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Unsolicited swing advice

Boder

Boder

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So stop me if you have heard this one before, but I received some unsolicited swing advice at the range the other day.

I was doing some random practice with driver, hybrid, 7i, Pw. During a water break the guy in the stall next to me says “man you are a wild man with that driver!” Me: in my head “um ok” “Mind if I give you some advice?” He never introduced himself but said he is a “PGA guy” and that this tip was free. Told me i was swaying too much in my backswing and losing power and accuracy. He gave me some swing thoughts and tips to work on and says i might not be successful right away. Then we chatted for awhile about how he is new to town and how he was getting ready for the Illinois senior Am and how he unsuccessfully shot 74 but failed to qualify for the US senior Open.

The rest of my range session went really well and noticed a big improvement with accuracy. I hope this translates to the course but that remains to be seen.

So let’s hear some of your stories about getting swing advice. I have a feeling my story might be in the minority here but maybe not. I am sure there are some great stories out there.
 
I love the stories! On the 10th at Wedgewood (1st ar Oak) my random single partner told me to shorten my driver backswing in order to hit more fairways. I told him no thanks. I missed all 7 on the back but shot my hdcp. We just dont all play the same game and my focus isnt fairways usually.

I've also not figured out what he ever meant by that because I liked the round I had going. We even exchanged numbers and played a few rounds since but I didnt care for the on course advice that day!

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Too bad that you didn't get his name so that we could check him out.

I would never ever think to give a random stranger advice at the range. I barely even look at other people there.

My unsolicited advice is limited to "open up your wedge so it doesn't dig into the sand" in a greenside bunker and that's only for people who I know and who won't be offended at my suggestion.
 
since joining thp, i ate a big piece of humble pie and realized that i’m not as good as i thought i was, and i have no business being the blind leading the blind. it’s embarrassing that i thought i knew anything at all lol

but dammit all if it’s not hard to bite your tongue when you see someone struggling. i have to constantly remind myself how much i dislike receiving unsolicited advice when i’m struggling, so other people probably feel the same way.


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c.a.eleric said:
since joining thp, i ate a big piece of humble pie and realized that i’m not as good as i thought i was, and i have no business being the blind leading the blind. it’s embarrassing that i thought i knew anything at all lol

but dammit all if it’s not hard to bite your tongue when you see someone struggling. i have to constantly remind myself how much i dislike receiving unsolicited advice when i’m struggling, so other people probably feel the same way.


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That's a pretty darn good handicap to feel like you know nothing, I'm sure you're underselling yourself.

I came to golf at 33 so I dont have a lot of friends who play. I've taken many to the course to play so I've shown them how to get the ball going forward. It's not unsolicited. If they have any interest I implore them to get lessons. I paid for my teenage nephew to have lessons and now we take trips together and I'm sure he will play forever. He just started at Temple though so I need more golf buddies!

And I wont be giving them unsolicited advice!

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taktrevor said:
That's a pretty darn good handicap to feel like you know nothing, I'm sure you're underselling yourself.

I came to golf at 33 so I dont have a lot of friends who play. I've taken many to the course to play so I've shown them how to get the ball going forward. It's not unsolicited. If they have any interest I implore them to get lessons. I paid for my teenage nephew to have lessons and now we take trips together and I'm sure he will play forever. He just started at Temple though so I need more golf buddies!

And I wont be giving them unsolicited advice!

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smoke and mirrors and lots of gimmes lol

when you see someone who is bonafide, someone who plays on a tour (not even THE tour), it really puts things in perspective. there’s golf, and there’s the game those guys play.


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c.a.eleric said:
smoke and mirrors and lots of gimmes lol

when you see someone who is bonafide, someone who plays on a tour (not even THE tour), it really puts things in perspective. there’s golf, and there’s the game those guys play.


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My goal is to play Tour golf. Any tour. Tournament events. Things like that. I play club championships and things. I suck. My best finish at anything individual is 16th of 29. I've won a few team events. I've not yet won a match play yet tho, not even a match. I like the challenge. And yea, I'm happy to just break 80 but it's a goal. Probably mostly when I'm a senior and all these babies are a bit older!

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taktrevor said:
My goal is to play Tour golf. Any tour. Tournament events. Things like that. I play club championships and things. I suck. My best finish at anything individual is 16th of 29. I've won a few team events. I've not yet won a match play yet tho, not even a match. I like the challenge. And yea, I'm happy to just break 80 but it's a goal. Probably mostly when I'm a senior and all these babies are a bit older!

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the funny thing about golf is that at soon as you break 80 two things will happen. 1- you will expect to do it every time. and 2- you will lament all the shots you left on the course that could have made the round even lower.

i shot even par 72 from the tips at a moderately difficult course last year. lowest round of my life. want to know what i remember about the round? the double on 9 and the 3-putt bogey on the par 5 15th. par par and i shoot 69. i should be happy with even par. i may not ever shoot that again. but oh what could have been...


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Too many to recount, and not usually in a good way - I'm not the biggest fan of mansplaining. Though most of the guys around here are pretty cool.

The best unsolicited advice I ever got was from Wadesworld the last time we played. Impromptu chipping lesson. Hot dog! I even got compliments from the instructor on it, and of course gave him the props, even if he wasn't there! Helluva dude!

Edit to add - and he did ask politely, lest you get the wrong impression!
 
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That is the TRUTH!!!!

c.a.eleric said:
the funny thing about golf is that at soon as you break 80 two things will happen. 1- you will expect to do it every time. and 2- you will lament all the shots you left on the course that could have made the round even lower.

i shot even par 72 from the tips at a moderately difficult course last year. lowest round of my life. want to know what i remember about the round? the double on 9 and the 3-putt bogey on the par 5 15th. par par and i shoot 69. i should be happy with even par. i may not ever shoot that again. but oh what could have been...


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I'm forever getting a couple of tidbits of advice.

Seems like every Tom, Dick, and Harry knows my problem..........Swinging from the wrong side...........ha ha.

Or the other one..........standing too close to the ball........after I hit...... har, har, hardydee, har.

I'm glad yours worked out for you and continues in that direction.
 
Exactly! Enjoy the moments...strive to get better. I also think that's what most pros are doing. 71 is my best, a +1, which I'm proud of but it's an easy trouble free track. Probably a 76 is my best effort I'm most proud of because of where. Usually I'm low 80s. I dont for a moment think I can compete to win, I just like the intensity the competition brings to my focus and how rewarding good shots feel. I haven't done as well as these guys you talk about playing that other game so it's just a new goal to feel that way. I dont expevt to shoot level par, that had to be awesome for you!

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brianmk24 said:
Too bad that you didn't get his name so that we could check him out.
Click to expand...

I know I thought the same thing afterward. I looked up the qualifier he was in but like 10 guys shot 74. Maybe I will run into him again.
 
Boder said:
So stop me if you have heard this one before, but I received some unsolicited swing advice at the range the other day.

I was doing some random practice with driver, hybrid, 7i, Pw. During a water break the guy in the stall next to me says “man you are a wild man with that driver!” Me: in my head “um ok” “Mind if I give you some advice?” He never introduced himself but said he is a “PGA guy” and that this tip was free. Told me i was swaying too much in my backswing and losing power and accuracy. He gave me some swing thoughts and tips to work on and says i might not be successful right away. Then we chatted for awhile about how he is new to town and how he was getting ready for the Illinois senior Am and how he unsuccessfully shot 74 but failed to qualify for the US senior Open.

The rest of my range session went really well and noticed a big improvement with accuracy. I hope this translates to the course but that remains to be seen.

So let’s hear some of your stories about getting swing advice. I have a feeling my story might be in the minority here but maybe not. I am sure there are some great stories out there.
Click to expand...

I would not normally be welcoming to that, but it's really cool that it was good advice. Guess I'll keep a more open mind! :D
 
I'll take all the help I can get. I usually just say thank you and continue playing but occasionally there is a a nugget in there.

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Hoping that’s the case. I knew that I had that problem from a lesson I took last year but his solution was much simpler to me then the last guy that I paid.
 
I usually brush off unsolicited advice and really try not to give any. When I hit a bad shot and my playing partner says something like "you were standing too close" or "you tried to crush it too hard". The most immediate thought in my mind is "I've done the same exact thing all day and most of my shots you have congratulated me for, and now you want to correct it?" These are the same guys who miss a green and try to figure out what they're "doing wrong". It's golf, most of the time it doesn't go exactly where you want.
 
DucatiGirl said:
Too many to recount, and not usually in a good way - I'm not the biggest fan of mansplaining. Though most of the guys around here are pretty cool.

The best unsolicited advice I ever got was from Wadesworld the last time we played. Impromptu chipping lesson. Hot dog! I even got compliments from the instructor on it, and of course gave him the props, even if he wasn't there! Helluva dude!

Edit to add - and he did ask politely, lest you get the wrong impression!
Click to expand...

Come October there will be a flood of mansplainin’, simply because.
 
c.a.eleric said:
the funny thing about golf is that at soon as you break 80 two things will happen. 1- you will expect to do it every time. and 2- you will lament all the shots you left on the course that could have made the round even lower.

i shot even par 72 from the tips at a moderately difficult course last year. lowest round of my life. want to know what i remember about the round? the double on 9 and the 3-putt bogey on the par 5 15th. par par and i shoot 69. i should be happy with even par. i may not ever shoot that again. but oh what could have been...


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I hear ya... 100 percent

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Funny thing with advice (asked for or not) is that you have no clue if it's right. Even a better golfer might be a crap observer/teacher

I've had people ask me what they are doing wrong, and I generally just shrug cos what works for me won't necessarily work for them

My favourite is when people ask what club I used, as if it makes a difference. I learnt ages ago that the game is about results.
So what if I hit an 8 iron in from 100 yards. Maybe I was trying something different.






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ran into this tonight. went to the short game area to practice what my instructor had me doing yesterday.

there was a young lady sprawled out on the grass busy on her iphone. the two guys she was with were chipping and pitching. they didn’t look like golfers. one was not great, but the other was very good. shame on me for judging a book by its cover.

anywho, i’m grinding and it’s going ok. heck, i’d even venture to say it was going well, which i guess speaks more to how badly it has gotten than anything else.

the better golfer walks up and says, “i’m surprised you’re not hitting better shots. everything looks good until impact.”

i point to the instructor down the range and said, “i just had a lesson with him yesterday and i’m working on it tonight l.”

he asks what we were working on, then says, “can i offer different advice?”

i’m too nice to say no, so i hear him out. basically the same thing the instructor wanted me to work on, just going about it a different way.

it came from a very kind and helpful place, and he knew what he was taking about.


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McLovin;n8878854 said:
ran into this tonight. went to the short game area to practice what my instructor had me doing yesterday.

there was a young lady sprawled out on the grass busy on her iphone. the two guys she was with were chipping and pitching. they didn’t look like golfers. one was not great, but the other was very good. shame on me for judging a book by its cover.

anywho, i’m grinding and it’s going ok. heck, i’d even venture to say it was going well, which i guess speaks more to how badly it has gotten than anything else.

the better golfer walks up and says, “i’m surprised you’re not hitting better shots. everything looks good until impact.”

i point to the instructor down the range and said, “i just had a lesson with him yesterday and i’m working on it tonight l.”

he asks what we were working on, then says, “can i offer different advice?”

i’m too nice to say no, so i hear him out. basically the same thing the instructor wanted me to work on, just going about it a different way.

it came from a very kind and helpful place, and he knew what he was taking about.


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So now you’re leaving us all wondering... what was the advice?
 
Tenputt;n8878874 said:
So now youÂ’re leaving us all wondering... what was the advice?
Click to expand...

my instructor wanted me to used my left hip to control the downswing on short chips. soft arms, soft hands, handle forward. just rotate left and around.

the guy tonight disagreed. said it was a torso rotation, not the lower body. the lower body was too hard to control. like a putt, you control it with the big muscles. the lower body will react, not lead.

i listened and obliged, even tried his way and it did work. but i reverted to what i just paid to learn yesterday, and kept his thoughts in mind too.

it was one of the better short game sessions iÂ’ve had. my success will be in quieting my hands, rotating all the way through, and trusting the loft.


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