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Journey to Break 85

How'd the range session go, buddy?
 
Glad you asked Hawk! I would've responded earlier but I was talking Katy Perry to coworkers... haha.

Anyway,

AWESOME. I had a come to Treat Williams moment. I was using your drill and it really helped a lot dude. I did my practice swings with it. If I remember to use my arms only and get set up correctly, some really good shots. My hips do turn naturally and it's kinda funny because again so different than what I've been told.

I had some bad shots but quickly realized why and just made an adjustment with my setup and grip.

It was one of those sessions where everything you have been doing comes together. I was hitting some fades that had some umph to them. My miss was a slice but as I get used to the swing/grip the ott move will stop. It's no longer a mystery to me why the bad shots I hit were bad shots. I didn't realize how much my grip was effecting the shots as well. Just overall I felt really good.

I know I'm rambling but man am I excited. I'm sure I'm still long in the swing but I'm gonna keep working at it. I have a round today with my brother and i'm hoping to get some good videos in.
 
That's great to hear, buddy!

What I've found is that I can actually feel myself get into the right position for the downswing if I get my backswing correct and I know before I even hit the ball that it will be good. The rest just sort of happens. I hate to say that I'm arming it, because I'm really upper-body-ing, but I hear exactly what your saying.
 
That's where a good teacher comes in my friend. Helping us know what a good swing feels like is much easier than telling us what one feels like. You said what I was trying to say perfectly dude. You're right, the backswing goes right and if I keep my elbow in good things happen. All that shoulder turn etc just happens naturally.

Hawk said:
That's great to hear, buddy!

What I've found is that I can actually feel myself get into the right position for the downswing if I get my backswing correct and I know before I even hit the ball that it will be good. The rest just sort of happens. I hate to say that I'm arming it, because I'm really upper-body-ing, but I hear exactly what your saying.
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Glad to here you're going to take it on the course. I'm just about ready to do that myself. Going to get a practice session or two in the week and then playing a scramble in Minnesota this weekend. I really feel confident that I can take it to the course if I remember my pre-shot routine.
 
All the good players have one. Its just triggering that good shot feel.

You're also not overdoing the practice. Even better.

Hawk said:
Glad to here you're going to take it on the course. I'm just about ready to do that myself. Going to get a practice session or two in the week and then playing a scramble in Minnesota this weekend. I really feel confident that I can take it to the course if I remember my pre-shot routine.
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Practice session today. Seeing a nice increase in distance, though I just never really got in a groove today. Wasn't really loving being out there for some reason. Hit some good balls, especially Driver & 3W and 8 iron through PW. Struggled a bit with hybrids up through 6 iron at first. Spent a ton of time working on the 6 iron. I keep trying to kill it and the results suck. Smooth swing = longer and straighter shots.
 
That's some good work there Hawk. Are you also drilling in a pre shot routine?

It's early and I'm still waking up!

Hawk said:
Practice session today. Seeing a nice increase in distance, though I just never really got in a groove today. Wasn't really loving being out there for some reason. Hit some good balls, especially Driver & 3W and 8 iron through PW. Struggled a bit with hybrids up through 6 iron at first. Spent a ton of time working on the 6 iron. I keep trying to kill it and the results suck. Smooth swing = longer and straighter shots.
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Yoccos1981 said:
That's some good work there Hawk. Are you also drilling in a pre shot routine?

It's early and I'm still waking up!
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No, I just try to feel myself get off my front foot and get into the slot (whatever that means). Downloading your video right now via internet phone buddy :)
 
Hahahaha, I don't get a lot of that talk either. I just know if I take a 1/4 swing and use "just" my arms, BOOM goes the dynamite. I think we should open a golf course. Charge a little to play and $1 beer.

Hawk said:
No, I just try to feel myself get off my front foot and get into the slot (whatever that means). Downloading your video right now via internet phone buddy :)
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shot a 39 yesterday, only hit driver 3 times. Unfortunately that 9 goes with last week's 45 for an 84, which is great that I broke 85 finally, but wouldnt mind having it all done on the same day lol
 
That's a solid pair of nines, Mike!
 
Hawk said:
That's a solid pair of nines, Mike!
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yeah I'll take that 39 all day long, didnt do anything real great, just stayed out of trouble. Had 2 birdies I missed by less than 3 inches too, but I cant be getting greedy
 
Lol... It still counts imo! nice round buddy!

mikedean441 said:
shot a 39 yesterday, only hit driver 3 times. Unfortunately that 9 goes with last week's 45 for an 84, which is great that I broke 85 finally, but wouldnt mind having it all done on the same day lol
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I have to say.. shortening the swing is working wonders. Just working out a few other kinks as well and it's producing some of the nicest iron shots I've ever hit.
 
yeah glad to hear. My swing is much shorter with the irons than it used to be. Making much better contact this year. Only time I really get into a ton of trouble with irons is dipping back shoulder coming through or pulling up out of my stance. Working on cutting down the frequency that both of those happen
 
Same here dude. Sometimes Ill start the swing way too inside or roll my hands over which cause all sorts of bad shots. It seems like a lot but when I'm swinging it doesnt feel all that difficult to fix.

mikedean441 said:
yeah glad to hear. My swing is much shorter with the irons than it used to be. Making much better contact this year. Only time I really get into a ton of trouble with irons is dipping back shoulder coming through or pulling up out of my stance. Working on cutting down the frequency that both of those happen
Click to expand...
 
Hawk said:
Glad to here you're going to take it on the course. I'm just about ready to do that myself. Going to get a practice session or two in the week and then playing a scramble in Minnesota this weekend. I really feel confident that I can take it to the course if I remember my pre-shot routine.
Click to expand...

Well, good news and bad news. We will start with the bad, I suppose. It rained 4-5 inches the day/night before we played. There was water all over the course. It was a sloppy mess, but it was still fun.

Bad:
- We finished in the middle of the pack with 72 (+2). Winners were at 60 (-10). Only three teams were actually under par. That had more to do with the skill level of the golfers rather than the course haha. I'm not into excuses, but our team was made of me, a guy that was better than me, and two guys who probably didn't hit a good shot all day. They just don't golf seriously and struggled pretty badly.

- Took me awhile to get my driver going and I was reverting a bit with it. Hit it really well on the range and then got all amped up and sent some balls way out there to the right. Big pushes as opposed to slicers, so I didn't feel so bad.

- A few crappy shots (this is golf, of course).

- Putted like doo-doo. The bad kind.

Good:
- Irons were so much better for me today. So freaking much better! I had my range distance, which is a good sign. Accuracy was pretty good, but the best thing is that I was making really good contact quite a bit. So happy about that. Eventually I can start worrying about how far I am from the pin, etc. I'm beyond thrilled to know that I can hit good shots that hit the green right now.

- Wedges were good. They were a bit of a mystery as I felt like I had lost them a little after the lessons. I talked to the pro a bit about that and he gave me some things to look at. Hit a choked up PW from 95 (uphill) that I stuck to 5 feet, which was really sweet. The GW was working well too. Nothing else really close to the pin, but I hit some greens and that's a very good thing for me.

- Got us to the green in two on a par 5 with the Heavy. Stuck it 20 feet from the pin, but on the green. Never done that before.

- Hit the 3 wood really good. The really good thing is that I saw my driver swing wasn't working and I know I can hit the 3W far enough to make it an acceptable alternative. In other words, I actually played smart. Almost got us on another green in two on a par 5, but the ball skipped through some casual water and stopped about 10 yards short. It was very good off the tee as well. Nice to know I can use that club. It's basically never been a reality for me.


As I said earlier, I did hit a few bad (fat) hybrid and iron shots. Just a matter of continually doing the right thing right now. It's coming though. I really want to go play again right now.
 
Hawk said:
Well, good news and bad news. We will start with the bad, I suppose. It rained 4-5 inches the day/night before we played. There was water all over the course. It was a sloppy mess, but it was still fun.

Bad:
- We finished in the middle of the pack with 72 (+2). Winners were at 60 (-10). Only three teams were actually under par. That had more to do with the skill level of the golfers rather than the course haha. I'm not into excuses, but our team was made of me, a guy that was better than me, and two guys who probably didn't hit a good shot all day. They just don't golf seriously and struggled pretty badly.

- Took me awhile to get my driver going and I was reverting a bit with it. Hit it really well on the range and then got all amped up and sent some balls way out there to the right. Big pushes as opposed to slicers, so I didn't feel so bad.

- A few crappy shots (this is golf, of course).

- Putted like doo-doo. The bad kind.

Good:
- Irons were so much better for me today. So freaking much better! I had my range distance, which is a good sign. Accuracy was pretty good, but the best thing is that I was making really good contact quite a bit. So happy about that. Eventually I can start worrying about how far I am from the pin, etc. I'm beyond thrilled to know that I can hit good shots that hit the green right now.

- Wedges were good. They were a bit of a mystery as I felt like I had lost them a little after the lessons. I talked to the pro a bit about that and he gave me some things to look at. Hit a choked up PW from 95 (uphill) that I stuck to 5 feet, which was really sweet. The GW was working well too. Nothing else really close to the pin, but I hit some greens and that's a very good thing for me.

- Got us to the green in two on a par 5 with the Heavy. Stuck it 20 feet from the pin, but on the green. Never done that before.

- Hit the 3 wood really good. The really good thing is that I saw my driver swing wasn't working and I know I can hit the 3W far enough to make it an acceptable alternative. In other words, I actually played smart. Almost got us on another green in two on a par 5, but the ball skipped through some casual water and stopped about 10 yards short. It was very good off the tee as well. Nice to know I can use that club. It's basically never been a reality for me.


As I said earlier, I did hit a few bad (fat) hybrid and iron shots. Just a matter of continually doing the right thing right now. It's coming though. I really want to go play again right now.
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Sounds like fun Hawk! Doesn't it feel great to hit a good iron shot? Whenever I pure one, it is the best feeling in the world. I just stand there in shock that I just hit that ball. I can do it in front of my coach all day long but in play is a different story. Irons have always been my biggest struggle and I'm finally getting decent with them although I still try to help them up on occasion. I'm glad you're liking that 3 wood! I knew you would.
 
Thanks, KB :)

I have to say that irons are my favorite thing to hit and I enjoy the game so much more when I'm hitting them well. I could hit decent shots before, but I really lacked consistency. I saw more good shots than normal over the weekend and that's what I was looking for.

Should be able to play 36-54 this coming weekend and hope to really work on getting my practice driver swing out on to the course. For some reason, I've been really nervy on the first few holes lately. Not sure why, but I feel like I'm teeing off in the equipment testers challenge and everything I know flies right out the door. It took me three holes to settle down the other day.
 
Hawk said:
Well, good news and bad news. We will start with the bad, I suppose. It rained 4-5 inches the day/night before we played.
Click to expand...

So let me get this straight.....it rained somewhere in the midwest? I would probably stand outside and shower in the rain just to cool off from this ridiculous heat spell....my neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate it though.

Sounds like you had more positives than negatives. I personally get more satisfaction out of sticking a ball close to the pin than on monster drives, sounds like you got similar satisfaction. I have never reached a par 5 green in two, so congratulations on that as well.

Keep up the good work.

~Rock
 
Yea, we were in Minnesota and apparently it rains there?

For the record, I didn't hit the drive that put us in reach of the green in two. That's a skill that I haven't quite reached as of yet haha. Just a couple of nice, straight, and long approach shots. I may just stick the guy we were playing with in my bag to hit the ball off the tee for me haha.
 
Great update Hawk. It's great that you're always taking away both the good and the bad from the round. Sometimes we tend to focus too much on the bad.

So great you're starting to dail in those irons. That will pay off huge especially if your driver is giving you issues.

Hawk said:
Well, good news and bad news. We will start with the bad, I suppose. It rained 4-5 inches the day/night before we played. There was water all over the course. It was a sloppy mess, but it was still fun.

Bad:
- We finished in the middle of the pack with 72 (+2). Winners were at 60 (-10). Only three teams were actually under par. That had more to do with the skill level of the golfers rather than the course haha. I'm not into excuses, but our team was made of me, a guy that was better than me, and two guys who probably didn't hit a good shot all day. They just don't golf seriously and struggled pretty badly.

- Took me awhile to get my driver going and I was reverting a bit with it. Hit it really well on the range and then got all amped up and sent some balls way out there to the right. Big pushes as opposed to slicers, so I didn't feel so bad.

- A few crappy shots (this is golf, of course).

- Putted like doo-doo. The bad kind.

Good:
- Irons were so much better for me today. So freaking much better! I had my range distance, which is a good sign. Accuracy was pretty good, but the best thing is that I was making really good contact quite a bit. So happy about that. Eventually I can start worrying about how far I am from the pin, etc. I'm beyond thrilled to know that I can hit good shots that hit the green right now.

- Wedges were good. They were a bit of a mystery as I felt like I had lost them a little after the lessons. I talked to the pro a bit about that and he gave me some things to look at. Hit a choked up PW from 95 (uphill) that I stuck to 5 feet, which was really sweet. The GW was working well too. Nothing else really close to the pin, but I hit some greens and that's a very good thing for me.

- Got us to the green in two on a par 5 with the Heavy. Stuck it 20 feet from the pin, but on the green. Never done that before.

- Hit the 3 wood really good. The really good thing is that I saw my driver swing wasn't working and I know I can hit the 3W far enough to make it an acceptable alternative. In other words, I actually played smart. Almost got us on another green in two on a par 5, but the ball skipped through some casual water and stopped about 10 yards short. It was very good off the tee as well. Nice to know I can use that club. It's basically never been a reality for me.


As I said earlier, I did hit a few bad (fat) hybrid and iron shots. Just a matter of continually doing the right thing right now. It's coming though. I really want to go play again right now.
Click to expand...
 
Hawk said:
Well, good news and bad news. We will start with the bad, I suppose. It rained 4-5 inches the day/night before we played. There was water all over the course. It was a sloppy mess, but it was still fun.

Bad:
- We finished in the middle of the pack with 72 (+2). Winners were at 60 (-10). Only three teams were actually under par. That had more to do with the skill level of the golfers rather than the course haha. I'm not into excuses, but our team was made of me, a guy that was better than me, and two guys who probably didn't hit a good shot all day. They just don't golf seriously and struggled pretty badly.

- Took me awhile to get my driver going and I was reverting a bit with it. Hit it really well on the range and then got all amped up and sent some balls way out there to the right. Big pushes as opposed to slicers, so I didn't feel so bad.

- A few crappy shots (this is golf, of course).

- Putted like doo-doo. The bad kind.

Good:
- Irons were so much better for me today. So freaking much better! I had my range distance, which is a good sign. Accuracy was pretty good, but the best thing is that I was making really good contact quite a bit. So happy about that. Eventually I can start worrying about how far I am from the pin, etc. I'm beyond thrilled to know that I can hit good shots that hit the green right now.

- Wedges were good. They were a bit of a mystery as I felt like I had lost them a little after the lessons. I talked to the pro a bit about that and he gave me some things to look at. Hit a choked up PW from 95 (uphill) that I stuck to 5 feet, which was really sweet. The GW was working well too. Nothing else really close to the pin, but I hit some greens and that's a very good thing for me.

- Got us to the green in two on a par 5 with the Heavy. Stuck it 20 feet from the pin, but on the green. Never done that before.

- Hit the 3 wood really good. The really good thing is that I saw my driver swing wasn't working and I know I can hit the 3W far enough to make it an acceptable alternative. In other words, I actually played smart. Almost got us on another green in two on a par 5, but the ball skipped through some casual water and stopped about 10 yards short. It was very good off the tee as well. Nice to know I can use that club. It's basically never been a reality for me.


As I said earlier, I did hit a few bad (fat) hybrid and iron shots. Just a matter of continually doing the right thing right now. It's coming though. I really want to go play again right now.
Click to expand...

thanks for the update buddy, you are capable of putting up some good numbers. Let that head get out of the way and you will be tearing it up.
 
Thanks, Yoc. In the past, I'd often lose a good 10 yards on my irons (compared to the range) once I got to the course due to poor contact. I'd hit some the distance I was capable, but not the majority of them. I'll say it again. Just looking for a bit of consistency.
 
You should get a picture of One T and I. That should help too.

Hawk said:
Thanks, Yoc. In the past, I'd often lose a good 10 yards on my irons (compared to the range) once I got to the course due to poor contact. I'd hit some the distance I was capable, but not the majority of them. I'll say it again. Just looking for a bit of consistency.
Click to expand...
 
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