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The THP Range/Practice Thread

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2 hours at the range yesterday working on a few clubs and 100 yard wedges. Hitting a green about 95 yards and maybe 10x10 yards in length I decided to hit 20 balls just trying to land it on the green. Went 18 for 20 and was very happy about that. We'll see if that translates into something today.
 
Couple hours at the range. Started with a small bucket, worked on my long irons. Considering that I hadn't had a chance to get on the range or the course this week, I felt pretty darned good. Starting to get more and more comfortable with distance and straighten out my 4-6 irons. Then chipped & putted for awhile...a perpetual learning process, but definitely getting more comfortable in that 6-8 foot range. Simple read, confident setup, relaxed stroke over the ball. Just need to make the transition over to the course where I tend to over-analyse putts.

Went back to the driving range, worked a couple of practice holes and then worked on my driver, which is a disaster right now. Fighting a monster hook. Hoping I can tighten that back up before next week.
 
Had a quick range session with my father in law. Started out awful as usual and then I started really focusing on the take away and getting everything where it needed to be and then it clicked. High and straight and decent distance. Only misses after that were me getting too quick with the transition and coming out of the shot. Some really solid progress, I wanted to hit more and more but father in law had to get going.

Saved 1 ball for the driver and wanted to do the same swing with it...absolute bomb (for me) that landed just short of the 250 marker with junk range balls. Left the rest of the balls as that one wasn't being beat.

Swapped out my md2 wedges for my father in laws 599 rtx cb wedges which I haven't cared for in my limited time with them. Messed around for a few minutes chipping and did ok...wasn't quite as tight result wise as md2 but I was in a hurry.

Back at it tomorrow

#JourneyToBetter
 
Couldn't get to the range with all the stuff the kids had today, so I spent an hour in the backyard with my 54* wedge. Didn't go so well, I'm still trying to figure out how to use the bounce and it seemed like I was shooting balls all over the place, except where I was aiming. Going back to the hinge and hold style chip worked OK, but I just was not happy at all with what I was doing.
 
2 hours on the range today. After warming up and chatting with Canadan for a bit I started to hit some shots. I had been noticing my lower body moving a lot which leads to inconsistencies. Dan agreed and changed my set up a bit (moved a little closer to the ball and focus on standing tall). The feeling is definitely different but I started to make some nice contact. I was able to duplicate the swing with multiple clubs as well. I'm gonna hit the range a bit before our round tomorrow to try and get more comfortable. Really liking the progress though and Canadan lessons are great. The best part was Dan talking at me as he is leaving to stop bending my knee!

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Focus as soon as I can regularly get to the range is alignment. JB pretty much let me know I was aiming 40 yards right of my target last weekend. WTF.

I forced myself to trust it today and it pretty much feels like I'm aiming left, but the results with approach shots was much improved. Tough though. Some times I just can't believe that it's right.
 
Hawk said:
Focus as soon as I can regularly get to the range is alignment. JB pretty much let me know I was aiming 40 yards right of my target last weekend. WTF.

I forced myself to trust it today and it pretty much feels like I'm aiming left, but the results with approach shots was much improved. Tough though. Some times I just can't believe that it's right.
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Dude same for me here. I am cutting across a lot of balls because I am aimed soooo far left. I really have to pull my shoulders back or else I get into this same routine cutting across the ball which I get away with sometimes but other times it's a big ole slice or a shank
 
Hawk said:
Focus as soon as I can regularly get to the range is alignment. JB pretty much let me know I was aiming 40 yards right of my target last weekend. WTF.

I forced myself to trust it today and it pretty much feels like I'm aiming left, but the results with approach shots was much improved. Tough though. Some times I just can't believe that it's right.
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It's like we are the same person, but I can't aim it right enough. Had to correct myself on the course today more than once after looking down on it.
 
Funny how that works lol.

I can get a much steeper shoulder turn when I'm not all closed down and aiming right. It was like everything seemed to click. Fundamentals biotch.
 
Hawk said:
Funny how that works lol.

I can get a much steeper shoulder turn when I'm not all closed down and aiming right. It was like everything seemed to click. Fundamentals biotch.
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Ryan are you doing anything in particular to check this? I need some help in this regard
 
TexasHacker34 said:
Ryan are you doing anything in particular to check this? I need some help in this regard
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Not a ton you can do on the course.

I pick an intermediate spot, set up by pointing the face at that spot and stepping in, then put the shaft on the front of my quads to see where my legs are pointing, which sort of helped.
 
Over the past two days it has been nothing but short game and more short game for me. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to take advantage of the stellar short game facility.

I started out by working on my chips from various lies of uphill, flat, and downhill to various targets on the green. I went to work with using a 56 with good results. This being different from me just always going to the 60, which provided me with basically all carry and no roll. For the most part I was happy with my results, but noticed the area I need more work...that being the chip when short sided.

Next it was to work on the sand game from various lies to targets of varying distances. My sand game has always been one of the areas where I never really practice and have been very good at. Knowing with practice how much better I can be has caused me to give this part of my game some loving.

Today was spent with an hour of putting focusing in reading the right line, used my Triangulator for the first time. It was interesting to see and know that my read was always left of the target. I definitely will be focusing on line and correct set up the next few sessions.
 
It has been two weeks since I've been to a range or course. Went out today just to swing and I wasn't as rusty as I thought I would be. I still need to work on my short game, though.
 
The weather cut my time on the practice green down pretty significantly but it was still very productive. I reestablished some basics with my grip and got back to rolling the ball very nicely.
 
I was playing a few holes at the pitch and putt on the park where i have a summer job and got some very interesting results

I play graphite shat irons which i think are a little too light for me and i can get a little out of sequence with my swing, also i usually try and hit a small draw with my irons. However, yesterday i hit a few shots into the first green whilst we had no customers with a really old steel 9 iron (they only have really old clubs to discourage people from stealing them). i was trying to hit baby cuts/fades into the green which was about 140 ish, every one of them was bang on line and all but 2 ended up on the green, the first rolling off the back, the second landing just short.

The heavier steel club and the baby fade which i found so much easier to control certainly gave me food for thought
 
I had a back yard session today, chipping mostly, 15-20 minutes every now and then during the day, between gardening and washing cars.

 
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A little bit of time at the range. Mostly working on the wife's putting stroke. Did get to chip a little bit, had a few more whoopsies than I have had but it was primarily lack of focus.

Back to the range tomorrow and a lesson on Wednesday
 
After all of the Easter festivities and obligations were done, I spent the rest of the afternoon on the range. Things didn't start out too well, and, I almost called it quits early. I was hitting the irons just blah! I don't know how to describe it. But, nothing felt that crisp. The ball was going straight at the target, but without any zip and falling a little short. I put them aside and took out the driver. One swing and I knew the problem. I always remember to keep my upper body, especially my hands and forearms very loose with the driver. I had not been doing that with the irons. I was gripping too hard and tense through the upper body. I went back to them and concentrated on staying relaxed and loose. Voila! Swing was back feeling good. I ended up with a very productive couple of hours of work.
 
I think half the fun of playing golf is the battle with trying to decipher what/why things happen in the swing.

Starting this year, my iron game was awesome... on target, great flight, but easily two clubs short of what I am used to. Trying to understand 153 yard carry on a 91mph 7 iron was about to give me a fit, until i really got a couple of good range sessions in to start toying with things.

As it turns out, I was casting really early (and driving hard with my body downward). Keeping my left hand ahead of the clubhead and really concentrating on driving my right hand through more stable rather than flipping early has made a notable difference in my distance, and while I'll need to concentrate on sticking with it, I nearly started giggling when I carried that same 7 165-170 which is where I am more used to seeing it.

I love the range. It sorts so much out for me.
 
I easily had my best day yet. One of those days when you can do know wrong. I could draw or cut the ball on command today. Hitting it straight was more of an issue. I really felt in control today and could add or take off a little if needed as well. My course opens for the season tomorrow but I will spend most of the week out of town and unable to play. I am so anxious to get 18 in, especially after a range session like today.
 
Howzat said:
I easily had my best day yet. One of those days when you can do know wrong. I could draw or cut the ball on command today. Hitting it straight was more of an issue. I really felt in control today and could add or take off a little if needed as well. My course opens for the season tomorrow but I will spend most of the week out of town and unable to play. I am so anxious to get 18 in, especially after a range session like today.
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That's awesome Erik!!! Going low in 2014.
 
Canadan said:
That's awesome Erik!!! Going low in 2014.
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That is the plan. If the work I am putting into my short game improves half as much as my putting, it could be something special.
 
Promised the boy we'd hit the range, so we got out late afternoon. Found one that had the grass range open. An Easter miracle. That was really nice. Tested some clubs, hit a few buckets between the two of us, enjoyed the warm temps.
 
Range was closed today so I went to the putting green and you guessed it, I putted. It's been a while since I went to the range and did nothing but putt. I worked 3-8 footers for a while and then worked on green reading and speed. Fun times were had by all.
 
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