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Rob's Progress Report

Today I only hit 77 shots (SwingByte ran out of juice). I tried to simplify my grip routine, and found something that I can lock in within a few seconds. Shots were more consistent today, with 70% registering good (versus around 55% the past 2 days). Only shanked 1 again, so feeling really good about that. Where yesterday was a tale of two halfs, today was much more consistent from start to finish. I had more straight readings, and less hooks and slices as well.

The hardest thing right now is grip pressure. I feel like I am around an 7 or 8, when I should be more like a 4 or 5. The rest of the pre-shot routine seems locked it.

It is going to be interesting this week at the live range. I feel like I am striking the ball well and consistent, but I really won't know for sure until Sunday. I hope the SwingByte is right, because I am relying on the data it provides a lot.
 
Today I hit 97 golf balls and had my best session by far. Again, I only shanked one shot, but my good shot % jumped from 55% to 79%. I also had 32% of my shots register "straight" which was up from about 16% the past few days. Original pre-shot routine feels natural, and I don't really think about that, or tempo. SwingByte says average tempo is 3.24. Not sure if that is good or bad at this stage. The swing feels natural, and I don't have anything in my mind other than hitting the ball, so any of those adjustments will have to come later.

One issue I am seeing is that I am tending to hit a fair number of shots a little fat. I am starting to tinker with that. Right now adjusting ball position slightly to see if that helps. Also trying to get just a little more movement in my legs/hips on the downswing. I need to do some reading on this to see what is causing it.
 
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Went to the range today and had a really good session. Probably hit 125 balls, starting with my 9i. Played 10 balls per club, and hit 80% within the flags. Didn't have any hook shots, only a couple of slices, and just one legitimate shank. I struggled a little with my 3i, but even that club I was hitting pretty good. I also noted my distance for each club, so I am almost ready for 18. I figure 2 to 3 more range sessions, along with serious emphasis on my short game. Then I give 18 a go.

There were quite a few positives today, including confirmation that what data I see from the SwingByte is tranferring to the range. I worked hard indoors registering good shots with it, and had a very similar result on the range. I might even say the real range session was a tad better. I also had good consistency throughout the bag, with the exception of the 3 and 5 woods. They were bad. I had way more confidence with my long irons. I also had a chance to hit a burner driver. Took me 4 or 5 shots to sort it out, but definitely hit a couple off center and saw a straight shot every time, probably 250 to 260.

This week I am going to continue to focus on hitting good shots, and increase the straight readings. I am also going to give my putting and chipping more time from now on.

I really didn't know what to expect today, but not in my wildest dreams did I expect to hit the entire bag this well. So once again I end my week feeling really good about my progress. I just need to keep the pace of progress up.

By the way, here are my club distances:

9i - 150
8i - 160 - 165
7i - 180
6i - 190 - 200
5i - 210 - 215
4i - 225
3i - 220 - 240
Driver - 250 - 260
 
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Quick update. Sore hands and fingers sidelined my practice sessions this week (going to be focusing more on grip pressure!), so I spent the time reviewing PGA Tour Academy lessons, focusing on areas I was struggling with at the range. Going to skip the range tomorrow, as the weather is poor, and I want my hands to be 100%.
 
I ended up going to the range today, hitting 70 balls. I have not been able to practice all week, so I didn't have high hopes starting off. I proceeded to have a great session, striking the ball solid and in the "fairway" 90% or more of the time. I had a group of guys around me, and more than one were standing around watching me hit. Shot after shot was solid. I had my alignment stick out, so I had a target line to go for. Still had some erratic shots, but I would say maybe 5 were out of bounds, with no shanks for the session. I did hit a few balls fat, but they still went a decent way. I walked off the range thinking...bring on 18! I even started playing around with drawing and fading my shots, and that went okay.

I think the next focus will be the short game, in preparation for 18. I also need to work on accuracy. I've gone from 30 shanks in a row, to pull hooks, to getting shots in the air spread all over, to less shanks and better accuracy, to today's session. This is feeling real natural, and a few more sessions and I might have decent consistency. I know taking this to the course is another big hurdle, but each session seems to be much better than the last.

Is this the way it is supposed to go?
 
Love the red dots. I had the same exact and some a@@hole stole them. There is nothing wrong with still using them, they are still great clubs. It sounds like you're making great progress. Congrats and keep at it!
 
JPR1959 said:
Love the red dots. I had the same exact and some a@@hole stole them. There is nothing wrong with still using them, they are still great clubs. It sounds like you're making great progress. Congrats and keep at it!
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Thanks JPR. I love these clubs. They feel so natural. Even the laminated maple driver is awesome. I actually had a friend ask to try them at the range last Sunday, and he is looking for green dots right now on ebay. He liked them a lot more than the TM he was using. Ping really nailed it with these Eye 2's. My progress has been nothing short of astounding with them. I feel like I am ready to break 100 right now. Seriously, I had people watching me hit. That was very strange!

Give me 3 more range sessions, and I think I will be dialed in with these guys. Best purchase I ever made.
 
What is your opinion of the Swingbyte?
 
JPR1959 said:
What is your opinion of the Swingbyte?
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It is good if you are hitting almost golf balls into a net. With real golf balls, it moved on the shaft. The numbers look accurate, and the app is solid. I trust it. Just not at the range with real golf balls. But I only tried it once at the range.
 
Quick update. Since my first round over a week ao I have put in two range sessions. I also had a chipping and putting session this week, which was pretty iffy.

Yesterday was the first time I got to hit off grass, which was different. I do think I have sorted a few things out. First, my shots are getting more consistent in terms of dispersion. I focused time with my woods, especially driver. I think i have the tee height right now. Second, I am working more on keeping my head still, which is a work in progress. I am also focusing on keeping my eye on the ball through impact, which seems to result in much higher percent of solid hits. I am still dealing with sore hands, which has slowed my progress and practice time.

Also, starting group lessons today with my wife and daughter.
 
BIt of a golf Saturday. Started with group lessons. The instructors were really nice, and our group included about 10 of us. They asked each of us to describe our golf experience, which was cool, because I think they are trying to tailor the instruction to each person's level. Started out with putting, learning grip, posture, etc. I feel like the three of us definitely got something out of it. Overall it was good, and the girls had a nice time. Next week is chipping.

Also went to the range. Decided to work on long irons and the driver. I am getting real confident with my 3i. Focused on keeping my eye on the ball, and hitting through the ball. I probably hit 50 balls with my driver, and found the correct tee height. It was a lot lower than I thought it needed to be. So I think the driver should be a lot better next week when I play my second round.
 
Since my second round I feel like things are going a bit backwards, but this is not a linear progression sport. I am trying to focus on understanding why certain things are happening, so I can make micro adjustments as things come up. Also had my second group lesson. I learned about chipping with other clubs, such as using a 7 or 8i. That was a revelation. I had a chance to work with my 3w a bit (Eye 2), and think it has a lot of promise. And i tried using my Titleist AP2 712 3i off the tee, and that baby is awesome. So I am discovering how to use all the tools in my bag, and over time I will figure out when the time is right.

The new Bertha driver is a work in progress, but it is pretty awesome to see a golf ball fly that far consistently. It really feels good, and I love the way it sounds and feels on impact. Great club. Once I sort out the slice I should be good for mid 90's, especially if I can follow up the tee shot with a decent 3 or 5w. Right now it's driver and 3i, and that is challenging.

The weather looks to be crap most of this week, so I think I will cancel my 3rd round and use the time for the range. I think too many things are iffy at the moment, so I want to focus more on the fundamentals and get back to solid contact. The next group lesson is on the full swing, so I am interested to see how that goes. Putting and chipping have been beneficial so far, so this should be interesting.
 
Since the weather was bad today I decided to hit the almost golf balls upstairs. I had not hit balls inside for about a month, since I have been doing all my practice at a real range. So I wasn't sure what to expect. The previous sessions with the almost golf balls were not bad, but I had a few mishits every session, including some pretty bad ones. Today I hit about 150 shots, from my SW to the 3i. The results were dramatic. Not one missed shot. I fired up the SwingByte and my swing path average inside-out by about 4 degrees. This was also an improvement. Even the wife noticed, as she usually would make comments such as "what was that!?!" when i hit one off the wall. Today she told me it was pretty quiet up there.

I definitely think that the last 2 range sessions I was skipping some fundamentals. The ball was too far up in my stance (strange how things slip like that), so this tells me I need to go through the routine EVERY TIME, rain or shine. I was hitting so many good shots at the range that I got lazy, and the game let me know RIGHT AWAY.

I figure I will do more indoor sessions this week (thanks to winter in April!) followed by one live range session before attempting round 3.
 
Quick update. Spent the session working on ball position. On the mats I would say I get better contact positioned 1 ball further up in my stance than I thought, pretty much across all clubs. Probably hit 120 almost golf balls, and again not a single mishit. From here I think I need to test this out on a real range. I might be getting better contact, but with a hook. No idea, but I need to check it. Also planning on having an intimate afternoon with Bertha, sorting out the slice. From what I have read, heel hits equal slices and toe hits equal hooks, so I am going to find out shortly if the slice was the result of hitting on the heel, or a totally hosed swing.

I may need counceling if it's my swing!
 
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