The 60 and over Thread

[charley48]

Next time I am hitting in our covered bays, I will have to watch for that.

If you see a circle around the 50 yard shot go ahead and aim for it. It should know how close you are to it. I would think since yours and mine are top tracer it should be the same. There is one thing though. At least at my range. The first bay and the last bay are furthest from the 50 yard spot. So those two default to the 77 yard shot. When I see how close I need to hit it I know its less hitting at the 50 yarder. Of course if you don't see a circle around it on the screen then its not giving you the 50 yard option. It doesn't happen very often but I learned the hard way when I hit to the blue 50 yard flag it told me I was 80 feet away.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

I need to figure out why I start hitting behind the ball when I get tired.

Even the chips were behind the ball.

Putting those two together I'll hazard a guess: You're not getting onto your lead side like you need to?

I wouldn't normally recommend somebody do this kind of thing during play. Normally, doing this kind of thing during play is a sure way to wreck your swing. But, since that's when it happens, I guess that's when you gotta do it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Next time this happens try to put a bit of attention to how the pressure on your feet and legs feels during your down-swing.

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

I agree with Duffer Seamus. I think when you start getting tired you stop "moving your body", "getting onto your lead side", whatever way you want to phrase it. This can lead to a host of problems. A few years back I had a terrible problems with sh****ng short pitches and chips. Long pitches were no problem, just the short shots. After yet another sh***ed chip my buddy said that he could see what I was doing. but wouldn't tell me unless I wanted him to.

Are you kidding?! Tell me! He said that it looked like I was getting "tired" on those short pitches and chip. I'd just flip the club behind me with my arms, and, basically, just throw the hosel at the ball. I know this is not your precise problem, but is an indication of another issue that not moving your body properly can lead to.

 

[Kent01putt]

After two week of my driver being on vacation it reappeared. Shot a 74 on Tuesday and a 2 under 70 yesterday. Man that dropped my cap to a 4. I really don't think I am a 4. Playing from 6300 yds. I feel lucky to be healthy enough to have shot my age 4 times this year.

 

[charley48]

Putting those two together I'll hazard a guess: You're not getting onto your lead side like you need to?

I wouldn't normally recommend somebody do this kind of thing during play. Normally, doing this kind of thing during play is a sure way to wreck your swing. But, since that's when it happens, I guess that's when you gotta do it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Next time this happens try to put a bit of attention to how the pressure on your feet and legs feels during your down-swing.

My body can't seem to figure out what it wants to do. I had to switch to more lofted fairway woods up to an 11 because the iron problems start quicker than the woods. The first few holes I can hit a 7 iron nicely. Then it starts with a pull hook and not very good contact. Fairway woods don't do that. But later in the round they start hitting more behind the ball.

You think my body is unstable during the downswing? I know you need a little more weight on the front foot with the irons. And a little more on the back foot with the driver. But I always thought the weight should be distributed more evenly with the woods. At least that is what I try to do. It usually works much better until the last few holes.

 

[Sean]

After two week of my driver being on vacation it reappeared. Shot a 74 on Tuesday and a 2 under 70 yesterday. Man that dropped my cap to a 4. I really don't think I am a 4. Playing from 6300 yds. I feel lucky to be healthy enough to have shot my age 4 times this year.

That's impressive, especially from 6300 yards. I shoot my age all the time, I'm just nowhere near the 18th hole when I do so.

 

[Sean]

My body can't seem to figure out what it wants to do. I had to switch to more lofted fairway woods up to an 11 because the iron problems start quicker than the woods. The first few holes I can hit a 7 iron nicely. Then it starts with a pull hook and not very good contact. Fairway woods don't do that. But later in the round they start hitting more behind the ball.

You think my body is unstable during the downswing? I know you need a little more weight on the front foot with the irons. And a little more on the back foot with the driver. But I always thought the weight should be distributed more evenly with the woods. At least that is what I try to do. It usually works much better until the last few holes.

Recently I gave up on the body centric swing. I've been struggling with it for what seems like forever. I now hit the golf ball with my right hand. The body reacts to that so I don't have any problems clearing my hips, etc. A lot fewer swing thoughts, don't have to worry about weight shift, dropping into the slot, crossing the line, flattening my swing, blah, blah, blah. I have also picked up distance. Sure I still hit errant shots, but for me it all just feels more natural.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

Recently I gave up on the body centric swing. I've been struggling with it for what seems like forever.

That's what I'm working on right now: Trying to teach myself to swing from the ground, up, rather than from the top, down.

I'm determined it's gonna happen, come hell or high water

 

[Sean]

That's what I'm working on right now: Trying to teach myself to swing from the ground, up, rather than from the top, down.

I'm determined it's gonna happen, come hell or high water

That's what I finally gave up on. I've spent years trying to get it right, and never have. By hitting the ball with my right hand, I don't have to worry about the "ground up" swing, the weight shift, the keeping my back to the target, letting the club drop into the slot, etc.

On a side note, I heard an interview with Tiger Woods earlier this year and he said he used to swing from the ground up, but with his knee he now has more of an upper body swing.

I'm not saying one is right and the other isn't. All depends what works for the individual. I've watched a lot of professionals swing golf clubs in slow motions, and while their swings might differ (some greatly), they all have one thing in common: impact position. It doesn't matter how you get to that impact position, only that you do.

 

[El Rayo X]

After two week of my driver being on vacation it reappeared. Shot a 74 on Tuesday and a 2 under 70 yesterday. Man that dropped my cap to a 4. I really don't think I am a 4. Playing from 6300 yds. I feel lucky to be healthy enough to have shot my age 4 times this year.

What's the course rating?
I play a variety of courses, some rated much more difficult than others, but my scores dont change much 78-84 is my zone. My index bounces between 8-11
If I shoot a few 77-78 around and it's on harder tracks, my index drops, but I honestly don't feel like I'm a 7, although I've been in that range several times.
Interestingly, if I shoot 82-84 on an easier course, my index sure doesn't go up as fast!

 

[Knot Right]

We play points on in our Saturday blitz. Four man team. I have to make 27.5 points a round according to the association computer.

1 point bogey
2 points par
3 points birdie
4 points eagle

Made 30 points yesterday and only hit 3 fairways all day.

I was in every kind of trouble imaginable off the tee. (flower beds - tree roots - two topped tee shots - plugged bank bunker lie - bushes)

My team and I were laughing at the end when I ended up with 12 pars - 1 birdie - 3 bogies - and two holes with my ball in my pocket.

Frustrating, weird, and comical all at the same time.

 

[MGoBlue]

We play points on in our Saturday blitz. Four man team. I have to make 27.5 points a round according to the association computer.

1 point bogey
2 points par
3 points birdie
4 points eagle

we play a similar points game in one of my groups, except we award 5 points for eagle.
[/QUOTE]

 

[Sean]

I shot an 81 today with three triples, and a double. Also had five birdies.

 

[Grand Stranded]

We play points on in our Saturday blitz. Four man team. I have to make 27.5 points a round according to the association computer.

1 point bogey
2 points par
3 points birdie
4 points eagle

Made 30 points yesterday and only hit 3 fairways all day.

I was in every kind of trouble imaginable off the tee. (flower beds - tree roots - two topped tee shots - plugged bank bunker lie - bushes)

My team and I were laughing at the end when I ended up with 12 pars - 1 birdie - 3 bogies - and two holes with my ball in my pocket.

Frustrating, weird, and comical all at the same time.

Without a minus point for double bogey, the mid and high caps must clean up in that game, no?
EDIT Sorry, i just noticed it’s a team game.

I shot an 81 today with three triples, and a double. Also had five birdies.

5 birdies? that’s a fantastic round. I’d be kicking myself all the way home over the two blow up holes though. No matter how well I play, I can’t seem to avoid a couple of them each time I play. It’s so frustrating…

 

[Phil75070]

5 birdies? that’s a fantastic round. I’d be kicking myself all the way home over the two blow up holes though. No matter how well I play,

That's me. Instead of concentrating on the good, I agonize over the negatives.

 

[Grand Stranded]

I‘ve played a 16:5* M2 3HL along with 18*&20* hybrids and a 5 iron for years. I’ve been noticing lately that the 16.5* FW and 18* hybrid were going almost the same distance and the gap between my 20* 4H and 5 iron was getting too big and shrinking between my 5&6 irons, so I’m changing to a 15* 3W, and 19*,22* and 25* hybrids.

My hope is to gain better gapping and launah through my 6 iron. It all makes sense in theory, and seemed to work well on a sim, but we’ll have to see how it plays out on the course.

 

[JPR1959]

Shot 38/37 for 75 and a personal best. My foursome had a 68, 71, 77 and my 75. It was a blast. The slowness and rain for a couple holes didn’t faze us.

 

[Grand Stranded]

That's me. Instead of concentrating on the good, I agonize over the negatives.

Exactly.
One of the biggest things I took from the Four Foundations of Golf was getting better at not trying to get those lost strokes back by pressing and making poor decisions after those blowup holes trying to get those lost strokes back and making things worse.
I still haven’t learned to deal with them better after the round is over though…

 

[nlk10010]

My body can't seem to figure out what it wants to do. I had to switch to more lofted fairway woods up to an 11 because the iron problems start quicker than the woods. The first few holes I can hit a 7 iron nicely. Then it starts with a pull hook and not very good contact. Fairway woods don't do that. But later in the round they start hitting more behind the ball.

You think my body is unstable during the downswing? I know you need a little more weight on the front foot with the irons. And a little more on the back foot with the driver. But I always thought the weight should be distributed more evenly with the woods. At least that is what I try to do. It usually works much better until the last few holes.

You know, this is what happens to me. I have a terrible time getting my weight forward, always have and, as a result, hit behind the ball. Unfortunately, at my skill level, this results in, essentially, chaos, as opposed to a decently struck shot that falls short. For the last 6 months or so I've been working like crazy trying to move onto my lead side in the downswing and when I go out to play it seems to work, at least most of the time. As the round goes on, however, the percentage of decent shots falls until, say, by the 7th or 8th (I usually golf 9) my shots are fat and infuriatingly bad. I don't want to make excuses but the logical inference is that I get tired, both physically and mentally (mental strain will drain you quicker than physical exertion will). So by that time my mind is so fatigued that it doesn't issue whatever message I was using to get forward plus my body can't respond anyway. As I say, I know that's my problem, but it is an interesting dilemma. There is a drill on Eric Cogorno's YT channel which is aimed at golfers with this specific issue (i.e. have trouble getting weight forward), I think it's called Post-impact drill or something like that. I will use it on the course instead of my regular practice swing and it helps somewhat.

 

[nlk10010]

Recently I gave up on the body centric swing. I've been struggling with it for what seems like forever. I now hit the golf ball with my right hand. The body reacts to that so I don't have any problems clearing my hips, etc. A lot fewer swing thoughts, don't have to worry about weight shift, dropping into the slot, crossing the line, flattening my swing, blah, blah, blah. I have also picked up distance. Sure I still hit errant shots, but for me it all just feels more natural.

That's an interesting approach. I tried that exact idea and, at least until I get tired, it does seem to work. You make a good point because swinging the trail hand and arm forward automatically makes my body turn and brings my weight forward. I have yet to make it work consistently, perhaps it's something I'll need to practice more conscientiously.

 

[Phil75070]

Exactly.
One of the biggest things I took from the Four Foundations of Golf was getting better at not trying to get those lost strokes back by pressing and making poor decisions after those blowup holes trying to get those lost strokes back and making things worse.
I still haven’t learned to deal with them better after the round is over though…

In my case, it is usually poor decisions that lead to the blowup holes. Get in trouble and try to pull off the hero shot isn't the smartest approach for me. I've learned to just get the ball back in play, and it is surprising by doing so how often I save par, much less keep it at bogey at worst.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

Exactly.
One of the biggest things I took from the Four Foundations of Golf was getting better at not trying to get those lost strokes back by pressing and making poor decisions after those blowup holes trying to get those lost strokes back and making things worse.

The three take-aways I got from TFFoG were: Managing my expectations, understanding what target to choose based upon my capabilities (dispersion), and that.

I'll re-read it again, someday. I think the author, himself, says you'll take something new away every time you re-read it.

 

[Sean]

That's me. Instead of concentrating on the good, I agonize over the negatives.

My home course is littered with hazards, narrow fairways, heavy rough, and small greens. If you can play 18 without losing a golf ball, that's no mean feat. Fortunately, I find more golf balls than I lose.

That said, I've learned to simply accept a ball going OB or in a hazard, and try to not let it upset me. For example, on two holes I was green side in five, and instead of being PO'd I did my best to get up and down, which I did. So even though I walked off the greens with triples, I was pleased I was able to get up and down.

On the rare occasion I play somewhere else, I'm always amazed at how wide open the courses are compared to my home course. I've had the good fortune of playing TPC Boston twice over the years, and never lost a golf ball.

 

[Sean]

That's an interesting approach. I tried that exact idea and, at least until I get tired, it does seem to work. You make a good point because swinging the trail hand and arm forward automatically makes my body turn and brings my weight forward. I have yet to make it work consistently, perhaps it's something I'll need to practice more conscientiously.

I'm not as consistent as I would like, but that said I am more consistent than with the body centric swing. I've also picked up some distance. I still have my share of blow up holes, but yesterday I had three birdies, and today five. So something is working, despite the few triples.

 

[charley48]

You know, this is what happens to me. I have a terrible time getting my weight forward, always have and, as a result, hit behind the ball. Unfortunately, at my skill level, this results in, essentially, chaos, as opposed to a decently struck shot that falls short. For the last 6 months or so I've been working like crazy trying to move onto my lead side in the downswing and when I go out to play it seems to work, at least most of the time. As the round goes on, however, the percentage of decent shots falls until, say, by the 7th or 8th (I usually golf 9) my shots are fat and infuriatingly bad. I don't want to make excuses but the logical inference is that I get tired, both physically and mentally (mental strain will drain you quicker than physical exertion will). So by that time my mind is so fatigued that it doesn't issue whatever message I was using to get forward plus my body can't respond anyway. As I say, I know that's my problem, but it is an interesting dilemma. There is a drill on Eric Cogorno's YT channel which is aimed at golfers with this specific issue (i.e. have trouble getting weight forward), I think it's called Post-impact drill or something like that. I will use it on the course instead of my regular practice swing and it helps somewhat.

I gave up on the irons. When I tried to stay on top of the ball and keep the hands ahead of the clubhead it tends to dig down more. I might hit ball first but if that ground is hard it literally stops the club head. And it can hurt the wrists. The fairway woods I don't have to have my hands forward and are more forgiving as long as I'm not hitting too far behind the ball. A little bit of ground first, then ball usually results in a little loss of distance but it bounces off the surface still hits straight enough. A 150 yard shot for example typically goes 125-130 if its a little fat. I can live with that. The same iron shot would probably results in a 75 yard shot. Instead of a 20 yard chip it becomes a much tougher 75 yard shot. My problem is, the last 3 or 4 holes its more than just a little fat. That I need to figure out.