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ChippingOut

ChippingOut

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Ok I need to know everyone's thoughts on the next steps I should take for my golf game. Here is a quick breakdown:

Experience: 3 months
Lessons: Get Golf Ready Program & Full Swing Lessons (4 - 1hr Group Lessons)
Playing Time: 2 rounds a month
Practice Time: 6hrs a week
Strengths: Irons & Short Game
Weakness: Off the tee. Cant hit 3w consistently. Overall inconsistent ball striking.
Ave Score: 110-115
Goal: Break 100 by December

I dont know which route to go. There is a GolfTec near my house that I wanted to check out to get fitted for a driver (im in the market for one in the next couple months) and lessons. This route is kind of expensive but ive heard great things about the people here at methods.

Another route is to take private lessons from the PGA Teaching Pro $165 for 4 - half hour lessons. He doesnt offer the fancy video or hitech swing analysis, just good ol fashion lessons. He brings 20+ years of experience to the table though.

Thoughts THP? Thx!
 
I think you need to let the instruction sink in and PLAY more. 2 rounds a month is not sufficient.
 
Well he did say he practices 6hr a week but I agree getting out more would be good.

As for the teaching methods: I prefer teaching methods that include video analysis of your swing. I find it very helpful to see myself swing as there is often a difference in what I think I did and what I was actually doing and seeing it on video helped me understand it better and made it easier to apply the suggested changes.

Maybe this is just me but I would not spend money being fitted for a driver at this point. Just seems to me that as you are only starting out your swing will undergo a lot of changes in the near future and getting fitted at this point wouldn't be the best use of money.
 
Practice is good, but my experience has been that there is no replacement for actually playing. Play more if you can. I saw my biggest improvements when I was playing 2x a week. The lessons with the pro will be a big help too.
 
rafal said:
I think you need to let the instruction sink in and PLAY more. 2 rounds a month is not sufficient.
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hawk308 said:
Practice is good, but my experience has been that there is no replacement for actually playing. Play more if you can. I saw my biggest improvements when I was playing 2x a week. The lessons with the pro will be a big help too.
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+1 Those are your answers!


In golf, it's so easy to get caught up in "preparing" to be good that we sometimes overlook the obvious. Go hit some trees, lose a few golf balls, chunk some wedges and just keep going. Pretty soon that practice and desire will begin to pay off and your game will improve.

Practice is a great idea and don't stop doing that, but nothing beats the real thing.

Get out and play!


-JP
 
You have to find some buddies to play with and play often. I also break up my practice into more smaller chunks (20 minutes for chipping here, 20 for putting there, etc.).
 
Driving ranges are great, but in reality, I'm rarely hitting the ball from a perfect lie. Many times, there is rough to deal with, or the ball is below/above me, or a tree in my way. Also, I don't really practice trouble shots at the range since I get tied up in wanting hit the fun shots. I have been taking the last 20 balls in my bucket and hitting chips/pitches with them. It has helped alot with 1/2 and 3/4 shots. I need to practice my punch shots at the range next time, since I seem to be taking a few of them each round lol.
 
Play more if you can...lessons are always good too. 6 hours a week is pretty good practice time. Keep it up. I don't know how "structured" your practice is, but if you are having trouble with getting off the tee and hitting a 3w, maybe focus a little more on those areas without abandoning the low irons and short game.
 
it is wayyy early in this stage of your game to do anything drastic
do not make the mistake of getting fitted and buying new clubs this early on unless you have money to throw away... your swing is definitely not consistent enough yet
lessons will get you the most bang for you buck and imo you dont necessarily need video lessons especially if you have no idea what you are looking at in your swing... a good pro that doesnt use video lessons will watch your swing and remember your tendencies
he/she will give you appropriate drills that will ground you in fundamentals

with correct fundamentals you can grow at this game really fast
 
Agree 100% with russ, fundementals are the key to a good game. A good swing without a good set up is wasted, lessons, time on the course and putting fun in front of perfection is the way to go in my opinion.

If you have a par 3 course nearby that would be useful - get out there are work on hitting wedges, pitching, chipping and try out different shots. It's fun, there's no pressure and you'll learn a lot about imagination and what the right type of shot is for different situations.

Good luck with it all.
 
ChippingOut said:
. . . take private lessons from the PGA Teaching Pro $165 for 4 - half hour lessons. He doesnt offer the fancy video or hitech swing analysis, just good ol fashion lessons. He brings 20+ years of experience to the table though.

Thoughts THP? Thx!
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I'd say spend $165 on lessons. Don't worry that he's not using video; you'll still get a lot out of it. Don't spend money on a driver fitting until you're semi-happy with your swing but do get yourself an inexpensive driver so you have something to work with -- a used name-brand driver that's 2-3 years old won't cost much. Tell us how far you hit your 3-wood and we can give you a ballpark idea what shaft flex to look for.
 
JPsuff said:
In golf, it's so easy to get caught up in "preparing" to be good that we sometimes overlook the obvious. Go hit some trees, lose a few golf balls, chunk some wedges and just keep going. Pretty soon that practice and desire will begin to pay off and your game will improve.

Practice is a great idea and don't stop doing that, but nothing beats the real thing.

Get out and play!


-JP
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Im definately doing all of the above. Ha!
 
NFender said:
I'd say spend $165 on lessons. Don't worry that he's not using video; you'll still get a lot out of it. Don't spend money on a driver fitting until you're semi-happy with your swing but do get yourself an inexpensive driver so you have something to work with -- a used name-brand driver that's 2-3 years old won't cost much. Tell us how far you hit your 3-wood and we can give you a ballpark idea what shaft flex to look for.
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When/if I do strike the ball with the 3w I get it to about 225. My biggest problem is slicing off the tee. The 3W has a Reg shaft right now.
 
Thx everyone for the sound advice. Ill def try to get out more. I just feel weird about rolling up to the course and hopping on with a group as a single. especially since ill be up there hacking around. I guess the unlucky folk should have a brought a full group...ha!
 
Don't be worried, CO. Lots of people suck. Far more than admit it :)

When I play as a single, I like to go at a time that I can get out by myself. Late afternoon on the weekends is usually pretty good. It seems like 3pm is pretty dead around here. Some of the courses that offer twilight rates pick up around 4:30 - 5:30pm.
 
ChippingOut said:
When/if I do strike the ball with the 3w I get it to about 225. My biggest problem is slicing off the tee. The 3W has a Reg shaft right now.
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225 is not bad for a 3-wood; just guessing, but you probably have a driver swing speed in the 95-100 mph range. There are a ton of variables involved, but that would put you at the high end of regular flex or the low end of stiff flex for most OEM shafts, which is good because most OEM shafts will work OK for you (not great, but OK). If you're going to take lessons soon, your pro should be able to steer you toward a decent used driver that will help you get to the next level.
 
hawk308 said:
Don't be worried, CO. Lots of people suck. Far more than admit it :)

When I play as a single, I like to go at a time that I can get out by myself. Late afternoon on the weekends is usually pretty good. It seems like 3pm is pretty dead around here. Some of the courses that offer twilight rates pick up around 4:30 - 5:30pm.
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I'll give that a shot. There decent muni course near my house that looks promising. Is there any etiquette things I need to observe playing as a single? I've only went with groups previously.
 
NFender said:
225 is not bad for a 3-wood; just guessing, but you probably have a driver swing speed in the 95-100 mph range. There are a ton of variables involved, but that would put you at the high end of regular flex or the low end of stiff flex for most OEM shafts, which is good because most OEM shafts will work OK for you (not great, but OK). If you're going to take lessons soon, your pro should be able to steer you toward a decent used driver that will help you get to the next level.
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Thanks for the info! It's good to have a general idea what clubs/shafts I should be looking at. As for lessons I'm going to hold off till probably next month and really concentrate on getting some rounds in. When I do finally get back around to lessons I'll definitely have the pro make some suggestions on driver types.
 
ChippingOut said:
I'll give that a shot. There decent muni course near my house that looks promising. Is there any etiquette things I need to observe playing as a single? I've only went with groups previously.
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Nope. You're from the bay area as well, so generally it depends on where you're at and what time. Generally, it's really not that hard to strike up some conversation but you'll always run into the occasional group that's foreign and that could be a difficult round if you don't happen to speak the language.

Really, the big thing is just to notice how much they are into "proper etiquette" and go with it. I mean some people get grumpy when you hit out of order, and some people are completely oblivious and walk all over your line. Bottom line would be to take it lightly and just enjoy yourself really.

Also, like the others have said......probably should hold off on the driver. If you're getting lessons then your swing's constantly on the change until you start to get it....otherwise, you'll end up like me and have a extra golf bag full of old drivers.
 
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