The Golf Thread 2009

[riverc0il]

I completely lost my swing earlier this summer after trying to change too many different things. Two weeks ago, I actually walked off a par 3 course on the 7th hole because I was playing so terribly. Decided to take a week or two off which was a good idea.

I tried going back to basics. After a short range session, I figured out two things. The first is that in an effort to swing more on an in-to-in path (which I had some great results with earlier this summer including hitting many draws), my swing plane had gotten way too flat which was throwing me off balance and leading to some wild miss swings. So I got my swing plane more up right which instantly helped but reintroduced a slight slice if I am not careful. Also, got my hands a little more forward at address.

Hit a new course to me and played the back nine on Sunday. The course recently expanded from a nine hole course with some "practice holes" to a full 18. Which I knew they were doing but I did not realize they were done yet. So I played the original nine which is now the back nine apparently.

Scored a 63 counting all the penalties from lost balls and drops But the heck with that, I was having a good time. By the fourth hole, I had found my swing and was ripping tee shots as straight and far as I ever have. Many of my tee shots were perfectly dead straight and jaw dropping to watch. My short game completely failed me with a few three putts and a four putt on a par three after having nailed the green from the tee.

That said, even though I found my iron shots, I still don't have a wood or driver playable yet without wild results and hybrids are inconsistent so I am still handicapped with my 7I being the longest club in my bag. If I were to go by the yardage markers, I had some 170-190 tee shots with that 7I. Which is to say, the yardage markers were probably wrong as I can't imagine doing much better than 175 with a 7I even on a good shot.

Best thing was I went from hating the game to loving it again. :lol:

 

[drjeff]

I completely lost my swing earlier this summer after trying to change too many different things. Two weeks ago, I actually walked off a par 3 course on the 7th hole because I was playing so terribly. Decided to take a week or two off which was a good idea.

I tried going back to basics. After a short range session, I figured out two things. The first is that in an effort to swing more on an in-to-in path (which I had some great results with earlier this summer including hitting many draws), my swing plane had gotten way too flat which was throwing me off balance and leading to some wild miss swings. So I got my swing plane more up right which instantly helped but reintroduced a slight slice if I am not careful. Also, got my hands a little more forward at address.

Hit a new course to me and played the back nine on Sunday. The course recently expanded from a nine hole course with some "practice holes" to a full 18. Which I knew they were doing but I did not realize they were done yet. So I played the original nine which is now the back nine apparently.

Scored a 63 counting all the penalties from lost balls and drops But the heck with that, I was having a good time. By the fourth hole, I had found my swing and was ripping tee shots as straight and far as I ever have. Many of my tee shots were perfectly dead straight and jaw dropping to watch. My short game completely failed me with a few three putts and a four putt on a par three after having nailed the green from the tee.

That said, even though I found my iron shots, I still don't have a wood or driver playable yet without wild results and hybrids are inconsistent so I am still handicapped with my 7I being the longest club in my bag. If I were to go by the yardage markers, I had some 170-190 tee shots with that 7I. Which is to say, the yardage markers were probably wrong as I can't imagine doing much better than 175 with a 7I even on a good shot.

Best thing was I went from hating the game to loving it again. :lol:

Riv, glad to hear that it's fun again, as I know all too well how one's brain can be the biggest hinderence when it comes to his game

What I've learned over the years, is even if I'm trying to work on a handfull of things with respect to swing planes, stance, grip, etc is that if at address of the ball if I can think of just 1 of those things and only 1 thing and then just let the swing take over that I'll tend to hit the ball a lot better than if I'm trying to think of multiple swing thoughts at once.

I know I've posted about this in golf thread before, but it's been scientifically shown that "better" golfers have less brain activity during the swing.

I can't find the exact reserach article right now, but just ignore the sales pitch mumbo jumbo on this link which summarizes this

http://www.ultimatesuccesscds.com/newsletters/The_Golfers_Brain.pdf

There are sometimes when the old addage "just hit the damn ball" is really the best advice that one can adhere to!

 

[Trekchick]

Glad you got some Grins Riverc0il.

I think the reason I continue to play even when I suck is because I've mistaken it for a game.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Doc jeff is on target i also just focus on 1 thing as i address the shot .No tension and a clear mind seems to be my best strategy. Too much thinking while trying to execute in many sports will tense one up and mess up results.

 

[riverc0il]

A 44 tonight at the local par 3 which is amongst my best scores for this course. Okay okay, I took two mulligans off the tee so that score doesn't count for much. Though considering out of that 44 I took 24 putts and TWENTY chips or pitches, I may have scored better had I not taken the mulligans :lol:

Tonight felt really good off the tee (especially after the two mulligans). I nailed some of my best shots with certain irons today. Though I only hit two greens. My swing is almost "there". I just need to groove the repeatability and consistency factors into my swing know that I know how to make some magic happen. A more upright swing plane combined with a more forward hands position at address and that forward press have just worked wonders on my iron play.

Now that my swing is finally coming together, it shows that I have not been practicing my short game. The short game used to save me but now it is clearly hurting and it shows on a par 3 course more than on a standard course where shorter holes and a good shot following a bad shot can still get you in position for at least a par or bogey at worst.

But tonight I was enjoying it because I was adjusting my putting stroke. I tried delofting the putter and using a slight forward press with mixed results. It felt like a more natural swing instead of the stop-motion so I may try to work on it more.

Any ways, I am feeling pretty good tonight and can't wait until my next round

 

[Trekchick]

Nice that you got out there again.
You hit a huge issue with my game. I can putt well or hit well, or chip well, but it seems that the sum of doing all of those well at the same time never comes together.

My only hope with my golf game is to suck at a higher level
I hope I can hit a 44 this year...

 

[drjeff]

A 44 tonight at the local par 3 which is amongst my best scores for this course. Okay okay, I took two mulligans off the tee so that score doesn't count for much. Though considering out of that 44 I took 24 putts and TWENTY chips or pitches, I may have scored better had I not taken the mulligans :lol:

Tonight felt really good off the tee (especially after the two mulligans). I nailed some of my best shots with certain irons today. Though I only hit two greens. My swing is almost "there". I just need to groove the repeatability and consistency factors into my swing know that I know how to make some magic happen. A more upright swing plane combined with a more forward hands position at address and that forward press have just worked wonders on my iron play.

Now that my swing is finally coming together, it shows that I have not been practicing my short game. The short game used to save me but now it is clearly hurting and it shows on a par 3 course more than on a standard course where shorter holes and a good shot following a bad shot can still get you in position for at least a par or bogey at worst.

But tonight I was enjoying it because I was adjusting my putting stroke. I tried delofting the putter and using a slight forward press with mixed results. It felt like a more natural swing instead of the stop-motion so I may try to work on it more.

Any ways, I am feeling pretty good tonight and can't wait until my next round

Sounds like a really solid round tee to green there Riv! Especially after your last update where the swing had seemed to have left you momentarily.

Also sounds like you're learning the practice paradigm. Lots of fun to hit the range and swing the big clubs and hit the long ball, not so much fun to chip and putt, HOWEVER that same 1" tap in putt ultimately counts the same on the card as that perfectly flushed big drive right down the middle.

There's a definate reason why most pro's spend atleast 2/3rds of their practice time on their game from 100 yards on in

 

[Warp Daddy]

Very nice round steve !!!!!!! Yep the big sticks are fun but i spend WAT more time practicing the short game ---------------that's where you can really improve . Developing a touch inside 100 yds with multiple clubs can really impact your score .

Keep swinging ---------------i miss it but can't do much about it this season dammit ---------maybe very late in the season when thet give me a green lite

 

[campgottagopee]

Riv, glad to hear that it's fun again, as I know all too well how one's brain can be the biggest hinderence when it comes to his game

What I've learned over the years, is even if I'm trying to work on a handfull of things with respect to swing planes, stance, grip, etc is that if at address of the ball if I can think of just 1 of those things and only 1 thing and then just let the swing take over that I'll tend to hit the ball a lot better than if I'm trying to think of multiple swing thoughts at once.

I know I've posted about this in golf thread before, but it's been scientifically shown that "better" golfers have less brain activity during the swing.

I can't find the exact reserach article right now, but just ignore the sales pitch mumbo jumbo on this link which summarizes this

http://www.ultimatesuccesscds.com/newsletters/The_Golfers_Brain.pdf

There are sometimes when the old addage "just hit the damn ball" is really the best advice that one can adhere to!

How true Doc---

Beer, beer and more beer then hit it, go find it and hit it again.

 

[mattchuck2]

A 44 tonight at the local par 3 which is amongst my best scores for this course. Okay okay, I took two mulligans off the tee so that score doesn't count for much. Though considering out of that 44 I took 24 putts and TWENTY chips or pitches,

24 Putts + 20 chips = 44

Did you play a pitch and putt?

 

[riverc0il]

24 Putts + 20 chips = 44

Did you play a pitch and putt?

Oops, forgot a part of the math..... minus 9 tee shots for 11 pitches and chips. Since I hit two greens, that essentially means I didn't connect with the green until my third shot on four occasions (I think five actually because I putted once from the fringe.

 

[riverc0il]

I hope I can hit a 44 this year...

It is a lot easier to do on a par 3 than on a regular course... :lol:

 

[riverc0il]

Man, I can not resist adding some detail about my most recent game. Halfway around the course, I started getting close to a group of three playing slow. By hole 6, I was waiting for them to clear the green and I reached the tee for hole 7 before they were done teeing off. I walked down to hole 9 and played out of order then came back and teed off on 7 right as they were clearing the green.

I got to the 8th tee before they were done teeing off and they were spraying the balls all over. I was going to ask to play with them on that hole but before I could ask, they invited me to play through (very nice of them to offer).

I usually get a little nervous when playing through as I am inconsistent and don't want to duff a tee shot or wildly slice it when being invited to play through. I stepped up to the ball, took a great practice swing, and then let rip a sensational shot high straight and far and right on the green. It felt REALLY good not just to hit such a perfect shot to a small green but to have had the confidence to play through a group without nerves causing any problems.

Fixing pitch marks on the green is freaking sweat!!!

 

[drjeff]

Fixing pitch marks on the green is freaking sweat!!!

+1!!! (Even if there not yours but exceptionally sweet when they are!)

 

[drjeff]

Round of the year (so far) today!! Shot 75 at the home course, including a match of my 30 years career high of 5 BIRDIES out there!!! (also had 2 doubles and 4 bogeys). The 75 also included 3 lipouts/spinouts where each time the ball caught the lip and ended up coming right back at me. Drove it very well all day, hit generally very solid (and well placed irons all day), got it up and down most of the time all day, and once again my putting of this year benefited from FRESHLY aerated greens (granted my course uses a "micro aerator" where the plugs it takes are only 3/16") Overall I hit 7 fairways, 12 greens, 32 putts.

The funny/best thing was though I was playing with my business partner today and he was most of the day long making some of the funniest/most ridiculous pars that you can imagine (think drive 2 fairways over, scull the next one, get a bounce off a tree onto the green for the 3rd and then drain a 40 footer to save par!!) Watching his repeated antics for much of the round likely kept my brain from really paying attention to how I well I was scoring. Quite a fun afternoon on the course

 

[Warp Daddy]

Round of the year (so far) today!! Shot 75 at the home course, including a match of my 30 years career high of 5 BIRDIES out there!!! (also had 2 doubles and 4 bogeys). The 75 also included 3 lipouts/spinouts where each time the ball caught the lip and ended up coming right back at me. Drove it very well all day, hit generally very solid (and well placed irons all day), got it up and down most of the time all day, and once again my putting of this year benefited from FRESHLY aerated greens (granted my course uses a "micro aerator" where the plugs it takes are only 3/16") Overall I hit 7 fairways, 12 greens, 32 putts.

The funny/best thing was though I was playing with my business partner today and he was most of the day long making some of the funniest/most ridiculous pars that you can imagine (think drive 2 fairways over, scull the next one, get a bounce off a tree onto the green for the 3rd and then drain a 40 footer to save par!!) Watching his repeated antics for much of the round likely kept my brain from really paying attention to how I well I was scoring. Quite a fun afternoon on the course

SUPER round doc !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had a feeling that u were going to card a pretty good score when u spoke about going out . Looks like your short game was SMOKIN today . 5 BIRDS 32 putts over 18 --PRICELESS , Your partner's ZANY round must have provided the comic relief to really relax you and keep you loose

 

[drjeff]

SUPER round doc !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had a feeling that u were going to card a pretty good score when u spoke about going out . Looks like your short game was SMOKIN today . 5 BIRDS 32 putts over 18 --PRICELESS , Your partner's ZANY round must have provided the comic relief to really relax you and keep you loose

Thanks Warp (I figured that I should knock a bird or two inf for you in your Doc imposed lay-off time ) Spent a good deal of this evening at a fundraiser for my local congressman just laughing with my business partner about his totally random, pull it out off the a$$, round yesterday! Still was LOL funny 24 hrs later!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Tiger Woods is 5 shots back but he has 15 holes to play TV coverage on CBS..I'm thinking a playoff is very likely..unless Tiger Woods gets on a roll..Go Tiger!!!

Bogey for tiger woods followed by a birdie...you can do it..

 

[Mapnut]

..I'm thinking a playoff is very likely..
.

You got that right even though there wasn't a playoff. If Heath Slocum hadn't made a 20-foot putt on the 18th, there would have been a 5-way playoff. Don't think I've ever seen one of those.

 

[riverc0il]

Unbelievably great day on the golf course today. Just Wow! Scraped a bunch of plans and ended up at the neighboring White Mountain Country Club, a course for which I don't really care much. But I wanted to stay local and could do 18 with a cart for $30, so game on (I think this was only my second time paying for a cart since I started playing).

Shot a 52 on the front. 52! Gah!!! So close to breaking 50 on the front. I could taste it! But on hole nine, I put a ball in the water and then missed a putt. I played solid double boogie golf with one boogie, one par, but an unfortunate snowman on a par 5 due to screwing up two approach shots. I had this one, I really did. I felt great even after screwing up because I knew I had it, I knew I could do it.

Shot 57 on the back and started out hot with three boogies in a row!! Then a snowman on a blow up hole and later an ugly nine plus a triple boogie on a par 4. If it had just been one or two holes, I had a chance for breaking 50 on the back nine as well.

So a total of 109 which is my lowest 18 hole score to date (not that I usually play 18 ). Bear in my that I played with my longest club being a 7 iron (165 yards on that club). I need to replace my broken 6 Iron and pick up a 5 iron. I have a 5H but it has long since failed me. Maybe some range time, perhaps. My short game totally did me in. My average putts was about 2 (no big deal) but I screwed up so many approach shots, it was laughable.

A year and a half after taking up this game, I feel like I can finally play at a competent level. Sure, I only hit 165 off the tee, but that means I can still get the ball to the green in regulation for par fours that are 330-350 or less depending on size of the green. And for 500 yard par 5s, I can make GIR. I am getting much better at breaking the course into small digestible chunks instead of looking at the pin from the tee and thinking "I can't possibly make boogie, let alone par, without a longer drive from the tee." Instead I think "if I hit my 7I well, I can make at least boogie and have a chance to make a GIR. Great feeling!