My Road to Improvement - swing video 3/15/24

[bortass]

@Myherobobhope Did you pick a book and start reading it yet?

[Tanner25]

Bortass, Have you considered more forgiving clubs? I do well with HB3 Cleveland hybrid irons. The new version is HB turbos which are now $100 off. Tour Edge has new game improvement irons and woods. Mizuno has newer hybrid combo iron sets JPX921 Hot Metals going down to a 7 hybrid iron. Just a thought. You can't buy a game. But, I think these will help.  

Edited December 8, 2020 by Tanner25

[Myherobobhope]

24 minutes ago, bortass said:

@Myherobobhope Did you pick a book and start reading it yet?

No! Read a mediocre sci do book a buddy recommended... (ring world)... 

 

I’ll pick something up soon. I did order a hardcover copy of Sam Sneads The Education of a Golfer for Christmas... I’ll probably flip through it before wrapping and shipping.

[LukeDonaldsTiger]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

@LukeDonaldsTiger Glad you are enjoying the reading. I have a similar thread here on my attempt to break 90, if you want a good chuckle. You can find it via search. 

 

You're a bit longer than I am. I'm 6'2 as well, just out of shape and was never an athlete, so I don't have some other sport to build on. The biggest things for me when I was trying to break 90 was keeping the ball in play; having a fairly reliable shot; the mental game.

 

Keeping the ball in play: It's hard to break a scoring barrier with penalties on the card. This is because a scoring barrier is better than one plays, so we don't have as much wiggle room. Someone like Obee can take a stroke and distance penalty and will still probably be in the low to mid 70s. Our margin for error is just much smaller. It becomes bigger as we improve though. We just don't have strokes to give away, if you get my meaning.

 

A reliable shot: You need to be able to reliably advance the ball in the air a reasonable distance. Earlier this year, i was topping and bladeing a lot of my shots. There was no way I was going to crack 100 while doing that. When I finally broke 90, my shot shape was a fairly reliable draw. Sure I was not perfect but I no longer had the insta slice that made it questionable if my ball would go in mostly the right direction.

 

Metal game: This was the big areas to break 100 and 90 for me. It was how to handle adversity and not give up. Learning that I can card an 8 and still shot a decent score. One bad hole does not mean that you can't break 90. Sure it makes it harder but it is not a situation where "OMG, I just carded a snowman on #1. I'm done. There's no way I can recover." The reality is you may be able to recover. The other thing is the mental gymnastics to keep your nerves out of the mix. For me it's not adding things up until the end of the round. Avoiding the mindset on #18 'if I bogey this hole I have an 8' and proceeding to pull the tee shot into the trees...

 

Glad to hear NTC is working for you. I like it as well. I 'simply' need to work on it more. I like the results I've seen to date.

 

Let me know how things go for you.

 

 

 

 

Thanks man. Well, if you MUST know 😂

Shot 92 today, with a 50 on the front nine. Went on a par streak that was interrupted by stupidly three putting an easy par 3, could have been six in a row, unheard of for me!

Many missed short putts on a new to me course, only two really bad decisions resulting in penalties, so I’m definitely ok with this score! I’m getting closer.

 

Scored 94 and 90 the days before, played both of those courses for the first time, too. 

 

Regards from Belek, Turkey, enjoying a one week golf holiday here. 

 

 

 

[bortass]

51 minutes ago, Myherobobhope said:

No! Read a mediocre sci do book a buddy recommended... (ring world)... 

 

I’ll pick something up soon. I did order a hardcover copy of Sam Sneads The Education of a Golfer for Christmas... I’ll probably flip through it before wrapping and shipping.

I read Ring World back in the 80s lol. Good book. There was a lot of good sci fi written in the 60s-80s. Niven, Pournelle, Heinlein, Asimov, Brin, etc.

[Myherobobhope]

49 minutes ago, bortass said:

I read Ring World back in the 80s lol. Good book. There was a lot of good sci fi written in the 60s-80s. Niven, Pournelle, Heinlein, Asimov, Brin, etc.

It was fine... stranger in a strange lane and foundation are significantly better.

 

im thinking I’ll read unconscious putting if it’s on kindle... also planning a trip to seemore headquarters to get a custom putter built out.

[bortass]

7 minutes ago, Myherobobhope said:

It was fine... stranger in a strange lane and foundation are significantly better.

 

im thinking I’ll read unconscious putting if it’s on kindle... also planning a trip to seemore headquarters to get a custom putter built out.

Asimov was a great writer. Foundation trilogy was good as is the I, Robot series. Mote in God's Eye is worth checking out. Starship Troopers and Ender's game are good, IMO. Battlefield Earth is actually a very good book as well. Terrible movie notwithstanding and L. Ron Hubbard being extremely odd(at best). 

 

Unconscious Putting was on Kindle back in the day, that's how I bought it when it came out, so you should be able to get that version still.

Edited December 8, 2020 by bortass

[bortass]

4 hours ago, LukeDonaldsTiger said:

Thanks man. Well, if you MUST know 😂

Shot 92 today, with a 50 on the front nine. Went on a par streak that was interrupted by stupidly three putting an easy par 3, could have been six in a row, unheard of for me!

Many missed short putts on a new to me course, only two really bad decisions resulting in penalties, so I’m definitely ok with this score! I’m getting closer.

 

Scored 94 and 90 the days before, played both of those courses for the first time, too. 

 

Regards from Belek, Turkey, enjoying a one week golf holiday here. 

{snip pictures}

 

  Nice looking course!

 

So what you had happen is important IMO. You went on a par streak which means you can do it again. That also means the more you do it the easier it will be on you mentally. I don't get AS excited with a string of pars as I used to. Back in the day, my heart would start to race and I'd start thinking too much about how good I'm doing. Nowadays, I get excited when I am able to pull it off but it's not so rare that I go overboard, if you know what I mean. if anything it builds confidence, I go to the next hole thinking I'm playing great and it will continue. If it does i am not surprised because I just did it the previous X number of holes. The day i shot that 41 for 9 back in April, I could do no wrong and I kept it together until the end where I think nerves did get to me but that was new territory for me.

[bortass]

Made it to the range today. It was in the 40s with some wind but the sun felt good. Most of my practice time was a PW doing half swings trying to work on cast B from NTC. @Twin2LI made sure to work on not sucking the club inside the target line and I stopped pushing the ball. Still hitting a fade but it was much more straight. I also spent a decent amount of time with my SW hitting chips/pitches with range balls. That started to go surprisingly well. Only a few blades at first. I feel like I worked on both of my main issues and had good results. I did mix in some 8i shots in between the PW and SW work with good results as well.

 

No golf related stuff tomorrow, just too much going on. I hope I can hit the range again before the weekend and maybe sneak in 9. I can't play with my Saturday group this week, so not sure if I'll be able to get in 18 or not this weekend. 

[Chip Duffer]

2 hours ago, bortass said:

Made it to the range today. It was in the 40s with some wind but the sun felt good. Most of my practice time was a PW doing half swings trying to work on cast B from NTC. @Twin2LI made sure to work on not sucking the club inside the target line and I stopped pushing the ball. Still hitting a fade but it was much more straight. I also spent a decent amount of time with my SW hitting chips/pitches with range balls. That started to go surprisingly well. Only a few blades at first. I feel like I worked on both of my main issues and had good results. I did mix in some 8i shots in between the PW and SW work with good results as well.

 

No golf related stuff tomorrow, just too much going on. I hope I can hit the range again before the weekend and maybe sneak in 9. I can't play with my Saturday group this week, so not sure if I'll be able to get in 18 or not this weekend. 

Hitting a nice soft fade consistently is a shot I'm trying to add to my game. That can become a huge source of confidence as a go to shot for you, especially if it is natural for you. 

 

As it is winter and you are on the journey to your best swing, I remember reading your comments about an issue with your grip. I was wondering if you've always used an interlocking grip or if you have tried the Vardon or baseball grip. My experience as one who used an interlocking grip until experiencing pain in my pinky and wrist, is that both the baseball grip and Vardon feel more balanced and natural.  I realized, "for ME", that with the interlock grip my natural tendency was to put too much pressure in the interlock itself. (the middle of the two joined hands) This disrupts the natural hinging that results from the pressure of the grip being in the top 3 fingers (pinky, ring and middle fingers of top hand) and the sensation through the bottom of the swing with the index and middle finger of the bottom hand. For me, this just results in a smoother, natural, full release through the bottom of the swing. (I hope that makes sense)

 

I'm not selling or advocating a change, just offering a new or renewed consideration of one of the most fundamental elements of the game, the small point of contact between a golfer and the club.

 

This may seem like an elementary question, but considering your range session with nice consistent contact, do you spend any time just identifying where your club(s) interact with the grass at the bottom of your swing? When things get a bit wonky, I will get off to the side and take a few swings (without a ball) just to see if I'm contacting the turf ahead or behind my "normal" patch. Basically, with irons, most days I'm playing off the left side of my belt buckle and some times I find better contact on the right. It may not seem significant, but can have a huge impact on the quality of a shot.

 

Dang, didn't intend to get long winded with this. If you find something of value here, take what ya like and leave the rest.

[LukeDonaldsTiger]

7 hours ago, bortass said:

I don't get AS excited with a string of pars as I used to. Back in the day, my heart would start to race and I'd start thinking too much about how good I'm doing. Nowadays, I get excited when I am able to pull it off but it's not so rare that I go overboard, if you know what I mean.

Truth.

I know I can do it, but once I start thinking about it, I lose focus.
 

And I do realize, it’s a game of inches: making good contact on a few shots in a row is nice, but my swing is far from perfect, so all of a sudden, the clubface will be a little too open or I’ll come over the top- and the results are bad direction or shape. I take it in stride and keep working on my swing.
 

Just happy to be able to play and see some progress. Monte said somewhere (very loosely quoting here), one of the main misconceptions of amateur golfers is expecting pro level results with a fraction of the practice time put in. I think about this every time I get angry about my mediocrity. 

[bortass]

21 hours ago, Tanner25 said:

Bortass, Have you considered more forgiving clubs? I do well with HB3 Cleveland hybrid irons. The new version is HB turbos which are now $100 off. Tour Edge has new game improvement irons and woods. Mizuno has newer hybrid combo iron sets JPX921 Hot Metals going down to a 7 hybrid iron. Just a thought. You can't buy a game. But, I think these will help.  

 

I have not. I'm playing my MacGregor M565s which are CB and decently forgiving and fall into the game improvement category of the Maltby Playability factor link: Maltby Playability Factor 

I've had these since 2005 and are what I broke 100 and 90 with. I like them and really wish I was playing my MacGregor Pro Ms but those are blades and I took them out of the bag around August, though my best 9 ever was with them.

 

What my bag contains is, note the driver and woods were purchased after my irons were reshafted to R flex:

 

Driver: Adams Speedline Fast 12 10.5* stock stiff shaft. I hit this the best on an indoor LM when I was shopping for a new driver. I did not hit the R flex driver as well...

4w/7w: Calloway Diablo Octane both with stock stiff shaft. Again, I hit these the best on an indoor LM. 

4-PW: MacGregor M565s - reshafted with R flex based on fitting in 2010/2011

GW: Vokey Spin Milled 52* stock shaft

SW: Vokey Spin Milled 56* stock shaft

LW: Celevland 60* stock shaft

 

I'd eventually like to do an actual driver fitting but I need to find a good club fitter in my area. My driver is from 2011, I think, and technology has changed quite a bit. I know irons have changed too but I'm more attached to my iron sets.

[bortass]

13 hours ago, Twin2L said:

Hitting a nice soft fade consistently is a shot I'm trying to add to my game. That can become a huge source of confidence as a go to shot for you, especially if it is natural for you. 

 

As it is winter and you are on the journey to your best swing, I remember reading your comments about an issue with your grip. I was wondering if you've always used an interlocking grip or if you have tried the Vardon or baseball grip. My experience as one who used an interlocking grip until experiencing pain in my pinky and wrist, is that both the baseball grip and Vardon feel more balanced and natural.  I realized, "for ME", that with the interlock grip my natural tendency was to put too much pressure in the interlock itself. (the middle of the two joined hands) This disrupts the natural hinging that results from the pressure of the grip being in the top 3 fingers (pinky, ring and middle fingers of top hand) and the sensation through the bottom of the swing with the index and middle finger of the bottom hand. For me, this just results in a smoother, natural, full release through the bottom of the swing. (I hope that makes sense)

 

I'm not selling or advocating a change, just offering a new or renewed consideration of one of the most fundamental elements of the game, the small point of contact between a golfer and the club.

 

This may seem like an elementary question, but considering your range session with nice consistent contact, do you spend any time just identifying where your club(s) interact with the grass at the bottom of your swing? When things get a bit wonky, I will get off to the side and take a few swings (without a ball) just to see if I'm contacting the turf ahead or behind my "normal" patch. Basically, with irons, most days I'm playing off the left side of my belt buckle and some times I find better contact on the right. It may not seem significant, but can have a huge impact on the quality of a shot.

 

Dang, didn't intend to get long winded with this. If you find something of value here, take what ya like and leave the rest.

 

 

The power of a working quote system! I'm in the habit of not using it since it was junk on the previous version of forum software here.

 

The fade is fine, I'm just not used to it since my old swing was a draw. What 'kills' me is the push and push fades. Let's start the ball right and have it curve right... At least I almost never hit a true slice, starts left and snaps way right. I just have to accept it and learn to play for it.

 

The grip I use is interlock. My grip issue that I noticed the other week is my right pinky was not actually going over the back of my left hand. It was just sitting between the gap between my index and middle fingers of my left hand without extending  to have the tip of my pinky between my knuckles. Essentially, the tip of my right pink was touching the grip of my club still. The other thing I noticed yesterday is my right thumb tends to be on the left side of my grip. It's not up against my right index finger.

 

Yesterday, funnily enough, I messed around with a Vardon grip and the baseball grip. I don't get the baseball grip at all, it was very strange feeling. Maybe I'll play around with the Vardon grip some more, even baseball, just to see how it goes... I do know I'm missing some feel in my hands in the downswing, not sure how to resolve that one. I'm missing the pressure of the shaft against my right index finger.

 

Low point is kinda funny. I am a picker historically. It took years of lessons before I started to take a divot, super fat chunks don't count. I am more likely to take a divot these days but there are times I will hit an iron and not take one. Pretty much any blade or top will not have a divot. Yesterday my divots were starting either just behind the ball to a bit in front of it. I kept having to move back because of the trench I was making with the shovels. They are not deep divots, just wide. But I was also doing smaller swings, so that may have helped some.

[berndgeurts]

I use the vardon grip myself (apparently). Works for me, feels natural.

 

@bortassstill working NTC? Got a place where you can practice dry swings at home? Slowly grinding in the feeling of the positions and cast A, even without swinging, can really improve your swing.

Keep up the good work. Still reading al your posts here.

[bortass]

2 hours ago, berndgeurts said:

I use the vardon grip myself (apparently). Works for me, feels natural.

 

@bortassstill working NTC? Got a place where you can practice dry swings at home? Slowly grinding in the feeling of the positions and cast A, even without swinging, can really improve your swing.

Keep up the good work. Still reading al your posts here.

  yes, I am still working on NTC just at a slower pace than some.  I'm not sure how well my wife would like me practicing with a club in the house, lol. It's something for me to think about though.

 

How has your progress been going?

[Myherobobhope]

Three chapters into Unconscious Putting and really liking it (though I still can't spell unconscious on my first try). My main struggle with putting is feel / speed... I'm find on short putts, and don't have many BAD misses (at least in low stress situations) but fail miserably once outside about 6 feet. I'm actively working on it this off season, and am going to try to track my progress and actually try to measure putting improvement (and try to chart how and what I did to improve). I think this book will be a good source of information for  feel, and I've already adjusted my grip and started to contemplate my reads and routine when putting... It will be awhile before I can actually play a round with it.

 

On the club front, I think you might want to consider investing time and money into newer clubs... Driver first, but I'd suggest hitting some new irons. I gamed 1996 Taylor Made Oversize until this year (Where I upgraded to 2012 Adams CMBs) so I'm less convinced you NEED the right irons to play well... but I'd at least make sure your current stuff still fits you. I know you are in the ATL area (or at least I think I know you are in the ATL area)... I'd suggest Cool Clubs or the Club Doctor, just from a quick and dirty google search. You could always go all PXG! I'm sure dropping $5k on a set is what you need to break 80! (I'm kidding... though they might be worth going to for a driver fitting, their costs have come way down on drivers and they are well regarded for forgiveness). Either that or find a PING fitter. If you don't hate the look of the 410, it's a monster in both performance and forgiveness... It's also just fun to get on a launch monitor and wail away.

[Chip Duffer]

1 hour ago, Myherobobhope said:

Three chapters into Unconscious Putting and really liking it (though I still can't spell unconscious on my first try). My main struggle with putting is feel / speed... I'm find on short putts, and don't have many BAD misses (at least in low stress situations) but fail miserably once outside about 6 feet. I'm actively working on it this off season, and am going to try to track my progress and actually try to measure putting improvement (and try to chart how and what I did to improve). I think this book will be a good source of information for  feel, and I've already adjusted my grip and started to contemplate my reads and routine when putting... It will be awhile before I can actually play a round with it.

 

On the club front, I think you might want to consider investing time and money into newer clubs... Driver first, but I'd suggest hitting some new irons. I gamed 1996 Taylor Made Oversize until this year (Where I upgraded to 2012 Adams CMBs) so I'm less convinced you NEED the right irons to play well... but I'd at least make sure your current stuff still fits you. I know you are in the ATL area (or at least I think I know you are in the ATL area)... I'd suggest Cool Clubs or the Club Doctor, just from a quick and dirty google search. You could always go all PXG! I'm sure dropping $5k on a set is what you need to break 80! (I'm kidding... though they might be worth going to for a driver fitting, their costs have come way down on drivers and they are well regarded for forgiveness). Either that or find a PING fitter. If you don't hate the look of the 410, it's a monster in both performance and forgiveness... It's also just fun to get on a launch monitor and wail away.

It's funny you mention PXG. I have a set of 0211 that I played for 4 rounds. I really like the clubs and they are truly much easier to hit on line. At the price they are surely an outstanding value. In my case however, I don't have a reasonably close fitter, so I made an educated guess on shaft selection. I have the elevate95 Stiff and like the shaft, but it's a bit soft for me so my distances are off relative to my forged CB's of weaker loft. I did have good rounds with them. Dispersion and my proximity to the green were both very good. At this point, I'm debating between listing them on the "bay", or reshafting them. They do feel great and really align to the target VERY easily for my eye. Having played very low offset irons, I was thrilled that the offset of the PXG's didn't bother me and in fact I found it comfortably framed the ball toward the target. I found them very easy to stop into greens and found the spin works real well with my swing.

[Chip Duffer]

8 hours ago, bortass said:

 

 

The power of a working quote system! I'm in the habit of not using it since it was junk on the previous version of forum software here.

 

The fade is fine, I'm just not used to it since my old swing was a draw. What 'kills' me is the push and push fades. Let's start the ball right and have it curve right... At least I almost never hit a true slice, starts left and snaps way right. I just have to accept it and learn to play for it.

 

The grip I use is interlock. My grip issue that I noticed the other week is my right pinky was not actually going over the back of my left hand. It was just sitting between the gap between my index and middle fingers of my left hand without extending  to have the tip of my pinky between my knuckles. Essentially, the tip of my right pink was touching the grip of my club still. The other thing I noticed yesterday is my right thumb tends to be on the left side of my grip. It's not up against my right index finger.

 

Yesterday, funnily enough, I messed around with a Vardon grip and the baseball grip. I don't get the baseball grip at all, it was very strange feeling. Maybe I'll play around with the Vardon grip some more, even baseball, just to see how it goes... I do know I'm missing some feel in my hands in the downswing, not sure how to resolve that one. I'm missing the pressure of the shaft against my right index finger.

 

Low point is kinda funny. I am a picker historically. It took years of lessons before I started to take a divot, super fat chunks don't count. I am more likely to take a divot these days but there are times I will hit an iron and not take one. Pretty much any blade or top will not have a divot. Yesterday my divots were starting either just behind the ball to a bit in front of it. I kept having to move back because of the trench I was making with the shovels. They are not deep divots, just wide. But I was also doing smaller swings, so that may have helped some.

I have always allowed my bottom thumb to wrap over the grip to the target side. For me, this results in less downward pressure and allows the first segment of the index finger to naturally nestle against the grip. As the swing reaches about waist high, it naturally helps drive the club through the bottom toward the target because of its position at the bottom of the fulcrum. I don't have to think about it, it just happens. 

 

They evidence of a sound grip is literally in the palms of your hand.

[Myherobobhope]

31 minutes ago, Twin2L said:

It's funny you mention PXG. I have a set of 0211 that I played for 4 rounds. I really like the clubs and they are truly much easier to hit on line. At the price they are surely an outstanding value. In my case however, I don't have a reasonably close fitter, so I made an educated guess on shaft selection. I have the elevate95 Stiff and like the shaft, but it's a bit soft for me so my distances are off relative to my forged CB's of weaker loft. I did have good rounds with them. Dispersion and my proximity to the green were both very good. At this point, I'm debating between listing them on the "bay", or reshafting them. They do feel great and really align to the target VERY easily for my eye. Having played very low offset irons, I was thrilled that the offset of the PXG's didn't bother me and in fact I found it comfortably framed the ball toward the target. I found them very easy to stop into greens and found the spin works real well with my swing.

I think shafts are an interesting issue... I have the shaft I think works best for me in one club right now! S400

 

my cmbs I bought on here for $50

and just the heads... and i scrounged up taper tip shafts from the club pro. 
 

one day, I’ll actually pull the trigger on a custom built set, but every time I start down that road, calamity ensues in my personal life (not my wife or anything... just usually work).

 

the pxg pricing has gone insane, though! Some great values, especially considering where they were.

[Tanner25]

9 hours ago, bortass said:

 

I have not. I'm playing my MacGregor M565s which are CB and decently forgiving and fall into the game improvement category of the Maltby Playability factor link: Maltby Playability Factor 

I've had these since 2005 and are what I broke 100 and 90 with. I like them and really wish I was playing my MacGregor Pro Ms but those are blades and I took them out of the bag around August, though my best 9 ever was with them.

 

What my bag contains is, note the driver and woods were purchased after my irons were reshafted to R flex:

 

Driver: Adams Speedline Fast 12 10.5* stock stiff shaft. I hit this the best on an indoor LM when I was shopping for a new driver. I did not hit the R flex driver as well...

4w/7w: Calloway Diablo Octane both with stock stiff shaft. Again, I hit these the best on an indoor LM. 

4-PW: MacGregor M565s - reshafted with R flex based on fitting in 2010/2011

GW: Vokey Spin Milled 52* stock shaft

SW: Vokey Spin Milled 56* stock shaft

LW: Celevland 60* stock shaft

 

I'd eventually like to do an actual driver fitting but I need to find a good club fitter in my area. My driver is from 2011, I think, and technology has changed quite a bit. I know irons have changed too but I'm more attached to my iron sets.

 

The MacGregor M565s do have wide soles. I am also attached to my irons. I don't know, I think it is worth looking into when you get a chance. You could experiment and just order a 4 and 5 hybrid iron and keep your old set making it a combo set. The one weakness of the hybrid irons are the 9 and PW.    

 

[berndgeurts]

6 hours ago, bortass said:

  yes, I am still working on NTC just at a slower pace than some.  I'm not sure how well my wife would like me practicing with a club in the house, lol. It's something for me to think about though.

 

How has your progress been going?

I'm really improving, slowly but steady. I can hit sub 85 rounds more easily and my driver slice is gone. The NTC and the whole concept of throwing my club as a side on game changed my driver game completely. Now I can set up every hole for par from the tees, is a game changer.

The whole process made my game steady throughout the bag and I think I'm on the brink of becoming better better. Slowly ingraining the moves and casts really helped. 

[bortass]

14 hours ago, Twin2L said:

{snip}

 

They evidence of a sound grip is literally in the palms of your hand.

 It's funny, for all my rounds this year, I don't have any callouses, save a smaller one at the base of my left ring finger. I was wearing a black rain glove all summer because of sweat from my arms, so the glove doesn't show wear like a typical white one. In Maine, I almost never wore a glove and the year I got in 100 rounds, mostly 9 holes, I had to do it between late April and Veteran's day. I had some marks on my hands from the club then! lol.

[bortass]

14 hours ago, Tanner25 said:

 

The MacGregor M565s do have wide soles. I am also attached to my irons. I don't know, I think it is worth looking into when you get a chance. You could experiment and just order a 4 and 5 hybrid iron and keep your old set making it a combo set. The one weakness of the hybrid irons are the 9 and PW.    

 

  Yeah, the M565s are shovels. I really do like them though. I have good memories with them. The first time I went birdie, par, birdie back when I couldn't break 100. Breaking 100 and 90. Winning my one tournament that got my name on a plaque in the clubhouse, etc. 

 

@Myherobobhope @Twin2L The PXG look to be out of my realistic range at the moment. I can hear it now "Honey you know that golf cart you got for my birthday? I want to spend something like that on a set of new irons. Don't worry a driver and woods will be just another 600-800 on top of that." Mmmm yeah, would not fly well, lol.

 

I started to ask the guys I play with on Saturday about a good fitter in the area and they don't really have one as of yet. They seem to like one of the pros at the sister course. I'd rather work with someone that does it for a living though. One story a guy told me is he took his son in to get some clubs at PGA Superstore. The son is in college and returning to the game but played baseball for years. He has a high clubhead speed and the place they went didn't even measure clubhead speed. Just ball speed, so they kept trying to convince them to get regular shafts...

 

You're right about the ATL area Myherobobhope. I know there must be a decent number of very good fitters in this area. Just gotta find one and pull the trigger. Priority I think would be a driver fitting. The irons, would be around the shafts. Both iron sets are forged, so they can be bent as needed. Now if I can get the right shaft in my blades...... 😛

[Myherobobhope]

31 minutes ago, bortass said:

  Yeah, the M565s are shovels. I really do like them though. I have good memories with them. The first time I went birdie, par, birdie back when I couldn't break 100. Breaking 100 and 90. Winning my one tournament that got my name on a plaque in the clubhouse, etc. 

 

@Myherobobhope @Twin2L The PXG look to be out of my realistic range at the moment. I can hear it now "Honey you know that golf cart you got for my birthday? I want to spend something like that on a set of new irons. Don't worry a driver and woods will be just another 600-800 on top of that." Mmmm yeah, would not fly well, lol.

 

I started to ask the guys I play with on Saturday about a good fitter in the area and they don't really have one as of yet. They seem to like one of the pros at the sister course. I'd rather work with someone that does it for a living though. One story a guy told me is he took his son in to get some clubs at PGA Superstore. The son is in college and returning to the game but played baseball for years. He has a high clubhead speed and the place they went didn't even measure clubhead speed. Just ball speed, so they kept trying to convince them to get regular shafts...

 

You're right about the ATL area Myherobobhope. I know there must be a decent number of very good fitters in this area. Just gotta find one and pull the trigger. Priority I think would be a driver fitting. The irons, would be around the shafts. Both iron sets are forged, so they can be bent as needed. Now if I can get the right shaft in my blades...... 😛

definitely find someone who has a good reputation... box stores and club champion are no goes for me, for different reasons. 
 

if the pro at your sister course has a good reputation, he can probably handle a driver fitting, but he’s probably going to push you into whatever brand he is sponsored by... it’s just the way that stuff works.

 

that said, if you like whatever brand he plays, he will at least get you into the right shaft. 
 

Pxg is having a sale! Some of their stuff isn’t insanely priced! XF for 225

 

if the pxg facility is close, that’s a screaming deal and shouldn’t require an upcharge for The shaft... something to consider, at least.

[bortass]

7 minutes ago, Myherobobhope said:

 

Pxg is having a sale! Some of their stuff isn’t insanely priced! XF for 225

 

 

That does look like a good price for a driver. May have to actually peruse their website a bit closer.

[Myherobobhope]

3 minutes ago, bortass said:

That does look like a good price for a driver. May have to actually peruse their website a bit closer.

Ive heard nothing but good things about the fitters at pxg, which is the only

reason I recommend it.

 

that driver also ranks high on forgiveness and is compared to Ping... 

[bortass]

It was a nice day out, sunny, in the 60s just a little wind. So I took the afternoon off to walk 9.

 

1 - straight par 4, I hit a push fade with driver towards the 9th fairway and have to yell "FORE!". I hear the ball land on the cart path for #9 but the ball doesn't hit anything. I'm 249 off the tee, in the rough of #9 maybe 5 feet from the edge of the cart path. I'm 150ish out and decide to hit my 4i. I take an easy swing and it's another push that causes me to yell "FORE" again because there were guys on the #9 tee box. My ball is actually on the #1 side of the cart path, 149 yard shot. So I'm right of the green, under trees, on bare dirt with roots. The flag is front right and i chip with my SW. I hit the ball like I wanted and it comes out nice and high, lands on the green and runs through it to the left back... Swung too hard but made good contact for a change. I use my putter to chip and leave it 12 feet short when it doesn't quite have enough juice to make it over the crest that's between me and the hole and keep rolling. My putt breaks low and i'm 2 feet out and end up with a double bogey, 6.

 

Not what I wanted to start out but it really wasn't from mishits that I had problems. I can handle a double here since it's the #1 HCP hole on the course. Just don't want it to be a habit.

 

2 - par 3, flag is front rightish and I decide to hit an easy 7i.  It's a high pull, with baby draw curve to it, 129 yards, that lands on the left side of the green and ends up in the rough just past the fringe. I have the entire green to work with and chip with my SW. Good contact again and this time I leave the ball 17 feet short. At least I did not blade it. I hit my par putt and it dies 3 inches from the cup. So a bogey, 4.

 

Not bad, I'm surprised by the pull though. Also the chip could have been better but it wasn't a disaster.

 

3 - par 5 , dogleg right. I hit a high fade down the right edge of the hole, 200 yards into the fairway on the right edge. I'm 240 from center and decide to hit my 4w. It's a solid mid height draw that goes 193 yards into the fairway, short of the green on the left side. As I get to the green i can feel the wind in my face. So two decent shots into the wind for me. The flag is on the right side, it's a narrow section of green, so there is no real front or back over there. I have to carry a bunker and decide to hit a partial SW at the flag. I'm close enough to the green that I do not want to give up the distance that aiming for center would entail. Plus the putt from that area could be a bit interesting... I make good contact and it's a high fade that carries the bunkers. I assume i'm on the green near the flag but I'm not.My ball stopped in the front rough just past the bunker. I use my putter to chip to 4 feet. I look at the par putt and hit it. the ball tracks at the center of the cup and breaks just short of the hole, leaving me 3 inches out again. So a bogey, 6.

 

Miss opportunity but not a disaster.

 

4 - shorter par 4. I setup on the right side of the tee box and aim a touch left of center with my driver. It's a very high draw, into the wind, 195 yards into the rough to the right of the fairway bunker that's on the right side of this hole. I have about 100 yards to center or so and decide to hit an easy 9i. It's a high fade, 100 yards, that lands on the green above the hole. I have 18 feet for birdie and leave it 2 feet out behind the hole after missing high. I make the par putt, 4.

 

5 - par 5, dogleg right. I hit the usual 4w here. It's nice and thin and a straight push wormburner that goes 195 yards into the fairway on the right side. I take a moment to figure out my next shot and decide on an easy 4i. I make decent contact, but not great. it's a high fade that goes 139 yards into the fairway a bit right of middle. I am about 155 out and decide to layup. I hit an easy 9i and it's into the sun. i can't see the ball and i hold my finish to try to pick it up as it comes down. I see it land near the right side of the fairway. So I think it's another fade. I get up there and no ball... I eventually find it to the right of the cart path on the bank of the stream. It is not inside the painted hazard line. the ball is a good foot below my feet and both heels are on the cart path. The flag is front right and about 50 yards away. So I hit a partial SW. I blade that puppy onto the green and into the left green side bunker, 96 yards... Well i have the entire green work with and I use my Sw to get out of the bunker in 1. Problem is I'm 63 feet short of the hole, sigh. This green slopes away from me and the break is left to right. I hit my putt and it misses high and rolls 8 feet past the hole. Oh no, this isn't good. I drain the double bogey putt however, 7.

 

Okay, I made a mental mistake on this hole. I could have taken relief from the cart path and my drop would have been on the same  side of the path in the low rough but on level ground. I thought I could hit the shot since it was a partial SW but the ball that far below my feet probably means a thin shot. Lesson learned.

 

6 - par 4, into the sun. I never see my tee shot but it felt and sounded good. I eventually find my ball in the fairway on the left side, 225 yards off the tee. I assume i hit a draw of some sort but have no idea. I'm 130 ish from center and the flag is left behind a bunker. I decide to aim for middle and hit an easy 6i. Contact sounds good and i see a tiny divot for a change. i cannot see the ball as I'm hitting into the sun. I never see it land but I hear it hit the ground and it's a thump that makes me think I'm on the green.Sure enough I'm on the green, back right, 138 yard shot. I am 63 feet above and right of the flag. This green slopes back to front and i have to go over a mound in the middle back of the green. I hit my putt and it breaks short of the hole and looks like it rolls real close to the hole. The ball stops 8 feet below the hole. I am okay with this. The putt I had sucked. mess up the speed and either it's way short or off the green. I miss the par putt and have a tap in for my bogey, 5.

 

3 putts are bad but I am okay with this one. A two putt from where i was would have been very good.

 

7 - par 4, elevated tee shot. I 'stripe' my driver. It is a mid height fade down the left side that I see land in the fairway and take a big bounce forward, 244 yard shot. I can't tell if the flag is front or back, just that it's on the right side. I am 100ish out and decide to go for middle of the green with an easy 9i. It's a push fade, 103 yards, that has no chance to make the green. I walk up and I'm in the rough around middle of the green on the right side. The flag is forward and I chip with my SW. The ball comes out good, the speed is on, and my line isn't. I am pin high 7 feet below the cup. My par putt ends up missing and I have a 3 inch tap in for bogey, 5.

 

8 - par 3, elevated tee box and the flag is middle right. I go with an easy 6i and hit it a touch thin. it's a high fade that starts left of the green and lands on the right front, 145 yards. My ball is about 6 inches in front of it's pitch mark. I'm 53 feet below and left from the flag. I hit my putt and my speed is real good but my aim sucks. I am now pin high 5 feet left of the hole... I miss the par putt and wind up with a bogey, 4.

 

Blah, that was not a 3 putt that i am okay with...

 

9 - par 4 with pond down the left side. I hit a real low push, very thin, with driver down the right side 215 yards. Good thing it's dry out... I'm to the right of the cart path on the side of #1. I don't like my angles for a shot into the green. I decide to lay up and check the GPS. 70 yards to the water. I pull my PW and hit a half shot. Great contact and it's the wrong shot... I watch it land short of the pond and hop in, lol. This was a real brain fart. 70 yards to water? I'll hit my 70+ yard half PW... I was supposed to chip the ball but nooooooooo. I drop and hit a partial SW into the green. It's a high fade that lands on the green ans spins back a little. That's kinda interesting since I rarely do that. I have a 38 foot putt and I miss it low to 3 feet. Well I have a double bogey after the pond ball but wait I lip out... Triple bogey 7.

 

A 48 and Arccos is interesting. It says I lost 11.9 strokes to a 0 HCP. -2.5 driving, this looks odd because it's claiming I lost a stroke to a penalty /shrug. I only lost 3.9 strokes on my approaches which is a big improvement. I lost 1.5 to my short game and the worst aspect of my game was putting at -4.0 strokes. Screwing up the two shorter putts and the three putts from 53 and 63 are the main culprits.

 

My score may not be great but I'm okay with it. The easy irons seem to be helping me. I just have to play the fade better.

 

Have a good one!

 

 

[Chip Duffer]

Hitting quality shots Andy knowing that a couple of mental mistakes probably cost 3-4 strokes indicate some good progress. It looks like your smooth irons really show some promise. 

 

A good day. Congrats.

[berndgeurts]

The partial sw is coming along just fine. Try to get that feeling with your pw,9i and 8i to get precisie shots with those too.

Keep on the good work.

[bortass]

@Twin2L @berndgeurts Yesterday's 9 was a positive experience for sure. This a slightly different way for me to play but it has merit. If I had cleaned up the mental errors I would have been closer to 45. I just need to start assuming a fade on the course and I'm leery of aiming left much since I used to draw the ball, lol. Now a draw is a rare sighting.

 

I don't think I've ever said what I mean by partial and easy. The partial wedge shots are half swing, pretty much shaft parallel. The easy PW and irons are left arm parallel and not going all out. My full back swing isn't much past left arm parallel but it is a little longer.

 

What I like about the easy iron shots is my misses are not as bad. Sure I still hit that stupid push but it's not as bad. The times where I hit the ball and it takes off 45* right of my target line(that's how it feels) are killers. The ball is getting airborne and high.

 

Any of you reading this have experience with Tour Tempo? I saw it come up recently. I had the book back in the mid 2000s but didn't really use it. Trying to swing with a CD player on the range didn't work for me. I'm wondering if I would have better luck now via the app. Lol.