Golf Thread

[booyaka]

Terrible round on Saturday. I'm a (fairly) newish golfer with a 40 hcp and whilst I had some amazing shots, sadly inconsistency got the best of me this weekend. Think i'll play a couple of evenings this week and work on pitching & driving (main weakpoints of my game)

Just get out and enjoy it for now - Don't stress the bad shots...

Set yourself a few small targets like breaking 50/55 over 9 holes....

Also highly recommend a few lessons with a local pro - will set you up with a good grip, decent alignment and you can go from there.

 

[-westy-]

Had a lesson yesterday - been suffering with a bad miss with my irons lately, so wanted to learn "best practice". Spent roughly an hour hitting 8 irons, working on turning my body through the shot and aiming to reduce the flick back/up I'd been doing for so long. Turns out I was hunched over the ball quite a lot, so got me standing waaay closer and standing taller - which felt like a lot! But I could feel it starting to work, when I fit it well the ball flight was a lot better. Once it's more in my muscle memory I can see myself gaining some distance as well. The pro commented that there's no way my driver can go 300 yards but my 7 iron only goes ~170.

Followed up with 9 holes, went well - the few mid irons that I hit, felt strange to be standing over, only 1 mis-strike, but overall went well. The journey to single digits continues

 

[Bill Turnip]

@shredgodxp I can't echo the advice from @booyaka enough - A few lessons will give you so much enjoyment in the long run. I was (still am) a terrible golfer, but now I at least know how to swing at and strike a ball it's a much more fun game.

Slowly, over time, the good shots start to outweigh the bad.

 

[stephenb]

Followed up with 9 holes, went well - the few mid irons that I hit, felt strange to be standing over, only 1 mis-strike, but overall went well. The journey to single digits continues

Speaking of single digits does anyone watch Golf Life? Will be interesting to see how they get on, although they need to start with getting an official handicap. I suspect it will be very difficult for them as with all the filming they must do time for practice is going to be limited.

 

[Quinnaay]

Speaking of single digits does anyone watch Golf Life? Will be interesting to see how they get on, although they need to start with getting an official handicap. I suspect it will be very difficult for them as with all the filming they must do time for practice is going to be limited.

I watch them a lot, love there stuff however tubes in particular is going to need a lot of big swing changes in such a short space of time and I’d guess it’s too much to chew. I remember when he had the lesson with Claude Harmon and soon went back to his old ways.

 

[booyaka]

Speaking of single digits does anyone watch Golf Life? Will be interesting to see how they get on, although they need to start with getting an official handicap. I suspect it will be very difficult for them as with all the filming they must do time for practice is going to be limited.

I thought they did get handicaps a while ago.... Pretty sure I saw a video....

I don't mind them, videos are a bit of fun, but some of the "antics" can be a bit over the top....

 

[SKILL]

Agee about the Golf Life channel/people, some good stuff but not really my thing... Got plenty to watch with Luke Kwon, GG, Peter Finch etc anyway

Went to the range yesterday (and booked another lesson for next week) and had a good session, my path still sucks but was getting the face closed nicely which ends up in a massive pull because of the path, but also ends up long. Hit an 8 iron with 140 yards carry according to the r10 which is longer than I usually expect to hit them... Hopefully in the lesson get some drills on maybe fixing the path now, feels like it's time.

Out today for a round as my mate can't make Friday for the usual game, and decided to enter the weekly comp. Started ok but had a blow up on the 4th hole, then on the 6th I made a rookie mistake, after 2 putts I was basically gimme range, like 6 inches, but it's a comp so no gimmes obviously (I know we shouldn't but we do often do gimmes 'normally') but instead of setting up properly to tap it in I go to hit it with the back of the club to tap it in only to miss. 4 putt 7 for a second no score in 6 holes.

Front 9 was a 48 for 17 points.

Back 9 though, on point. 3 pars and 6 bogies, 41 gross for 24 points.

41 points overall, proper bandit territory

Also should be my best ever score on that course with an 89 (the blowup hole should be an 8 I think, par 4 with 2 shots), previous best was a 93.

Also got caught out a few times with my irons, think that closed face from the range practice/drills was sneaking into my normal swing a bit and getting 10+ yards longer than I expect with a pull, not complaining too much but definitely caught me out.

 

[stephenb]

For your entertainment

Filmed at the range earlier this evening. Swing path still massively out to in, would be interesting to compare with driver given how straight I've been hitting it recently. Plus points are less head movement, not dipping down as before, and position at the top of back swing okish? Still not getting my hips cleared, hands were clipping my training aid. Still they were centered strikes and I'd take that all day long out on the course

 

[ArcticHeron]

It's certainly not bad! Top position is grand but how you get there looks a touch off, might be picking the club up a bit at the start of the backswing but it's tough to tell at that angle. You've got A LOT of vertical drop on the downswing but it looks like you save it just before impact by using the ground properly.

As you say, you're definitely not clearing your hips properly but your lead arm looks pretty straight which means you're not flipping at impact so that's probably saving you form a few errant flights. Just need to focus on getting that lead hip up and back before impact

 

[booyaka]

@stephenb - I ain't no expert.. so take from this what you wish!!

You look fairly tall to me - you look like your standing a little too close to the ball and "hunching" over it a little bit.... I would edge an inch or two further back and slightly lower the hands, which should in turn flatten out swing path, which should promote a less steep path, less out to in....

I know my bad shots come from exactly this - too close, get too steep, and not enough room for my hands to come through and thus I come from the outside across the ball.

Try this drill next time at range.

https://golf.com/instruction/golf-drills-over-the-top/

Use a noodle or a plastic bottle etc - Good visual aid to swing "inside"

 

[Quinnaay]

Yeah I’m no expert either but takeaway looks steep as is the downswing probably not enough depth in back swing and I’m led to believe from previous lessons depth usually comes from rotation. I’m fairly sure your dipping down and shoulder plane is pointing directly at the ball aswell causing it to be steep, I used to have the complete opposite issue and was too flat.

 

[booyaka]

Decided to "stiffen" up the 3w.... Don't really hit it off the deck much as I hit 7w/hybrid better off the deck

3w is more a "bad driver day" club off the tee.

Installed a Ventus Red X-STIFF (6-x) in 3w... see how it goes.

Will give a whirl tonight.... Got a singles tie to play tonight and another on Monday night.

Also after net 67 at the weekend, I'm number 1 qualifier for handicap side of the Club Championships at the moment with a round to go. (best 2 of 3) - top 16 gross and top 16 net qualify for each part of the club champs.

 

[stephenb]

Thanks for the kind words everyone

@booyaka I think I'm your sort of height, 189cm/6ft 2", so tall by most peoples standards. Thanks for the drills, funnily enough I've done that first one with my driver numerous times but never thought to do it with my irons

 

[SKILL]

Got the next round of the singles knockouts sorted for tomorrow lunchtime, guy I'm playing I played against in the Winter Greensomes and he's pretty solid at a 15.2 handicap, good thing is I get 12 shots Good for me that is

So went out today for a lunchtime 9, partially cause I wanted to play and partially to just get a feel for that course again/greens etc. Had a pretty decent round, was trying stuff like took my driving iron I basically never hit and used that, trying different wedge/7-iron bump and run options in a couple of places, going aggressive with the driver etc

Annoyingly I was hitting driver better yesterday for sure, but on the plus side at my local course you kinda don't need a driver, there's one hole that's an easy driver choice and 2 others where driver can work but really the safer/better option is something shorter, so no big deal.

 

[Chabsy]

Thanks for the kind words everyone

@booyaka I think I'm your sort of height, 189cm/6ft 2", so tall by most peoples standards. Thanks for the drills, funnily enough I've done that first one with my driver numerous times but never thought to do it with my irons

I'm your height and I hit a lot of draws and hooks when I'm bad. I think seeing yourself will help you get the club inside. Padrick Harrington said he practised hitting a draw by playing loads of shots with the ball above his feet this could help you

 

[booyaka]

Won my tie at the 19th last night.

Good match - was 3up at the turn but lost 10/12/13 to be back even and a good battle from there.

In a very weird situation however - the stroke index's at our course have suddenly changed mid season.... Very weird. It's a local authority/council run course and they've suddenly decided to change the SI's without consulting any of the clubs....

So the very difficult 200 yard par 3 14th has gone from SI 5 to SI 17!!! And the very reachable par 5 15th has gone from SI13 to SI3 - all very odd

 

[booyaka]

USPGA - Stacked leaderboard after round 1 - looks like a very fun tournament ahead.

 

[SKILL]

Won my tie at the 19th last night.

Good match - was 3up at the turn but lost 10/12/13 to be back even and a good battle from there.

In a very weird situation however - the stroke index's at our course have suddenly changed mid season.... Very weird. It's a local authority/council run course and they've suddenly decided to change the SI's without consulting any of the clubs....

So the very difficult 200 yard par 3 14th has gone from SI 5 to SI 17!!! And the very reachable par 5 15th has gone from SI13 to SI3 - all very odd

I would've thought to change SI would be going through England Golf 'stuff' so a bit of a hassle? Or can they just be applied on a whim?

 

[booyaka]

I would've thought to change SI would be going through England Golf 'stuff' so a bit of a hassle? Or can they just be applied on a whim?

It appears they can just change it when they wish... Whilst I'm sure there is some "data" behind the changes, nothing has been communicated to the clubs that play over the course.

Also having the 2nd hole as SI2 appears to go against the SGU rules on applying SI's etc.

So the 2nd holes should NOT be SI2 as it's in the first "triad"

But as usual - the Council do what they want, when they want. Such a good course, James Braid design, but council don't interact with all the players/clubs that use the course and therefore just pick their own agenda.

The Rules of Golf state: “The Committee is responsible for publishing on the scorecard or somewhere else that is visible (for example, near the first tee) the order of holes at which handicap strokes are to be given or received.” (See Rules of Golf, Committee Procedures, Rule 5J (4).)It is recommended that a stroke index allocation be applied over 18-holes, split into six triads with each hole ranked on its playing difficulty relative to par. Authorized Associations can provide a report detailing the difficulty factor that has been assigned to each hole derived from the Course Rating System.The recommended methodology and procedures for determining a stroke index allocation within the six-triad structure, designed to accommodate both stroke play and match play formats, is as follows:

• Apply odd stroke index allocations over the front nine and even stroke index allocations over the back nine. If, however, the back nine is significantly more difficult than the front nine, as determined by the Course Rating, the even stroke index allocations can be switched to the front nine and the odd stroke index allocations to the back nine.
• Spread stroke index allocations evenly over the 18 holes so that players receiving strokes will have the opportunity to use a high proportion of these strokes before a match result has been decided.
• Apply the lowest stroke index hole (1 or 2) on each nine in the middle triad.If no hole within the middle triad is ranked within the lowest 6 holes relative to par, then it can be moved into an adjacent hole at the end of the first triad or the beginning of the third triad on each nine.
• Apply the second lowest stroke index hole (3 or 4) on each nine in either the first or third triad, unless the lowest stroke index hole has been allocated in that same triad.
• If possible, avoid low stroke indexes (6 or less) on consecutive holes.
• When a player receives more than 18 strokes, the same allocation order is used with stroke index 1 repeating as stroke index 19, 37 and 55, with all additional strokes going up sequentially.

 

[booyaka]

Holy Cow...

Scottie Scheffler “handcuffed” and “detained by police” over traffic misunderstanding