that day. I was really ignorant then, and practiced short game minimally and with very unfocused practice. Just kinda hit random chips and putts. But if I had to say my short game v long game ration was probably 1:4 or lower. As for how I practiced that much it's a combination for me of these: 1) Switching between what you are working on - In other words I would hit a bag or two of balls, go chip and putt for 20 mins, then come back and hit another bag of balls, then go get something to eat, then hit several more bags, etc. topped of with going out to play 9 holes 2)Building Up - It's sorta like running. I'm sure if I asked you to run 100mpw you would be like no way I'd be way to tired. But if you work up to it over time you'll be able to hit more until eventually you can pretty much go all day. Start hitting balls for 45 min or w/e works, then go to 1 hr, then 1.25 hr, etc. Of course, when practicing like that it is key to avoid lazy practice. Start doing that and you can develop bad habits quick. In fact, while I doubt that is your problem by any means, make sure you are practicing smart with specific goals in mind for that session. This is not my personal experience, unfortunately. Of course sometimes problems do persist. You're certain of this? Reason I ask is because you don't use video too much from what I understand, so it's hard to know exactly what you're doing. Have you had situations where you literally went from one problem during a lesson to having done the opposite the next lesson? If so, this might be where you need to look, because it's not normal for a problem to go away randomly unless you are incredibly new. Muscle memory is a pretty strong thing in the golf swing. The only scenario that makes any sense to me is if your pro gives you a drill or such thing to work on and you practice the heck out of it with exaggeration and show up next week having moved to the opposite side of the spectrum. What I'd be curious to know Micronesia are your averages from rounds: fairways, greens, putts, and # of drives in trouble (OB, hazard, in a place where you cannot take a meaningful shot at the green). It would be a little helpful to know what's absolutely killing you in rounds. The other thing I would say is that if you've been at this for a while and aren't getting results, then it can mean it's time to change something about how you practice. Obviously I don't have any suggestions here since I don't know your practicing, but make sure you are entering each session with a specific goal in mind and working on that alone. I'll admit, if you can practice your swing without a golf ball at home, you can at least start to work on it. I, however, cannot. I live in an apartment building and can't swing my club without destroying something lo If you have an 8 foot ceiling you can still do all the backswing work in the world in your apartment. Pick up one of those tall, skinny mirrors and you can use that for feedback and grooving a good backswing. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On August 18 2014 22:02 xDaunt wrote: Yea I can see about having my pro videotape me swing at some point... although it's been the same pro watching me every week for months... and each lesson I end up having to work on other things, so him taping me wouldn't really help since working with him eliminates that particular problem within a lesson or so anyway. One week my tempo's off, so we work on it. The next week I've fixed my tempo, but I'm not keeping the clubhead in front of my body long enough during the backswing. The next week I seem to be ok with the clubhead, but I'm not opening the club enough as I bring it back. The following week, due to my work the previous week, I am doing a much better job of opening the club, rather than bringing it back closed. Unfortunately, I'm not extending my left arm through the ball properly which is preventing me from hitting the ball well. The next week, I seem to do a much better job of extending my left arm, but oh fuck what's going on with my tempo. I always seem to be one or two steps away from swinging correctly, and whenever I correct something, something new shows up... often something I corrected, but had gone away for a while. Any one of these things is enough to produce a miss-hit or worse. An obvious way to combat this is by practicing sufficiently to produce muscle memory... however... a new/repeat problem comes along too quickly for me to ingrain the good swing.I dunno, Micronesia. I still think you should have your pro tape your swing during one of your practice sessions so that you can actually identify what's wrong. It will show pretty much every problem imaginable, from bouncing through the swing, to lifting your torso on the downswing, to having a poor release with your wrists. Tape don't lie. And I agree with L_Master that there are a lot of exercises that you can do at home (or even at work) to practice your mechanics. One of the ones that I'm doing right now is putting a chair at an angle just in front of my hips to help me control my rotation on my backswing. I know to stop when my left hip touches the chair. I don't even use a club for this exercise. I've had the chair at other places too. I had a phase where I had trouble with my front side shifting too far forward on my downswing. The solution to that was to put the chair up against my front side. But it all starts with identifying what the issue is. I'd hope that your pro is able to see and point out what your bad tendencies are at the start of your lessons, and I would think that you'd be hearing about the same issues repeatedly. I'd be willing to try a club-less drill like this. However, I don't know what drill would be useful for whatever my problem of the week is, and how I know if I'm executing it correctly, etc.On August 19 2014 00:43 L_Master wrote: Can you give some examples? Especially what a good goal would be if you are showing up at the range not sure of what problems to expect.Of course, when practicing like that it is key to avoid lazy practice. Start doing that and you can develop bad habits quick. In fact, while I doubt that is your problem by any means, make sure you are practicing smart with specific goals in mind for that session. You're certain of this? Reason I ask is because you don't use video too much from what I understand, so it's hard to know exactly what you're doing. Have you had situations where you literally went from one problem during a lesson to having done the opposite the next lesson? If so, this might be where you need to look, because it's not normal for a problem to go away randomly unless you are incredibly new. Muscle memory is a pretty strong thing in the golf swing. The only scenario that makes any sense to me is if your pro gives you a drill or such thing to work on and you practice the heck out of it with exaggeration and show up next week having moved to the opposite side of the spectrum. I think I explained it poorly before, but I seem to be correcting problems with the pro on a week to week basis, but not actually getting closer to hitting nice shots overall.What I'd be curious to know Micronesia are your averages from rounds: fairways, greens, putts, and # of drives in trouble (OB, hazard, in a place where you cannot take a meaningful shot at the green). It would be a little helpful to know what's absolutely killing you in rounds. I think this is one of those things where you'd just have to go play a few rounds with me in order to understand it. The other day the pro and I went out to play a few holes while he watched, and we step up to the first tee (actually some random hole that wasn't occupied at the moment), and I take out my driver (it's some normal par 4 or 5) after loosening up on the range. I hit a low hook into a creek just short of the fairway. That pretty much sums up what my rounds feel like. Golf is psychologically difficult enough, but when you are trying to figure out what you are doing wrong while being 2 strokes behind from the get-go, it's almost impossible to play well. I'm sure my problems are as much mental as anything else... but that wouldn't necessarily explain why I still struggle so much on the range, too.The other thing I would say is that if you've been at this for a while and aren't getting results, then it can mean it's time to change something about how you practice. Obviously I don't have any suggestions here since I don't know your practicing, but make sure you are entering each session with a specific goal in mind and working on that alone. As I mentioned earlier, can you give examples of this? How should you practice?If you have an 8 foot ceiling you can still do all the backswing work in the world in your apartment. Pick up one of those tall, skinny mirrors and you can use that for feedback and grooving a good backswing. edit: I guess I should add, if there are particular trends in my 'badness' in golf, neither I nor the pro seem to have identified them yet, after several months of training. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
My driver I still can't seem to swing correctly. I am starting to understand how the problems I'm having with my swing are all interconnected, which is probably why it's so difficult to fix everything. The differences between my swing and a 'perfect' swing are surprisingly subtle, yet have a huge effect on the type of shot I get. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Today seemed like a very big breakthrough. I'm now hitting my driver and long clubs much higher than I was before. My bad shots look like they will actually be playable, rather than disastrous, for the most part, while my good shots are looking awesome. I still have some work left: I seem to be a bit prone to small pushes and fades right now (the opposite of what I was doing in previous months), but I'm cautiously optimistic. If I can actually hit my clubs with a reasonable trajectory and reasonably towards my target, then I can actually play golf normally. After the lesson, I walked over to the designated practice hole and hit some 40 yard pitches and 20 foot chips. This is a good sign that I did well enough on the range that it actually felt like there was a point to practicing some short game. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
I actually had a pretty good session on the range today, felt like I was starting to get comfortable with one of the things I've been working on. Then again, I've sadly been able practice so little that it's hard to actually make any progress. | ||
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Ahzz
Finland780 Posts
Our golf club hosted golf course with a pro for 10 times. It cost me 100 euros. He's a fantastic teacher and for the first time EVER I'm building a solid foundation for my swing, pitching and chipping. This is great because before I'd correct one mistake with another mistake, but now I'm seeking to build something that is consistent and clean. The results have already been pouring in, I'm dropping my handicap every time I go play, and that's with plenty of mistakes to learn from! This game is so much more fun when you have a direction to go to. I feel like I lucked out, because 100 euros for 10 hours of teaching with a great golf teacher (albeit with other people too, but still) is a bargain! | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On September 11 2014 20:00 micronesia wrote: What was par? 36. I was actually -1 through 5 with 3 good looks at birdie, then the whole not practicing much thing caught up with me and I started missing every fairway and green. Thankfully my short game was there for some support or I might have bogeyed all the way in. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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TheEmulator
28084 Posts
After the first hole. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
After the first hole. Not kidding :p | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On September 12 2014 07:30 TheEmulator wrote: One time I was under par... After the first hole. I've never been under par on the first hole from what I can recall. Btw, what is your best round, you're a pretty low index iirc | ||
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Dunmer
United Kingdom568 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On September 13 2014 06:38 Dunmer wrote: The best I have ever been was 3 under Par but I finished on about 5 over par. I get very tired towards the end of the game haha Ouch, 33/44 type split. Never fun. Kinda cool when it goes the other way though. I remember in one round of tryouts sophomore year I shot 49/36 to hang around make it on. I've had 3 truly great rounds. One I was -4 through 6, but then on the back nine tried way to hard to "guard" the lead and ended up making all kinds of tentative swings, slid back to 71, but it was still really great golf in windy conditions. The next day was even more spectacular, was playing a pretty tough course around here and just tore it apart. Went out in -1 35, but has learned from the previous day and I just tried to keep hunting birdies with good aggressive swings, ended up going -5 31 on the back for a 66. Then next day the fun ended and I shot 87. My other great one was only a 76, but it was shot in gusty 25-40 mph winds on a course that was 8100 yards. I was really on that day, especially with my putter. Wouldn't be surprised if I made 150+ feet of putts that day. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On the range I'm having much more luck with the driver than I used to... my shots are actually carrying, although my 'straight shot' consistency could use some practice. What still amazes me after all these years is how you go out on the course and shots that you were doing well with on the range are suddenly too difficult to do properly. | ||
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Dunmer
United Kingdom568 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On September 21 2014 23:30 micronesia wrote: After a two week hiatus due to rain+work, I did a lesson yesterday and then went out by myself to play 9 holes. On the range I'm having much more luck with the driver than I used to... my shots are actually carrying, although my 'straight shot' consistency could use some practice. What still amazes me after all these years is how you go out on the course and shots that you were doing well with on the range are suddenly too difficult to do properly. Very true. I've had times on the range where I felt like I was ready to go out and shoot 60 the way I seemed to be grooved in. Several things account for it in my opinion: 1) You're able to get in a real groove with rhythm, you can be hitting a ball every minute or two, which is much more frequent than on the course 2) On the range you're working on what you want with the swing and getting it grooved in, when you hit the course it all changes and you're generally trying to play well...which has a tendency to lead to reverting back to some of your old habits, which in turn causes conflict with the new stuff you are trying to work on 3) The course is varied, unlike the range. Uphill, downhill, doglegs, side hill lies, etc. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On September 26 2014 01:57 L_Master wrote: Every minute or two, for the range, actually seems pretty infrequent.1) You're able to get in a real groove with rhythm, you can be hitting a ball every minute or two, which is much more frequent than on the course Today I warmed up a bit on the range then did a lesson on mostly short game. After the lesson I figured I would try hitting some shots with my driver, and barring a bad performance, I would go play 9+ holes (the weather was nice). I couldn't get my driver to work. I must have hit like 200-300 shots with it, and I wasn't doing any better at the end than at the beginning. Either I am gripping it too tightly, or I move my head before the swing, or I have too fast of a tempo, or my balance ends up off, or one of a few other things... and they are always in a state of flux which is very frustrating. Whatever I am focusing on, it seems like something else goes wrong. The good news is, my bad drives are generally much better than my bad drives were ~3 months ago. Still, my 'average' shot and my 'really good' shot need to improve more or I won't even feel comfortable playing... especially when I recognize that my driver will probably be less effective on the course than it is on the range. I will be happy with my swing and feel ready to attack the course 12 hours before the first major snowfall of the year. Just watch. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
Probably the most aggravating aspect of my game right now is the driver. For the life of me, I can't reliably shoot the ball straight. Most balls shoot out at a 1:00 or 2:00 angle and have a fade spin on them. Part of the problem is my swing plane. The other part is getting the club to release properly at the bottom of my swing. I'm always just a little bit late. Complicating things a little bit is the fact that I had to replace my driver. My first one developed a bad crack and became unusable. I just picked up an SLDR to replace it, which has a stiff shaft (instead of regular), and is a real big boy driver as opposed to what I had before. It is going to take me a little time to adjust. Anyway, it has been a good first season. I'm happy that I can credibly go out and play with people, which was the original goal. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On October 03 2014 23:38 xDaunt wrote: Anyway, it has been a good first season. I'm happy that I can credibly go out and play with people, which was the original goal. Yea, that's really nice. Being confident that you can go play with people is a very good first goal, I think. Conversely, it really sucks when you don't feel comfortable going out and playing golf with people. That's where I still am for God knows what reason. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On October 06 2014 06:15 micronesia wrote: Yea, that's really nice. Being confident that you can go play with people is a very good first goal, I think. Conversely, it really sucks when you don't feel comfortable going out and playing golf with people. That's where I still am for God knows what reason. As long as you can keep the ball moving without slowing down the game, you shouldn't feel bad about being out there. I get the sense from your posts that you're better than that. Anyway, I spent yesterday's lesson figuring out what was wrong with my driver swing. The pro tweaked my set up a bit. The ball was tee'd higher (1/2 - 3/4 ball above driver) and moved further inside in my stance to just inside my left big toe. The big thing, however, was changing up the mechanics of my swing. My problem was that my hips were turning too fast for my swing. The result is that the club would be stuck behind my body, and the club face would not close. To fix this, we focused on getting me to initiate the swing with my arms and force my right wrist to turn over through the swing. It's kind of an odd sensation. It feels like I'm swinging with just my right arm. It also feels like I'm not swinging with as much as power. However, my club head speed actually went up because my club head was properly whipping through the bottom of the swing. Regardless, it more or less fixed my slice+push problem with driver shots. Now I just have to keep practicing it so that it is reduced to muscle memory. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Today it was really windy... the first time I tried hitting balls in the wind in a long time. After a lesson working on various things, which all seemed to go pretty well, I tried hitting some shots with my driver. I figured, if I can hit my driver I'll go out and play 9 despite the wind. After 10 shots with my driver, I realized that 0 of them would have been on the fairway (they would have been on either side of a standard fairway, with about half of them being well over 5 yards off, and short). I chose not to play. Unfortunately it's starting to get cold now which will make golf more difficult. | ||
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Bajadulce
United States322 Posts
Anywho... I just turned 49 this year.. ya gettin' up there. I still play competitive golf through the NCGA and just waiting to turn the magic 50 and try some amateur senior events (ouch.. that hurts), but for the past couple of years have been having a blast playing with authentic 100 year old hickory clubs out here in the SFrancisco/Monterey area. Our group has started a small community website www.norcalhickory.com and feel free to poke around if you are curious. If you're ever by chance in the bay area, please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you'd like to try it out or find out more for your own area for that matter. We have lots of loaner sets and happy to get anyone started. Playing with old wooden shafted clubs is really a blast and such a thrill when you pull it all together. Anyone else ever play or experience playing with old wooden clubs? | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Last year I was relocated for training and didn't play golf. I went to the range a few times but that was it. This year I've been doing weekly lessons (weather permitting...) for the past couple of months and am finally started to feel good about my swing. I'm going to play 9 after work this week which will be my first round since two years ago! I can pretty much sum up what I learned in my recent golf lessons in one word: transition. To be a bit more descriptive, my transition from upswing to downswing is by far the most important thing to get right. I'm building in a legit pause to ensure I transition properly. When I pause sufficiently, I hit a good shot. When I don't pause sufficiently, I hit a bad shot. Every time. Hopefully this progress will show itself on the course. We also did some work with pitching, and the same finding about a pause at the end of the backswing applies. Anyone else golfing? | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
Played twice last year, shot a 41 and a 42. Once to the range this year. Hit the ball surprisingly well, but noticed I was about a club shorter than normal. Putting seemed okay, but chipping was comical. I was having trouble getting basic pitches within 15 feet of the hole. Might actually go and play today, well see. | ||
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blkcoffee
35 Posts
Played 18 a few days ago. Chipping and putting was ok. My range is off because i've been going to the gym quite a bit this year and so I need to take a club or two less than I was before. Patented slice is still working well, I need to work on getting my hands around and striking it clean. I want to play a lot this summer and actually work on using woods because I haven't hit a wood in years because I just slice it everytime. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
First you slice your woods. Then you learn to draw them. Then you get really good but can't undo the draw! L_Master did you end up playing? | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
It reminded me of all the times people told me how you should spend most of your time practicing short game and I've thought to myself "NO! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO THE GREEN!" Like, "Oh God, I two putted when I could have one putted this and got a 10 instead of a 9 oh no!" Hopefully things can only improve from shooting 56 (with a little bit of 'assistance') lol | ||
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Sadist
United States7205 Posts
On May 30 2016 00:15 micronesia wrote: I think it would be better to bump this thread than make a new one. Last year I was relocated for training and didn't play golf. I went to the range a few times but that was it. This year I've been doing weekly lessons (weather permitting...) for the past couple of months and am finally started to feel good about my swing. I'm going to play 9 after work this week which will be my first round since two years ago! I can pretty much sum up what I learned in my recent golf lessons in one word: transition. To be a bit more descriptive, my transition from upswing to downswing is by far the most important thing to get right. I'm building in a legit pause to ensure I transition properly. When I pause sufficiently, I hit a good shot. When I don't pause sufficiently, I hit a bad shot. Every time. Hopefully this progress will show itself on the course. We also did some work with pitching, and the same finding about a pause at the end of the backswing applies. Anyone else golfing? I have a noticeable pause at the top of my swing. its the same for me. if i dont have a good transition i hit low pull hooks with the longer clubs. i find watching golfers with pauses at the top helps as well as keeping the grip soft. Villegas and Matsuyama come to mind for the men. pretty much any korean girl on the ladies side of things. ive been much less aggressive off the tee and with my approach shots this year and its helped lower my scores pretty consistently. my biggest weakness right now are my wedges if its not a chip shot its been ugly. im leaving an easy 2 or 3 strokes per round on the course per 18. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
Problems in my swing occur when I get too long in the backswing. As long as I keep things short enough, my shots are really nice. That said, my driving is a goddamned mess. I'm rebuilding that swing from scratch. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I'm going to try to play 9 after work tomorrow and see if I have more luck from the tee box. I also worked a little bit today on chipping which is something I hadn't practiced in like two years! I'm going to collect my scorecards and set up a handicap once I have five full rounds accounted for. On June 02 2016 02:58 Sadist wrote: I have a noticeable pause at the top of my swing. its the same for me. if i dont have a good transition i hit low pull hooks with the longer clubs. i find watching golfers with pauses at the top helps as well as keeping the grip soft. Villegas and Matsuyama come to mind for the men. pretty much any korean girl on the ladies side of things. ive been much less aggressive off the tee and with my approach shots this year and its helped lower my scores pretty consistently. my biggest weakness right now are my wedges if its not a chip shot its been ugly. im leaving an easy 2 or 3 strokes per round on the course per 18.That sounds like a good idea. Also, my course has a small practice hole where you can pitch to an elevated green which seems to be very good practice for those 30-6 yard approach shots... I plan to use it a fair amount. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On June 06 2016 00:43 micronesia wrote: After today's lesson I was actually hitting drives on the range pretty well. The only problem is I tend to send them too low so I'll probably be replacing my 9.5 degree King Cobra S9-1 S-flex with a regular flex 10.5 or 11.5 degree driver with newer technology. I might replace fairway woods as well but I'm less worried about them. My TaylorMade R7s should be fine. Yeah, I've wondered a bit about my driver as well. I'm currently using a 10.5 stiff flex SLDR. I spent about thirty minutes troubleshooting my swing. I was hitting a lot of balls low and left, so I really opened up the club face which resulted in straighter and higher shots. I'm thinking that I may still want to jack up the loft a bit (I can go up to 11.5). This might give me a little more distance and make the club more forgiving for my swing. It's something that I plan to chat with my instructor about at my next lesson. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I played 9 holes today after work. Although I wasn't swinging well or anything, some luck and good decision making led me to a great 5 holes to start. I par'd both of the par 3s and bogeyed the two par fours and one par five. Then I fell apart on the last four, probably due to being really tired from my work schedule. It's amazing how I get out on the course and I forget how to hit golf balls. Like, at all. Basically, I revert back to day 1 micro-junior level golf skill when I swing... how does that happen... | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On June 07 2016 09:15 micronesia wrote: It's amazing how I get out on the course and I forget how to hit golf balls. Like, at all. Basically, I revert back to day 1 micro-junior level golf skill when I swing... how does that happen... I doubled down on this today. I went to the range and could not hit a pitching wedge properly. Could... not... hit... a... pitching... wedge... correctly. I tried many different things to fix it and probably hit like 100-150 shots, but I could not make any progress. I've figured out what golf reminds me of... it's like playing old videogames without a memory card. No matter how far you get in one session, you're forced to power the system off at the end of the day, and you start back at level 1 the next day. I just don't know what else I can do at this point. I'm doing frequent lessons (and I'm pretty confident it's not the pros fault or anything), I'm practicing, and I'm still struggling as badly as the first time I ever picked up a club... | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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Sadist
United States7205 Posts
Feel isnt real. What you may think you are doing could be totally different than what you are doing. Mirrors help too. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On June 08 2016 17:32 micronesia wrote: xDaunt I tried doing exactly that... I fully expected it would simply the swing (as you said) enough that I could at least see some changes from the total mishits, and it didn't end up helping. Whatever I'm doing seems to be too heavily ingrained right now and will need to be sanitized by a pro. Do you have a common mishit or are you just all over the place? | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
The other thing that I need to work on is my grip pressure. I'm holding the club a little too tightly, which means that I'm leaving a bunch of distance on the table. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On June 08 2016 22:34 Sadist wrote: I highly recommend using video if you are going through really bad spells. Feel isnt real. What you may think you are doing could be totally different than what you are doing. Mirrors help too. This makes perfect sense but filming yourself hitting golf balls is a huge pain in the ass. On June 09 2016 01:04 xDaunt wrote: Do you have a common mishit or are you just all over the place? At the time I was sending many of them low and to the right. I think my hands were getting behind the clubhead, causing the belly to get exposed, but when I tried drills/etc to prevent that from happening it didn't really help. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On June 11 2016 08:05 micronesia wrote: This makes perfect sense but filming yourself hitting golf balls is a huge pain in the ass. At the time I was sending many of them low and to the right. I think my hands were getting behind the clubhead, causing the belly to get exposed, but when I tried drills/etc to prevent that from happening it didn't really help. Sounds like you are hitting the ball off the toe. How do your divots look? Also, I think I have my driver figured out. I was crushing balls off the tee yesterday, driving them somewhere outside the back bounds of the driving range. They were carrying at least 300 yards. Now I just need to figure out wtf I'm doing wrong with my hybrids (almost certainly a setup problem). | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
These two changes helped a lot, and after some more experimenting we realized I was also needing to ensure my weight was more on my left heel than left toe as I made contact with the ball. Things went fairly well for the remainder of the shots I hit while the pro was there. Afterwards, I went back to wedges just to hit some shots, and I was having some problems again. I tried falling back on the main swing thoughts we focused on during the lesson, but could not seem to develop any type of consistency. At least I wasn't repeatedly hitting the same mishit way to the right, but it still was bad. I think my brain is addicted to me being unable to hit the ball relatively consistently in the right direction/trajectory. I've been playing golf most of my life and I still can't hit the ball. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On June 15 2016 08:47 micronesia wrote: In case anyone is interested, I went to the range today and at first I was having the same problems and unable to hit the ball. Then I realized I really wasn't bringing the club back very far at all, and I forced myself to bring it back further (with the goal of bringing it parallel to the ground) and I was getting much better results. I'll play around with that and see if I can develop consistency with a longer swing. That's kinda odd. You'd think that it would be easier to hit the ball with a shorter backswing than a longer one. That certainly is the case for me. I went back to the range, too. Driver looks really good. My iron/wedge shots weren't bad, but now I'm closing the club face a little too much (as opposed to leaving it open, which was my old problem). I also think that I've worked out the kinks on my hybrid shots. Like I suspected, my set up was bad as opposed to there being something mechanically wrong with my swing. What didn't look so hot was my chipping. It's probably time for a chipping lesson to learn some of the basics. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
Yeah I tried chipping on the course a few weeks ago and it was a bit ugly. Then I spent 5 minute on it with the pro and I did a lot better the next time :p I've heard different advice about how to chip, but my pro's philosophy is to treat it like putting. Move the hands forward, grip the wedge like a putter, and use a longer club if you have more green to work with than distance you need to carry. A mishit with a 9 iron might end up in exactly the same place as it would have if you hit it perfectly :p | ||
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OkMong
76 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
For some reason I've been really struggling though. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On June 17 2016 18:18 OkMong wrote: interesting reading you guys talk about golf swing technique. is golf hard or easy to learn Most people find it pretty challenging, especially if you're new. More so if you're starting older rather than later. One of the big problems is that many of the things you want to do are totally bass-ackwards for golf. In other sports for example if you want to get the ball up in the air you...hit the thing up in the air. Golf? Nope. You actually hit down on the ball trying to compress it into the ground makes it move up the face of the club. If you do decide to learn I'd recommend getting a teacher, it can save you a good deal of trouble if you don't develop awkward, bad habits at the start with your swing. At the beginning too I'm of the opinion it's better to worry more about how the body moves overall (i.e. good posture, good weight distribution, good turn, good movement through the wall, getting body through to the finish, etc.) before you really stress about aspects of club position. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On June 11 2016 08:39 xDaunt wrote: Sounds like you are hitting the ball off the toe. How do your divots look? Also, I think I have my driver figured out. I was crushing balls off the tee yesterday, driving them somewhere outside the back bounds of the driving range. They were carrying at least 300 yards. Now I just need to figure out wtf I'm doing wrong with my hybrids (almost certainly a setup problem). Are you fairly tall? And/or at altitude? 300 yards is a massive, massive carry. Even guys like McIroy, Johnson, Day, etc. barely carry the ball 300, if that. If you're really carrying 300 you've got at least 120mph of clubhead speed to work with. Definitely wouldn't need 11.5 with that, heck even 9 degrees of loft is quite a bit for that kind of speed. How far do you hit a 7 iron and say a 4 iron? | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On June 11 2016 08:43 micronesia wrote: The artificial turf at the range does not leave divots, but I'm pretty sure I was not hitting off the toe. I'm sorry for your loss ;( On June 17 2016 18:19 micronesia wrote: Golf is hard to get good at, but worth it once you accomplish it. There's nothing like having a good day in golf! For some reason I've been really struggling though. Because golf. We all do at times. On June 08 2016 22:34 Sadist wrote: I highly recommend using video if you are going through really bad spells. Feel isnt real. What you may think you are doing could be totally different than what you are doing. Mirrors help too. This is really true. Now if you have a coach watching you that's fine, but yea if you're diagnosing swing stuff yourself without video...risky business. I remember at one point early when I was learning back in early HS I was trying to widen my arc for more power/consistency, but in an effort to do this I kept reaching higher towards the sky. After a month or two I literally had my left arm perpendicular to the ground at the top of the swing (like as much or more than Furyk at the top). Not good. On June 11 2016 08:05 micronesia wrote: This makes perfect sense but filming yourself hitting golf balls is a huge pain in the ass. o.O I think it's super easy. Take out phone. Press record. Place on top of golf bag, direct behind target line OR face on. Hit 3-5 balls. Walk over to phone and press stop. When home, examine video. Takes all of 30 extra seconds. On June 15 2016 09:22 micronesia wrote: Yeah I tried chipping on the course a few weeks ago and it was a bit ugly. Then I spent 5 minute on it with the pro and I did a lot better the next time :p I've heard different advice about how to chip, but my pro's philosophy is to treat it like putting. Move the hands forward, grip the wedge like a putter, and use a longer club if you have more green to work with than distance you need to carry. A mishit with a 9 iron might end up in exactly the same place as it would have if you hit it perfectly :p I generally agree with this. The variation I use is to take the club that will land the ball about a foot on the green while ending up at the hole. Now, when you get into situations where you're more short sides or have longer chips/pitches this doesn't apply well, but if you're just off the green in the rough or fringe, or have a ton of green to work with I find it really easy to take a 7 or 9 iron and basically use my putting feel/stroke to pop that ball in there close. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On June 01 2016 10:28 micronesia wrote: I went ahead and played 9 after work today. Didn't have time to loosen up at the range before I started which couldn't have helped, but the round went pretty terribly lol It reminded me of all the times people told me how you should spend most of your time practicing short game and I've thought to myself "NO! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO THE GREEN!" Like, "Oh God, I two putted when I could have one putted this and got a 10 instead of a 9 oh no!" Hopefully things can only improve from shooting 56 (with a little bit of 'assistance') lol This statement holds generally true. But not for everyone. When you're totally new, you definitely need to practice your swing far more than short game. There is more to lose there, most people don't make a 12 as a result of 3 chipping and then 5 putting. It can happen, but most totally new guys can get on the green in one or two and then in the hole in 3-4 putts at worst. Not to mention it just feels miserable and holds play up way more if you're constantly hitting shots OB, topping them, or laying sod all over them. After you get to where the ball goes consistently in the air and in a generally more forwards than sideways direction the short game tends to take greater precedence. Most people shooting 85-100, are generally around (within 50-100 yards) the green in two shots. A good, consistent short game will turn that kind of card into mostly pars and bogeys with the rare double. There is your 80s shooter. The exception to this rule is if you're massively wild off the tee. If you hit balls consistently OB, or in location where all you can do is chip back into the fairway on a routine bases...then your long game and iron game need more focus. Those kinds of shots you can't afford. If you just hit lots of crappy drives that generally go crooked, but in play, and then questionable iron shots that still generally make forward progress...short game will save strokes from your score that much more. The last portion of it comes down to what you care about. For most people, I think they enjoy the game more hitting solid drives and nice pure high iron shots even if they do some damage to themselves around the green. Whereas scrapping your way around to a score in the high 80s with a bunch of bladed irons and sliced drives doesn't always feel as satisfying. So, for the typical amateur it somewhat comes down to what you enjoy and are worried about. If you really wanna beat your mates at the end of the day, short game (<100 yards) is the most likely place worth developing. If you want a game that feels better and looks prettier but at the end of the day produces higher numbers, place most of the emphasis on your driving and iron work. This can always be checked with good score keeping too. Keep track of how long it takes you to get within 100 yards of the green (include penalties), and then how long it takes you to get into the hole from there. Both should be 2 shots. If you're taking 4 one way and 2.3 the other way...it's pretty obvious which one you should focus on. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On June 18 2016 07:23 L_Master wrote: Are you fairly tall? And/or at altitude? 300 yards is a massive, massive carry. Even guys like McIroy, Johnson, Day, etc. barely carry the ball 300, if that. If you're really carrying 300 you've got at least 120mph of clubhead speed to work with. Definitely wouldn't need 11.5 with that, heck even 9 degrees of loft is quite a bit for that kind of speed. How far do you hit a 7 iron and say a 4 iron? I'm 5'9, but I'm in the Denver metro area, so there is an altitude effect. My 7 iron can go 190 (to rest). My 4 hybrid can go somewhere in the neighborhood of 220-230. As for the driver, the 11.5 degree loft is working for me right now. I don't think that I swing up on the ball well enough to use a lower loft. Even with the 11.5 loft, I still sometimes get those lower drives and lose a ton of distance as a result. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
It's better than a driving range mat, but still not grass. I very rarely have access to driving ranges that let you hit off the grass the majority of the time. True. But my experience is definitely not normal lol... if not evident it should become evident below. This is really true. Now if you have a coach watching you that's fine, but yea if you're diagnosing swing stuff yourself without video...risky business. I remember at one point early when I was learning back in early HS I was trying to widen my arc for more power/consistency, but in an effort to do this I kept reaching higher towards the sky. After a month or two I literally had my left arm perpendicular to the ground at the top of the swing (like as much or more than Furyk at the top). Not good. o.O I think it's super easy. Take out phone. Press record. Place on top of golf bag, direct behind target line OR face on. Hit 3-5 balls. Walk over to phone and press stop. When home, examine video. Takes all of 30 extra seconds. A few issues. First of all, how do you get your phone to perfectly balance on your golf bag aimed right at yourself? I haven't ever tried that so maybe it's easier than it sounds. Regardless, my smartphone has its cameras deactivated for work-related reasons, and my backup phone doesn't have a camera at all so I'd have to rig something up with my DSLR which would be a big pain and would draw way more attention than I would be interested in while on a potentially crowded driving range. The other problem is, as you said, you review what you were doing when you get home. That doesn't give you the opportunity to fix your mistakes. On the other hand, if recording yourself is logistically convenient I understand it's totally worth giving it a go. I generally agree with this. The variation I use is to take the club that will land the ball about a foot on the green while ending up at the hole. Now, when you get into situations where you're more short sides or have longer chips/pitches this doesn't apply well, but if you're just off the green in the rough or fringe, or have a ton of green to work with I find it really easy to take a 7 or 9 iron and basically use my putting feel/stroke to pop that ball in there close. I think the guidance by Gary McCord in Golf for Dummies is to aim to land the ball 2 feet on the green, but same difference. On June 18 2016 07:49 L_Master wrote: Sounds reasonable.This statement holds generally true. But not for everyone. When you're totally new, you definitely need to practice your swing far more than short game. There is more to lose there, most people don't make a 12 as a result of 3 chipping and then 5 putting. It can happen, but most totally new guys can get on the green in one or two and then in the hole in 3-4 putts at worst. Not to mention it just feels miserable and holds play up way more if you're constantly hitting shots OB, topping them, or laying sod all over them. After you get to where the ball goes consistently in the air and in a generally more forwards than sideways direction the short game tends to take greater precedence. When does this happen? This has been my goal for years, and I never get to this point. How often do you leave your drive on the rough just before the lady's tee? It really sucks lolOdds are, your next shot from the rough on the uphill lie won't be very good right after screwing up your drive (and you probably don't even know what you did wrong at that point), and now if you are lucky you've made it to the beginning of the fairway in 2. Short game can only help you so much at that point. Granted, that's not every hole or the golf bag would have been at the bottom of the lake already. Most people shooting 85-100, are generally around (within 50-100 yards) the green in two shots. A good, consistent short game will turn that kind of card into mostly pars and bogeys with the rare double. There is your 80s shooter. Seems fair.The exception to this rule is if you're massively wild off the tee. If you hit balls consistently OB, or in location where all you can do is chip back into the fairway on a routine bases...then your long game and iron game need more focus. Those kinds of shots you can't afford. To apply the discussion to my game, the concern is less about wild hooks, slices, pulls, or pushes, and more and about unexpected mishits that cause all sorts of unusual ballpaths, often way shorter than planned.If you just hit lots of crappy drives that generally go crooked, but in play, and then questionable iron shots that still generally make forward progress...short game will save strokes from your score that much more. The last portion of it comes down to what you care about. For most people, I think they enjoy the game more hitting solid drives and nice pure high iron shots even if they do some damage to themselves around the green. Whereas scrapping your way around to a score in the high 80s with a bunch of bladed irons and sliced drives doesn't always feel as satisfying. So, for the typical amateur it somewhat comes down to what you enjoy and are worried about. If you really wanna beat your mates at the end of the day, short game (<100 yards) is the most likely place worth developing. If you want a game that feels better and looks prettier but at the end of the day produces higher numbers, place most of the emphasis on your driving and iron work. When your bad shots are 'thin to win' and your good shots are pure, that's a good day in my book.This can always be checked with good score keeping too. Keep track of how long it takes you to get within 100 yards of the green (include penalties), and then how long it takes you to get into the hole from there. Both should be 2 shots. If you're taking 4 one way and 2.3 the other way...it's pretty obvious which one you should focus on. Are you intending for this advice to be for Par 4 only? I think this is an interesting idea, although I've read 60 yards is the cutoff for short vs long game... | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
I do realize you can't look at any film until you get back, but if their is a swing issue you find and feel important to work on that issue will still be there after you get home for the range or the next time you go. So the idea is use the film to get a look at the swing and then work on the issue at home (if you have space where you can set up a mirror inside the house that's perfect, but if not driveway still works okay) or next time you go the range. 2) Yea, 2 feet, 1 foot; concept is the same. Get the ball far enough onto the green that if your just a little off plan you don't land on the fringe and mess up your planned roll. 3) How often do I personally leave the ball in the rough before the closest tee marker? I'm not sure I can remember doing that since I was like a freshman in HS just starting golf. I've hit some really nasty slices and hooks in there, and certainly some thin ones, but nothing so bad that I didn't advance the ball 100 yards. By the same token from a handicap perspective by season I went something like: Horrible, 14, 8, 3, 1-2, +1-2. I improved pretty quick, but also had the luxury of being a HSer that could practice for 8 hours a day everyday 5 or 6 months out of the year. I'm not sure what you usually shoot. But I think for the typical person shooting in the 90s you hit a lot of "squirrely" shots, but not too many total duffs in a round. If your hitting that kind of shot with driver once per 18 holes that's one thing, but if it is happening 3, 4, 5 times a round then I'd definitely agree that long game should be the priority. If you don't mind my asking, what would you say a typical good score for you over 18 (or 9 if you play that more) is, and what is a typical round? 4) That concept applies to any par. Just add one more shot for getting near the green on a 5 par and one less for a 3 par. You could define 60 as short game too, but I tend to think of any less than full swing wedges as short game shots, and from within 100 yards I basically never make a full swing. A full 60 degree wedge goes about that far, but I don't feel as controlled with that as I do with a more sawed off sand wedge; there is a tendency to "slip under" the ball with a 60 where it basically feels like you made okay contact, but you don't get good transfer and the ball ends up about 30 yards short. If you prefer to use 60 yards as short game cutoff, I think that's fine. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On June 18 2016 20:26 L_Master wrote: 3) How often do I personally leave the ball in the rough before the closest tee marker? I'm not sure I can remember doing that since I was like a freshman in HS just starting golf. I've hit some really nasty slices and hooks in there, and certainly some thin ones, but nothing so bad that I didn't advance the ball 100 yards. By the same token from a handicap perspective by season I went something like: Horrible, 14, 8, 3, 1-2, +1-2. I improved pretty quick, but also had the luxury of being a HSer that could practice for 8 hours a day everyday 5 or 6 months out of the year. For some reason I never get improvement like that. I perpetually stay in horrible on the cusp of 14 or w/e. I think my scumbag brain likes mishitting the ball. I'm not sure what you usually shoot. But I think for the typical person shooting in the 90s you hit a lot of "squirrely" shots, but not too many total duffs in a round. If your hitting that kind of shot with driver once per 18 holes that's one thing, but if it is happening 3, 4, 5 times a round then I'd definitely agree that long game should be the priority. This is why long game has been my priority 100% of my golf career (not that I ignore short game entirely or anything)... it's too detrimental to my play when I'm so horribly inconsistent, and no bad shot is too bad to be a significant possibility at any point in the round.If you don't mind my asking, what would you say a typical good score for you over 18 (or 9 if you play that more) is, and what is a typical round? It's been a couple of years since I finished an 18 hole round. This year, I've played 9 holes twice and I really can't give you any type of a score range yet. Last year I wasn't able to play. Honestly, it's hard to explain where I stand with golf. I think you'd just have to be there.I'll get back on the horse this weekend for the billionth time. | ||
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Sadist
United States7205 Posts
Its much harder to make double bogey from next to the green than it is from the tee where OB/Hazards come into play. If you have drastic mishits frequently (like tops/shanks/etc) and you play fairly often (not like once or twice a year) I would say in all likelihood you have a lot of moving parts going on in your swing and you should try to steady a few things and make your swing a little simpler. I still say use video. It will help dramatically. Especially if you take videos from down the line facing the target and from the side (where if you look up you are directly facing the camera) You can even get a tripod or make one yourself by taping your cell phone to a stick or something. You probably can rest the phone on your bag in all liklihood so start with that. If you take videos of your good and bad swings you might be able to find out the difference. I will bet if you watch your swing and look at a professionals swing you will be shocked to see how little head/body tilt they have compared to you. Also, XDaunt, if you really carry it 300 thats incredibly far. I'm not familiar with altitude numbers but generally a 300 yard carry (on average good hits) would equate to something like 325-330 off the tee routinely (and something like 350 downwind). I've only met one or two guys ever who could even think about a 300 yard carry if it wasnt downhill down wind. 270-280 carries are enormous for most amateurs who aren't scratch or better. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
On June 28 2016 11:47 Sadist wrote: For long game vs short game I believe 9/10 long game is more important. Unless you are blading balls back and forth across the green multiple times per round its an almost given that you are losing more strokes from tee to green than on our around the green. Its much harder to make double bogey from next to the green than it is from the tee where OB/Hazards come into play. If you have drastic mishits frequently (like tops/shanks/etc) and you play fairly often (not like once or twice a year) I would say in all likelihood you have a lot of moving parts going on in your swing and you should try to steady a few things and make your swing a little simpler. I still say use video. It will help dramatically. Especially if you take videos from down the line facing the target and from the side (where if you look up you are directly facing the camera) You can even get a tripod or make one yourself by taping your cell phone to a stick or something. You probably can rest the phone on your bag in all liklihood so start with that. On June 18 2016 09:26 micronesia wrote: Regardless, my smartphone has its cameras deactivated for work-related reasons, and my backup phone doesn't have a camera at all so I'd have to rig something up with my DSLR which would be a big pain and would draw way more attention than I would be interested in while on a potentially crowded driving range. I should design a driving range with built-in cameras... would get rich! | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On June 18 2016 08:40 xDaunt wrote: I'm 5'9, but I'm in the Denver metro area, so there is an altitude effect. My 7 iron can go 190 (to rest). My 4 hybrid can go somewhere in the neighborhood of 220-230. As for the driver, the 11.5 degree loft is working for me right now. I don't think that I swing up on the ball well enough to use a lower loft. Even with the 11.5 loft, I still sometimes get those lower drives and lose a ton of distance as a result. Wait. Wait a second. Did I just miss this before, or is this the first you've mentioned. Why on earth have we not played a round of golf together?!? I'm like 40 min max away from you. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On June 28 2016 11:47 Sadist wrote: Also, XDaunt, if you really carry it 300 thats incredibly far. I'm not familiar with altitude numbers but generally a 300 yard carry (on average good hits) would equate to something like 325-330 off the tee routinely (and something like 350 downwind). I've only met one or two guys ever who could even think about a 300 yard carry if it wasnt downhill down wind. 270-280 carries are enormous for most amateurs who aren't scratch or better. Altitude of 5000ft is supposed to be worth around 10% carry advantage. I used to feel that way about 270 yard carry, but I think it's changed a little with the Tiger and beyond era. Hitting the ball far is hip, and the advantage of length is oft discussed. It's not that hard to have 115mph clubhead speed (roughly in line with a 270 yard carry at sea level) if you're a bigger guy with a decent swing. Don't get me wrong, it's still rare, but I've played with plenty of guys in the mid single digits who routinely carry 300+ here at altitude. It felt like maybe every 2-3 tournaments I'd play with a guy who would routinely carry 300. 330 type carry (300 sea level) is a whole different story. That REALLY stands out, and I've only played with 3 people I can remember that could routinely hit the ball like that. Generic 5 handicap guy probably averages 240-260 sea level carry in my experience. One of whom was a teammate that pretty much all he cared about was bombing the ball. He shot mostly low/mid 80s because most of his game was weak, but holy hell could he generate clubhead speed. We always had a long drive contest at the end of the HS golf season just for fun on this straightaway 370 yard par 4. Well, my sophomore year the first year I made the team, I remember him getting up there and just going for it. His first was terrible, this ugly snap hook that carried maybe 200 before diving into the trees. Then he unleashed the second one. Utter perfection. There was a pin high bunker with a tree growing out of it, and his drive completely cleared the tree. Minimum 380 in the air, possibly 400+. Having never watched long drive or anything like that, and only having played with some kids on the team or in JV tournaments that hit the ball 270 total at altitude, watching someone hit a golf ball like that was a pretty memorable experience. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
I may have just figured something out on the range this evening. Question: what are your wrists supposed to do when you get to the top of your backswing with a short-mid iron? | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On July 11 2016 07:06 micronesia wrote: Anyone else playing lately? I may have just figured something out on the range this evening. Question: what are your wrists supposed to do when you get to the top of your backswing with a short-mid iron? I would say not too much. The bow/cup of the wrists probably shouldn't be changing much, and then you generally don't want to start the downswing by casting the club. If anything they should hang out more or less neutral, or if you're going to "err" increase the angle between club and arm a la Sergio. | ||
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xDaunt
United States17988 Posts
On July 11 2016 07:06 micronesia wrote: Anyone else playing lately? I may have just figured something out on the range this evening. Question: what are your wrists supposed to do when you get to the top of your backswing with a short-mid iron? I played 18 holes a couple weeks ago. Was pretty brutal. I definitely need to work on the short game. I also flubbed a lot more iron shots than I usually do. Still, I moved the ball effectively and was able to keep up with everyone else. As for the wrists on the backswing, I'm not sure that they should be materially different between clubs. I was taught to keep them bowed downwards a bit (it's uncomfortable as all hell for me), but my shots are good as long as I keep them fairly flat. | ||
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
The reason why I ask is I think a big part of my inconsistency might be related to what I do with my wrist at the top of my swing. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
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micronesia
United States24631 Posts
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On April 15 2019 11:26 thedeadhaji wrote: That was an epic Masters Indeed it was. Love or hate Tiger the person, it's hard for me to imagine someone not excited to have him back playing great golf. Sets up some awesome story arcs (Nicklaus chase, Tigermania v The Young Guns, etc.) and then let's face it his skill when he is playing good, and his approach to the game are amazing to watch. If he stays healthy, still a big IF in my mind, it's going to be a fun next 5 years for the game. | ||
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On December 13 2019 08:24 thedeadhaji wrote: Royal Melbourne what a venue. Back from the dead this one! And yea, things I can only dream of. On the plus side, getting close to finishing my degree, which means regularly golf might become a little more realistic for me again. | ||
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
On December 13 2019 12:07 L_Master wrote: Back from the dead this one! And yea, things I can only dream of. On the plus side, getting close to finishing my degree, which means regularly golf might become a little more realistic for me again. Royal Melbourne might seem like an ultra private club, but it's actually available for public play just FYI. It's $450 though so it'll hurt the wallet, but many of the British (or formerly British) clubs make revenue by making pricy tee times available to the general public. Something to put on the ol' bucket list. GL finishing the degree! | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On December 16 2019 13:36 thedeadhaji wrote: As a perennial INTL supporter in the Presidents Cup, that was a tough loss Yea you guys were in a good spot for sure. American side in both cups does tend to excel at singles...but some of the losses surprised me, especially AS in front of home crowds. | ||
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Sadist
United States7205 Posts
I definitely recommend checking out their youtube channel. Specifically their Tourist Sauce episodes. Im headed to Ireland in the summer (ive been there several times in the past and played some famous courses : Ballybunion, Old Head, and the K Club) and it was super interesting to see their irish golf trip. They have one for Austrailia and Scotland as well as some other videos. For the record this was far and away my worst golf season this past year. Ive developed a bit of a hitch in my swing and I relearned a bad habbit of swaying into the ball. I did a simulator league in the winter last year and im blaming it on that! Only going to the range this winter. Buying this house with rework projects makes it unlikely ill golf as much this upcoming year gonna have to practice to make the minimal rounds count. | ||
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On December 21 2019 05:05 Sadist wrote: So the guys from No Laying Up are kinda bro-ey and I was initially not a fan. However, theyve grown on me a bit. I definitely recommend checking out their youtube channel. Specifically their Tourist Sauce episodes. Im headed to Ireland in the summer (ive been there several times in the past and played some famous courses : Ballybunion, Old Head, and the K Club) and it was super interesting to see their irish golf trip. They have one for Austrailia and Scotland as well as some other videos. https://youtu.be/OKy-PKjUuqs For the record this was far and away my worst golf season this past year. Ive developed a bit of a hitch in my swing and I relearned a bad habbit of swaying into the ball. I did a simulator league in the winter last year and im blaming it on that! Only going to the range this winter. Buying this house with rework projects makes it unlikely ill golf as much this upcoming year gonna have to practice to make the minimal rounds count.I feel that last part. I haven't really golfed consistently now in almost 10 years, which is pretty sad when I think about it But when you're still a broke student because it for some reason took you a decade to learn you had to work hard to be successful, it is what it is. I play a couple times a year, and can at least still challenge 80 when I do. I'm almost surprised that I haven't lost more. It won't be next year, but sometime in the next 5 years I look forward to making consistent golf, or at least practice on the range, a part of my life again. Some of my most peaceful memories are of that warm, dead quiet, setting sun evenings just being out there solo on the course and in nature doing my thing in the flow of a good round. Some major nostalgia and vibes there. | ||
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
On December 21 2019 05:05 Sadist wrote: So the guys from No Laying Up are kinda bro-ey and I was initially not a fan. However, theyve grown on me a bit. I definitely recommend checking out their youtube channel. Specifically their Tourist Sauce episodes. Yeah they're kind of hit or miss for me, though like you they've grown on me over the last year. Tourist Sauce is good content and I appreciate what they produce. For podcasts I prefer "Clubhouse with Shane Bacon" "Shotgun Start" (which imo has a much nerdier vibe than NLU) "Fried Egg" and of course, "The ClubProGuy Podcast" Im headed to Ireland in the summer So from what I understand getting around Ireland is difficult and so you have to kind of pick a spot to be based in. Do you know which area of Ireland you're going to be in? At some point you should go check out Lahinch. [/quote] For the record this was far and away my worst golf season this past year. Ive developed a bit of a hitch in my swing and I relearned a bad habbit of swaying into the ball. I did a simulator league in the winter last year and im blaming it on that! Only going to the range this winter. Buying this house with rework projects makes it unlikely ill golf as much this upcoming year gonna have to practice to make the minimal rounds count.[/QUOTE]Lots of half speed swings & "freezer" drills over the winter! | ||
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
On December 21 2019 10:50 L_Master wrote: I feel that last part. I haven't really golfed consistently now in almost 10 years, which is pretty sad when I think about it I left the game for 15 years until a couple years ago and I didn't realize what a big hole it had left in my life all those years. I think the biggest problem for me was that I had no one to play with regularly during those years, and each attempt to make a solo comeback never stuck. I'm lucky that I probably played more than 1 round a week on average this year and live in California where we can play basically year round. | ||
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Sadist
United States7205 Posts
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
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Sadist
United States7205 Posts
I bit the bullet and got a lesson today. My swing had gotten so bad over the last 2 or 3 seasons it started to look like Barkley. I have to relearn my transition and start my downswing with my lower body instead of my arms/hands. I had seriously considered quitting the game things had gotten so bad. I could still score OK on easy courses but it wasnt enjoyable at all. Hope everyone is getting their season started on the right foot. | ||
FlaShFTW
United States10096 Posts
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L_Master
United States8017 Posts
On April 04 2021 09:12 FlaShFTW wrote: Oh my god we have a GOLF THREAD? How the fuck did I not find this out until today. Any TL boys in Socal down to play? Hopefully someday soon! | ||
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FlaShFTW
United States10096 Posts
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roberttimothlee34
1 Post
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lestye
United States4149 Posts
Yo I wanna partake! | ||
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JimmyJRaynor
Canada16642 Posts
If you're wondering how to pronounce his name.. here it is here. | ||
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FaCE_1
Canada6163 Posts
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IsraelWilliams
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