Clubhouse Grille (*** NO LIV DISCUSSIONS ***) (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION ***)

[Reasonability]

Fella - I'm too lazy to go back a page or two and quote you properly. Just wanted to drop in and say I appreciate your comments about the state of your game, support for my baloney when I can't contain myself any longer. And just so you know - I have no less respect for your ability to articulate swing mechanics one way or the other. Seriously! Part of the reason this game is so goofy in the first place is that the jargon of it all is very conceptual. Google the grip, for example. I'm sorry but just saying pointing a "V", or knuckles showing, then turning right around and saying overlap, interlocking, and ten-finger are all just fine. That's just so oversimplified and contradictory it's not even funny. (And I thought we have 8 fingers but what do I know)

 

Let's move from grip to stance and posture - just as many whacked out and messy versions of do's and don'ts on that one, too. Look up "transition" - what a cluster that one is to figure out. Plane? "Sync" (are you kidding me? What does that word actually mean?).

 

When Scomac says he's not sure is an instructor is going to help him or cripple him - that same thought process is undoubtedly shared by untold hundreds of thousands of golfers.

 

Anywho its a messy thing - all this conceptual swing jargon. There's also a bit of a "tunnel" a person goes through if/when he wants to actually do something to his swing. The way I characterize it is to compare the swing to a tripod under a camera. If you move one leg of the tripod and only one leg... then the only chance that "fix" has of working out well is if that one leg is the one and only adjustment needed. Chances are high that when you fiddle with the tripod - changing one leg actually creates pics that are "worser". lol So - then that second leg of the tripod is adjusted. Well we are two-thirds of the way home but those pics are actually getting worse before they get one bit better. But... it's when the interrelated parts are all finally tuned up that the pictures become beautiful.

 

Fooling around with swings - taking lessons - all that stuff... can leave a person mumbling to himself. And, because we are creatures in search of instant gratification, we tend to abandon this part of the journey. Doesn't help any if/when someone is firing swing jargon at us amid all this.

 

What "can" happen - and I will say I've had it twice in my entire life - is to find the instructor who anticipates what this "tunnel" is all about. It's THOSE instructors who lead us through the dark. They promise us it's going to get a little worse before it gets better and help us understand and work through it with full buy-in to where its heading. That light at the end of the tunnel... they are leading us to it and in the hands of that brand of help - we trust that light is not a training heading right at us. The good news is - I've had this happen twice in a lifetime (and both have passed away). The bad news is I can't tell you how many absolute boobs got their mitts on me and that light at the end of the tunnel was indeed an oncoming locomotive. Tough to get a refund on lousy golf instruction. Kind of like a bad haircut. The damage is done - lol. But there are very good ones out there. And...we as students have to be honest with any instructor and get things said and shared without intimidation so that things we aren't comfortable with inside this tunnel are managed well - they can't read our minds. Therein lies the dilemma - do we actually "want" all this? Or - is it actually a little more fun in the end to live and die singing "I did it my way" all the way to our last round? Truth be told - either way is perfectly fine. As Tol said in so many words - If I have a pretty good idea of where my ball is going to land - I believe I'll be fine with that predictability and play it. And you know what? He's absolutely right!

 

Such a goofy game we play. The most cruel, complicated, confusing and yet most beautifully perfect game ever invented.

[Fellaheen51]

Reason, a solid summation of the pitfalls that awaits in the quest for a better golf swing. Determining what is worthy as opposed to boolah.

 

Several questions keep rolling around in my head. Would outside consultation help? Certainly. Would I be committed to "continuous improvement" (i.e. practice) that would be necessary? Questionable. How much of my time and pocketbook am I honestly willing to dedicate to the pursuit, at this point in my life? Very little. Slippery slope syndrome.

 

My one and only experiment with instruction, an hour videotaping and lesson many years ago, was a less than satisfactory experience. In essence, "You're doing everything wrong. I need to rebuild your swing. Pay me." Say what? Not wishing to paint with to broad a brush, but I bump into "attitude" with some degree of regularity in golfdom. It is the one thing that I find quite off-putting with this sporting endeavor. So I choose to keep that part at a very long arm's length. Starting with "golf pros".

 

The reality. Will continue to pick up bits and pieces of technique wherever I discover them. Try to understand, implement, or discard depending on how it "feels". Will it lead to improvement? Maybe. Only on the margin at best. So at the end of the day, asking whether I enjoyed myself, want to play again as soon as possible, execute a couple of "good" shots along the way, may be good enough.

 

Furthermore, If I actually was to get half good, might get thrown out of my regulars group. Then who would play golf with? The shooters crowd?

[tolmij]

Reason, a solid summation of the pitfalls that awaits in the quest for a better golf swing. Determining what is worthy as opposed to boolah.

 

Several questions keep rolling around in my head. Would outside consultation help? Certainly. Would I be committed to "continuous improvement" (i.e. practice) that would be necessary? Questionable. How much of my time and pocketbook am I honestly willing to dedicate to the pursuit, at this point in my life? Very little. Slippery slope syndrome.

 

My one and only experiment with instruction, an hour videotaping and lesson many years ago, was a less than satisfactory experience. In essence, "You're doing everything wrong. I need to rebuild your swing. Pay me." Say what? Not wishing to paint with to broad a brush, but I bump into "attitude" with some degree of regularity in golfdom. It is the one thing that I find quite off-putting with this sporting endeavor. So I choose to keep that part at a very long arm's length. Starting with "golf pros".

 

The reality. Will continue to pick up bits and pieces of technique wherever I discover them. Try to understand, implement, or discard depending on how it "feels". Will it lead to improvement? Maybe. Only on the margin at best. So at the end of the day, asking whether I enjoyed myself, want to play again as soon as possible, execute a couple of "good" shots along the way, may be good enough.

 

Furthermore, If I actually was to get half good, might get thrown out of my regulars group. Then who would play golf with? The shooters crowd?

 

What a good word, golfdom, it sums up my attitude towards some golf game participants. I play all sport for pleasure, apart from my main sport and even then pleasure was a primary necessity. I stopped playing comps because of golfdom, now I play with people who enjoy golf because it is a good challenging game that gives pleasure and pain usually in equal amounts.

[SixtySomePing]

Started to put the clubs away for the year, cleaned them really well, better than normal, cleaned out the bag, especially of stuff I had forgotten was in there. Cleaned off my shoes, and got off some grass and dirt particles and such, made them look really nice. Then I looked at them, and they sort of looked back, like what if the weather gets nice occasionally in the winter. Just because they're clean doesn't mean I can't play and clean them off again. So I got all my winter turtle necks in place, long Johns if necessary, winter golf gloves, golf beanie, typical layers I use if/when the weather gets decent to go play. Heck with clean clubs, they were meant to play, not display... :)

[billh17]

Reason, a solid summation of the pitfalls that awaits in the quest for a better golf swing. Determining what is worthy as opposed to boolah.

 

Several questions keep rolling around in my head. Would outside consultation help? Certainly. Would I be committed to "continuous improvement" (i.e. practice) that would be necessary? Questionable. How much of my time and pocketbook am I honestly willing to dedicate to the pursuit, at this point in my life? Very little. Slippery slope syndrome.

 

My one and only experiment with instruction, an hour videotaping and lesson many years ago, was a less than satisfactory experience. In essence, "You're doing everything wrong. I need to rebuild your swing. Pay me." Say what? Not wishing to paint with to broad a brush, but I bump into "attitude" with some degree of regularity in golfdom. It is the one thing that I find quite off-putting with this sporting endeavor. So I choose to keep that part at a very long arm's length. Starting with "golf pros".

 

The reality. Will continue to pick up bits and pieces of technique wherever I discover them. Try to understand, implement, or discard depending on how it "feels". Will it lead to improvement? Maybe. Only on the margin at best. So at the end of the day, asking whether I enjoyed myself, want to play again as soon as possible, execute a couple of "good" shots along the way, may be good enough.

 

Furthermore, If I actually was to get half good, might get thrown out of my regulars group. Then who would play golf with? The shooters crowd?

 

You are sooo right. I have often wondered what it is about some people who play golf and really think they are special because of their

belonging to a PRIVATE CLUB as opposed to a lowly NON-PRIVATE.......or their attire makes them a better person....this hobby/sport

still has a lot of leftovers from the day when it WAS an elitist rich persons game.This site has a lot of them. Golf itself is difficult enough to

get young people involved,but when you add some of the "holier than thou" attitudes and the rudeness to newcomers,it becomes a really

hard sell. And i choose not to even join in on the slow play forums anymore....as someone who played since the 70's,i am more upset with

someone pushing me all day,than i am with the guys ahead of me who dont let folks play thru.This thread is about the only one i visit with the expectation

of open,friendly guys instead of the keyboard warriors who are looking for an argument.I hope we can keep it going this way.

As for the instruction bit.....I tried it ...once.....many many years ago....1973......and after one hour i swore that i would never again put

myself into that situation ..lol. Had almost the same result as you did....the guy was more concerned with getting my money than

he was in actually helping me.

[Fellaheen51]

You are sooo right. I have often wondered what it is about some people who play golf and really think they are special because of their

belonging to a PRIVATE CLUB as opposed to a lowly NON-PRIVATE.......or their attire makes them a better person....this hobby/sport

still has a lot of leftovers from the day when it WAS an elitist rich persons game.This site has a lot of them. Golf itself is difficult enough to

get young people involved,but when you add some of the "holier than thou" attitudes and the rudeness to newcomers,it becomes a really

hard sell. And i choose not to even join in on the slow play forums anymore....as someone who played since the 70's,i am more upset with

someone pushing me all day,than i am with the guys ahead of me who dont let folks play thru.This thread is about the only one i visit with the expectation

of open,friendly guys instead of the keyboard warriors who are looking for an argument.I hope we can keep it going this way.

As for the instruction bit.....I tried it ...once.....many many years ago....1973......and after one hour i swore that i would never again put

myself into that situation ..lol. Had almost the same result as you did....the guy was more concerned with getting my money than

he was in actually helping me.

 

Agree that golf has a well earned reputation as elitist. And in certain circles, fully convinced it remains that way. Come across it when I move upscale in the public courses I very occasionally play. Sense that attitude showing itself. But my money is as good as the next, so pass it off as nothing more than an observation. But it does rankle me to no end. Certain opinions were formed a very long time ago. Not specifically about playing the game, more about the culture that surrounds it. In certain circles. Occasionally requiring some degree of philosophical gymnastics to continue justifying my enjoyment of "being a golfer". If that mumbo makes any sense. Suppose its my suppressed liberal idealism of youth still bubbling up on occasion.

 

Completely share your sentiments on being pushed. Hate it!!!! To the point where it affects my play, throws it out of kilter. Paying more attention to those behind me, verses trying to hit the damn ball. Have no problem with pulling over, if the layout on the course that day allows it, and let a group that's in a big rush play themselves thru. The regulars share the same sentiment. We'll take a temporary break in the action, drink a cold one, yak for a few minutes, relax. We're in no hurry. No where to go except home at some point.

 

We move along at a fairly brisk pace. But we aren't there to be in a track meet. The day needs to be enjoyed during the trip. WTS, 3 3/4 - 4 hours seems to be just about right for our group. The guys around here that say they can play in 3 hours or less. I question their veracity. I've played some pretty fast solo rounds, with a cart, on occasion. Think the quickest was a little over 3 hours on a relatively short course. The "I don't care what you do out on the course, just do it quickly" crowd also rankles me. Once posted these sentiments in one of those POP threads. Oh boy, big mistake. Learned my lesson about jumping into murky waters with a contrarian opinion.

 

Bill, have no reason not to expect a continuation of civil discourse ITT. Seems as though most (all) of us, just enjoy the chatter. On whatever the topic of the day may be. Without acrimony or the need to "right". Perhaps its because, by and large, we're a little more "seasoned". Have learned that its infinitely more enjoyable "talking" about stuff than it is arguing. Who needs the hassle.

 

More random musings your post conjured up.

[scomac2002]

Reasy;

 

My skepticism of instruction has largely been fueled by reading/seeing/hearing contradictory advice from different instructors to fix the same problem. I remember that clearly in an issue of Golf Digest featuring the top 100 instructors. On one page do "X" to fix "Y". On the page opposite, do the opposite of "X" to fix the same "Y". Of course the response to this vagary is that it all depends upon the individual circumstance and maybe that is where the value of instruction comes. But, I've seen almost as much money wasted on instruction as I have see wasted on equipment. Maybe the individual wasn't committed to the process or the necessary amount of practice to ingrain the new technique.

 

An older fellow that I play fairly regularly with in the summer took lessons last winter with the pro who taught me originally. I didn't see a single difference in how my friend swung the club and he shared later that he didn't really like what the instructor was trying to get him to do. I think I know this instructor pretty well. He wouldn't asked someone to do something that he didn't think they could do. Attitude is everything and if nothing else perhaps my friend has found a measure of satisfaction in golfing the way that he does.

 

Having said all this, I'm not completely averse to instruction. I believe it made all the difference in the world for me when I was starting out. Considering how much I have struggled getting off the tee this past season, I'm probably prime for a lesson or two with woods. I've threatened that before in the last few years, but my son said to me that I don't need more lessons, just more practice -- this from someone who had a lot of lessons, at least when he was young and ended up changing his swing completely on his own to something more reminiscent of Moe Norman than the textbook swing that he was taught. I guess he's skeptical too. ;)

[scomac2002]

I'm completely in agreement with those who HATE being pushed from behind. I've lost track of the number of times I've been hit into whilst putting. It always seems to be some jacked up sh*t that gets all puffy when called on it. Mind you, it always helps when it's a 105 # woman that is the one ripping a strip off the guy's back! :o

 

I recall playing a weekend round at one of the local goats tracks I frequent. We're at the turn and the two fellows following us come up and say: Can we play through? You guys are slow! I've got a pool party to be at in "X" amount of time. My response was: Really! I held my tongue on what I wanted to say which was that maybe if he had somewhere else to be he shouldn't be on the golf course. My playing partner said go ahead. We then proceeded to watch the mouthy one duff a couple of tee shots and grumble out all manner of excuses. My playing partner and I had no difficulty keeping up to these guys. It's no different than seeing someone weaving in and out of traffic taking all kinds of risks and then ten minutes later you notice that they're no further up the road than you are... Needless to say, I do my best to avoid weekend play at public courses; too many A-holes

[Fellaheen51]

Solid observations Sco. Therein lies the dilemma. How does one even begin to seek out a worthy instructor? I don't have a network that offers recommendations. Simply using an internet search for ones in the area seems to be a recipe for disaster plus lightening my wallet. None of them come particularly cheap, have other things to spend my funds upon than ineffective swing counseling. <scratches head>

 

Reinforces many of my concerns (and seemingly others as well) surrounding instruction. Sorta like buying that fancy new $300+ putter that will improve your putting, only to find out that you don't make any more of them than with the $10 one you had before.

[scomac2002]

Solid observations Sco. Therein lies the dilemma. How does one even begin to seek out a worthy instructor? I don't have a network that offers recommendations. Simply using an internet search for ones in the area seems to be a recipe for disaster plus lightening my wallet. None of them come particularly cheap, have other things to spend my funds upon than ineffective swing counseling. <scratches head>

 

Reinforces many of my concerns (and seemingly others as well) surrounding instruction. Sorta like buying that fancy new $300+ putter that will improve your putting, only to find out that you don't make any more of them than with the $10 one you had before.

 

It does make you wonder. Just how many students involved in The Hank Haney Project actually made permanent gains? It certainly didn't work for Charles Barkley or Ray Romano. I seem to recall that only Rush Limbaugh was materially better several months after the experience. Old habits die hard.

 

I also don't think that it's any surprise that equipment and instruction are virtually linked at the hip. It has always been that way with the predominant source of gear being your friendly neighbourhood PGA professional. It was that way for my son. I recall the same suggestion being made to me in my second year and thus started the great golf gear hoeing experiment. Once you find a good fit the rest doesn't matter, it's just semantics. The used $10 club is just as capable of delivering the results as the shiny $300 one. Marginal gains are for computer simulation or pay for play contracts.

[Conrad1953]

I'm gonna stick my neck out and say something, lol.

 

I think I know ole Reasy well enough to say that any of you can video your

swing and send it to him privately in a PM and he will offer up some thngs

for you to think about/work on.....and do it nicely. He will also mention all the

things you are currently doing well. He starts with the positive and works

from there.....and he understands we all have physical limitations that can

limit what we are able to do.....be it from past injuries, age, or just the way

our bodies work......... or the way we mentally process things.

 

He very much loves doing it and enjoys helping others.....and your wallet

will not get one microgram lighter.

 

And he knows what he is talking about. I trust him completely.

 

It's not easy to see your own swing on video. I was not happy when I saw mine,

haha. Once you get past the initial shock then you are able to become objective

about it.

 

And, like I said, he puts you at ease and makes you comfortable and it is a positive

experience. And, most importantly, your ball striking will improve.

[Fellaheen51]

LMAO. That story brings to mind an "incident" this summer. Four of us out for the midweek round. Cruising along. Then these two '30 somethings caught up to us seemingly out of nowhere. We were going to let them play thru on an upcoming Par 3. But after one hole of being behind us, they hit up to the green with us barely clearing it. As they were rushing up, one yelled over to us "Can we play thru? We're in a hurry". No "do you mind" or "would it be OK".

 

Looked at each other, like "who are these jack wagons?" One of the buds said, "Have at it". We sat back about 20 yards waiting. The mouthy one, promptly muffed his drive. And a stream of F words in-sued. We were justing sitting, taking quietly while waiting, until one of the buds said something funny and we sorta busted out laughing. Nothing to do with these two. Well the mouthy one thought it was directed at him (timing is everything) and peels back towards us saying "You laughing at me?" Getting all huffed up. Then one of the buds, big guy, played DII FB while in college, unfurled himself out of the cart. Told the cat he best be on his way like "Right Now". Spittering and sputtering as he began to turn, called us "A bunch of hacks". BAWAHAHAHA! We're rolling now. The big guy sez "Maybe so, but were getting better. You're an a**hole and there's no fix for that". It was to good.

 

We had them at our mercy for a few holes after that. The group that was in front of us evidently would not let them play thru. We rode their a***s for a couple of holes, man they really became flustered. But then the whole thing got boring and we backed off. Good for some guffaws for about 20 minutes.

 

When we got in, the starter/marshall, who we know quite well at this course, came over to us and said he had a complaint that we were harassing other golfers. "What were you knuckleheads doing out there?" So we gave him the story, he laughed, said "see you next week".

 

Probably not very "gentlemanly" of us as I think back. But, these D-Bags had it coming. Won't happen again, I promise.

[scotee]

Made it out yesterday as well. Course was very wet from the overnight rain. But sunshine (mostly) with temps in the upper 50's, very comfortable. No pins (others had put in tree branches to mark where the hole was LOL), cups, tee markers, carts, etc. They are winding down for the year. But only $5 to play as much as one wants. Played 12 holes before calling it a wrap. Surprisingly, there were quite a few folks out. Including a group of eight "old timers" (several that I knew) having a high time of it.

 

General observations. The "Hogan/Snead" squat. No go. Until I practice the move a whole lot more. Without video in hand, going from memory, all I did was "do the squat" without any real purpose. May have looked rather silly. Not saying it doesn't have merit. Just that I didn't quite know what I was doing. Quickly abandoned.

 

I did concentrate on rhythm and tempo. Where it all begins. Feeling the flow of my body thru the ball. I wanted to focus on my weight transfer from the right side to left. Get a sense of my hips gliding forward in transition. (Maybe I was doing the squat and didn't realize it.) This still remains paramount in my quest to hit better golf shots. All other swing things aside. Wish I was articulate on these matters to better describe what was taking place. There were a number of times where I "felt" this was done correctly and a well struck shot resulted. Learning to remember, trust and execute when I'm not fully concentrating on how the swing feels during meaningful play becomes the task at hand. Not falling back to bad habits.

 

Played two balls most of the time. Until I got tired of chasing one ball left, the other right. But all in all, I good day to play. Some good swings that provided satisfactory results. And if this is to be the last round of the season, I have some things to benchmark and ponder until the next time out.

 

Those are extraordinarily good pictures Scotee. Very sharp resolution. Look a whole lot better than "cheap" phone pics. What course? I like to google up the courses that folks mention here on WRX, check them out. Vicariously play them.

 

Not nearly as scenic as the pics above. The local goat track yesterday. Since the Clicgear was already cleaned and stored, dug out the old Bag Boy Automatic to slog thru the mire. Still a serviceable pull cart. Nothing special, but its the closet course to the house and we play it often. Priced right and very Mrs. friendly. Looking down #5 fairway, 510 yard par 5. All downhill. In the summer when the fairway gets hard, can sometimes get there in two. With some luck. Can't go left. Antiquated iPhone pic:

 

 

 

Thanks guys. My kids tell me that the camera on my phone is "not very good" Moto E I think. I have taken what I think are some great pics on it.

 

The course is a pretty ordinary muni. Bryden Canyon in Lewiston Id. I now live across the river in Clarkston Wa. It's a quick 5 min. to that course now. There are four courses in the valley and because it is down in the snake river valley, the weather is mild in the winter. We can usually play all 12 months of the year. There will be a few days or even weeks with snow on the course but it doesn't stay on like most places this far North. Couple that with a covered propane heated cart and we just keep on playing. :)

 

Sco, do you get the chinook winds in that area?

 

And that is a beautiful area of the country where you are.

 

Yes Radster. I think the LC valley will be a nice place to retire. The only downside as you know having been here is the Potlatch paper mill way out on the Northeast side of the town. The prevailing wind carries the smell off to Montana 90% of time. Once in awhile in stagnant air conditions or a little East breeze when I go outside it smells just like someone pulled Reasey's finger. :taunt:

[CrabDaddy]

Let's move from grip to stance and posture - just as many whacked out and messy versions of do's and don'ts on that one, too. Look up "transition" - what a cluster that one is to figure out. Plane? "Sync" (are you kidding me? What does that word actually mean?).

Think of the timing belt on your car. All the cylinders don't fire at once - they have to fire at the right time and in the right order.

 

 

The way I characterize it is to compare the swing to a tripod under a camera. If you move one leg of the tripod and only one leg... then the only chance that "fix" has of working out well is if that one leg is the one and only adjustment needed. Chances are high that when you fiddle with the tripod - changing one leg actually creates pics that are "worser". lol So - then that second leg of the tripod is adjusted. Well we are two-thirds of the way home but those pics are actually getting worse before they get one bit better. But... it's when the interrelated parts are all finally tuned up that the pictures become beautiful.

I like your analogy. But...you could put a level on the tripod and measure it's height when adjusting the legs before you take any pictures. It may not be the angle you want, but you have measurements to say, "I need to tilt the tripod 2 degrees down and raise it an inch". Which is not terribly unlike golf instruction today - there is slow motion video, Trackman, 3-D motion capture, where you can measure how far off you are. The difference is that the human body is much more complicated than a tripod to adjust and a tripod doesn't have a brain preventing adjustments from happening, lol.

 

The bottom line is golfers need to do three things: 1. Honestly assess their own desires, limitations, and expectations. There, of course, are no magic bullets. It takes a lot of work to change a swing, and I don't even mean changing everything, but anything that requires a new movement pattern. Do you have the time and the desire/discipline to make lessons worthwhile? I see lots of guys that may not be happy with their game, but they have fun playing and are content with "shots" and catching lightening in a bottle on occassion. Nothing wrong with that.

2. Perform due dilligence when looking for an instructor. If you pick a pro just because he teaches at your course, it's no different than picking a contractor just because he's the closest guy to your house. Might work, might not. Talk with the instrucor before booking a lesson - ask about his background, get a sense of his personality. Some instructors record entire lessons on video for their clients (or edited to the important stuff) - see if a client is willing to share a lesson with you. A friend of mine sent me two lessons he had this past summer - didn't help me in the least, but I had an idea of what was important to the instructor. And, in most cases, you get what you pay for.

3. Golfers need to have a good memory, or an adequate handle on mathematics. I swear there was a third thing....

 

Now, all that said, golf's business model is whack! You take lessons from a guy who is a merchandise retailer. I don't mean that as a criticism of the pros because that's what they are asked to do. Ownership has a stake in the pro shop, not the lesson tee, so where do you think they want to see the head pro spending his time? A situation where an instructor is not the head pro is likely to be better.

[scomac2002]

OMG Fella, that's priceless! :lol: I would literally pay money to have been there at that moment when your bud put the jack wagon in his place! I'm envisioning BIG STU right now with his running buddies Bo Bear and Checkers in that same situation with the "tourist crowd"! :rofl:

[billh17]

Solid observations Sco. Therein lies the dilemma. How does one even begin to seek out a worthy instructor? I don't have a network that offers recommendations. Simply using an internet search for ones in the area seems to be a recipe for disaster plus lightening my wallet. None of them come particularly cheap, have other things to spend my funds upon than ineffective swing counseling. <scratches head>

 

Reinforces many of my concerns (and seemingly others as well) surrounding instruction. Sorta like buying that fancy new $300+ putter that will improve your putting, only to find out that you don't make any more of them than with the $10 one you had before.

 

I have obtained that same feeling with drivers..my friends/relatives get the newest and greatest and i get to try them all. I have always found

that they are not better than what I have been using for years.I usually hit an R9 or the R1.....they work for me and that is what counts.

For me,the ability to play my way is what matters.I am an old dog and i simply do not want to learn any instructors new tricks !

[tolmij]

Hit up on me and the ball usually is lost, trod a few into the turf before. Normally you know how far the ball will go so there is no excuse.

 

Having said that I did once hit up on someone, I was about 230 250 metres out from the green and the group in front were putting, due to a rare combination of wind direction, bounce and the one off perfect swing my ball finished on the green, to say the least I was full of apologies and gave them a beer when we finished.

 

My one and only lesson from a pro was a disaster, all I was looking for was to make myself feel more comfortable at address as I could not decide the ball position relative to my feet, whether I should reach slightly for the ball to keep a slight extension on the arms or even if I should be doing any of that. He wanted to change my whole swing sync when I was not interested and asked him to concentrate on the bits I was interested in, he gave up and stuffed me about golf the rest of the time.

 

My one problem was a bad slice which I was sure came from set up, he said if you slice badly just aim further left, wow that gem really got me.

 

A completely different experiance was a free golf coaching day run by our local council as part on their recreation programme. The pro taking the session looked at my set up, watched the ball flight and said turn your right hand slightly to the top of the grip, since then no slice, it was so easy to fix, no other garbage.

[Conrad1953]

Made it out yesterday as well. Course was very wet from the overnight rain. But sunshine (mostly) with temps in the upper 50's, very comfortable. No pins (others had put in tree branches to mark where the hole was LOL), cups, tee markers, carts, etc. They are winding down for the year. But only $5 to play as much as one wants. Played 12 holes before calling it a wrap. Surprisingly, there were quite a few folks out. Including a group of eight "old timers" (several that I knew) having a high time of it.

 

General observations. The "Hogan/Snead" squat. No go. Until I practice the move a whole lot more. Without video in hand, going from memory, all I did was "do the squat" without any real purpose. May have looked rather silly. Not saying it doesn't have merit. Just that I didn't quite know what I was doing. Quickly abandoned.

 

I did concentrate on rhythm and tempo. Where it all begins. Feeling the flow of my body thru the ball. I wanted to focus on my weight transfer from the right side to left. Get a sense of my hips gliding forward in transition. (Maybe I was doing the squat and didn't realize it.) This still remains paramount in my quest to hit better golf shots. All other swing things aside. Wish I was articulate on these matters to better describe what was taking place. There were a number of times where I "felt" this was done correctly and a well struck shot resulted. Learning to remember, trust and execute when I'm not fully concentrating on how the swing feels during meaningful play becomes the task at hand. Not falling back to bad habits.

 

Played two balls most of the time. Until I got tired of chasing one ball left, the other right. But all in all, I good day to play. Some good swings that provided satisfactory results. And if this is to be the last round of the season, I have some things to benchmark and ponder until the next time out.

 

Those are extraordinarily good pictures Scotee. Very sharp resolution. Look a whole lot better than "cheap" phone pics. What course? I like to google up the courses that folks mention here on WRX, check them out. Vicariously play them.

 

Not nearly as scenic as the pics above. The local goat track yesterday. Since the Clicgear was already cleaned and stored, dug out the old Bag Boy Automatic to slog thru the mire. Still a serviceable pull cart. Nothing special, but its the closet course to the house and we play it often. Priced right and very Mrs. friendly. Looking down #5 fairway, 510 yard par 5. All downhill. In the summer when the fairway gets hard, can sometimes get there in two. With some luck. Can't go left. Antiquated iPhone pic:

 

 

 

Thanks guys. My kids tell me that the camera on my phone is "not very good" Moto E I think. I have taken what I think are some great pics on it.

 

The course is a pretty ordinary muni. Bryden Canyon in Lewiston Id. I now live across the river in Clarkston Wa. It's a quick 5 min. to that course now. There are four courses in the valley and because it is down in the snake river valley, the weather is mild in the winter. We can usually play all 12 months of the year. There will be a few days or even weeks with snow on the course but it doesn't stay on like most places this far North. Couple that with a covered propane heated cart and we just keep on playing. :)

 

Sco, do you get the chinook winds in that area?

 

And that is a beautiful area of the country where you are.

 

Yes Radster. I think the LC valley will be a nice place to retire. The only downside as you know having been here is the Potlatch paper mill way out on the Northeast side of the town. The prevailing wind carries the smell off to Montana 90% of time. Once in awhile in stagnant air conditions or a little East breeze when I go outside it smells just like someone pulled Reasey's finger. :taunt:

 

Ya, Reasy has confessed that pulling his finger has dire consequences

for the nostrils.

 

Paper mills have their own unique smell and there's a lot of them in the

PNW. We have a few of them in Bama too but, thankfully, none where

we live. I see a lot of log trucks and logging is a big industry in Bama.

 

Our soil sucks and not much grows in it except pine trees, lol.

[tolmij]

Pine trees as with gum trees suck all the goodness out of the soil.

[Hankshank]

Lovely photos, guys... I'll come back with some photos from my home course now. Mostly cross-country skiing going on now. Do Michigan get snow in the winters?

There are some maniacs in the Stockholm area still playing with orange balls and ice rules. But I haven't touched a club since October and I will not do so until March, except if I can find a golf club in the Canary Islands in January....

 

Maybe not by Scandinavian standards, but we get our fair share. Last winter, a 12" dusting. Can't wait.

 

 

 

Edit add: There is a certain intrinsic beauty to be found in the season. "Shiver me timbers" all you fair weather only folks.

 

 

 

The one there with the orange ball is basically what we get in the Stockholm area, further north the standard is about a meter. The other photo is beautiful, Heavy winds, with water from the lake spraying and freezing?

[Fellaheen51]

The one there with the orange ball is basically what we get in the Stockholm area, further north the standard is about a meter. The other photo is beautiful, Heavy winds, with water from the lake spraying and freezing?

 

Precisely. The prior and following, same lighthouse. St. Joesph Lighthouse, Southern Lake Michigan. Different angle and light. The Polar Vortex winter a couple of years ago was exceptionally cold, good for creating these ice formations. A number of photographers set about capturing images of great lakes lighthouses encased in ice.

 

 

 

Then there's the surfers that come out to ride the tasty winter waves. Jumping in off the Holland, Michigan pier. Surfs up.

 

 

[tolmij]

The one there with the orange ball is basically what we get in the Stockholm area, further north the standard is about a meter. The other photo is beautiful, Heavy winds, with water from the lake spraying and freezing?

 

Precisely. The prior and following, same lighthouse. St. Joesph Lighthouse, Southern Lake Michigan. Different angle and light. The Polar Vortex winter a couple of years ago was exceptionally cold, good for creating these ice formations. A number of photographers set about capturing images of great lakes lighthouses encased in ice.

 

 

 

Then there's the surfers that come out to ride the tasty winter waves. Jumping in off the Holland, Michigan pier. Surfs up.

 

 

 

 

That is weather you are wecme to, since leaving the UK, any hing below 70F is too cold.

[Fellaheen51]

How about this then Tol. To warm your cockles. IIRC, was about 94* (34* C) this day. Darn near to hot to play golf.

 

Tee shot to the fringe area green side front right. Safe. Then five strokes to get down from there. Bladed the ball across the green and down the hill on the far side. Lob pitch back over the green to the front fringe, three putts from there. Shoulda used the damn putter from 15' off the green to start with instead of getting fancy.

 

Golf. Is. Fun.

 

 

 

Edit Note: Shouldn't have complained about the heat. I'd gladly take that right now and moving forward.

[billh17]

just posting to keep this thread from hitting the "12 hours with no posts" mark !

No golf here today...drizzly...overcast....38*....10mph wind....not a good day for me !

[Conrad1953]

I think winter has arrived. We're in Yuma, AZ right now and it's even cold

here.....and we're picking up a load going to Chicago...don't wanna go......

 

Will admit full wusshood here. I no longer can take the cold. Hate it, haha.

[Conrad1953]

How about this then Tol. To warm your cockles. IIRC, was about 94* (34* C) this day. Darn near to hot to play golf.

 

Tee shot to the fringe area green side front right. Safe. Then five strokes to get down from there. Bladed the ball across the green and down the hill on the far side. Lob pitch back over the green to the front fringe, three putts from there. Shoulda used the damn putter from 15' off the green to start with instead of getting fancy.

 

Golf. Is. Fun.

 

 

 

Edit Note: Shouldn't have complained about the heat. I'd gladly take that right now and moving forward.

 

Nice view and nice looking hole!

 

You know, we get a lot of those Michigan ads on TV at home. They make

them very enticing too........................

[billh17]

they are good looking ads......but they never show the snow and ice ! Spent 4 winters in Duluth when i was young....hated the 1st winter....went to work...grocery shopping...home......

2nd winter i got out a little....took up snowmobiling.....even went ice fishing...on Lake Superior,in 20 degrees.....and got a sunburn....

when i left there a few years later....i was converted...snowmobile....ice fishing.....washing the car when the temp got above 20...shortsleeve shirts

as soon as 40 degrees....lol.....the winters in the northern states are different ! I never complain about southern Ohio...we normally have

very easy winters compared to the folks a bit north !

[BIG STU]

I think winter has arrived. We're in Yuma, AZ right now and it's even cold

here.....and we're picking up a load going to Chicago...don't wanna go......

 

Will admit full wusshood here. I no longer can take the cold. Hate it, haha.

I actually had to turn on the heater in the Cadillac Mack Monday morning--- First time I had ever had it on or had need to--- I was thinking oh crap I hope it works then I thought this is a brand new truck it BETTER work ---- it did fine

[Conrad1953]

they are good looking ads......but they never show the snow and ice ! Spent 4 winters in Duluth when i was young....hated the 1st winter....went to work...grocery shopping...home......

2nd winter i got out a little....took up snowmobiling.....even went ice fishing...on Lake Superior,in 20 degrees.....and got a sunburn....

when i left there a few years later....i was converted...snowmobile....ice fishing.....washing the car when the temp got above 20...shortsleeve shirts

as soon as 40 degrees....lol.....the winters in the northern states are different ! I never complain about southern Ohio...we normally have

very easy winters compared to the folks a bit north !

 

The most wintery place I lived was in Salt Lake City, UT. Spent roughly

a year there. The skiing was awesome and broke snowfall records the

year I was there....BUT.......the daily grind of going back and forth to work,

frozen locks, scraping ice off windows, etc. wore me down. When it was

still snowing in April that was enough....and I hightailed it back to SoCal.

 

I have fond memories of that year though. Had a great time! I spent 60

days on the slopes and the fluffy light dry Utah powder is all it's cracked

up to be. It's exhilarating racing down the slopes on a dark snowy day

in powder 2-3 feet deep and you can't see your skis. It's like floating

all the way down. I skied in many places out west but that season was

the best ever and I'll always remember it.

[billh17]

sounds great Rad......i never had any idea that i could be on a lake...in winter...bright sunshine...and be shirtless,getting sunburnt. People are like me and have no

idea that the ice on the big lakes does not freeze smoothly.....it builds up as the waves roll in....had mounds of ice on Lake Superior

15/20 foot tall blocked the wind and the sun reflecting off the ice was hot !