quest to break 100

[LeftField11]

bortass, do you have a video camera? I got a $13 tripod from Wal-Mart, took my camcorder to the driving range for one session and video taped my swings. That footage gave me more insight to my swing and it's flaws than an instructor could have ever conveyed to me verbally during a lesson. Having a pro dissect your video would be even better.

 

I'm a visual learner, so "seeing" what I'm doing helps tremendously. As many others have said before, what you think you are "feeling" isn't always what is happening.

[bortass]

Lesson was today, luckily the showers held off.

 

This pro was alot different then the previous one or seemed that way. He said he doesn't teach a particular swing but works with what you have. I keep hearing that as a good sign on various message boards.

 

He watched me hit some balls with PW, 7i, and 5i.

 

The good news is he says I actually have a pretty good swing. Shocking, eh? My setup is good, alignment, ball position etc. My grip was mostly good. He noticed it wasn't quite in the fingers enough.

 

So he changed my grip a touch and had me swing a weighted club.

 

Part 2, he noticed is I wasn't releasing. He guided me through it at first, on how the forearms should rotate over each other. He then had me swing the club. I was amazed on how a weighted club kinda forces you to release and follow through. It happened so naturally.

 

He had me hit balls with my 7i. Some were nasty and other were very nice. The ball flight he was looking for was to the left. That means the release is occuring. I hit a few nice draws here and there which is what he really wants to see. A big key was to relax my arms. 'So my arms are just along for the ride', I said at one point. 'Yup', was the answer.

 

After awhile he held a club at an angle and had me swing under it, trying to get that inside swing path. Eventually an inside approach made an appearance. One of my first swings, I drove the club into the ground behind the ball. That kinda proved to me what I've read about the brain subconciously taking over your swing if something is wrong.

 

I've developed a steep swing over the years....

 

Lastly, he had me working on hitting the ball then the ground. I don't take practice swings normally. He wants to to take one and try to take a divot. This will help me with topping the ball which has been an issue for me lately.

 

So I have my work cut out for me. Overall the foundation is there. Maybe the lessons, years ago did more then I thought, at least in setting my foundation. My shots during the lesson didn't magically get better but there was definate improvement and I know what I'm looking for.

 

Very happy right now with it. I have a practice swing thought to help with my topping the ball and I just need to keep the arms relaxed during the swing.

 

I may pick up a weighted club as well. I really liked how that helped me with release and follow through.

[dludkin]

Glad to hear the lesson was beneficial. I've got one on Thursday and I'm nervous that he will complete deconstruct my swing and I'll have to start over. I hope it's like your experience and he works with my swing.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

bortass,

 

Glad you had a good experience with the pro. You may have only "slightly" been letting the grip ride up out of your fingers but be very attentive to that slight detail. If you're wanting a reliable release, in my experience that ain't gonna happen with the grip at all down into the palm of your hand. It takes eternal vigilance for me to keep the club in my fingers, as I was reminded at my most recent lesson.

 

My teacher has a fixture he calls The Noodle which is just a foam rubber pool float the size of baseball bat mounted on a tripod. He puts it where your guy was holding a club and then kind of gradually moves it closer and closer to get me swing from under and inside. It'll make for some fat shots but boy when you catch one cleanly with power using that inside move the ball really jumps!

 

Good luck with your practice.

[bortass]

bortass,

 

Glad you had a good experience with the pro. You may have only "slightly" been letting the grip ride up out of your fingers but be very attentive to that slight detail. If you're wanting a reliable release, in my experience that ain't gonna happen with the grip at all down into the palm of your hand. It takes eternal vigilance for me to keep the club in my fingers, as I was reminded at my most recent lesson.

 

My teacher has a fixture he calls The Noodle which is just a foam rubber pool float the size of baseball bat mounted on a tripod. He puts it where your guy was holding a club and then kind of gradually moves it closer and closer to get me swing from under and inside. It'll make for some fat shots but boy when you catch one cleanly with power using that inside move the ball really jumps!

 

Good luck with your practice.

 

I moved my grip more into my fingers last week after reading Slicefixers stuff. So I'm glad it's starting to take. I have an easy time making grip changes luckily. One 'bad' side effect is that my right middle finger has split which this grip change last week. It's on the outside edge on the ring finger side near the edge of the nail. The skin just split right between two whorls. Yesterday aggravated it but it didn't resplit. I'm hoping that a calluas(sp?) will form soon. It kinda sucks to have a finger hurt when you make contact. Ya, I know it's pretty small in the greater scheme of things....

 

My guy was slowly moving the club down as you mentioned. Though the fat shot with the inside approach was amazing. I was just swinging the club and next thing I know I've driven it into the ground. It never registered that I was coming in to steep and gonna hit the inside approach.

 

Any experience with a weighted club? I may get one after swinging it during the lesson to feel the release.

[tonster]

i think the momentus iron would be a good training aid for you to have. weighted club, grip trainer, helps you swing in the slot, and forces you to release the club. just remember not to take full speed swings with it or else you'll throw your timing off.

[upanddown]

Anyone that can putt (and there is no reason why everyone can't learn how to putt) and good course management should be able to break 100.

[bortass]

Interesting round today. I went to the range last night to work on what the pro told me in the lesson. It was a mixed bag, so good some bad. I also worked on my pitches and wedge tee shots. I think I need to have the two new wedges lengthened. My clubs are 1 inch longer then standard and I see to have a hard time getting down on full shots.

 

1- 7w 75 yards dubbed straight. Second shot hits a tree and drops. 2 more dubbed shots get me in chip range. Chip on and 2 putt for a 7. Off to a great start.

 

2 - GW skulled for about 111. I'm through the green and leave my chip a bit short. 2 putt for a 4. Not bad, bogey on a par 3. This hole has been killing me in prior weeks.

 

3 - 7w 109 dubbed but in the fairway. I figure 5i and slice it into the trees. Take a drop and dub a low runner to get into the fairway. I putz my way around the course including chipping through the gree. So 2 chips and 2 putts for a 10. I hate par 5s. They suck! I just always have a rough time with them.

 

4- pw 120. Nice and high right into a greenside bunker.It was a pretty good shot. I just didn't aim it quite right. I get out of the bunker but have a long putt for a sand save and par. Leave it short and 2 putt for 4. Real happy with this hole. The tee shot was pretty good, landing zone was bad, but I got out of the sand in 1. Another bogey on a par 3 though.

 

5 - 7w 113. Not a great shot. Too bad cuz i normally do good teeing off on this hole. I mess up my second shot and luckily bounce through a trap. I have a legit shot at up and down. Mishit the pitch and I'm on the fringe through the green. Chip on and 2 putt for 6.

 

6 - GW skulled left 119 yards. My ball comes to a rest in the drop zone. Not bad, I missed the ponds and going long into the trees this time. I'm embarrassed to say that I 2 chip from a great lie and then 2 putt for 5.

 

7 - 7w 176. I got a nice tee shot off. I'm about 90 yards out with a forward pin. My pitch comes to a rest within 2 feet of the cup. I sink the putt for my first ever par 4 birdie!

 

8 - 7w 188, I get off a nice draw. I'm about a 9i out. I get good contact and ball flight but it's going right. A nice straight shot heading for a pond. It hits the cart path and stops. The shot looked close to pin high and had the right flight characteristics. I take relief from the cart path and chip it long past the hole. I sink the putt for par. I get an up and down and I'm feeling good. The last few holes have played well for me.

 

9 - 7w 201 with another nice draw. I'm 7i out and get another good hit but it's going right. It stops on the green on the right side. I have another GIR but the hole is on the other side of the green. I have a long breaking putt, 30+ feet. My putter caught the ground behind the ball. I think I'm short and the rest of the group just watches it roll into the cup for birdie! That putt also won the friendlt match for me team.

 

All said and done I shot a 46! Holy crap I broke 100, ya technically I didn't but close enough since I just play 9. I had 2 birdies. The round ended with 15 putts.

 

That lesson Monday was huge! I was just thinking about what the pro said about relaxed arms and the release. Those last drives all had that real relaxed arm and shoulder swing. I hit the draws the pro was aiming for. No cluttered swing thoughts, just nice and loose.

 

I just shot the round of my life and beat everyone I played with. It's unheard of. My personal best was 51 on this course 3+ years ago.

 

Everyone that said take lessons, I owe ya a beer or other beverage of choice! All the advice here really helped. Putting work and short game all played their part.

 

My quest still continues because while I broke it, was it a fluke? I came within 2 strokes of 'breaking' 90 .....

 

:man_in_love:

[Bobcat 2]

The easiest way to break 100 is to play off the red tees until you break 100 then 90, then move to the white tees and so on. The big reason people struggle with this game is they insist on running before they can crawl.

 

Then at home everyday, every other hour, putt balls on a flat green fast carpet, with a grid of straight lines, until you can roll them on a straight line perfectly up and down. then move up to another ball and putt the first into the second ball from a few foot until the second ball moves straight from the second ball. This is training you to hit the putts squarely and solid without wobbling or side spin.

 

Next find a gripped shaft and get a good grip and swing the shaft back and through without re gripping or changing grip pressure anywhere in the swing. Put a dime under the fat pad of the lead wrist and thread between the union of the rear thumb/forefinger as you swing to ensure the grip stays constant and connected. You will never improve if your good grip breaks downs or changes anywhere during the swing.

 

Next set up into a good golf position, anytime you see a full length mirror and then check to see if your neck is online with your back, ie your head is up in line and then make a few full turns back and through with your arms in good position but the hands reversed so the backs of the hands meet. This allows you a perfect takeaway and downswing because the right is trapped into a good motion and position throughout the swing. Swing back as far as you can go without balance or posture change and allow the legs to release to a full swing finish. Ideally back turns away completely from the target and then chest to target fully

 

Find a small rake or similar TOOL and swing it back and through, everyday, with: the great posture you practiced, the consistent grip throughout, and the full turn you make with the hand reversed drill.

 

Next get some yard sticks and carry them in your car. When you are stopped somewhere and have a distant tree or building (and time to kill,ie your wife is shopping, waiting on the kids. Take your good posture golf stance and align to the object, Once set up use the sticks to check your heels and then hip, knees etc by putting them against then dropping to the ground in position. Now see how close you were to being on line.

 

Next go to the course and DO NOT play until you can sink a line of 7 balls a foot apart into a hole consistently. Start with a flat hole and work up to the braking holes. This is tough at fist but gets very easy soon. Finally, chip balls to a spot on the green and putt them out trying to get up and down. Once you are putting the shorter putts and chipping somewhat go play.

 

The drills will instill the sense of the swing which is tough to do hitting golf balls because the body and mind just imprint any bad moves you making improvement difficult if never.

 

If you develop basic skill and confidence around the green the rest of the game will take care of itself with the drills. Why, the whole thing is consistent tempo, timing rhythm, balance and confidence.

 

This took a little time but you see the point. Golf is an easy game if you figure out how to regularly incorporate the basic positions and feel into everyday practice without the mental stress (hit impulses) compensations that hitting golf balls incorrectly can iron in .

 

Finally, play the course as a par 90 until you break 90. Make your par 5 on those par 4s. It is lot easier. Hit to score the 5 and before you know it those doubles and more will be gone and those 5s will turn into pars by themselves.

[bortass]

Glad to hear the lesson was beneficial. I've got one on Thursday and I'm nervous that he will complete deconstruct my swing and I'll have to start over. I hope it's like your experience and he works with my swing.

 

Hey DL,

 

Let us know how this goes. I don't know about the complete swing deconstruction. I'd hope your teacher would take what ya got and slowly start to get it sorted out. This is your first lesson with this pro, at least that's the impression I got from your post, so it's kind of a feeling out session for you. Do you get a good vibe from the pro, etc.

 

Maybe you'll be lucky like me. My lesson made a huge impact. I went and thanked the pro, Rick Altham Gorham Country Club( just had to give the guy a plug), yesterday evening. He said he wasn't surprised because I did have a good looking swing. I guess that may show that just cause you are a hacker doesn't mean your swing is terrible.

 

Granted I've had a number of lessons in the past, but my scores never really improved, even though I was practicing and playing more then.

 

A couple things I learned, though it is common knowledge and I've known it for years, I just never experienced it to see with my own eyes. Getting on the green with as few strokes as possible is huge. I think I'm a decent putter, ie I average about 2 putts per hole. So if I get on the green I'm usually ok from that point on.

 

So my good tee shots into the fairway, set me up to score low. I only got out there about 180 - 200 yards with my uber 7w. Being here in 1, shaves at least 1 stroke based on how my rounds normally go. But it also sets up a good approach shot.

 

My approach shots for these holes, I was going for the green. There was no major trouble and I had a good lie. I got on with my approach on two holes, both of which I 1 putted. Regardless of the putting outcome that sets up the awesome birdie putt.

 

The hole I missed the green, I was able to chip on and 1 putt for par. It wasn't an easy putt, since I hit my chip a bit past the hole.

 

I highly recommend both of Utley's books, Art of Putting and Art of the Short Game. I've been working on his technique the last few weeks and they have helped. I have alot of room to improve but I feel fairly confident with those areas of my game now. I also was seeing payback with only a few hours of practice. The ROI of just the chipping in Art of the Short Game has been immense. Both books may run ya $50 bucks and they aren't too big ie quick reads.

 

Another key thing is track your rounds. I've done that for years but I started to add some new stuff this year. It will help tell you where your problems are. Alot of penalty strokes is a sign of course management issues. These can be the easiest to fix by just playing safe. Do you 3 putt alot? Are there any scoring trends? For me I've known that par 5s kill me but par 3s have been hurting my score alot too.

 

Once you know what the problem areas are, you can get a gameplan in place to resolve them based on priority. My short game has been getting better, so I knew I wanted a full swing lesson this week, etc.

 

Enough rambling for now, lol. Can you tell I'm excited to play again?

[dludkin]

Glad to hear the lesson was beneficial. I've got one on Thursday and I'm nervous that he will complete deconstruct my swing and I'll have to start over. I hope it's like your experience and he works with my swing.

 

Hey DL,

 

Let us know how this goes. I don't know about the complete swing deconstruction. I'd hope your teacher would take what ya got and slowly start to get it sorted out. This is your first lesson with this pro, at least that's the impression I got from your post, so it's kind of a feeling out session for you. Do you get a good vibe from the pro, etc.

 

Maybe you'll be lucky like me. My lesson made a huge impact. I went and thanked the pro, Rick Altham Gorham Country Club( just had to give the guy a plug), yesterday evening. He said he wasn't surprised because I did have a good looking swing. I guess that may show that just cause you are a hacker doesn't mean your swing is terrible.

 

 

 

I just got back from the lesson an hour ago. It went pretty well. My wife and I took it together, which worked pretty well. He'd work with one of us on something and then while we'd practice it he'd switch to the other. We mostly went through the same things though. He started with grip and got us holding the club down in our fingers. Then we spent some time on stance, I found out that my feet were too far apart which limited my rotation. After that we spent the rest of the time working on the swing. One thing that really helped was breaking it down into segments, going from 6 o'clock to 9, then to 11 then 9-6-3-1. Following the lesson we hit some balls and I really struggled to connect. I think because I was thinking about all the different aspects of my swing. I plan to practice without a ball as much as I can to try and get the swing into my muscle memory. I definately improved my swing speed today so once I start connecting again I'm sure the lesson will have paid off.

[bepier]

Good luck Bortass, I'm in the same boat. 100 has been pretty stubborn. My goal is to get into the 90's consistently before '08 is over.

[dludkin]

Just got back from the range. I only took my driver and the lessons sure helped there; definately added some yards with the new and improved swing! I'm excited to get to where I can connect with my irons.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

For those of you trying to break 100 and have the time to practice once a week or get to the course one hour before your tee time. If you can follow this practice routine your scores will drop in a hurry. Even if this means you have to drive farther or pay a few dollars more to practice at a range that has a good short game area.

1hr spent like this.

15 min putting (choose different breaks distances etc. hitting the same putt over and over is worthless, put yourself in a real situation IE: Play one ball that you must two putt from 35 feet etc.

20 min short game.(Again vary your shots bump & run pitch etc get to know what shots you have and most importantly are comfortable with)

25 min actual range play Work from wedge up and back down again picking a target and having a shot in mind for every ball you hit. Just randomly beating golf balls does zero for your game.

[bortass]

I just got back from the lesson an hour ago. It went pretty well. My wife and I took it together, which worked pretty well. He'd work with one of us on something and then while we'd practice it he'd switch to the other. We mostly went through the same things though. He started with grip and got us holding the club down in our fingers. Then we spent some time on stance, I found out that my feet were too far apart which limited my rotation. After that we spent the rest of the time working on the swing. One thing that really helped was breaking it down into segments, going from 6 o'clock to 9, then to 11 then 9-6-3-1. Following the lesson we hit some balls and I really struggled to connect. I think because I was thinking about all the different aspects of my swing. I plan to practice without a ball as much as I can to try and get the swing into my muscle memory. I definately improved my swing speed today so once I start connecting again I'm sure the lesson will have paid off.

 

 

So he didn't reinvent your swing it sounds like.

 

I find that thinking about my swing is the kiss of death. Everything he went over with me I can do preshot pretty much. Even when I don't take a practice swing. I get in position and then just go. I can tell I had a good swing by the sound of contact and the fact that I don't feel/think anything until after I finish the swing. A bad swing I always feel something, or maybe I just think I do, that isn't quite right.

 

Keep practicing. I hope to hit the range tonight to work on things. I'll give it a few weeks before I setup another lesson. I want to try and get this down as much as I can and then have him look things over and see if there's another tweak.

[bortass]

Well the universe has corrected itself. The quest remains! Shot a 54 today.

 

Went to the range last night. It's the one I can hit woods and driver at. So I hit those clubs. My driver was 80% good. 4 good shots and then 1 not so good shot. The 7w was real good again. I'm building faith in that club. I still have iron/wedge problems. Hopefully I can work that this week, along with more short game work.

 

1 - 7w for 156. I thought I hit a real nice tee shot. I normally dub them early in the round. The problem is I split two trees on the left of the fairway. Should be good except i find my ball against the base of the third tree. Had to take an unplayable. 2 chips/2putt 7.

 

2 - think I hit GW. I have no notes on the drive. The first was a worm burner into a hazard that fronts the entire tee box. I play a provisional and get that short of the green. 1 chip/2 putt 6. Wedge based tee shots are killing my par three scores. I gotta get this worked out.

 

3 - 7w 185 into the trees on the right. Nice straight shot too. I take the safe chip out. I had a legit up and down attempt and blew it. The approach shot was pin high in a bunker. It took 2 to get out and a 2 putt for 8. I'm not too bummed about this hole. An 8 on a par 5 is real good for me. I lost 2 strokes, 1 in the trees and 1 in the bunker. So I had the potential of bogeying the hole. vast improvement over the 12s and 13s.

 

4- 8i for 122. No idea how I did this. I left it short and in the right rough. I bone the pitch, so no up n down. Chip on and 2 putt for 5.

 

5 - 7w for 179. I hooked this shot around the edge of a pond. The ball rolled down the bank a bit. So another unplayable. My approach shot is a bit wide right in the long grass. I do ship on and then 3 putt for 7.

 

6 - sw for 131. I'm sorry but I shouldn't be hitting a 56* sw 131 yards on a 110 yard par 3. I caught the ball a bit thin off the tee so it was a low arcing shot that hit and rolled a bit. I pull some magic out though and chip on and 1 putt for par.

 

7 - 7w 184, just in the long grass on the left edge. Sitting real good. My approach shot is straight left but pin high in the wet long grass. I 3 chip! and 1 putt for 6. I have trouble chipping from long grass and my balls been there alot this round. I gotta practice this....

 

8- 7w 171 in the middle of the fairway. Mess up the approach shot and I'm about 100 yards out in the fairway. Pitch goes left and I'm in the log grass almost pin high. Chip on and 3 putt. I blew the first putt past the hole. Sightly downhill and I missed the cup by a few inches.

 

9 - I decided to use driver off the tee. It was very impressive, 200 yards. Might as well stick to my 7w since it'll go around 190. My approach shot is left and I mess up the pitch. I did get on the green though and 2 putt for 5.

 

Time to go to the dentist. I'll add some more analysis later.

[bortass]

Now to try and break this down a bit more.

 

Tee shots Par 4/5 - These have improved alot since I first started this topic. I'm getting much better contact and I'm putting them in play more. Today I had 2 penalty strokes because of tee shots. The first I made good contact and had a good flight pattern. I just happened to find one of the three trees marking the corner of the dogleg. The other one I hooked and it rolled into the margin of a pond. I am starting to shorten holes with my drives though.

 

Tee shots Par 3 - I suck at these. I seem to catch them thin with my wedges. So I either get a worm burner into trouble, 2 of the 3 par threes have hazards between tee and green, or I launch it past the green. No way should I be hitting a SW or GW 130+ yards. I had 1 par 3 with a back tee today. Around 150 so i used my 8i. I skyed that ball 122 yards and right. Go figure. I feel like this is an area that requires some work.

 

Long range approach shots ie over 130 yards: A bit of a mixed bag. I'm not getting into trouble with these but I don't always get good contact. My mishits are leaving me with playable 3rd shots for the most part. I'm not gonna worry about this right now.

 

Short game: Needs work. I had 11 chips today. There should be at most 1 chip per hole. That 3 chip from the long grass was embarrassing. My touch is also off, so I'm not leaving myself easy putts. I can probably save 3 strokes over 9 by focusing on this. I had been getting the ball fairly close but not this week

Pitchs have been eh... as well. I haven't been working on them too much though. No excuse though, I gotta focus on these a bit more.

 

Putting is ok: 18 today with 2 3 jacks. I'm getting my speed right on lag putts but aim is off. My three putts were from sending the ball past the hole on shorter putts ie 8 - 12 foot range. I did some putting before the round and a couple nights ago and things were off.

 

One funny thing I noticed. My 7w is normally a low penetrating shot. My driver seems to balloon. It gets high and then drops almost straight down with little roll. My 1 driver attempt today was shorter then last weeks 7w on the same hole by 1 yard. That does not seem right to me at all. Contact felt good with the driver and it was in the middle of the fairway. If I hit driver 200 or so and my 7w ranges from 175 - 201, why hit driver?

 

I may start using either my 3 or 5 w to tee off with. I'm getting real good results with the 7w, so I'm hoping to add some distance. I dunno how this will impact my scores as I get used to a different club but I think it would help my game grow.

[dludkin]

So he didn't reinvent your swing it sounds like.

 

I find that thinking about my swing is the kiss of death. Everything he went over with me I can do preshot pretty much. Even when I don't take a practice swing. I get in position and then just go. I can tell I had a good swing by the sound of contact and the fact that I don't feel/think anything until after I finish the swing. A bad swing I always feel something, or maybe I just think I do, that isn't quite right.

 

Keep practicing. I hope to hit the range tonight to work on things. I'll give it a few weeks before I setup another lesson. I want to try and get this down as much as I can and then have him look things over and see if there's another tweak.

 

I know what you mean, right after the lesson when I was thinking about it I couldn't hit the ball. I played a couple days ago and the new swing came much more naturally, still nowhere near perfect, but I'm connecting again. My drives have much improved.

[bortass]

Today confirmed that I don't handle pressure on the course well. I thought I'd walk 9 solo today. I had to go off the back and I'm not a fan of the back 9 at this one. I think it's close to 3300 yards while the place I've been playing regularly is only 2650.

 

There was a foursome coming up behind me on the 10th hole, ie the first hole of the round. I rushed my shot and dubbed it left 5 yards into the trees. I asked if they wanted to go ahead of me but they declined. I reteed and hit a good one in the fairway. But I couldn't find the damn ball. There was a guy mowing the fairway, so I dropped a ball(yes i know I broke the rules). He shut down his mower for me to hit and I dubbed that shot. I met him again on the next hole. I got another nice tee shot off and found this one in the fairway. he shuts off the mowere and I dub that shot. I get to the 18th last hole par 5 and run into another guy mowing, he shuts down and we chatted a sec. ie he told me aim for the greenside bunker and swing away, no way I'd reach it. It was 300 yards out. And I dub that shot and the next one.

 

Sigh. I just felt the pressure of people waiting on me and I choked. My good round last week I didn't feel any pressure even though I was doing great(for me). Funny how that is.

 

I'm not gonna run through todays round. It was bad, with a 66. I 2 putted when my chip ended 18 inches from the cup. I ended the round with 19 putts and I had 4 penalty strokes. I also had an 8 on a par 3. First shot into water and second into the trees. I then see a drop zone. By that time I'd had it so I played my tree ball. I had the right shot idea but didn't execute. I would have used the drop zone after the pond ball. Oh, the other par three my tee shot went maybe 3 yards onto the red tees. I really dislike par 3s and I used to like them years ago. But they are death now!

 

I did get on in 3 and 2 putted a par 4 for bogey, that was the highlight.

 

The extra distance at this course will pose a problem for my game. 2 good 7w will still put me short of some of the par 4 greens. I did use my 3w off the tee, as well as driver. By the time I tried them, I was frustrated and it showed. Still my woods are the clubs I feel the most comfortable with.

 

I would have been better served just staying on the range and practice green for the 2 hours. I just did not have fun. I used to play solo alot, twilight a couple years ago, so it's not that. Just a hot day and I wasn't dressed for it, left work early to play on a whim, plus I felt rushed and played like crap. I didn't even keep good stats for the round. Kind of hard when you lose a fairway ball on the first hole. I gotta stop whining and suck it up:)

[Chairman7w]

I think you could shave a lot more than 3 strokes off your game by working on your chipping. Even just making it on to the green with the first chip would help you a lot. Make sure you use the flattest iron you can to get it rolling quickly. The higher the loft, the lower the margin for error.

 

If you're just off the green and have plenty of green between you and the ball, just use a 7 or 8 iron, and let it roll on up to the hole. Trying to get finessy with a sandwedge when you have a lot of green to roll it up with is a recipe for needless headaches.

 

Good luck!

[joekloo]

bort buddy,

 

Playing from the 3300 yard tees was asking a lot, especially if you are still teeing off with the 7w. On a day like that if you want to play from tees that far (or have no other choice) you should forget the scorecard, it will only bring you down. Instead treat that round like a practice round, practice those shots you cant simulate on the practice range well like the tee box with trees on it, or the 80 yard shot to an elavated green with the ball way above or below your feet.

 

I like to hit a couple of balls in those situations, I keep my speed up by not putting out or just picking up and moving my ball to a spot where I need practice then hit a couple of shots from there.

 

Keep up the good work and enjoy the game. Joe

[bortass]

bort buddy,

 

Playing from the 3300 yard tees was asking a lot, especially if you are still teeing off with the 7w. On a day like that if you want to play from tees that far (or have no other choice) you should forget the scorecard, it will only bring you down. Instead treat that round like a practice round, practice those shots you cant simulate on the practice range well like the tee box with trees on it, or the 80 yard shot to an elavated green with the ball way above or below your feet.

 

I like to hit a couple of balls in those situations, I keep my speed up by not putting out or just picking up and moving my ball to a spot where I need practice then hit a couple of shots from there.

 

Keep up the good work and enjoy the game. Joe

 

I knew the course was longer then the one i have been playing but didn't know the yardage until after the round. The back nine start and end with par 5s and there are a number of 400 yard par 4s. I was playing the whites, which is what I'm used to playing.

 

I'm almost looking forward to playing that 9 again sometime and using driver/3w off the tee. The last time I played this back 9 was 3 or 4 years ago. I got pretty close to the green with 2 3w shots. The tee is elevated probably a good 20 yards and the fairway is wide open once you clear the tee boxes. The course was much dryer that time too though. The drainage on this course really bites. So I was getting no roll.

 

The start of the round got me in the wrong frame of mind and the mishits just snowballed it. Lol.

 

I did work on my chipping and pitching in the yard a little yesterday. Only 15 - 20 minutes but I made some progress.

[JamesFoote]

I've been following this thread a fair bit and i just have to say, it sounds like you have improved out of sight!

I'll be Mr. Obvious here and say that just because you shot that 46 doesn't mean that all of a sudden it'll happen every round. I'm sure if you keep having the lessons and working hard on your putting and short game that everything will fall in place.

 

I will continue to follow you're adventure closely. It's so good seeing people so determined to improve their game, and it gives someone like myself such a boost and inspires me to work on my game too.

 

Keep up the great work!

[bortass]

I've been following this thread a fair bit and i just have to say, it sounds like you have improved out of sight!

I'll be Mr. Obvious here and say that just because you shot that 46 doesn't mean that all of a sudden it'll happen every round. I'm sure if you keep having the lessons and working hard on your putting and short game that everything will fall in place.

 

I will continue to follow you're adventure closely. It's so good seeing people so determined to improve their game, and it gives someone like myself such a boost and inspires me to work on my game too.

 

Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the kind words.

 

I don't expect to shoot a 46 again anytime soon per se. I see it as a glimpse of potential though. I have finally birdied a par 4. This opens up a new level of what could happen on any hole.

 

This thread, aka log, is something that's kinda common on weight loss sites. It helps me run through some analysis as I enter stuff. It also helps capture anything that a score won't show, like why I shot a 12 on that par 5. I highly recommend anyone with a goal in mind to try it out.

 

I definately feel that parts of my game have improved alot, namely my woods. A coworker, who I've golfed with off and on for 6 years, commented how impressed he was with my ball flight after that lesson. My shots are much straighter now.

 

I just wish the weather and things would cooperate more, so I could practice more. My son was supposed to go to a day camp for the summer, so I'd have time to hit the range after work, but he didn't like it so that fell through and daily Tstorms don't help either.

[bortass]

I hit the range on the way home from work. It was interesting in a good way. I focused mostly on my wedges with a few 7i and 5i mixed in. Full shots, partial shots, pitches, etc. I hit alot more good shots then bad by quite a margin. I was very pleasntly surprised.

 

I even started playing around with using the bounce on my SW to see what would happen with the ball flight. It was nice to be able to play around with shots instead of just focusing on the basics.

 

The 60* lob wedge even came out of the trunk. I dunno if it'll go in the bag though. I'd have to remove the 4i which I never use. I just remember the advice I've gotten elsewhere on avoiding the lob web.

 

 

Hopefully it'll transfer to the course the next time I play.

 

I setup my next lesson for Wednesday morning. The original plan was to go over teed wedge shots since par 3s are bad holes for me. Today's range session may have changed that a bit. I'd like to learn how to hit bump and run and punch shots. I'll see what the pro thinks about that. i don't want to start going off on a tangent if he still sees some stuff that needs work for the full swing.

[bortass]

So I'm kind of embarrassed to write(type) this post.

 

I played the front 9 last night solo. Length is 3000 yards. I figured that I'd use it as a practice round. I shot a questionable 63. I say questionable, since I didn't follow the RoG. I lost a couple tee shots and just dropped a ball. I gotta learn to hit provisionals.

 

I tried my driver off of 2 tee boxes, 1 I dubbed 3 yards and the other I sliced into the great unknown.

 

I hit 3w off 1 tee box and sliced that into the trees but it was semi playable.

 

I hit 3w off the deck on after the dubbed driver and sliced that into the other fairway.

 

I hit 5w off 1 tee box and all I know is it went right. It didn't slice but i never found it.

 

My 7w off the tee is still money(for me). I used it 3 times and got the ball out in the short grass each time around 180 yards.

 

I estimate I lost 7 - 8 strokes because of the bad tee shots. I really think it's possibly higher because of where you are playing those shots from. This is a good lesson for me. I'm better off just using my 7w until I can get the others down, if I want to try to shoot low. I did go out there to experiment with using other clubs off the tee, so the higher score isn't a surprise and i'm not upset like I was when I played the back 9 the other day.

 

Now here is where I must confess.

 

I finally tried to get some club yardages yesterday. I used my 5i off a real low tee. I was doing this on a ball field in a spot with dead grass. I didn't want to chew up the turf plus it's first cut of rough length, not fairway length grass. I hit my 5i 150 yards, it seems. This may make sense if I hit my 7w 180.

 

What this means is I'm alot shorter then I thought. For some reason I thought I hit my 5i in the 180ish range and that my PW was 130, assumming 10 yard gaps. I never had a GPS before and thought I hit those yardages. All I can say is the GPS doesn't lie. I ignored the dubbed shots and I had a cluster of shots at 148 - 151. This was a slap in the face and my false sense of being a good hitter, distance wise, went bye bye.

 

Oh, this may tie it to what I've seen on the range as well and just never realized it.

 

I need to continue this process to get my yardages down. I also have to do the 5i again a couple times. My sample only had 10 good shots but they were real consistant. This could really turn part of my game on it's ear. I seem to be seriously under clubbing. I wonder if that explains some of my issues with missed shots.

 

Now, my swing is different now. It's alot slower tempo wise and I don't try to swing hard, just nice and easy.

[bortass]

Another interesting lesson today. Todays mission was my backswing and release. I've been bringing the club head inside my hands on the backswing. He had me bring back straighter along the target line and up. The drill we did used a club shaft stuck in the ground. The takeaway is on the outside of the shaft and the downswing is inside the shaft. He also had me shift my ball position forward a bit. One of the goals he had was to get me to get the ball in the air more. I explained my par 3 woes.

 

One of the interesting things is what I heard a number of times throughout the lesson. That magical click of solid contact with the ball. I was starting to get some good distance on my shots. maybe I should redo my 5i distances because I don't remember that clicking sound.

 

Today's changes will probably take longer to ingrain. The previous lesson was mostly grip and relaxing my arms. I find that easy to pickup and remember. I am looking forward to working on this more. Not sure if I can work on it tonight though. I went through almost 2 large buckets of balls during my lesson and my shoulders are a bit sore.

 

There was a nice glimmer in last nights round that I didn't mention. The 9th hole is a par 5 dogleg right. It's not super long, tee to green is 366 yards but good luck cutting the corner. The trees are very mature and thick and trees line the tee box as well. I think the best i've ever done on this hole was an 8. This is a hole that I historically always play poorly and I've played it alot.

 

Tee shot was 7 w about 169. It's uphill and my tee shot rolled back to me a bit. The ball is sitting below my feet and I pull my 3w. I do good with the ball below my feet for some reason. I cracked off a nice straight 209 3w from the fairway. My ball is around 40 yards off the green in the fairway. I have an eagle pitch! Well the pitch was just a bit short of pin high and left into a sand trap. I would have been on the green if my aim was better. There's no real lip to the bunker, so I chip out of it. The ball gets within 2 feet of the cup. I pull the flag and I'm standing over a real short par putt on a personal demon hole. I hit it just a bit too hard and it lips out, so I ended with a 6.

 

Fun fun. I can't wait to play or practice again!

[Kreth]

bortass, I've been playing about as long as you. Personal bests are 43/92 for 9 and 18, but I'm still not breaking 100 consistently. The best tip I found for hitting irons and wedges straight was to pick a spot on my target line just a few inches in front of my ball (leaf, flower, bare patch), and then watch my clubhead through that spot on the swing.

I just go out every time with a goal of playing to my handicap or lower.

Good luck, I'm right there with you... :rolleyes:

[dludkin]

I love this thread; it's like an AA meeting. Except that we're trying to improve our golf score, not kick a destructive, possibly life-ruining habit.* Either way I appreciate all the 'sponsors' keeping our chins up.

 

I'd imagine golf HAS ruined a few lives... I bet it's been the bane of a few marriages (hmmm, interesting thread idea).

[klyde]

I love this thread; it's like an AA meeting. Except that we're trying to improve our golf score, not kick a destructive, possibly life-ruining habit.* Either way I appreciate all the 'sponsors' keeping our chins up.

 

I'd imagine golf HAS ruined a few lives... I bet it's been the bane of a few marriages (hmmm, interesting thread idea).

 

 

I like the avatar, dludkin. I'm a Brand New fan myself. This is a good thread. I'm under a similar struggle to break 90 (less than 45 for 9 would also make me smile). I find a great deal of joy in reading other's frustration as it reminds me I'm not the only one obsessing over this silly game. Came really close today, but had a ridiculous blow-up hole that screwed me.

 

Keep it up, Bordass.