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The THP Range/Practice Thread

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The idea is a good one, but this will probably get moved. The goal starting last year was to integrate this type of discussion into the normal forum. What we've found over the years is that threads like these become pretty exclusionary and end up not getting read by anybody but MC'rs, while using the range/practice thread (and discussing practice with non-MC'rs) sort of brings people more into the event. Just a lesson we learned over time.
 
Good idea for a thread Nebgolfer. I think I will enjoy following this thread.
 
I am with Hawk here, I think the prep posts would be better off served in the Practice and Range thread.
 
Hawk: Compromise: We keep our specific #THPMC musings, interaction with sponsors, trips to performance centers/fittings, etc. to this thread, but our more generalized preparation stays in the range/practice thread or other associated threads?

I ask for the compromise mostly because last year's #THPMC threads, from unboxings to some of the other conversations specific to the Morgan Cup is what got me really interested and excited about the uniqueness and camaraderie of THP to begin with. So I suppose there's two ways of looking at it.
 
Paladin said:
Hawk: Compromise: We keep our specific #THPMC musings, interaction with sponsors, trips to performance centers/fittings, etc. to this thread, but our more generalized preparation stays in the range/practice thread or other associated threads?

I ask for the compromise mostly because last year's #THPMC threads, from unboxings to some of the other conversations specific to the Morgan Cup is what got me really interested and excited about the uniqueness and camaraderie of THP to begin with. So I suppose there's two ways of looking at it.
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Just going by the boss man's wishes :)
 
Nebgolfer said:
There are a number of MC threads around, and I wanted to make a central place for all of us to talk about how we're getting ready for the MC, and for the rest of the forum to easily follow along or ask questions. This could be anything from what you plan on doing, to when you actually start working on golf, to booking flights, to working out to get your body in shape.

I've started doing a few things since I found out I was picked. I've looked at Bridgestone's website about 1000 times, started looking at custom shaft options, and think I've decided on the grips I'd like if available: Golf Pride NDMC Black and red. I've read the THP reviews on the entire J40 line, and am starting to think about bag makeup.

On the actual golf side of things, I've spent a few hours already working on my putting in my basement. I'm working on the basics of putting and trying not to get too attached to a specific putter (my SeeMores) because I'm guessing I won't be gaming one of them in Myrtle.

What are the rest of you already doing or planning on doing to prepare for the 2014 MC?

Any questions at this point from anyone to those already selected to participate?
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I've spent a lot of time looking at the Bridgestone website as well, browsing the different options and setups. Even spent a fair bit of time looking at the hats, etc. I am trying to do my best to hold off on going somewhere to do a fitting, but I am getting anxious and am ready to hit some Bridgestone irons, drivers, wedges, fairway woods, hybrids. The whole thing.

As far as my prep goes, I am going to continue to take lessons--with my end goal of becoming more consistent and developing a more reliable swing. I haven't been able to play as much as I would like because of the short days and weather, so my game isn't as sharp as I would like right now. I am focusing on the full swing now, and as we get closer to the MC itself and I have more time, I will also increase my practice time for my short game.
 
I did get two lessons for Christmas, but I'm going to save those until I get closer to a fitting, and make sure my swing is where I want it to be.

Until then, my biggest goals are to play as much golf as I can, and really focus on my short game. Once the holiday season is over I'll be back to only playing 18 every week or so (I've been getting a round in every three or four days the past couple weeks), but an hour to pitch and putt is something I'm hoping to do every couple of days, especially once the sun stays up long enough for me to do that after work.
 
Paladin said:
I did get two lessons for Christmas, but I'm going to save those until I get closer to a fitting, and make sure my swing is where I want it to be.

Until then, my biggest goals are to play as much golf as I can, and really focus on my short game. Once the holiday season is over I'll be back to only playing 18 every week or so (I've been getting a round in every three or four days the past couple weeks), but an hour to pitch and putt is something I'm hoping to do every couple of days, especially once the sun stays up long enough for me to do that after work.
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You guys are on Berumda greens down there, correct? That was a pretty substantial adjustment for us northerners used to playing on bent grass. Ball grabs differently off a wedge. Not to mention some of the downgrain putts were really slick.
 
Hawk said:
You guys are on Berumda greens down there, correct? That was a pretty substantial adjustment for us northerners used to playing on bent grass. Ball grabs differently off a wedge. Not to mention some of the downgrain putts were really slick.
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Yup, for the most part. The place I'm playing New Years Eve is bent grass. My home course is actually a mix. The par 3's are bent grass, everything else is Bermuda. The wonders of an Army golf course!
 
That's just mean.
 
I like bent grass. Seems to hold approach shots better. But, yeah, the roll is a whole other animal in terms of reading putts, and I just haven't figured it out yet. I GIR often but rarely make better than par on our par 3's.

A few years ago the course fell under Army requirements to cut down on water consumption, a competition of sorts among the various Family Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (FMWR) facilities. Mountain View did it by pinching a lot of the fairways and roughs, and are slowly transitioning everything to Bermuda greens, I suppose with water in mind as well. I like the idea of getting a hardier grass out there, because we have 9 months of very dry climate, but we also have a three month monsoon season from mid-June until early September that wreaks havoc on everything, especially the bent grass greens. This year a couple of them got ruined, and my understanding is they're scraping them out before monsoon season and hoping to get them seeded with Bermuda. I hope it works; inconsistent putting is a weakness of mine, and it's frustrating to know it's not just because I'm a bad putter.
 
I got in some practice on the greens this morning before work. I spent some time chipping, really working on changing my approach so I get the ball on the ground and rolling much sooner. Mostly this is a matter of club selection, not technique. Results were good. On the other hand putting is pretty much a mess.
 
By some Christmas miracle it wasn't freezing today, so I hit up the range. There was a decent cross breeze which made it difficult to gauge the actual ball flight, but I felt like I was making some good contact with my driver. My 6 iron was a whole other story, and just shows something I need to work on. Was really nice and unexpected to be able to get out today, though.
 
Got a LOT of good work today on the range plus 2 rounds after. Turn work and driving through the ball. Good stuff.
 
Jman said:
Got a LOT of good work today on the range plus 2 rounds after. Turn work and driving through the ball. Good stuff.
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That is awesome, Jman. I was only able to hit the range during my lunch break. I plan on practicing and playing all day tomorrow though.
 
I hit the simulator at Golfsmith for an hour today just trying to get some rust off my swing and see where I stand. Was nice to get in a groove and hit some balls

typo's courtesy of Samsung Galaxy S4 autocorrect... Enjoy!
 
Went out in my front yard and hit my driver a few times into a field for the first time since surgery. Hit the ball solid and a lot further than I would have ever imagined post surgery! Smooth swing and boom, the ball took off far into the horizon. No pain what so ever and my balance felt amazing. 2014 is going to be so much more fun than last year :blob:
 
Ole Gray said:
Went out in my front yard and hit my driver a few times into a field for the first time since surgery. Hit the ball solid and a lot further than I would have ever imagined post surgery! Smooth swing and boom, the ball took off far into the horizon. No pain what so ever and my balance felt amazing. 2014 is going to be so much more fun than last year :blob:
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Happy to hear this OG.

JM
 
Spent an hour on the putting green with the m2c this morning and hit two bags of range balls with the S55's to get my mindset back for the TM TP MC's (wow, that's kinda fun) with the TM event inching closer. Also confirmed I'm in the book for a lesson next Sunday, know the guy a good bit and really am eager to work with him and see if I'm comfortable with his approach, would love to have a local full time guy to go to once a week or so...if we can work out a deal.
 
Girlfriend brought to my attention that I have completly abandoned my spine angle during my swing. Grrr.. back to the basics
 
I hit the simulator the other day, and had an impromptu lesson from a friend who runs the amateur association in Alaska. I played a lot of golf with him last summer, and he was happy how my swing has progressed. I still have a whole lot of work to do, but it was encouraging to see I'm on the right track. Did some putting this morning in my garage.


THP #theking #imwithchad
 
Had a nice long range session, and, at the suggestion of my wife, brought my son and his wedge. While I didn't really accomplish my main goal of finding more consistency with my hybrids in terms of address position (I'm blaming the mats), I learned a lot about taking kids golfing. My son doesn't care about your backswing. If he has to go potty, is cold, wants a snack, or wants to tell you about the shot he just hit, he's going to do so. Loudly. Right then. Right behind you. That shot that you just sliced about 30 yards from your target line, he thinks that's the coolest thing he's ever seen. No, he's not going to stop talking about the chip on the practice green that you holed out, even though it wasn't the hole you were aiming for. And the driver is the coolest club, because it's huge and loud and makes the ball go really far.

Fun day at the range. Consistently carrying my 6 iron 150+ off the deck, which is nice. Worked on chipping for a little while. And I got to hang out with my son doing something I like and he's starting to like, too. Once he gets a bit stronger in the hands, will probably get him a set of clubs. Maybe this Summer.
 
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Sheesh, what a disappointing session this morning. My lower back was stiff as a board, I couldn't turn and as a result had this armsy swing that found the center of the face like clockwork but produced an ugly low hook. Okay, whatever, I just need to rest and stretch... I had read up on the SPI putting grip and decided to head to the practice green to work on that. It felt about as comfortable as a pair of shoes that are two sized too small. Boo on all of that.
 
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