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The THP Range/Practice Thread

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45* and windy so I went to range.

My driver swing is still solid, hitting the ball really well and straight.
Irons were thin early on, tweaked a few things then starting hitting the ball really well.

Went back to the Odyssey today so rolled it for awhile, then went and chipped a few balls, working On not scooping the ball, didn't thin any which is step in the right direction.
 
I had a 3 hour lession with one of the certified instructors at the Jim McClean school in Ft Worth yesterday. Primary focus was wedges: 100 yards and in, though we did take a look at the mid irons and driver. My scoring clubs have been a glaring weakness in my game for quite some time now and I decided I have had enough.


I, as most folks, battled a slice during my formative golf years. I developed some habits to combat it (strong grip, shut clubface) that are a bit of a detriment to my game now that I don't really have the problem. The instructor pointed out a couple that need addressing.


My mishits with my irons and wedges tend to go one of two ways: I'll come over the top with a shut clubface and pull the ball or, when I'm really trying to NOT do that, shove it out to the right. The issue tends to be a bit more exaggerated with my wedges and it leaves me standing over 80-90 yard shots not knowing if I'm more likely to miss right or left.


The biggest changes for me are setup (standing a bit taller, particularly on shorter greenside shots and eliminating the forward shaft lean at setup) and takeaway. I take the club back way too far inside with a shut clubface. The focus is to get the clubface outside the hands when the shaft is parallel to the ground and keep the toe pointed up.


I became comfortable with the setup change fairly quickly. The takeaway is going to take some work as it feels counterintuitive to my hands insofar as preventing a slice. I did make some progress in that regard but have a ways to go.


By the end of the lesson I saw some real improvement in both my greenside pitch shots and some 80 yard wege shots. I plan on drilling what we woked on pretty hard over the next couple of weeks.
 
In the past few years, as I've become increasingly out-of-shape, I've lost the firing of the hips and have become more of an "armsy" swinger, throwing/pulling my arms and hands through the downswing. As a result, my handicap has skyrocketed. As of yesterday, I'm starting to get the hip turn back, and allowing my arms and hands to ride along. Shots are going further, straighter, etc. I had a few minutes yesterday where a little muscle memory jumped back in! A great sign. I'm ready to get back to my scores "of yore"!
 
I had a 3 hour lession with one of the certified instructors at the Jim McClean school in Ft Worth yesterday. Primary focus was wedges: 100 yards and in, though we did take a look at the mid irons and driver. My scoring clubs have been a glaring weakness in my game for quite some time now and I decided I have had enough.
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Nice! I've heard good things about that golf school. It'd be cool to get down there for one of their longer sessions sometime.
 
Had a bad comp on Saturday, was slicing everything which is not like me at all (managed to scramble 34 points through good chipping!). It was eating me up all day yesterday so I had to hit the range today to figure it out.. 90 balls down and only 10 left nothing had changed and I couldn't figure it out.
Then the penny dropped and BOOM, nailing everything again and my draw is back. Had to get another 100 to make sure, came away very happy and looking forward to next weeks competition now :banana:
 
Went to range, it was closed cause they had to mow it, worked on some mad chipping.
7ejerete.jpg


Fast and hilly greens so I just worked on making solid contact.

After that worked on putting, was crushing 5 footers, felt good. Moved back to 10 didn't make as many but my line was solid. A good day of practice
 
mikedean441 said:
Went to range, it was closed cause they had to mow it, worked on some mad chipping.
7ejerete.jpg


Fast and hilly greens so I just worked on making solid contact.

After that worked on putting, was crushing 5 footers, felt good. Moved back to 10 didn't make as many but my line was solid. A good day of practice
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That's what I like to see, a dirty wedge
 
Yeah started kinda crappy then settles down and started making solid contact
 
After today's round I am taking a few days off then hitting the range this weekend. I'm not sure if exhaustion was part of my issue or not today but think a couple days off is a good idea!
 
I went to the range this morning. Had a decent session hitting mostly wedges. Then went out and played 4 holes on a par 3 course. Not a bad day of practice considering I had a bunch of work sandwiched in between.
 
It's storming here today, so short game practice was out. Thankfully the range was empty, so my buddy and I split a bucket and stayed under cover. I've been having trouble with things falling apart late into the bucket lately, with some severe fades/slices coming into play late in the game. I wanted to work on this today.

I focused on trying to get a good feeling for a one-piece takeaway while keeping my left wrist flat. I've been doing drills for this at home, but in the past when I have worked on this on the range it has resulted in a lot of topped shots. Today was different. A slow and smooth takeaway, focusing on shoulder turn instead of arm action, and I was rewarded with a lot of truly sweet contact. I spent half of the bucket hitting 8 iron, and just working on seeing if I could keep this grooved. Then I starting switching clubs, as I typically have trouble making the transition from irons to woods and back, and I was seeing some definite signs of life. Far from perfect, but definitely a step in the right direction.

All told, today was a very good day for me.
 
Nice job Shark!

I feel like a lazy butt because my practice time has been pretty low lately. The kids are making it very tough to find free time though. Thursday looks like it might work out.
 
Rain has let up. Off to the range for a session with the j40 and irons.
 
I'm starting to take advantage of the warmer weather with some lunchtime range sessions.

My swing is making progress. I am really fighting flipping my wrists (specifically, my right wrist) to the inside, which really lays the club off. When I think about keeping a firm right wrist, my contact is much, much better.

I basically fight the same three things: laying the club off, narrowing my stance and weakening my grip. When I make the proper adjustments, I can really feel the club getting into the slot, and my swing feels much stronger (especially with my woods). If I can build some consistency there, I'll have something to work with for the season.
 
ATLGolfer said:
I'm starting to take advantage of the warmer weather with some lunchtime range sessions.

My swing is making progress. I am really fighting flipping my wrists (specifically, my right wrist) to the inside, which really lays the club off. When I think about keeping a firm right wrist, my contact is much, much better.

I basically fight the same three things: laying the club off, narrowing my stance and weakening my grip. When I make the proper adjustments, I can really feel the club getting into the slot, and my swing feels much stronger (especially with my woods). If I can build some consistency there, I'll have something to work with for the season.
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Guy is gonna be dialed in come Ohio in a week and a half.

I had a really solid range session tonight. Implemented a new grip tonight and it really paid dividends. My ball striking was much better and I wasn't hitting so many fat shots. Now, will that translate into my Saturday round in Ohio? Probably not, LOL.

Started with the 8 iron, and worked my way up to the 4 iron. Really felt good. The worked on shots from 100 yards in, working on 3/4 and 1/2 shots and really trying to stick the ball in certain spots. Felt really good with that as well.

Then on to the J40 445. After a couple of hosel rockets (one smacking right off the 50 yard sign), I started zinging a few out there. Just LOVE the feel of this driver. Can't get over how much confidence I am gaining with this club. I am ready to hit the course this weekend.

Also working on a "non Harlem shake" pre shot routine. Tinkered with a few things and may have found something that works really well. All in all, this is probably the most I've been excited for a golf season to start in a long time.
 
dcbrad said:
Guy is gonna be dialed in come Ohio in a week and a half.

I had a really solid range session tonight. Implemented a new grip tonight and it really paid dividends. My ball striking was much better and I wasn't hitting so many fat shots. Now, will that translate into my Saturday round in Ohio? Probably not, LOL.

Started with the 8 iron, and worked my way up to the 4 iron. Really felt good. The worked on shots from 100 yards in, working on 3/4 and 1/2 shots and really trying to stick the ball in certain spots. Felt really good with that as well.

Then on to the J40 445. After a couple of hosel rockets (one smacking right off the 50 yard sign), I started zinging a few out there. Just LOVE the feel of this driver. Can't get over how much confidence I am gaining with this club. I am ready to hit the course this weekend.

Also working on a "non Harlem shake" pre shot routine. Tinkered with a few things and may have found something that works really well. All in all, this is probably the most I've been excited for a golf season to start in a long time.
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It's fun getting ready for the season when there is a specific goal on the horizon. I know the MC will keep you motivated.

I suspect we will be all over the place next weekend, but it will be a great time. Honestly, as long as I keep the shanks to a minimum, it will be all good.
 
Went through 2 buckets at the range tonight. I'm still trying to put together what we drilled on at the lesson I took last Friday. I'm pretty solid with my adjusted setup and I think I'm better with my takeaway (not coming way inside with a shut clubface like I was doing). I'm not coming over the top and hitting strong pulls any longer, but I am prone to hitting a weak push now. I believe this new position (or at least different feeling) at the top I'm finding myself in and the transition to the downswing is what's a bit off kilter now. But I do believe I'm on the right track. I'll keep grinding it and may go back for another lesson in a week or so.
 
made a late sesh tonight at the DR. Worked on more iron contact as the course I'll be playing this weekend is "target golf". Went through a bucket and a half and mostly felt pretty good. Had a couple of blocked shots to the right of the target but overall not a bad night. Next sesh is on Thursday to work on the short game.
 
I had a lesson yesterday with my pro.

We worked quite a lot on my angle of attack, and also on getting enough space for my hands & elbows during the down swing.

My problem is that my hips don't move enough, but also at the same time my hips are too fast. I block my hands & elbows.

I did learn something, and I trust that I will get better this year!
 
I hit he range yesterday afternoon to get a feel of the new irons and to work with the Stage 2 for a while. It was not the best range seesion that I have had in a while. I felt like I was new to the game. I just could not find a groove with any club. I think it may be time to hit up the professionals again to get the swing back where it belongs. Not sure if it is a mechanics issue or what, but I could not make a real solid swing all sesion. This is the second time this year that I have had this happen at the range.
 
Put a couple of clubs in the car this morning as I won't be able to hit the range tomorrow like I usually do, but the weather isn't that nice so not entirely sure if I will go after work today

If I do, the plan is just to work on making sure I am still making good contact and practice a little bit of 'target' golf again ready for a round on Sunday
 
ATLGolfer said:
It's fun getting ready for the season when there is a specific goal on the horizon. I know the MC will keep you motivated.

I suspect we will be all over the place next weekend, but it will be a great time. Honestly, as long as I keep the shanks to a minimum, it will be all good.
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Believe me man, you could shoot a 120 and I will still be having a good time. I guarantee that I will bring quite a few shanks to the course on Saturday.
 
Yay for me. Got a whole hour and 20 minutes of practice in tonight. Just what I needed. Hit the ball pretty good. Putted afterwards.
 
One of the the things I love about taking lessons at one of the nicer private clubs around here is that after the lesson, they're always willing to let me stay and hit on the range. Ah, how wonderful it is to hit off a beautiful grass range and use the short-game area. Huge difference from the grass....er..dirt tees and worn-out mats at the range closest to my house.
 
Didn't manage to make the range after work yesterday as had to go elsewhere to pick some things up so this will be the first time for quite a while when I won't have hit a ball in over a week by the time I play on Sunday :eek:
 
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