- Joined
- Aug 17, 2020
- Messages
- 90
- Reaction score
- 132
Trying to Break 100
First 2 rounds of the year are in and both over 100. 115 and a 105 the next day.
Hopefully they will be the last 2 over 100 this year.
Most of the errors are from lack of touch. Terrible chipping was a big factor to the 115.
Hopefully they will be the last 2 over 100 this year.
Most of the errors are from lack of touch. Terrible chipping was a big factor to the 115.
Have you tried getting a lesson before? Sounds like you could benefit from another set of eyes - they might notice something that requires a small tweak & would speed up the process & make the range time more effective. Good luck!
Nice! Congrats!
Thanks Snickerdog
For how I played to get that 98 I can see 90 going this year. I didn’t play well (a fair few 30 yard duffed 5irons for example) but no blow up holes. If I sort the consistency of ball striking I think I’ll see decent improvement in scores!
You can definitely get to 90 & lower. From what I've seen in my own game (& those of others in my HC range), it's more about eliminating the horrible shots more than hitting great shots. The guy I play with is a great example. I can outdrive him by 30-50 yards, but he generally scores better because he rarely hits a real stinker that costs more strokes. Just lots of bogeys & a few pars, and pretty consistently shoots 43/43 for an 86. And I am hitting occasional really great shots, BUT...this last round I had 4 penalty shots and made some other mistakes (thinned a chip shot way over a green, etc.) and ended up shooting 45/51 for a 96.
I should be scoring lower than my friend, but I won't until I can be more consistent (for me right now it's irons from 140-180 yard range). It's nice to hit an occasional shot where everyone is oohing and ahhing, but I would take his boring consistency & prefer 95% "decent" or "that won't hurt you"
thats what for the kills me, particularly if there’s been a long break
bobellis75
Well-known member
Yep. My guy is currently not doing lessons until Covid subsides a bit.
This is all new to me. To have just completely “lost” it. I am considering doing a lesson with someone else but I think mostly I’m struggling with coming off shoulder issues and a long layoff.
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have you considered filming yourself? Even just your smartphone on a mini tripod can give you some pointers.
charley48
Well-known member
I'm thinking of putting my old 7 wood back in the bag. There was a time it was my favorite club. I felt more comfortable hitting from 175 with it than 125 with the iron. Now things have changed. I'm much better with the irons and lousy with the fairway woods. I think I'll give it try at the range. It was always a much higher ball flight from around 170-180. If I was lucky enough to hit the green it usually stuck very nicely. I don't know if I can still hit it that distance anymore. But if I can hit it more consistently than the hybrid its worth a shot.
Welcome to my world. If I have a long layoff, sometimes I swear it's like I have never held a club in my hands before. In all seriousness, I think (at least for me) this is where my fundamental lack of skill comes in. I'm not uncoordinated, but I watch my brother play, and he just has a natural swing & rhythm that I never had. He's not playing well right now because he's basically played once a year for 20 years, but it won't be long before he's scoring better.
I don't let this discourage me - in fact I think it has freed me to really enjoy playing over the past few years. I'm getting better as far as technique & strategy, but if I hit a bad shot I can say "well, that's because you lack talent" and there is no pressure or expectation to do great. I'm free to enjoy the game & the process of improving (even if it is at a glacial pace)
Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
Well. Didn’t score well, but the putter remains hot, the GW is still pretty warm, the irons cooled slightly. I figured out how to hit the 7-wood, and was using it to good effect to get down the fairway. Averaged around 150 with it, with a small draw.
Edit: on further reflection, I may have overestimated my 7-wood. Let’s call it 140 average.
I have found better results with my irons playing them back a bit in my stance. My 5&6 hybrid irons still confound me.
I think I may feel a sub-90 round in me this summer.
Edit: on further reflection, I may have overestimated my 7-wood. Let’s call it 140 average.
I have found better results with my irons playing them back a bit in my stance. My 5&6 hybrid irons still confound me.
I think I may feel a sub-90 round in me this summer.
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charley48
Well-known member
Been with the in laws at Lake Shastina which is in northern California about a couple hours north of Lake Shasta. There's a very good course close to their home. And just about every hole has a great view of Mount Shasta. Played 9 holes with some strangers. My brother in law is not a golfer. Shot a decent 47 for a course I never played.
I'm used to 200 foot elevation or less. The higher altitude sure makes the ball carry more. I over shot the green on the first hole. A guy I was playing with told me he recommended clubbing down one club. It worked pretty good. After making a triple on the first hole I settled down and played much better once I figured out the distance.
Its a really nice course with what looks like red sand in the bunkers. I plan on coming up here more often to visit and play golf. Its a beautiful experience with the view. I didn't take my own pictures. These are pictures someone else took.
I'm used to 200 foot elevation or less. The higher altitude sure makes the ball carry more. I over shot the green on the first hole. A guy I was playing with told me he recommended clubbing down one club. It worked pretty good. After making a triple on the first hole I settled down and played much better once I figured out the distance.
Its a really nice course with what looks like red sand in the bunkers. I plan on coming up here more often to visit and play golf. Its a beautiful experience with the view. I didn't take my own pictures. These are pictures someone else took.
I shot a 39 on my local 9 hole course. I consider anything sub 40 to be a decent score for me.
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Stunning view, @charley48
One more place on the bucket list for me
One more place on the bucket list for me
After last week's 96, I thought today's round would go well, but sadly I didn't have it today - shot 55-50 for a 105. Didn't really feel comfortable until about the 9th hole, at which point it was just too late. With that said, I still had a lot of fun, and there were definitely positives - my driving was really solid the last ten holes (6 of 8 fairways, excluding par 3's), and I started getting into a nice groove with my irons shots. I also hit my new Ping G425 hybrid amazingly well - definitely recommend it to just about everyone who enjoys hitting hybrids. Putting really let me down today - just couldn't get into a good rhythm, and when we hit the back nine and the greens had just been aerated, I lost most of my distance control (fun fact - it's hard to putt through sand). I also need to work on my first hole jitters.
I have a lesson planned for tomorrow, and it's going to be all about chipping - I keep losing multiple strokes because I literally can't chip right now, and it's killing me. Excited to work on that part of my game and see some improvement! All in all, though, I walked off the course today looking forward to the next round, and I did have fun, so today was still definitely a win.
I have a lesson planned for tomorrow, and it's going to be all about chipping - I keep losing multiple strokes because I literally can't chip right now, and it's killing me. Excited to work on that part of my game and see some improvement! All in all, though, I walked off the course today looking forward to the next round, and I did have fun, so today was still definitely a win.
Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
There's some good stuff to build on here! As for the aerated greens, man, I won't even count strokes on those. Just give myself the benefit of the doubt and write down 2 putts. In fact, when we play as a foursome, if the greens are that torn up, we do a "group 2-putt" and go to the next tee. Even just dicking around and putting on those types of surfaces will result in a 3-putt most of the time. and my ball gets all sandy.
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2020
- Messages
- 723
- Reaction score
- 712
- Location
- The Hammer, Ontario, Canada
- Handicap
- no skill?
Well, I got a nine in before work today and scored a 50 on the nose.
The good: My tee shots were very good today and in particular, my driver was great. My approach shots with the pitching wedge were also great and most of my hybrid shots were good.
The bad: My putting was pretty bad (22 putts). No chip-ins, no one-putts and multiple 3 putts.
I'll spend some extra time on the prectice green and hopefully
get my putting back to 2 a hole or less. If I can do that without losing the gains, I'll be in good shape.
The good: My tee shots were very good today and in particular, my driver was great. My approach shots with the pitching wedge were also great and most of my hybrid shots were good.
The bad: My putting was pretty bad (22 putts). No chip-ins, no one-putts and multiple 3 putts.
I'll spend some extra time on the prectice green and hopefully
get my putting back to 2 a hole or less. If I can do that without losing the gains, I'll be in good shape.
charley48
Well-known member
I don't know what happened yesterday. We've been starting late so we could only play 9 holes. Played the front nine the other day. Saved the scorecard and played the back 9 yesterday. The overall score wasn't terrible. A 96 for me. But yesterday was totally different than the day before. I shot 45 on the front nine which is usually harder than the back 9. Not this time. I shot a 51 on the back.
I can't believe how badly I was shanking the ball. Had more shanks in 9 holes than I've had in a long time. Heck, more than I usually had in 18 holes before I got better. On a par 5 after getting lucky it hit a fence instead of going in someone's yard I shanked 3 in a row. Hitting my 5th from over 125 yards out.
After starting out with two triples and two doubles on the first 4 holes I did settle down. I had bogeys the rest of the way. But I still hit the ball poorly. A couple one putts saved bogies. A couple good lag putts from over 50 feet saved a couple too. I'm not sure going to the range will fix whatever the problem was. I don't shank like that at the range. I'll just chalk it up to one of those days and hope it was a one time thing. I was a little lethargic from having a stomach issue earlier in the day. Maybe a little worn down from the day before. At least I hope.
I can't believe how badly I was shanking the ball. Had more shanks in 9 holes than I've had in a long time. Heck, more than I usually had in 18 holes before I got better. On a par 5 after getting lucky it hit a fence instead of going in someone's yard I shanked 3 in a row. Hitting my 5th from over 125 yards out.
After starting out with two triples and two doubles on the first 4 holes I did settle down. I had bogeys the rest of the way. But I still hit the ball poorly. A couple one putts saved bogies. A couple good lag putts from over 50 feet saved a couple too. I'm not sure going to the range will fix whatever the problem was. I don't shank like that at the range. I'll just chalk it up to one of those days and hope it was a one time thing. I was a little lethargic from having a stomach issue earlier in the day. Maybe a little worn down from the day before. At least I hope.
See some people struggling with chipping. This is a fantastic video to solidify your chipping. Are you doing these things? If not, you should:
Caught a break in the weather and managed to get in 18 yesterday afternoon, and I'm really glad I did because I had my best round so far, with a 47-43 for a 90
! Four pars and no triple bogeys made all the difference - I was able to get on the green to be putting for par on almost every hole, even if those putts were from long distances. I had another lesson with my instructor on Wednesday where all we did was work on chipping and 100 yard or less iron shots, and while I managed to (mostly) figure out the chipping yesterday, the 100 yard shots are still eluding me. He has me place the ball further back in my stance for those, and I think I'm inadvertently cocking my wrist as a result. It was working just fine during the lesson (of course), so I probably just need more practice, but it was nice to actually be able to chip the ball instead of putting it from 20 ft+ off the green.
Otherwise it was just an overall excellent ball striking day. I managed to hit 9/14 fairways in regulation which really helped setup the rest of my shots. My favorite club continues to be my PING G425 3h hybrid - it has quickly become the easiest club for me to hit and has really helped me manage longer par 4's and par 5's, along with one par 3 which is uphill and notoriously difficult to get GIRs on. I switched putters temporarily to my 2019 Tommy Armour Impact #3 and saw some nice putting improvements, so now I'm going to be looking into some Odyssey #7 models as well as the Cleveland Frontline Elevado - while I still heart my Odyssey BoP, I've been working on an actual real putter stroke instead of cocking my wrists like I used to, and I had better results both on my home putting mat and out on the course with the smaller, lighter fang shape of the Impact #3, so I'm curious if maybe there's an upgrade out there that I can find.
Overall I'm really happy with the way the season has started for me - the combination of taking lessons and having them translate to great results in range sessions has really boosted my confidence, and I'm seeing better ball striking as a result. Still a lot of things to work on, but regardless of my score this is the most fun I've ever had playing golf, and I can't see any reason why it shouldn't continue this year and beyond.
! Four pars and no triple bogeys made all the difference - I was able to get on the green to be putting for par on almost every hole, even if those putts were from long distances. I had another lesson with my instructor on Wednesday where all we did was work on chipping and 100 yard or less iron shots, and while I managed to (mostly) figure out the chipping yesterday, the 100 yard shots are still eluding me. He has me place the ball further back in my stance for those, and I think I'm inadvertently cocking my wrist as a result. It was working just fine during the lesson (of course), so I probably just need more practice, but it was nice to actually be able to chip the ball instead of putting it from 20 ft+ off the green.Otherwise it was just an overall excellent ball striking day. I managed to hit 9/14 fairways in regulation which really helped setup the rest of my shots. My favorite club continues to be my PING G425 3h hybrid - it has quickly become the easiest club for me to hit and has really helped me manage longer par 4's and par 5's, along with one par 3 which is uphill and notoriously difficult to get GIRs on. I switched putters temporarily to my 2019 Tommy Armour Impact #3 and saw some nice putting improvements, so now I'm going to be looking into some Odyssey #7 models as well as the Cleveland Frontline Elevado - while I still heart my Odyssey BoP, I've been working on an actual real putter stroke instead of cocking my wrists like I used to, and I had better results both on my home putting mat and out on the course with the smaller, lighter fang shape of the Impact #3, so I'm curious if maybe there's an upgrade out there that I can find.
Overall I'm really happy with the way the season has started for me - the combination of taking lessons and having them translate to great results in range sessions has really boosted my confidence, and I'm seeing better ball striking as a result. Still a lot of things to work on, but regardless of my score this is the most fun I've ever had playing golf, and I can't see any reason why it shouldn't continue this year and beyond.
Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
Braved the weather today, a bit chilly at 43 degrees. My buddy had to bail on me, so I did a solo practice round. I hit 2 balls from every spot, lost a couple, found a few, came out +3 on balls for the day. Hit shots that ranged from from gold medal to goat s**t. Still seem to be getting better with the irons, so there’s a positive. Driver has gone MIA, so it was FW off the tee for the back nine.
That's fantastic. Confidence and enjoyment seem to go hand-in-hand. There's nothing quite like standing over the ball and knowing you have a good chance for success. Keep up the good work, @xcman04!
Weather report promised sun yesterday, a week ago. That changed to misery and snow.
5-8°C today with a chance of rain. Gotta get out at least once a week though, right?
Rode out to the club, practiced my chipping with the new shiny orange balls. Got a small bucket of balls to go through the clubs with.
Then walked the front 9 again and got back just in time to avoid the rain.
3 bogeys and my first par for the fight back to form, but also a snowman on a par 4 and 2 pick ups. Lost 1 ball by pushing it way out into ground under repair, but otherwise came away unscathed. There's a golfer in here somewhere, trying to come out.
5-8°C today with a chance of rain. Gotta get out at least once a week though, right?
Rode out to the club, practiced my chipping with the new shiny orange balls. Got a small bucket of balls to go through the clubs with.
Then walked the front 9 again and got back just in time to avoid the rain.
3 bogeys and my first par for the fight back to form, but also a snowman on a par 4 and 2 pick ups. Lost 1 ball by pushing it way out into ground under repair, but otherwise came away unscathed. There's a golfer in here somewhere, trying to come out.
Shot a 42/48 90 (20.5 differential) at my home course today. It's been a while since I've shot in the low 90's. Could really get used to playing this type of golf. Even the 2nd 48 was relaxing.
Every aspect of the game was fairly solid. I only hit 2 GIR today, but that's the thing about hitting close to the green and having a usable short game - GIR are just a stat that may or may not reflect the round. I putted from just off the green on probably 8 holes. The only penalty came from a topped 4h and the next shot with that club was solid. Not every mid to long iron was purred, but I was getting the distances right. Was long on a couple but mostly left to right slight misses.
The one thing I tried today that I never have before was partial swing with wedges and the 9i. I've been having trouble with full swings wedges so I clubbed up and took an abbreviated backswing and follow-through. I hit a couple short but, again, near the green. I look forward to try dialing that type of shot in.
Every aspect of the game was fairly solid. I only hit 2 GIR today, but that's the thing about hitting close to the green and having a usable short game - GIR are just a stat that may or may not reflect the round. I putted from just off the green on probably 8 holes. The only penalty came from a topped 4h and the next shot with that club was solid. Not every mid to long iron was purred, but I was getting the distances right. Was long on a couple but mostly left to right slight misses.
The one thing I tried today that I never have before was partial swing with wedges and the 9i. I've been having trouble with full swings wedges so I clubbed up and took an abbreviated backswing and follow-through. I hit a couple short but, again, near the green. I look forward to try dialing that type of shot in.
Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
shot a 105 today. Some nice shots lotta goat ****. Welcome to my world.
Weird day. I felt like I played really well though it was my worse score on this course in a while. Mainly due to a lot of missed putts. Everything else was working.
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