Hit the range tonight with my son, worked on short irons again. Practiced chipping and putting as well
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The THP Range/Practice Thread
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- #9,977
Played 8 holes with the wife watching. Played well, or scored well at least thanks to five one-putts and the easiest course in the state of Iowa. Luck of the draw.
Then hit the range with the GC2 and reconfirmed I suck for awhile. Then to a short game area for some ball testing.
Then hit the range with the GC2 and reconfirmed I suck for awhile. Then to a short game area for some ball testing.
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- #9,978
I blame the wife.
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- #9,979
No man, she took off after the round. Good luck charm.
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- #9,980
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- #9,981
Just flip city like always. If we are talking ball flight and accuracy only, it was fine. If we are talking how far the ball goes, I would like to take up bowling.
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- #9,982
Have you tried thinking about the right shoulder hitting the ball? You literally want to picture your right shoulder is the thing going down to bring the club into the ball, not the wrists releasing to do it. It sounds kinda weird, and you're gonna want to do it slow because in theory you should be taking some awesome divots, but it's gotta help keep that right wrist bent going into the ball
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- #9,983
That's my number one swing thought and nope lol. It works well to sync up my timing enough to play mediocre golf and lessens the flip, but as far as a good impact position it's just not there where it should be. The problem is that by the time I do that I've already started moving my head towards the target (on video), so it's too little too late. I think one problem is that in my head I know what I expect to feel at transition and whatever I need to do probably would feel 100% wrong.
I'm going to bring out the swim noodle next time since I can set it in front of my head. It worked really well for practice swings in the yard (I actually take a divot and the low point is forward), but I think I get so results oriented on the range that I can't force myself to let it happen. I'm so bound by what the ball is going to do, when that should be the least of my concerns.
I'm going to bring out the swim noodle next time since I can set it in front of my head. It worked really well for practice swings in the yard (I actually take a divot and the low point is forward), but I think I get so results oriented on the range that I can't force myself to let it happen. I'm so bound by what the ball is going to do, when that should be the least of my concerns.
arydolphin
GTHC!
I hit 2 buckets today, and it went from great to bad as the session went along. I hit the first 10 balls or so with my sand wedge, then took aim at a large flagpole 145 yards away with my 9 iron. Second swing with the 9 iron, BANG.....hit about 10 feet up on the flagpole on the fly. I've never hit a target from that far away before, I thought I was really dialed in. Well, after that I couldn't hit another ball that well, and my shots got worse as I went to my 5 iron and my driver. With my longer clubs, I feel like I'm attacking the ball so far from the inside that I only am able to hit a push or a snap hook, but I can't figure out why I'm doing that. I think I need to get my swing more upright in the backswing, but doing that feels really weird right now. After hitting a bunch of crappy shots, I remembered that my coach wants me to focus on keeping the flex in my rear knee on the backswing, so I just focused on that feeling for the rest of the session. More crappy shots ensued....there's a part of me that wants to go back to the range after dinner to sort it out, but I just think I need to chalk this up to a bad day and go back later this week to work some more.
Jackf
New member
There are bad days on the range just as there are bad days on the course. I have found that hitting more balls on a bad day is not a solution, it often results in more bad shots and more frustration. I know that I occasionally get the s^|>$ks on the range and nothing seems to fix it. I have been known to just leave half a bucket of balls and go home.
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Snuck in a few practice holes last night and hit the ball very well. I've been working on keeping more of my weight on my toes to avoid falling back and out of shots. My miss was typically a block that went short and right. I'm still hanging on to the club a little in fear of my old hook coming back, but I'm now hitting a nice tight draw. The ball flight with my driver and woods is a little lower now, but my irons have actually started flying higher, probably due to better contact. I knew things were starting to click when I hit a near perfect 5i into a longer par 3. Started right in the middle of the green and fell a little to the left right towards the pin. Landed pin-high and one hopped to 5ft behind the hole. I wont be playing much over the next week or so, but that was definitely a good shot to store away in the memory banks.
UglySwing
New member
After a couple weeks off from swinging the clubs, I worked on chipping 5 days in a row, and feel like I made some great strides in that area (hitting 80-100 balls at a time).
I took full swing shots for the first time yesterday after the layoff.
I was hitting the ball really well.
I was more relaxed, and the break allowed me to just swing at the ball, rather than thinking about the mechanics.
I took full swing shots for the first time yesterday after the layoff.
I was hitting the ball really well.
I was more relaxed, and the break allowed me to just swing at the ball, rather than thinking about the mechanics.
UglySwing
New member
^^^
I strongly agree with the 'too many balls at the range can be bad rather than good' theory.
I find it mentally (and physically) draining to properly set up for a golf shot 100-200 times in a relatively short amount of time. Setting your body correctly, lining the shot up, seeing the shot in your mind etc...
I can't do that 100 times in a short amount of time, without shortcutting it after awhile.
Then when the inevitable bad shots start to come, you get frustrated.
You then decide to do it properly, but now in a frustrated state, and having just grooved a poor swing for the last xx number of shots, you can't fix it right away.
At that point, I usually start swinging harder, and really screw things up further.
During a round of golf, if you take away putts, you're probably hitting the ball somewhere in the area of 40-60 times. Of those 40-60, a good number of those are short chips, and pitches.
Taking 100-200 really sound full swings is not only hard, but counterproductive (at least for me).
But, rest assured, I'll still go to the range and try some days.
I strongly agree with the 'too many balls at the range can be bad rather than good' theory.
I find it mentally (and physically) draining to properly set up for a golf shot 100-200 times in a relatively short amount of time. Setting your body correctly, lining the shot up, seeing the shot in your mind etc...
I can't do that 100 times in a short amount of time, without shortcutting it after awhile.
Then when the inevitable bad shots start to come, you get frustrated.
You then decide to do it properly, but now in a frustrated state, and having just grooved a poor swing for the last xx number of shots, you can't fix it right away.
At that point, I usually start swinging harder, and really screw things up further.
During a round of golf, if you take away putts, you're probably hitting the ball somewhere in the area of 40-60 times. Of those 40-60, a good number of those are short chips, and pitches.
Taking 100-200 really sound full swings is not only hard, but counterproductive (at least for me).
But, rest assured, I'll still go to the range and try some days.
BamBooBender
See-Moe
Completely agree, even the part about still doing it anyway. Haha
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- #9,993
I think I had a little mental lightbulb moment on my quest for a lower right shoulder in the downswing. Translated to some quality shots and a different feeling I've been searching for. I was told that I'd feel like I was coming way from the inside when I was getting it right and (voila) that's what I felt. I just didn't really grasp how far inside I'd be feeling it. Delivery into the ball feels quite shallow, though I'm striking the turf. My flip is either hit the turf behind, or just plain leave the grass undisturbed altogether. In theory that may be a good sign, since I dump the club because I steepen it so much at transition normally.
I finally got a decent mental image of how I should be turning down. I open up right away normally. This felt very much like I was keeping my back to the ball a fraction longer. Hard to explain and the video will tell the story as to whether what I feel is what was heppening. Glad to finally feel something different though. I've been waiting.
I finally got a decent mental image of how I should be turning down. I open up right away normally. This felt very much like I was keeping my back to the ball a fraction longer. Hard to explain and the video will tell the story as to whether what I feel is what was heppening. Glad to finally feel something different though. I've been waiting.
Did you physically just try to drop your right shoulder more on the downswing, or is there other thoughts/motions that lead to it happening? It sounds like we have similar swing issues...
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- #9,995
No, I didn't. That's what I've been trying to do and I how I interpreted what I was told, but was getting nowhere.
Here's a visual or feeling that helped me a little. Arms straight out to the side in your golf posture like a T. Turn back and right arm should be pointing at an angle towards the sky. Let's just say 45° for sake of conversation, though it may be something completely different. Left hand at the ball. Then reverse all the way so your right hand is now pointing at the ball/left towards the sky.
Here's a visual or feeling that helped me a little. Arms straight out to the side in your golf posture like a T. Turn back and right arm should be pointing at an angle towards the sky. Let's just say 45° for sake of conversation, though it may be something completely different. Left hand at the ball. Then reverse all the way so your right hand is now pointing at the ball/left towards the sky.
Decent range session today. Just hit 54*, 7i, 3h, and driver, focusing on transition and staying down through impact.
I actually got in some decent shots with my hybrid by slightly changing my backswing. I don't make any conscious effort to hinge my wrists on my takeaway, I just let them go naturally when my right elbow bends. I discovered that adding a bit more hinge with my hybrid gives me a much better shot with lower, more penetrating trajectory and fewer fat hits. Something to keep working on.
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I actually got in some decent shots with my hybrid by slightly changing my backswing. I don't make any conscious effort to hinge my wrists on my takeaway, I just let them go naturally when my right elbow bends. I discovered that adding a bit more hinge with my hybrid gives me a much better shot with lower, more penetrating trajectory and fewer fat hits. Something to keep working on.
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UglySwing
New member
One day after posting that, I hit 260 balls (but over 2 separate range sessions).
But of those 260 balls, only maybe fifteen 4 and 5 irons, and another 12-15 with driver...the rest were all 56 and GW (and a few 8-iron and PW mixed in).
Short game is everything. I'm doing a complete reversal in practice approach to what I did over the first 18 months. It was 80/20 full swing. From now on it's going to be 80/20 short game.
BamBooBender
See-Moe
True, I'm often guilty of spending too much time hitting the longer clubs, and not enough short game practice. It shows when I play, as well.
BamBooBender
See-Moe
Hit a bucket today after work, mostly irons. I also proved to myself, once again that my issues with hooks are all me, not the clubs. When I started hitting hooks, I went inside the place and got an iron with the stiffest heaviest shaft I could find, and still hit bunch of hooks. I'm pretty convinced that the hooks are caused by the same thing that causes all my bad shots, left wrist breaking down through impact (i.e. flipping, to various degrees).
One thing different this time was that I always figured my left wrist breaking down was caused by swinging too hard. Today I believe I found that it's just from letting my wrists do what they want. What feels to me like wrist hinge is really cupping my left wrist, and what feels like a death grip with my left hand and wrist is just right. Keeping that death grip feeling in my left hand, firm wrist, and keeping my spine angle, I found I could swing as hard as I want and hit some of the purest shots that I have hit since...well, ever really.
Dear GOD I wish I could get that feeling all the time!!!
I've had it a few times, but then it slips away. I think I may be starting to figure what I'm doing to get that feeling in my swing. Fingers crossed because I’ve thought that before only to find that, once again, I was wrong.
I guess my “A” swing is like a lovely but fickle woman that comes around to show how good it can be, only to be crushed when she up and leaves again.
One thing different this time was that I always figured my left wrist breaking down was caused by swinging too hard. Today I believe I found that it's just from letting my wrists do what they want. What feels to me like wrist hinge is really cupping my left wrist, and what feels like a death grip with my left hand and wrist is just right. Keeping that death grip feeling in my left hand, firm wrist, and keeping my spine angle, I found I could swing as hard as I want and hit some of the purest shots that I have hit since...well, ever really.
Dear GOD I wish I could get that feeling all the time!!!
I've had it a few times, but then it slips away. I think I may be starting to figure what I'm doing to get that feeling in my swing. Fingers crossed because I’ve thought that before only to find that, once again, I was wrong.
I guess my “A” swing is like a lovely but fickle woman that comes around to show how good it can be, only to be crushed when she up and leaves again.
LeftySean
Active member
Nursing a strained back today. Pretty sure it was a result of hacking away at balls yesterday with increasing frustration. Next time I get stuck on the fat shot train, I'm pulling out the wedges and practicing chip shots instead. No good can come from flailing away with full swings when it's just not going your way.
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