Trying to Break 100
I play this course specifically to challenge myself. The layout is awful. And it penalizes you if you are a righty that fades the ball. But it is definitely a good test. Just not always a lot of fun.
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Annhl8rX
Well-known member
I benefit from that as well. I played at least once a week for well over a year just trying to improve. I never really did. I’ve found that when I go out looking to play a good round I usually end up disappointed and frustrated. When I go out just looking for a good time, I usually find one. I’ve shot my best rounds that way as well.
103 today with a 48/55 at 6,000 yds (31.2 Hdcp Diff).
Hit the first fairway and GIR only to follow by 4 putting. That would be the theme for the day with 6 GIR and 44 putts. Driver was pretty good for the most part, getting good distance and somewhat tight dispersion - at least on the front 9. I hit some really nice 3h shots both from off the tee and off the deck, but also hit some real stinkers.
7 strokes lost to full swing penalties, and 8 putts over the average of 2 putts per hole. A high percentage of GIRs don't mean squat when I fail take advantage of them.
Overall it was a fun round. Walked the course with a Dad and his young son. Even though the round was very long, it was cool to see the kid making good contact on many of his shots and score his first par ever... while his Dad and I both bogeyed the hole.
Hit the first fairway and GIR only to follow by 4 putting. That would be the theme for the day with 6 GIR and 44 putts. Driver was pretty good for the most part, getting good distance and somewhat tight dispersion - at least on the front 9. I hit some really nice 3h shots both from off the tee and off the deck, but also hit some real stinkers.
7 strokes lost to full swing penalties, and 8 putts over the average of 2 putts per hole. A high percentage of GIRs don't mean squat when I fail take advantage of them.
Overall it was a fun round. Walked the course with a Dad and his young son. Even though the round was very long, it was cool to see the kid making good contact on many of his shots and score his first par ever... while his Dad and I both bogeyed the hole.
Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
Nah, just hadn't caught up to the thread in a day or two.
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Awesome! To me, this is such good, valuable practice. Without looking at your swing, I'd guess that you have a bit of OTT in it. The next time you practice, try to really sling a ball out to the right and have it hook. To do this, you have to approach the ball from the inside - one way to simply and effectively do this is to drop your right elbow into your right hip in your transition. You don't need to overthink it, just feel like your right elbow is getting right down into that hip as you start your downswing. That really allows you to approach the ball from the inside and your hands will automatically react by rolling and releasing.
And just play around with different grips, ball position and stances. For example, try to hook the crap out of the ball with an OPEN stance! It's harder to do but things like this will speed you along toward understanding how the club affects ball flight, and how your swing affects what the club is doing.
That's what the range is for: experimentation, trial and error and FUN.
charley48
Well-known member
I've been wanting to try a round where I use nothing longer than the 7 iron for fairway shots. For some reason, there is a big difference in consistent contact with anything longer. I don't mishit the 7 or shorter club very often. But the 6 and longer is a different story. I'm lucky to hit a decent contact on the longer clubs half the time. By limiting myself to the 7 iron from the fairway there will be some holes I can't reach in regulation, but I might avoid the breakdown holes. And hopefully have enough pars to offset the doubles. The biggest question, can I be disciplined enough to not try the long hybrid on the longer holes? There are so many times I hook or slice it into trouble. Then comes the triple bogey, or worse.
Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
Easy. Leave the longer clubs at home.
charley48
Well-known member
Lol, that would do it. I usually play with my grandson and son in law. And I know they would tell me I need to use the longer clubs if I ever want to get better. If I don't have them I can't use them. The temptation to think this is the one time I'm gonna hit a beautiful long hybrid can be too much.
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- no skill?
Major barrier broken today!! :banana:
Well did it all over again today..... I've been really trying to focus on getting better. Had a couple of good range days. Felt like I understood my swing....
Went out today and nope!!!! Hit a Standard 109. Worst part is I'm all over the place right now on distances. Was pretty consistent with my new Irons about 2 months old now. Probably 5 rounds in. But I was short compared to my old ones when it came down to it. I went from a 3/4 swing to more of a full swing and saw about a 15yd improvement. But then weird things happen like a club I've never hit further than 170 will go about 190. And a club I always used to hit 100... Not even a new club it's my 52 I can't hit 90 yds. lol. Top it off with a driver that when I got it was long and straight an now is well not... lol I hit 47% of Fairways. The problem is the ones I miss aren't playable... So it's penalty strokes. Well I'm about ready to take my first lesson. It's time if I really am serious about wanting to play better and not just go out and have fun. I think I'm past the I just enjoy going out and knocking it around. Still better than work but it's time I should be playing better.
Went out today and nope!!!! Hit a Standard 109. Worst part is I'm all over the place right now on distances. Was pretty consistent with my new Irons about 2 months old now. Probably 5 rounds in. But I was short compared to my old ones when it came down to it. I went from a 3/4 swing to more of a full swing and saw about a 15yd improvement. But then weird things happen like a club I've never hit further than 170 will go about 190. And a club I always used to hit 100... Not even a new club it's my 52 I can't hit 90 yds. lol. Top it off with a driver that when I got it was long and straight an now is well not... lol I hit 47% of Fairways. The problem is the ones I miss aren't playable... So it's penalty strokes. Well I'm about ready to take my first lesson. It's time if I really am serious about wanting to play better and not just go out and have fun. I think I'm past the I just enjoy going out and knocking it around. Still better than work but it's time I should be playing better.
dthrog00
Well-known member
dthrog00
Well-known member
Fairways hit is a misleading stat. I miss a lot of fairways, but many of them are only missing by a few yards and are in very manageable "rough" if you'd ever call it that. I'm
actually better out of the first cut than I am the fairway! It's like the ball is teed up!
Bad rough or trees are a different story.
Dave
Nice! Love to see this!
Agreed..... I always used to say I prefer being in the first cut than on the fairway. My point was that when I missed it was so bad it didn't even matter. Looked back at my stats and I with that FIR % I hit 0 Greens. **** all over them. But only had 32 putts. Which looks like it kept me from getting to that 120 mark...lol
Frustration just setting in. I'm a very instant grad type of person and it just seems like there should be more improvement than I'm seeing. I know it doesn't work that way and that people put hours and hours and years into the game to see minimal improvement. Just never really been the way things work for me. So some real commitment to the game looks like the only way. Not just a Summer after not playing for 5 yrs...lol Glad I found this site though. Nice to be able to talk the game and frustrations.
dthrog00
Well-known member
I played with an A player from my league today. Last week some of the guys played using 4 clubs, so he teed off with a 4 iron and shot his league average. If you can keep the ball out of trouble, you can still score.
He used driver today and we both shot 45's. It's a frustrating game - even for better players.
Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
Ignore that. If you (we) want to be in those Big Boy threads (Breaking 90/80), we have to stop reliving that one beautiful shot, and remember the 12 fair-to-lousy ones we hit with that club.
Tell grandson and son-in-law that for the next few rounds you’ll be not keeping score and practicing. They don’t like it?Tough toenails.
You’ll get better by being deadly with the club you can hit well, and OK with the ones you don’t.
Heres the math: if you hit a 7-iron a consistent straight 150, you’ll be on in 3 on 99% of par fours. And on in one on 99% of par threes. That’s a good 50% shot at par on the fours, and 70% on the threes. (As long as you don’t **** the bed with the putter.)
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Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
Still going with the HMs. I’ve told myself the only way I’m ever going to get past the gnawing buyers remorse is to get good with them. Trust me, I’ve wanted to dump them a hundred times, but, I’ll never recoup the money, so I’m going to just commit to them. Fortunately, my last round with them was pretty satisfying, so the good feelings will continue.
Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
When he frustration sets in, a good long pull of Doctor Hamfist’s Miracle Elixir helps the pain. (In case you were wondering it’s alcohol.)
Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
I used to play regularly with a guy who was a 6 cap, and he never used a driver. A 2-iron off the tee, that sounded like a “crack”. Never mis-hit it, never saw anything but the middle of the fairway, could work it both ways, and up and down.
Yeah. Me and my buddy were discussing that today. Being athletic helps. But it's more of a skill game than and athletic sport. To me sports and athleticism are running jumping and catching. You can slide kicking and throwing or shooting in for soccer and baseball or basketball. But shooting a basketball is a skill. Throwing strikes skill. Kicking a ball high corner skill. Anyways.... Got to hone my skills.I don't know many sports that are harder than golf! So we have that going for us
Agreed. Could have used a few cold ones and a cigar today. Started at 7am with a new partner. Didn't feel like the first round out on Monday morning was the time to show exactly all the glory of my personality....lol
Try it. You'll be amazed how much it will help your score if you're not amassing penalty strokes and wasting strokes on mishits. If you haven't already, watch Golf Sidekick's "Way of the Playa" videos (Part 1 here and Part 2 here) - they're worth their weight in gold. Break your long shots into two shorter, manageable shots and shoot for GIR +1 instead of GIR. If you have 180 to the green after your tee shot, hit two 90 yard shots - or a 130 yard shot and a 50 yard pitch, or whatever you're most comfortable with. I can almost guarantee you'll score better hitting two easy shots you feel good about than wailing away with that long club you already know you only hit well 40% of the time. Ben Hogan is quoted as saying "Golf is a game of misses. The guy who misses best is going to win".
If you hit GIR +1 and two putt, you have a bogey. If you shoot 18 bogeys, you shoot a 90. That leaves you 9 holes (half the course) to shoot double bogeys and still score a 99. Mix in a par or two on the easier holes when you can and you're solid low/mid 90s. I find that, as a mid/high handicap golfer, my better scores come not from how many birdie chances I have, but from how many double and triple bogeys I eliminate from my scorecard.
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Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
Come to Cleveland, you can show your glory as early as you want.