Pepsi Duck's "9-to-3" Thread...COVID Golf (#111)...!

[TIM929]

that screen shot might be P3, Semper Fi devil.

[PepsiDuck]

Hahah, good call. I'll fix it.

[TIM929]

Police our own lol??

[PepsiDuck]

So this is P2...one on the right was from range earlier this weekend...keeping club outside the hands longer going back and still working on getting weight forward and more bent over...

[hurley999s]

Like that one much better. One of the things I found helps, which you’re doing there (but may not be a conscious thought for you) is keeping the left shoulder in external rotation. To me it feels like I’m taking it back like Wolff but on video it’s not even close to that exaggerated.

Oh and btw, have a blast today with the Tour guys! Grab some pics if you can and send a few down range with them!

[TIM929]

Are you trying to get your weight forward on the balls of your feet?

Out of curiosity, how are you doing that?

 

I just learned this during my lesson a few months ago. what works for me is adjusting my pelvis at address and rounding my shoulders. At address, If your pelvis is back in a down the line view(squat position) the weight is at the heals, If you send it forward(like early extension or goat humping) at address, it sends your weight to the balls of the feet. So at address, trust the hips forward to adjust the weight to the balls of the feet.

 

rounded shoulders with the belt line close to parallel to the deck like these guys.

Also I saw a drill Monte posted called “belt buckle to the sky” or “belt buckle up” or something, It’s the same feel.

[PepsiDuck]

Yea, it definitely feels Wolffish, but seeing it on video proves it's not even close. I think one thing I have to keep in mind is that my left arm has to rotate at some point before I get to the top...

And we absolutely had a blast with Bubba, Harold, and Maverick today. Harold and Bubba are hilarious in the same room; and Harold is quite the conversationalist. Maverick seemed pretty reserved, but he's really smart when it comes to the technical aspects of pretty much everything. They got to sit in an F-18 and play on the simulator...Harold actually shot down Maverick...

 

[hurley999s]

That’s awesome! Very cool my man! Looks like you guys had a great time!

[PepsiDuck]

Yes; weight forward onto the balls. And our approach is as simple as that. Just feel like I'm fall forward onto my face, which gets me bent over more and gets the weight off my heels. Everything else was fine, so I didn't need to adjust much else. It's funny that it feels so far forward, but looking at video and screen captures, it's not out of balance at all.

[PepsiDuck]

I had my second lesson with the PGA pro today, and it was probably the most enlightening one I've had in a very long time. He first watched me hit some warmup shots and noted how much better my setup was from last week. Although I still have to consciously make those adjustments as I address the ball, it's becoming much more consistent. Of course I missed a few; he then asked what I was thinking over each of those shots. This led to me explaining my issue with focusing on mechanics and multiple swing thoughts at address and even mid-swing. We discussed some of the mental game concepts I read in Every Shot Must Have a Purpose; namely, the "Play Box." As an experiment, he wanted me to start visualizing the ball flight trace during my pre-shot routine when standing behind the ball. When I'm addressed and ready to swing, I take one last look at the target, picture that tracer, look back at the ball, and then swing the club back. The goal is to become more target-oriented, or at the very least, less mechanics-oriented, when I'm in the Play Box.

After our mental game discussion, I described my typical misses over the last week (rounds of 94 and 91); namely that dreaded 75 yard worm-burner pull hook with the driver. I now have the definitive, no sh*t reason for my pull hooks! He identified two issues:

My left shoulder opens too early on the downswing partly due to my overly aggressive transition. This gets everything, to include the swing path, pointed left. Swing thought #1: keep the left shoulder back as long as possible.He noticed that I didn't rotate my lower body through impact and that my left leg was still very much bent at impact. Over the past five years, I developed a programmed fear of opening my hips on the downswing. Everything I did at transition was to ensure my arms won the race to the ball, while keeping the hips as "slow" as possible. My swing thought was to get the arms through impact while feeling like my hips were still closed. Well, this created a downswing where my legs and hips opened and stalled at transition, and my arms zipped and flipped by, pulling my body to the finish. Swing thought #2: Post the lead leg on the downswing.So when you combine these two issues, you have a path that is severely left with a club face that is rapidly shutting. He gave me a couple drills to work on these two things. The idea of posting the left leg got my hips much more open at impact and felt like a complete paradigm shift from what I'd be working on over the last five years. At this point, I'd do anything to get rid of that pull hook off the tee.

Finally, we discussed some practice strategies, to include block practice with the drills. He also recommended playing a round on the range. The idea is that you run through a familiar course, hitting shots you would expect to hit for each hole. Follow a bad drive with a punch shot out of the trees and a bad approach shot with a chip or pitch. Count two putts and move onto the next hole.

So far, I'm having an outstanding experience with the pro. Next lesson, we'll be looking at chipping, since I have enough to work on the range for a little while.

[hurley999s]

I think we have the same swing...I can hit some absolute rockets to short stop. Not exactly the miss you want. But I feel your pain.

for me, keeping back to target definitely helps, and generally two other thoughts/ideas - similar to back to target, keeping the hands in one place at transition and really feeling the tension build up in left shoulder and lats - so not having everything move at once. Other item similar to your posting up on lead leg is to dig the left hip/pelvis low at transition. If I consciously do this, I turn. If I keep it level, I slide more.

[PepsiDuck]

The goal now is to find that particular feel/intent that accomplishes the end state of keeping the left arm from popping out at P5; whether it's keeping back to target, left shoulder back, etc. That'll just take time to experiment with what is effective and repeatable.

The weird thing about the posting of the left leg is that I feel like I'm "firing the hips" and leaving the arms behind. This is the exact move that I've been trying to get rid of since 2014, so I'm hesitant to go full speed ahead with it. It'll be something to work on at the range for a while.

And by the way, the good news keeps coming! The Armed Forces Championship has been moved to September from June, and it'll be held at a course that I was once a member of when I lived in Virginia many years ago. This will essentially give me the entire summer to keep working on this.

[PepsiDuck]

Hooray! My first round in the 80s in over a month! Shot an 82 (43/39) today, just a couple days and one range session after that last lesson. The first couple holes weren’t so great since I didn’t get any warmup time on the range. I’m honestly not sure people can just go straight out and play.

I know I have a long way to go with the swing, but it’s definitely feeling more natural, much like I swung growing up. To say I’m excited would be an understatement.

I tried doing the visualization trick, and I don’t think it’s for me. I have a tough time imagining the tracer of the ball on its path, even when I’m standing behind the ball looking at the target. I’ll have to keep experimenting with other focus points in the Play Box. What are some non-swing thought focus points that have worked for you?

I lost a few shots around the green, just from neglecting it over the past few months while I spent all my practice time and effort on the swing. My next lesson will focus on short game, so I’m looking forward to his thoughts on what I’m doing around the greens.

[hurley999s]

Nice man, great round. Glad it’s coming along.

It may or may not help, but for what it’s worth, I stand behind the ball and think about where I want it to go. Not a shape really like the tracer thought you had, but just picturing the start line and path. Then once I have the start line, I start looking on the ground for something in line with the ball and my line - leaf, divot, piece of dirt, whatever. Whatever it is, I like to have it within probably 2 feet, but maybe ideally within a foot in front of the ball. So that way when I take my approach, I can use it to line up my stance how I want and when I put the club down square in line with that start line.

It sounded like a lot probably how I’m describing it, but really maybe 20 seconds it takes? Sometimes less if there’s something obvious right on the line.

[PepsiDuck]

Thanks!

And for my question, I meant what you're actually focused on when you address the ball and start your swing. I was referencing "seeing" the tracer behind the ball as the image I'd recollect as I start my swing. I feel it's more of a "distraction" than anything else from thinking swing thought(s) during the swing.

I was talking about this with my wife today; that is, the concept of focus right before and during the swing. And we discussed the theory that our optimal focus may be related to how we learn best. The main three are auditory (learn be hearing), visual (learn by seeing), and kinesthetic (learn by doing). I am by and far a kinesthetic learner, which may explain why I have trouble creating a visual of the tracer in my mind. Likewise, the mental game books have suggested humming a tune during the swing, but that doesn't work for me either (auditory). I'm going to have to look out for ideas that might work for us kinesthetic types...

[hurley999s]

I kind of just get so zoned out while finding my line and spot to line up and focus on, I can’t tell you what I’m actually thinking about as I start my swing...like the whole process before sort of just takes all the distractions and swing thoughts away.

Now if something starts creeping in mechanically and I know my swing is getting away from me, I’ll have a swing thought before - but something simple like “get to the right side”, “make a full turn”, or “don’t rush at the top”...just a single thought.

[oikos1]

"I’m honestly not sure people can just go straight out and play."

Yes they can. That's exactly what you did. And you shot your best score in over a month.

Nice to see you back, Pepsi.

[PepsiDuck]

With a week away from the range and course, I had another lesson on Friday morning with the focus on chipping. He started with an assessment of my normal chipping method, which is predominantly the "use the bounce" method with a 60* wedge from everywhere. Although I have consistent contact with it, I struggle with distance control, generally erring on going long. Although I focus on a landing spot in my pre-shot routine, my tendency is to become too pin focused at address when I take one final look at the target and carry the shot all the way to the pin where it then rolls out 10-15 feet past.

He introduced me to a "standard" chipping method, where I land the ball 3-5 feet onto the green every time and use the appropriate club (from 60* to 6 iron) based on the carry-to-roll ratio of the shot. Open stance with ball in the back of the stance; completely opposite of what I'd done before, which is a closed stance with the ball off the front toe. At first, I was hitting the chips waaay too hard, rolling 15-20 feet past the target pin. I'm just not used to chipping with an 8 iron from just off the green. But once I was able to re-calibrate to distance and trust the roll out, it was shockingly consistent.

So yesterday, I had a chance to take it out onto the course. I improved my score by 11 strokes from the last time I played the course about a month ago (85 vs 96), before I started the lessons, but I definitely still had a fair share of misses off the tee and around the green. I tried the new chipping method for all shots around the green, but I discovered that it is only appropriate for very particular circumstances. I promised my instructor that I'd give it a fair shot over a few rounds before I abandoned it. I also decided to go back to a cross handed putting grip with my old TM Spider Tour putter, as my putting just hasn't been the same since I decided to game the PXG Operator that I had won in a drawing.

I'll be playing a couple more times this week before heading up to Monterey for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am and to play golf at the old stomping grounds (Bayonet Black Horse)!

[glk]

No one on tour uses that old method. Actually virtually everyone on tour uses 1 and at most 2 clubs for shots out to around 100 yards. Ridyard talks about skill develop when using one club versus having to practice with multiple clubs - it can work but to me a lot more time effort needed - plus playing the ball back brings in the leading edge and you still need to have the high soft shot which says you still have to use the bounce technique. Ridyard advises to play everything off your stock shot - then ask yourself 3 questions before the shot - based on lie will ball come out higher or lower, more spin or less spin, faster or slower. Then he has adjustments based on answers. Ball position, handle height, face square or open, stance - he likes to be aggressive. So given a lie that comes out hot he’d want to setup to counter that and allow himself an aggressive swing. He likes to control traj via arc width - in short, longer for lower and shorter for higher. His video are well worth the price.

really short arc

Just a sample.

[Hawkeye77]

Looks like good stuff, Monte's IG and short game ideas also good. Back in stance, off right foot, etc. is the technique I feel lucky to have escaped from, which I had a long time ago. But lots of really good players use it and have the time needed to get really skilled at it. Not that little chip and runs with less loft don't come in handy from time to time, just as chipping with hybrid but I view those as more special situations.

Curious Pepsi why the change to that, especially with the kinds of greens and courses I'm guessing you play? Your other idea of closed stance, ball off left toe was an extreme but seems like you are going to the other and kind of missing some good stuff in the middle.

Do what works! But your swing certainly doesn't suggest the above kind of technique and releasing the clubhead would be an issue for you.

And if the response is, "you guys keep telling me to listen to my instructor!" - certainly more than fair, lol!

 

[CasualLie]

Seems to me every week on tour you see shots around the green with less lofted clubs. Not saying everyone is doing it, but it is more common than this 1 or 2 club for everything approach. Many times a shot is shown around the green, not even a long shot, not a lot of run out, and these are PGA Tour greens, and the on course announcer is saying that was a 9i or something similar, and I am thinking, that's a very handy shot to have, not a lot can go wrong with a short stroke.

Now the back of stance off right foot thing...agree, that is pretty old school and not going on much these days.

[PepsiDuck]

Thanks for the referral to Mr. Ridyard. And I absolutely prefer the one-club approach around the greens.Well, it's interesting that my instructor said in his 2+ years teaching at his current course, he had never taught someone four different chipping styles/techniques in one 45-minute lesson who could successfully execute all of them. I think his intent was to introduce me to several options to experiment with and add to my tool belt on the course. Nothing was prescriptive.

In the short time I've worked with his old school method, I will concede that it definitely has its application, but I wouldn't choose it as my main method around the greens. I played around with the ball position today, and I found that moving the ball back toward the front of my stance made the trajectory much more playable and predictable for standard chipping use. I actually like the 45* open stance versus the slightly closed stance I used before, so I'll keep that.

[PepsiDuck]

So I played another round today in some windy conditions, shooting a 91 (50/41) on a pretty challenging course. Swing changes are definitely starting to show, but the old issues still continue to pop in from time to time, resulting in some squirrelly shots. As you can see, the front nine was considerably worse than the back, due to a few reasons.

First, I decided to switch back to a cross handed grip with my old putter (TM Spider Tour), after experimenting with a modified claw grip using a pricey face-balanced mallet I won in a drawing a couple months ago (PXG Darkness Operator). My biggest putting issue is that I tend to hook my putts, and of course I missed a lot of short putts on the front, always to the left. My friend and I chatted about it, and he mentioned that a forward press might help. Well, it did. Putts started falling in after making the adjustment.

Second, and this is probably stupid, but I think I played with a bad Callaway Chrome Soft X during the first few holes. I recall reading about Callaway's quality control issues with their balls, and I started to get suspicious... Drives fell well short of where they normally should go and approach shots traveled at least a club short and would float and overdraw. At first, I thought I was just putting a bad swing on the club, but after four holes, I decided to swap for a TM TP5x. As expected, distances went back to normal and I wasn't missing greens 15 yards left. Not sure if the Callaway issues are BS, but I'm glad I lost that last Chrome Soft in the water...

Finally, I am starting to figure out a happy medium between the old school chipping method I learned on Friday and my version of 'use the bounce'. I was still having issues on the front nine around the green, so I started creeping the ball forward in my stance and just stuck with my trusty 60* wedge, while keeping the open stance and chipping motion the same. With the 60*, it's a simple 1:1 carry-to-roll ratio for a standard chip, which makes it very easy to plan shots around the green.

I'll be heading up to Monterey on Wednesday, stopping somewhere along the way to play a round before arriving Wednesday night (most likely Hunter Ranch in Paso Robles); then hopefully 36 holes at Bayonet Black Horse, followed by the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am on Friday and Saturday before heading back Saturday night. I will probably simmer on the material from the first three lessons before going back in a couple weeks.

[Yrrdead]

Ahh Pepsi good luck always my man , nice to see you back on the best coast :P.

You have one lesson that you like and literally the first thing you do is start looking at other video and self diagnosing?????You get another lesson on short game and again enjoy it then immediately start looking for excuses to not do it?Its like you need to step outside your golf brain for a second and think about if you had a new lifter in the gym. You go listen up here's a 5x5 workout or begninner 5/3/1 go do this workout for at least 12 months preferably 24 months and then we'll talk. I'll check out your form periodically to make sure you don't die. Boom done. What if he literally comes in the next day with how he doesn't like squats and has a bunch of acccesory bs he read on forums are way better. And that all the pro bodybuilders/powerlifters/crossfitters do X and Y..... You would just laugh and say just do the basics for a couple of years and then we'll talk.

Golf is just like that.

[PepsiDuck]

Good to see you too!

I didn't say I had watched that particular video...just thanked him for the referral...I'm not quite ready to consult other resources just yet.I've had a couple rounds and a practice session under my belt with the new system. I wasn't able to get the ball even a foot off the ground with a 60* wedge when I had the ball so far back in my stance, even during the lesson when he said that I was doing it right. During my rounds, I found that the ideal conditions and carry-to-roll ratios we had during our lesson weren't quite as relevant on the course. In other words, there was hardly ever a time when "chipping" (as he defined and taught it) was the right play. I think he makes the distinction between pitching and chipping, and pitching seemed to be the appropriate play more often than chipping. So my adjustments were made to make the chipping stroke more useful around the greens as I was able to get the ball started on a higher trajectory.Good analogy.

[PepsiDuck]

I had a blast this past weekend in Monterey for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. I spent Friday walking Monterey Peninsula Country Club and Saturday at Pebble Beach sitting next to the green on hole 8. We got to see the pros doing what they do best and snap some pictures with a few celebrities. It was just nice to be in Monterey again after two and a half years away; I got to see some old friends and even go to my regular trivia night.

Since the last update, I was able to play three rounds; one at Hunter Ranch GC in Paso Robles (95), my old home course at Bayonet Black Horse (90) and a private club in the Palm Springs area today (88). On the bright side, my handicap has gone up to 12 after all my rounds in the high 70s and low 80s are getting bumped out.

I'm still struggling with the swing on the course, though I feel like I made a breakthrough on the back nine of today's round (shot 48/40). I feel like I'm constantly having to make adjustments mid-round, round after round, and it's certainly frustrating. My short game is still a liability; I'm trying my best to implement the old school chipping method, but I need more practice time to gauge distance. And I've been back and forth with putters and putting grips over those three rounds. After today, I've settled on my old TM Spider Tour with a regular reverse overlap grip.

I was listening to a couple podcasts on my drive to Monterey earlier this week, and an interesting topic of overcoming fear was discussed. The question posed was: what do you fear in golf (or on the golf course)? Two things came to mind for me:

Fear of financial liability for hitting cars/houses. I'm certain this directly impacts my confidence off the tee, especially on courses with tight holes lined with homes or holes that run alongside a road.Social fear of people realizing how bad I am at golf for the amount of time and money I spend on it, especially those who aren't golfers themselves. "Wow, you're always playing golf; you must be awesome!"

What are your thoughts on fear?

[Atrayn]

Fear is overcome with confidence grasshopper....

 

[PepsiDuck]

So for this week's update...I had a chance to go to Riviera Country Club yesterday to see Round 3 of the Genesis Invitational, spending most of the time parked next to the 10th green. Man, that hole is just incredible, and seeing it on TV just doesn't do justice to just how frighteningly difficult it is...if it's that bad for the pros, I can't imagine what it's like for us common folk. We had a blast at the last California stop, as it's easily our favorite tour event to attend.

I hadn't had a chance to practice or play this week until today, when I was invited to play at a private club in Palm Desert. This is probably the most interesting round I've played in recent memory. I ended up shooting an 84, but what was most peculiar was that I shot a 36 on the front and a 48 on the back. This is reflective of how a lot of my rounds go...the swing seems to randomly come and go. I suppose it's a result of continuing to ingrain swing changes. And I also need help in the bunkers...

I'll be playing at Torrey Pines tomorrow; I hope I can have more good holes than bad holes.

[PepsiDuck]

I shot another 84 (42/42) today at Torrey Pines. It was my first time on the North Course, and I had an early tee time, so we played the first five or six holes in dense fog. The bright side of this round was that I only had a couple really bad shots. Most of my lost strokes were due to difficulties putting and chipping on those tricked out greens, which I was told were all replaced in the 2016 course renovation. I think I'd do better in a second go-around now that I know where to hit, and more importantly, where not to hit on each green.

One thing I really need to get rid of is that aggressive left knee external rotation I do at transition which I picked up when I was religiously watching GG videos a few years ago. It still sneaks in from time to time, especially when I'm trying to crank one.

[PepsiDuck]

One week later...I played Torrey Pines again, this time on the South Course, shooting an 87 (42/45) on a relatively calm afternoon. I haven't been so excited after a round in a long time, especially with such a bad score; because I haven't swung the club and hit the ball so well in years. The swing felt great for all 18 holes and my tee shots incredibly solid. Iron shots and wedges felt and looked great. So how could I possibly shoot an 87?!

Bunkers - I hit a fair number of greenside bunkers, and I had some trouble getting out of them. I'm still have the mentality that just getting out of the bunker is "good enough" for me; rather than treating it as an easy opportunity to get up and down. My only penalty strokes (and lost ball) of the day came when I bladed a bunker shot over the 16th green into canyon. I was so excited to get through 18 holes at Torrey Pines with the same ball! I just need to learn an easier and more consistent bunker method.Chipping - I've been able to practice my chipping and pitching after work since we have a little more daylight. I just need more time work on distance control and developing consistency with my carry-to-roll ratio with each wedge. I wasn't getting the ball close enough for the par putt.Course strategy - I missed a lot of greens, but not because I mishit my approach shots. I think the biggest issue that is the easiest to immediately address is my course strategy. Simply put, I aim for every pin; no matter what. My eyes naturally fixate to the pin when I'm planning my shot without much of a second thought. So when you're at a course like Torrey Pines with a lot of tough hole locations, missing a little bit or getting a little gust of wind will put you in some difficult situations to get up and down.So that leads me to the question of the week, when do you aim for the center of the green rather than at the pin? I know that there is the school of thought that says that you should aim for the center of each green, and I may actually play my next round with that strategy, just to see what happens.

I guess at least I improved from the 98 I shot here the last time....