Rich S: shot my low round and won

[rich_s2]

Sorry for all the posts but this has been an exciting journey. Tonight I met my goal and hit 160mph ball speed. My average is now 155mph where my max was 151 before going to see Monte. I’m fat, super non flexible, 45 years old so if I can do it, anyone can. There was a bunch of 8i mixed in with the drives in the average in the pic

 

 

[TMoakley1547]

Awesome job Rich. Keep the updates coming. 165 mph next?

[rich_s2]

I think that will be the new goal. My plan is to work on speed with driver until January first then really start dialing in iron accuracy (trajectory and shaping) and finally mix in putting with my putt-out in March. Really looking to break into the plus side this year! I feel that the speed with driver and iron accuracy go hand in hand as this is improving my swing overall.

[coinneach1]

I've just spent the last couple of days going through this thread from the beginning. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Congratulations on your drop in handicap and well deserved with the amount of time and dedication shown to reach and surpass your goal?.

My handicap is the same as yours when you started (8) and I really admire everything you've done to get down to 2.

The little tips I picked up were at the start of your backswing you flattened your left wrist and then kept your right wrist bent at the start of the downswing?

Another was feel your right shoulder going towards your left foot in the backswing. From memory, you also liked the front of the ball in the middle of your stance?

Interesting feel that Monte has given you with twisting the right foot away at the start of the downswing. Hopefully I can try that one if the weather improves here!!

Super impressed with the stinger shots as well.

Well done again and hopefully you'll be down to scratch next season.

 

 

[rich_s2]

Thanks! Lot of time and effort for sure. Let me summarize my journey:

Went to see Dan and learned how to flatten my left wrist and keep it flat through impact. This shortened my backswing due to less arm over-run and got me swinging in to out and lowered my launch angle which increased carry distance and ball striking.

Got away from GI irons which had too many flyers and got fit for driver. I also switched to a Snell MTB black which truly had a impact as well.

Got a new putter and practiced putting a ton!!! Also worked on short game a ton. This took massive pressure off my long game. Getting fit for a putter made a big difference too.

learned how to hit a stinger hybrid which was my go to shot on tough tee shots. Very simple shot and deadly accurate regardless of wind.

Read the book “ mastering golfs mental game”. This had a huge impact on my game. Cannot stress that enough.

Went to see Monte. The feel of rotating my right foot did not come from him. He just helped me to realize my body interprets speed wrong by firing my hips laterally. I need to keep weight on my right foot longer. I came up with the twist motion which forces me to keep weight on it longer. I rotate better and my ball striking has improved.

I could not have done this without Dan and Monte. I also could not have done it without hitting into a net. The net makes you not care about the result and let’s you focus on making the change. Once you are hitting it good then add a SkyTrak. Learn how to shape the ball and control trajectories.

Lastly, you have two seasons: improve your swing and play golf seasons. I don’t mix them. Don’t play golf swing when you play golf. On the other hand don’t be result orientated when you are working on your swing. Making changes is hard and takes a lot of 100% focus, slow motion swings to feel natural. You will hit a crap ton of bad shots before you learn how to hit it good. That means you are making actual changes.

In my winter practice, the better I get the lower my launch angles are. My 7i used to be around 23 degrees and is now 17.

Hope that helps. It’s been a great journey so far

[coinneach1]

That's excellent, thanks for the detailed explanation.

Can I ask what you focus on with the stinger?

[rich_s2]

I will tell you my feel. Probably not what I actually do. Short backswing with trying to keep my right arm straight. Then I hold my arms back as long as possible and rotate my hips open as quick as I can so I feel like my hips are really open at impact. This ends in a sawed off follow thru. I hit these in warm ups and the more I feel like I hold my arms back and the more open I feel my hips are at impact the lower it goes. I put the ball in front half of my stance and tee it up higher than you would think.

[GungHoGolf]

My 7i used to be around 23 degrees and is now 17That's a huge change! Could you elaborate on what helped you the most on that improvement?

[rich_s2]

I could not pick out one thing. It is like Dan said, 1% better each practice. There are no quick fixes. Dan showed me a move that in 2 swings had me swinging from the inside but it took months of work to own that move. I would say half of the lower LA came from that move though. After going to see Monte, my LA started going down again which I think is because I stay centered more with less lateral movement which gives me a better impact position. That 23 degrees was with a AP3 and the 17 is with 919 Tours.

[rich_s2]

Golf Trip to Pensacola Planned for February! Heading down with my buddy Nick that I have been practicing with. We are both seeing some good improvements in our games and he was already way better than me. He will be taking an aimpoint class while we are there. Here is the schedule:

Feb 10- Lost Key

Feb 11- Peninsula Golf

Feb 12- Kelly Plantation

Feb-13- Craft farms

Feb 14-Cambrian Ridge

Feb 15- lost key (I am going to caddie for Nick and treat it like a tournament day).

I am done with net events and leagues for this next season. I am going to focus on state events and scratch events. Going to try to play in at least 3 events per month. Due to the longer yardages I will be playing, I demo'ed and ordered a combo set of MP20 HMB's and MMC's. Nippon 120 S shafts 1/2" long. Nick has taught me how to control yardages with a system of choking down on the club. I have short arms and play 1/4" long so I got 1/2" long to give me more room to choke down. Keeping my 919 Tours in case I get a lot of flyers. I also have a Triple Diamond Sub Zero coming with a Rogue shaft.

My plan is to work on speed until Jan 1st. This means 2-3 times a week I wail on a driver at full speed for about 30 swings. My swing feels a lot different now. Hitting it better but I am not as comfortable shaping the ball yet with the new move. After the 1st, Nick and I will be working hard at skill challenges. For these we pick yardages and have to hit fades/draws/trajectory shots. We also do them where its closest to the pin but you HAVE to miss on the correct side or it does not count. The week before we leave, I will be working a ton with my new Putt-Out aid. Its the mirror with the gates.

We also play a indoor league. We use that to work on our mental game and treat it like we are playing in a big tournament by trying to simulate as much pressure as we can. This golf trip will show us were our games are at and what we need to focus on during the last month of winter.

[swh0507]

I'll be down in that area in June. Where is your buddy taking the aimpoint class?

[rich_s2]

 

[ddetts]

Nothing better than receiving one of those blue boxes! I'm going to stick with my MP-18 MMCs and MP18 Fli-Hi 3i this year but it's going to be really hard with how awesome those MP20s are!

[rich_s2]

The big thing with this set is the extra distance from the 4 & 5 iron. My carry today with the 5i was 205 which is a little longer than my 919 tour 4i. I don’t like hitting hybrids into par 3’s so now I should not have too. I am loving the 1/2” long too. This choke down method my buddy taught me is money and that extra 1/2” gives me more versatility. I went with the modus 120 and wish I would have stuck with the 105 but still really nice.

I bought a gap wedge with the same shaft. Oh my word I could not hit it to save my life. I didnt think there is a club out there these days I can’t hit but that thing is just horrible for me. Bought a AP2 gap wedge that was money for me.

As for my swing: been using my buddies GC2HMT and my swing has changed a good amount after seeing Monte. The biggest thing is my path is almost zero and my sidespin is very low. I can still hit fades and draws but my accuracy is better as is my ball striking. Scores on the simulators have dropped several strokes a round if that means anything. Bought a triple diamond sub zero with rogue shaft that play at 46” and it’s a weapon. My back is worn out from working on my speed. Plan on taking it easy for the rest of the week then hitting it hard over Christmas break.

Overall I am extremely happy with the winter progress. Going to a heated bay driving range this weekend so I can verify driver flight so I don’t make the same mistake as last year.

[rich_s2]

Bonus golf today. Low 40s and windy but what a fun day. Played well, practice is paying off.

 

[rich_s2]

I have been working on not sucking the club so far inside on the takeaway as well as less forearm rotation. Making good progress. The result is my path is much closer to zero but I feel like I am a little steeper on the downswing which I don't like. This backswing is starting to feel more natural so I just bought a planemate to help me shallow the club better. Here are some before and after videos:

This was a 5 iron from this time last year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3rk_DFdRMUHere is a PW from today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiXPh_wsdi4Here is the new sticks:

I need to continue to lose weight so I bought a super light carry bag and no cart membership this year! I carried this bag two days ago for 18 and loved it compared to a push cart. Looking to bring the sexy back

[BB28403]

Rich, what do you think about that triple diamond? Is your driver miss left or right?

[rich_s2]

I love it so far. Definitely more fade bias so I can just rip at it without worrying about an over draw. It launches really high but low spin. I do not like the sound as much as the ST190. I do find it very forgiving though. Ball flight is high and dead straight and miss is a fade right.

[BB28403]

Thanks! I’ve been thinking about a tour driver. That st190 looks good too. It’s kind of like the old toys in the cereal, “collect them all!”. ?

[rich_s2]

Got bored so I checked the National forecast and drove 12 hours south to play a few rounds of golf. Played Quail Chase in Louisville which is a gorgeous piece of property but the course was in rough shape.

Then I headed to Knoxville and played Willow Creek and this was much more of a gem!

Shot a 79 and a 77 from the tips. Did not play good but had a good time. Made a lot of birdies but had more blow up holes than normal thanks to some poor driving. Lot of driving for 54 holes but it’s nice to have a break from winter.

[ebrasmus21]

Looks like a fun track! Was the weather okay? Looks a little wet out there

[rich_s2]

It was great! Short sleeves yesterday!! I will be honest, I shot a 39 on the front and was 2 under on the back when a front came through and had some intense winds. :( Playing that yardage with my length is ok when there is not much wind but long par 4’s when it’s windy are just really difficult.

[BB28403]

Drove 12 hours? Rich! Are you ok?

wow, that's dedication!

[rich_s2]

I left Friday and came back today. I’m a marathon driver :P

[rich_s2]

Thought I would share. Switched shafts in the new driver and hit it really well. This is the longest drive by far I have ever hit on my buddies GC2. I did not carry one over 250 before going to see Monte on this sim. Really excited at this progress!

 

[ddetts]

Nice drive Rich, awesome to see the gains! That's some low spin!

[rich_s2]

Thanks! I had a real breakthru tonight. Going to test it out on my normal sim tomorrow but I am optimistic. It all goes well I will explain what I’m doing differently.

 

Edit: this feel is explained in first post of page 14

[TIM929]

Wow- you are bombing it! Your grind to improve every way really motivates me! Please keep us posted.

[rich_s2]

Small sampling iron gap test. Swing was a little off today but not bad. Launch angles up a bit higher than I like but gaps are not too bad. I will do another test later this winter with larger sampling and adjust lofts if needed.

[BB28403]

Looking good rich. Great progress ?

what irons do you use?

you and I hit about the same distance in a 4 hybrid but then you are ahead of me in the irons.

i play true muscleback blades though. Sign of a great player is knowing your distances to a T.

edit: that’s your 5 iron! Lol, nice numbers. I’m so behind. Haha