Golf mentality; believing what we're told. And it's effect on our game.

[Colt]

Belief No. 1 for me; Pay no attention to what others have in their bags........

This has nothing to do with what others have in their bags. Yes I said I've seen them in peoples bags. But I could care less. My only question was do some people let old adages or others "advice" affect their game. I found myself asking this because I kept having people tell me "you don't need a 3i because they are hard to hit". "get a hybrid to replace it because they WILL be better for you". And after finding that my 3i was producing better than my hybrid I just found myself wondering how many other people have had their games affected by others beliefs.


Tempo, timing, tapping.

 

[bobgeorge]

Control is much more important than distance. .

I agree 100% on this.

 

[blugold]

I've heard this. "Swing easy and live with the extra distance". I wonder if Sadlowski swings easy, or tiger who has swung so easy over the years he's blew his knee out more than once. Or Bubba Watson, the biggest over swinger in golf. They all seem pretty long.

Tempo, timing, tapping.

There is a huge difference between swinging hard and swinging out of tempo. All of those guys have pretty balanced tempos. They just swing faster, not harder. Big difference.

 

[blugold]

I agree. Swinging easy usually means better contact and a ball over the green. Better to just hit to realistic yardages with a comfortable swing in the first place. Most of the holes I play you are better off short below the hole than long anyway.

Wait? How is that a bad thing?

 

[LeftySean]

I haven't been playing regularly for very long, so my perspective may be skewed. None the less, the shakiest bit of conventional wisdom I keep hearing and subsequently questioning is the bit about high handicappers not being able to utilize 3-irons or 4-irons.

I'd say about 3/4 of the golfers in my acquaintance (all who tend to shoot 90+ each round) are more than able to hit these long irons. Many of them will tee off with these clubs after the turn because they are so fed up with the poor results from their drivers/ 3-woods. Most have tried hybrids with disastrous results. One guy I know carries a 2-iron and hits absolutely beautiful shots with it. But he can't hit anything else well, except his pitching wedge.

As for the the 1/4 I know who can't hit their longs irons well? They hit their hybrids even worse. (I fit into this group, as it happens).

If I had to speculate about the reasons for this, I would say that all of these guys are close to my age (43) or older, and took up golf when metal woods were considered "budget" clubs. Back in those days, If you couldn't get the hang of hitting persimmon off the tee or off the turf, you went to the 2-iron. And you went to it often. And you did this despite the conventional wisdom of those days - that hitting woods was easier than hitting irons. Sorry, it just wasn't true. And, I suspect, neither is the hybrid hype.

Of course, I suppose with enough practice, anyone can learn to hit any club well, but the main reason high-handicappers are the way they are is lack of time to play/practice. From my perspective and experience, it is much easier to succeed with with an iron versus a hybrid - i.e. I would need to practice many dozens of hours more with a hybrid to master it versus an iron.

 

[Colt]

I haven't been playing regularly for very long, so my perspective may be skewed. None the less, the shakiest bit of conventional wisdom I keep hearing and subsequently questioning is the bit about high handicappers not being able to utilize 3-irons or 4-irons.

I'd say about 3/4 of the golfers in my acquaintance (all who tend to shoot 90+ each round) are more than able to hit these long irons. Many of them will tee off with these clubs after the turn because they are so fed up with the poor results from their drivers/ 3-woods. Most have tried hybrids with disastrous results. One guy I know carries a 2-iron and hits absolutely beautiful shots with it. But he can't hit anything else well, except his pitching wedge.

As for the the 1/4 I know who can't hit their longs irons well? They hit their hybrids even worse. (I fit into this group, as it happens).

If I had to speculate about the reasons for this, I would say that all of these guys are close to my age (43) or older, and took up golf when metal woods were considered "budget" clubs. Back in those days, If you couldn't get the hang of hitting persimmon off the tee or off the turf, you went to the 2-iron. And you went to it often. And you did this despite the conventional wisdom of those days - that hitting woods was easier than hitting irons. Sorry, it just wasn't true. And, I suspect, neither is the hybrid hype.

Of course, I suppose with enough practice, anyone can learn to hit any club well, but the main reason high-handicappers are the way they are is lack of time to play/practice. From my perspective and experience, it is much easier to succeed with with an iron versus a hybrid - i.e. I would need to practice many dozens of hours more with a hybrid to master it versus an iron.

I appreciate you taking the time to post your opinion and I'm sure others do as well. I'm just trying really hard to keep this from being a long irons vs. hybrids thread. I only meant to use that as an example to springboard a much broader thread idea.


Tempo, timing, tapping.

 

[spino]

oh, well....

last week end a member of my flight started commenting on my bag, stating that my burners 2.0 are TOO DIFFICULT for a high handicapper, and that i should switch to graphite because it is easier and better for my very slow swing.
now, i am probably not the fastest swinger, but even if my swing is not very solid yet, i can consistently hit my 8 iron about 145 yards.
and, when i bought my 4 hybrid i was fitted for a stiff shaft (which, by the way, carried about 20-30 yards less than his driver from the tee...)

but what would i know.

 

[CarstenBF]

Good thread.

I'm relatively new to golf, and my first set of clubs included a 3 and 4i. Remember spending most of a day on trackman, and the shocking conclusion was that my longest iron was my 6i. 3-5 went pretty much the same distance but with greatly added risk of missing. It was all very depressing thinking back. Since then my swing has improved some, and now I definitely can hit my 5i longer than the 6. Of course I've since changed clubs and ditched the 3 and 4. Added a 3h, and while I've been very satisfied with it's performance (esp. from the tee), I noticed the other day that from the deck it really isn't much longer than a well struck 5i. It's all very puzzling and certainly warrants further investigation.

Perhaps I should go in the garage and dig out the old x-14's and have another trackman session.

Btw, with regard to the thread title, my first advice to a new golfer would probably be to ignore advice from other golfers. So much BS being thrown around out there! Find one person to work with (preferably a pro) and work out stuff yourself from there.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

This has nothing to do with what others have in their bags. Yes I said I've seen them in peoples bags. But I could care less. My only question was do some people let old adages or others "advice" affect their game. I found myself asking this because I kept having people tell me "you don't need a 3i because they are hard to hit". "get a hybrid to replace it because they WILL be better for you". And after finding that my 3i was producing better than my hybrid I just found myself wondering how many other people have had their games affected by others beliefs.

My concerns are hardly what you're asserting they are and I find your comment unnecessary. Unless it wasn't meant exactly how it read.


Tempo, timing, tapping.

Colt, all I'm saying here is that there simply no right answer to this. What works for you or me, will not work for everyone. Many people I know are very good with long irons, while another person in the group is much better with hybrids.

The key to playing good golf, is finding out what works for you while paying little or no attention to what works for others. I pay zero attention to what the pro's play, what they do or what they say equipment wise. What works for players of that caliber, will more than likely not work for the masses. Marketing today tells us otherwise, but that is simply marketing to sell equipment.

Every myth or common belief works for some but not others. Everyone needs to find what works best for them.

 

[Colt]

Colt, all I'm saying here is that there simply no right answer to this. What works for you or me, will not work for everyone. Many people I know are very good with long irons, while another person in the group is much better with hybrids.

The key to playing good golf, is finding out what works for you while paying little or no attention to what works for others. I pay zero attention to what the pro's play, what they do or what they say equipment wise. What works for players of that caliber, will more than likely not work for the masses. Marketing today tells us otherwise, but that is simply marketing to sell equipment.

Every myth or common belief works for some but not others. Everyone needs to find what works best for them.

Oh, well, if you weren't being a smart@$$ then I'll edit that last paragraph. Sorry for the misunderstanding.


Tempo, timing, tapping.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

Oh, well, if you weren't being a smart@$$ then I'll edit that last paragraph. Sorry for the misunderstanding.


Tempo, timing, tapping.

I'm not here to be a smart@ss or discredit your thoughts at all. Sharing our thoughts is what we are here for (I think). All is good. I think you opened a great topic here. I just tend to fall into what is maybe a small group that really pays little or no attention to what others are playing. Just being honest with this thought. I follow the reviews here, because if something works, or does not work for a large number of people, then it could be good/bad for me as well, as all of us here tend to have less than world class games. At the same time, I pay no attention really to what the pro's play because their skill level and abilities are miles apart from mine.

 

[Ole Gray]

Colt my longest iron is a 4 - iron and it is real close to being my favorite club in the bag. I hit it on short par 4's and probably should use it more often because I strike it solid most of the time and it gets out there with excellent distance. If the CG16 irons come with a 3 - iron I might put up one of my hybrids and give it a go, as Cleveland has made the longer irons easier to hit IMO.

 

[pjcedog]

There is a huge difference between swinging hard and swinging out of tempo. All of those guys have pretty balanced tempos. They just swing faster, not harder. Big difference.

Exactly, agree 10000% the point is most amateurs and especially most beginners can't swing hard and fast at all and hold their swings together. Swing more slowly, hit the ball flush, stay balanced and see the ball fly forward not sideways. If a guy could swing that hard and play to a +4 handicap then you would be doing it and not talking about it, you would be winning world long drive titles or US Opens. If you want to play decent golf slow down and hit it solid. When you practice swing as hard as you want and try to learn how to control it, but on the golf course swing easier and keep the ball in play.

 

[Slammin'SAM]

Two thoughts....

I think there is a reason we tend to have some more difficulty hitting the long irons. I know I am guilty and I see the same with many guys (and they are mostly low h'cappers) I play with - for some reason we try to hit them harder than we hit the middle and short irons. This puts tension in the wrists and forearms and is a consistency killer. I find the best success with the long irons when I swing with a 9 irom tempo - unfortunately I frequently forget to use this swing thought and poor results follow.

There is another reason I want to keep the 4I (my longest iron) in the bag instead of a hybrid. On those rare occasions I am forced to play a left-handed shot, the 4I is my club of choice, because its narrow rear profile makes the best contact with the ball. This is probably fallacious reasoning, since I only play 1 or 2 lefty shots per year, but somehow I am comforted knowing I have it available to me.

 

[bumpnrun]

Wait? How is that a bad thing?

Refers to the take an extra club part of the addage. You probably couldn't hear the sarcasm in my fingertips

 

[Helo]

So at the risk of violating this hybrids vs. long irons thread I'm going to attempt to post a comment that I think is in line with the spirit of the thread. I struggle with the driver from time to time and when I started playing everybody and every expert was saying to ditch the driver and hit 3wood. They said it was easier to make good contact because the shaft is shorter. I've never found this to be true. I have benched my driver out of pure disgust, and then was forced to hit my 3wood, but have never found it easier in making solid contact. I do think it can lessen sidespin, thereby minimizing a slice or hook, but for me all the advice in the world doesn't mean a thing. I want what works. And when I look down at that big driver face I just feel more confident than that little thin 3wood head.

 

[Colt]

So at the risk of violating this hybrids vs. long irons thread I'm going to attempt to post a comment that I think is in line with the spirit of the thread. I struggle with the driver from time to time and when I started playing everybody and every expert was saying to ditch the driver and hit 3wood. They said it was easier to make good contact because the shaft is shorter. I've never found this to be true. I have benched my driver out of pure disgust, and then was forced to hit my 3wood, but have never found it easier in making solid contact. I do think it can lessen sidespin, thereby minimizing a slice or hook, but for me all the advice in the world doesn't mean a thing. I want what works. And when I look down at that big driver face I just feel more confident than that little thin 3wood head.

Your not violating anything. This is what I wanted. All sorts of different things that people hear and let effect their games.


Tempo, timing, tapping.

 

[bobgeorge]

I think the take one more club and swing easy mantra is questionable at times. I've often found myself over the green or I'll pull it left because I still get out of sync trying to swing that slow.

I agree. If you know our distance with each club then just use the right club.

 

[bobgeorge]

Btw, with regard to the thread title, my first advice to a new golfer would probably be to ignore advice from other golfers. So much BS being thrown around out there! Find one person to work with (preferably a pro) and work out stuff yourself from there.

True, I really listen to other golfers pointers on the course.

 

[thorin33]

I have a friend who always comments on the low trajectory of my ball flight and how it is because I top my ball. I know this is not true but does get me second guessing how I hit my clibs for the next few rounds. I usually just nod now and just ignore him since I hit my low 9 iron 140 with about 130 of it being carry.

 

[Colt]

I have a friend who always comments on the low trajectory of my ball flight and how it is because I top my ball. I know this is not true but does get me second guessing how I hit my clibs for the next few rounds. I usually just nod now and just ignore him since I hit my low 9 iron 140 with about 130 of it being carry.

Hey. With the wind here in Hawaii your trajectory would be a welcome "problem" by all. All the guys who play golf here on the island, and I'm sure anywhere windy want a nice low piercing flight. I know that I can't get it. My ball goes high most of the time and gets the $h!t kicked out of it by the trade winds. Keep doin' whatcha do!

 

[Gus R]

From my personal standpoint I don't listen to others on my swing or how I play the game. As far as pointers from the pros if I see or hear something that sounds like it might help me I go to the range and try it out. My swing is homemade, built over the year utilizing this method. It may not be the best thing for everyone but it works for me. As far as the long iron vs hybrids it is the same thing. I hit the long irons well even had a 1 iron in the bag some time ago, but since I tried hybrids it is a no brainer for me. I hit the hybrid so much more consistent and mishits are not as bad and are usually further and straighter. There is a reason that the pros on tour have switched to hybrids it is more consistent for them. Yet it is not for everyone.

One of my playing partners hits a very low ball with every club in the bag. He has a hard time stopping the ball on our hard fast greens. Yet he is a 9-10 handicapper but the other guy who played with us kept telling him he had to hit the ball higher to score better. For him to do that he would have to change his entire swing and that takes at least a full year and a lot of frustration. He is happy with his results, albeit he would like to hit the ball higher, I keep telling him not to listen to the guy and do what he wants with his swing. This is a case of don't pay attention to others if you are happy with what you currently doing but if you are dissatisfied go see your local pro for advise not some high handicapper who probably doesn't know what he is talking about anyway.

 

[CharlieMoy]

Forged clubs are softer

 

[Colt]

Forged clubs are softer

Well duhhhh. Everyone already knew that though!

Don't do it to the thread!!! Enough buttery soft talk! We'll be here for days!

 

[CharlieMoy]

60* wedges make things easier

shorter drivers always improve accuracy

lighter=faster=farther